Stewart had earlier enjoyed success as a member of the 1960s pop band The Mindbenders and had delivered the vocals for that band's best-known track, "A Groovy Kind of Love". The Mindbenders disbanded in 1969 and Stewart teamed with fellow Mindbender and aspiring songwriter Gouldman to become part-owners of a Stockport recording studio which in 1969 was renamed Strawberry Studios (after the Beatles hit "Strawberry Fields Forever"). The pair, along with Godley and Creme, longtime friends of Gouldman, gained work writing and performing bubblegum songs under a variety of band names for US producers writer-producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz of Super K Productions.
German cover of "Neanderthal Man"
German cover of "Neanderthal Man"
"Neanderthal Man" was created by the trio of Stewart, Godley and Creme as they dabbled with recording equipment at Strawberry Studios, perfecting drum layering. The song consisted primarily of the chant "I'm a Neanderthal man/You're a Neanderthal girl/Let's make Neanderthal love/In this Neanderthal world", backed by Stewart's and Creme's acoustic guitars and a lumbering drum rhythm provided by Godley. The song was released as a single under the moniker Hotlegs (a name chosen in honour of a secretary at the studio[1])and reached No.2 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1970 and No. 22 in the US, ultimately selling two million copies worldwide.
The band recorded a follow-up album, Thinks: School Stinks, for Philips before branding themselves as Doctor Father in August 1970 for a new version of "Umbopo" on Pye Records.
Italian cover of "Neanderthal Man"
Italian cover of "Neanderthal Man"
The song was one they had originally recorded for Kasenetz and Katz for release under the name Crazy Elephant. Doctor Father's version failed to attract airplay or sales. Reverting to Hotlegs, the trio cut two more singles, "How Many Times" (1970) and "Lady Sadie" (September 1971), both of which failed to chart.
Thinks: School Stinks was repackaged for US release as Songs by the Philips label and again in Britain in 1975 as You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think Of It with two additional songs. The title song of the British repackaged album had originally been the B-side of "Neanderthal Man"; part of it had also been reworked to become "Fresh Air For My Mama" on the 1973 debut album by 10cc.
In 1972 Hotlegs was relaunched as 10cc.
Run Baby Run
Hotlegs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me a glass
I'm out on the boat a-
Rollin'
Rollin' in the burning grass
She's in the city
I'm in the states
Drinkin'
Hittin' the bottle for kicks
Oh, run baby, run baby, run run run
Comin'
Everything will be alright, alright
Now we're together
Everything's fine
I've given up whiskey
Drinkin'
Everybody's drinkin' wine
(Drink, now...)
(Wine, wine, everybody's drinkin' wine)
(c'mon wine, drink my wine...)
The lyrics to Hotlegs' song "Run Baby Run" tell the story of a man who is physically and emotionally distant from the woman he loves. He is out on a boat, rolling in the burning grass while she is in the city, working hard. He is drinking whiskey, desperate for kicks as he misses her. The lyrics "give me a bottle, give me a glass" clearly indicate that he is using alcohol as a way to cope with their separation.
Despite the distance and the struggles, the chorus urges his partner to run towards him. He is confident that everything will be alright once they are together, and the feeling of love and safety will return. The second half of the song brings a sense of redemption and acceptance; he gives up whiskey and starts drinking wine, everyone's friendly drink, as they come together and find happiness once again.
The song is poetic in its portrayal of love and distance. The lyrics give a sense of the yearning one feels when they are physically far from their loved one. The song's narrative clearly tells the story of two people who are doing their best to make the relationship work despite the obstacles in their way.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me a bottle
I want a bottle of alcohol
Give me a glass
I need a glass to drink from
I'm out on the boat a- / Rollin' / Rollin' in the burning grass
I'm on a boat, rolling through the hot grass
She's in the city
My partner is in a city somewhere
I'm in the states / Working the country / Drinkin'
I'm working in a rural area in the United States and drinking alcohol
Hittin' the bottle for kicks
Drinking to have fun
Oh, run baby, run baby, run run run
Encouraging someone to run away from their problems or current situation
Comin' / Everything will be alright, alright
Something good is about to happen and everything will be okay
Now we're together / Everything's fine
Now that we're reunited, everything is good
I've given up whiskey / Drinkin' / Everybody's drinkin' wine
I stopped drinking whiskey, but now everyone is drinking wine
(Drink, now...)
Continuing to encourage drinking
(Wine, wine, everybody's drinkin' wine)
Reiterating that everyone is drinking wine
(c'mon wine, drink my wine...)
Asking others to drink my wine
Contributed by Asher A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.