By 1973, after the breakup of Jefferson Airplane, with Kaukonen and Casady now devoting their full attention to Hot Tuna, several of the musicians who worked on Kantner, Slick, and Freiberg's album "Baron von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun" formed the core of a new lineup that was formally reborn as "Jefferson Starship" in 1974. Kantner, Slick, and Freiberg were charter members. The line-up also included late-Airplane holdovers drummer John Barbata, Marty Balin,and fiddler Papa John Creach (who also played with Hot Tuna), along with Pete Sears (who, like Freiberg, played bass and keyboards) and twenty-year-old guitarist Craig Chaquico.
Eventually, Slick's alcoholism became a problem, which led to two nights of disastrous concerts in Germany in 1978. The first night, fans ransacked the stage when Slick failed to appear. The following night, Slick, in a drunken stupor, shocked the audience by using profanity and sexual references throughout most of her songs. She also reminded the audience that their country had lost during World War II , repeatedly asking "Who won the war?", and implied that all residents of Germany were responsible for the wartime atrocities. After the debacle, she left the band.
The band soon cribbed vocalist Mickey Thomas from the popular Elvin Bishop Group. After the 1979 release of 'Freedom at Point Zero' (which spawned the hit single "Jane"), Slick returned to the band. She joined in time to contribute one song, "Stranger", on the group's next album, Modern Times (1981). Modern Times also included the notorious "Stairway to Cleveland," in which the band defended the numerous changes it had undergone in its musical style, personnel, and even name. One noted personnel change in the group was when Dunbar left and was replaced by Donny Baldwin (also of the Elvin Bishop Group). Slick remained in the band for Jefferson Starship's final two albums, Winds Of Change (1982) and Nuclear Furniture (1984).
Around this time, the band began enthusiastically embracing rock's video age. Grace Slick would appear frequently on MTV and such music-oriented television shows as Solid Gold, giving the band a high visibility in the MTV era. However, the Jefferson Starship albums of this era were only modestly successful, yet the band remained a gold-selling (and thus commercially credible) act, and a popular concert draw.
In 1984, Kantner (the last remaining founding member of Jefferson Airplane) left the group, but not before taking legal action over the Jefferson name against his former bandmates, who wanted to continue as Jefferson Starship. Kantner settled out of court and signed an agreement that neither party would use the names "Jefferson" or "Airplane" unless all members of Jefferson Airplane, Inc. (Bill Thompson, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady) agreed. The band used the titles "Starship Jefferson" and "Jefferson Starship" during the proceedings, but ultimately settled on the shortening 'Starship'.
In 1992, Kantner restarted Jefferson Starship as Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation before returning simply to Jefferson Starship after a couple of years. This incarnation of the band continues to perform and record to this day.
All Nite Long
Jefferson Starship Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If only I could dance with you
If only I could keep on singin'
All night long, all night long
If only we could dance together
All night long, all night long
If only we could keep this feelin'
Make it last all night long
Waitin' for the next wave
Wonder what's it gonna be
Waitin' for the next
All night long, all night long
Whoa oo oh the dawn comes up like thunder
Somebody give me a light I need a little
Help through the darkness
Just a little light
Enough to get me home
All night long, all night long, all night long
Sometimes the music's a doorway
Out of the darkness into the light
Climb the dream I can make you dream
All night long, all night long
See the ruins of a once mighty castle
A land where the sun casts no shadow
Sings and wonders the sund of thunder
All night long, all night long
Step into the sky you won't
Fall I'll tell you why
You got to be a sky rider
All night long, all night long
Whoa oh oh your love come up like thunder
Somebody give me a light I need a little
Help through the darkness
Just a little light
Enough to get me home
All night long, all night long, all night long
I can read your mind an I know
What you're thinkin'
I can see your mind just as clear as my own
The pictures I see they all tell a story
Bout where we been and where we're goin'
Tonight if only the music would keep on playing
Tonight if only I could dance with you
Tonight if only we could keep on singin'
All night long, all night long, all night long
Tonight keep on singin' dancin'
Take me home
Bring it home
Tonight
All night long
The lyrics of Jefferson Starship's "All Nite Long" express the desire to keep the music playing and dance all night long with a loved one. It's a powerful expression of longing and desire for a moment to last forever. The lyrics paint a picture of waiting for the next wave of music to hit, and the feeling of being lost in the darkness without the light of the music. The imagery of the ruins of a once mighty castle and a land where the sun casts no shadow adds to the sense of longing and searching for something brighter.
The lyrics go on to say that the music is a doorway out of the darkness and into the light. The singer tells us that he can read our minds and knows what we're thinking, and that he can see our minds clear as his own. It's a deeply introspective and spiritual song that describes music as a means of connecting to something greater than ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
If only the music would keep on playing
Wishing for the music to keep playing
If only I could dance with you
Wishing to dance with someone
If only I could keep on singin'
Wishing to keep singing
All night long, all night long
Longing for an all-night experience
If only we could dance together
Wishing to dance with a particular person
If only we could keep this feelin'
Wishing to maintain this feeling
Make it last all night long
Wishing for the feeling to last throughout the night
Waitin' for the next wave
Anticipating what comes next
Wonder what's it gonna be
Curiosity about what's next
Whoa oo oh the dawn comes up like thunder
The sun rises quickly and dramatically
Somebody give me a light I need a little
Request for assistance in the dark
Help through the darkness
Asking for help in a difficult situation
Just a little light
Request for a small amount of help
Enough to get me home
Request to be guided home
All night long, all night long, all night long
An all-night experience
Sometimes the music's a doorway
Music can be an entry point
Out of the darkness into the light
Exiting a dark place
Climb the dream I can make you dream
Encouraging a shared dream
See the ruins of a once mighty castle
Observing the remains of something grand
A land where the sun casts no shadow
A strange and unfamiliar place
Sings and wonders the sund of thunder
The sounds of nature add to the experience
Step into the sky you won't
Encouragement to take a risk
Fall I'll tell you why
Promise of safety
You got to be a sky rider
Encourages active participation
I can read your mind an I know
Claiming to know someone's thoughts
What you're thinkin'
Claiming to know what someone is thinking about
I can see your mind just as clear as my own
Claiming to understand someone deeply
The pictures I see they all tell a story
Conviction that thoughts are a narrative
Bout where we been and where we're goin'
Looking back and looking ahead
Tonight keep on singin' dancin'
Encouraging the continuation of the experience
Take me home
Desiring to return to a familiar place
Bring it home
Wanting to end the night on a good note
Tonight
This current, special night
All night long
A desire for the experience to last until morning
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Craig Chaquico, David Freiberg, Grace Slick, Jesse Barish, John Barbata, Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, Pete Sears
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steven Novakovich
Absolute love and peace...I got to meet David and the rest of the new Starship a few months ago in St. Charles, Illinois...awesome show at the Arcada!
Steven Novakovich
Awesome guitarist Jude Gold is a member...he does true justice to Jorma... :^)
Thomas Palazzi
Very young Craig Chaquico playing outrageous guitar on this Song!!
Joenethen
Underrated tune
william moser
If only people could understand.
David Crews
Have to share this: I lived in San Francisco during 1973. I read in the local paper; Grace was arrested...for trimming her trees...with a 12 gauge. The town of Sosalito did not like her method
Charles Stuart
If only we could keep this feeling...
Barbara Steward
Real music💕💕💕
Scott Fraser
RIP Paul you will be remembered - ty
Stetson Dayton
@Kase Benton yup, been watching on InstaFlixxer for months myself :D