The band's follow-up album Have a Good Time but Get out Alive! was featured by Rolling Stone magazine as its showcase review with the headline "New American Classic" and The Village Voice called it "the strongest album an American band has made this year."[1] The tandem tavern-set tracks "Old Man Bar" and "Junior's Bar" were especially praised. Production was credited to the Slimmer Twins and Mick Ronson, with arrangements by Ian Hunter and Steven Van Zandt. According to the liner notes within Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers, Van Zandt left after producing five songs due to musical differences between himself, Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson.[1]
The Houserockers' third album, Blood on the Bricks, is a bit more restrained, but a lot richer and more consistent; for the first time, Grushecky's ballads measure up to his faster anthems. Produced by American soul-rock legend Steve Cropper, the album crackles with restrained intensity. The 1983 edition Rolling Stone Record Guide praised it as the band's best album, although it had good marks for all of them.
The band then changed its name to simply The Houserockers to avoid the geographic limitation the "Iron City" moniker had put them in. It also shed harmonica player Marc Reisman, Ned Rankin quit and was replaced by Ron "Byrd" Foster (from the recently disbanded Silencers, previously with Sweet Lightning and Roy Buchanan's band) and saw Gil Snyder adding synthesizers to his trademark piano and organ. The subsequent album, Cracking Under Pressure, like all the band's previous efforts, drew critical raves - but didn't sell much. The band was dropped from MCA Records shortly after the album's release, and broke up a few months later.
Joe Grushecky went on to a modestly successful career on his own, often under the name Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers. He has co-written several songs with fellow heartland rocker Bruce Springsteen and made a number of on-stage appearances with him.
The Iron City Houserocker's first two albums, Love's So Tough and Have a Good Time but Get Out Alive! were released on compact disc in 1999. Blood on the Bricks and Cracking Under Pressure are still unreleased on CD, although cuts from both albums are present on Pumping Iron & Sweating Steel: The Best of the Iron City Houserockers.
Angela
Iron City Houserockers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the five and dime
She's overweight – out of fashion – out of time
She knows what she wants out of live
She knows how to treat a man
She's the only girl i ever met who really understands
Oh angela the stars are shining bright
Oh angela
Oh angela
I searched my whole life through
For a girl live you
She likes going to the movies because she likes
Seeing places she'll never see
She stares at the screen and imagines that she's somebody
That she'll never be
She says she's waiting for better times
But who knows where or when
She says she's waiting for a better man
But until then
Oh angela the stars are shining bright
Oh angela going to shoot them out right
Oh angela
Oh angela
Oh angela
I searched my whole life through
For a girl live you
The lyrics of Iron City Houserockers's song "Angela" tell the story of a check-out girl who works at a five and dime, a term used to describe small stores that sell inexpensive items. The song describes Angela in terms of what society might consider as her flaws - she is overweight, out of fashion, and out of time. However, the singer tells us that Angela is a person who knows what she wants out of life and how to treat a man. He is impressed that she is the only girl he has ever met who truly understands him.
Despite her difficult circumstances, Angela is a dreamer. She likes going to the movies, where she stares at the screen and imagines herself as someone else. The singer tells us that Angela is waiting for better times and a better man, but until then, she will continue to live her life. The song's chorus reflects the singer's admiration and love for Angela, as he declares that he has been searching his whole life for someone like her.
Line by Line Meaning
She's a check out girl working nine to five
She works at a store during regular business hours
At the five and dime
Specifically, she works at a store that sells inexpensive items
She's overweight – out of fashion – out of time
She doesn't conform to societal standards of beauty, and feels like she's missed her chance
She knows what she wants out of live
She has a clear sense of direction and purpose
She knows how to treat a man
She's kind and respectful towards her partners
She's the only girl i ever met who really understands
The singer feels a strong connection with her, and feels like she 'gets' him
She likes going to the movies because she likes
She enjoys the experience of watching films on the big screen
Seeing places she'll never see
She uses movies as an escape from her everyday life
She stares at the screen and imagines that she's somebody
Watching movies allows her to live vicariously through the characters on screen
That she'll never be
She feels trapped by her current circumstances
She says she's waiting for better times
She's hopeful that things will improve for her in the future
But who knows where or when
She's uncertain about when or where these changes will occur
She says she's waiting for a better man
She's looking for a partner who will treat her well and help improve her life
But until then
In the meantime,
Oh angela the stars are shining bright
Here the singer is addressing Angela, saying that everything feels brighter when he's around her
Oh angela going to shoot them out right
He's 'shooting for the stars' in trying to win her over
Oh angela
A repeated address to the title character, expressing a strong emotional connection
I searched my whole life through
The singer has been looking for someone like Angela for a long time
For a girl live you
He's found in Angela everything he's been searching for
Contributed by Parker V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.