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.
We Built This City
Jefferson Starship Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We built this city on rock and roll
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
Say you don't know me
Or recognize my face
Say you don't care who goes
Knee deep in the hoopla
Sinking in your fight
Too many runaways
Eating up the night
Marconi plays the mamba
Listen to the radio
Don't you remember
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
Someone always playing
Corporation games
Who cares they're always changing
Corporation names
We just want to dance here
Someone stole the stage
They call us irresponsible
Write us off the page
Marconi plays the mamba
Listen to the radio
Don't you remember
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
It's just another Sunday
In a tired old street
Police have got the choke hold
Oh, and we just lost the beat
Who counts the money
Underneath the bar
Who rides the wrecking ball
Into our guitars
Don't tell us you need us
'Cause we're just simple fools
Looking for America
Calling through your schools
(I'm looking out over that Golden Gate bridge
Out on a gorgeous sunny Saturday
I've seen that bumper-to-bumper traffic)
Don't you remember (remember)
(Here's your favorite radio station in your favorite radio city
The city by the bay, the city that rocks, the city that never sleeps)
Marconi plays the mamba
Listen to the radio
Don't you remember
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
We built this city
We built this city on rock and roll
"We Built This City" is a song performed by Jefferson Starship, an American rock band in the 1980s. The song expresses the band's pride in their contributions to the music industry and their frustration with the corporate culture. The lyrics suggest that the city the band members are celebrating was built on rock and roll music. Their lyrics appear to imply that traditional ideas of hard work and building are no longer necessary to create something of worth.
The first verse appears to be about being misunderstood and unrecognized. The band has created something that the singer is proud of, but some people do not recognize it or appreciate it. They want to enjoy themselves, but the music scene is full of runaways who seem to be wasting their lives. The second verse references the corporate world, which is seen as constantly changing simply for profit, without regard for the people involved.
"Marconi plays the mamba" is a reference to Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of the radio, and a group dance from Latin America known as the mamba. The bridge is a spoken word by a radio announcer showcasing the band's achievements and its contributions to the rock music world. The chorus repeats that the band built this city on rock and roll, emphasizing their role in creating a legacy that exists beyond themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
We built this city
We are proud of this city that we built
We built this city on rock and roll
We built this city with energy and passion that comes from rock and roll music
Say you don't know me
Some people don't recognize or acknowledge me
Or recognize my face
Some people don't recognize or acknowledge me even if they can see my face
Say you don't care who goes
Some people don't care who goes to a certain place
To that kind of place
To a place that some people may not appreciate or acknowledge
Knee deep in the hoopla
I'm stuck in a difficult situation
Sinking in your fight
I'm losing the battle that I'm fighting
Too many runaways
Too many people are leaving or escaping from this difficult situation
Eating up the night
People are enjoying the nightlife in this city
Marconi plays the mamba
Marconi is playing a fast-paced dance music called "mamba" on the radio
Listen to the radio
Listen carefully to the music on the radio
Don't you remember
Don't you recall the time when we built this city
Someone always playing
Some people are always playing games
Corporation games
These people are usually playing manipulative games to get ahead in a corporation
Who cares they're always changing
It doesn't matter who they are because they are always changing
Corporation names
The names of these companies are always changing too
We just want to dance here
We just want to enjoy ourselves by dancing here
Someone stole the stage
Someone else has taken control or taken the forefront in this situation
They call us irresponsible
People label us as irresponsible for wanting to just dance and have fun
Write us off the page
People ignore us and our desires
It's just another Sunday
It's just a regular day of the week
In a tired old street
On a street that is old and worn out
Police have got the choke hold
The police have a tight grip on the situation
Oh, and we just lost the beat
We are no longer in sync or on the same page
Who counts the money
Who is keeping track of the financial side of things
Underneath the bar
It might be the people working in the service industry who are keeping track of the money
Who rides the wrecking ball
Who is responsible for dismantling or destroying something
Into our guitars
They might dismantle or destroy something that we hold dear
Don't tell us you need us
Don't act like you need us when you ignore our desires
'Cause we're just simple fools
Because we are simple people who just want to dance and have fun
Looking for America
We are searching for the true spirit of America
Calling through your schools
We are trying to reach the younger generation and make them aware of what we stand for
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Humility777
What a uplifting song and great times!
I was 24 in 1980 and just bought a 62 Corvette for $4500. What a deal.
In 1984, I met and married the most wonderful woman I have ever known. 40 years later, she is more beautiful and amazing than ever.
We still enjoy Corvettes as I surprised her with a 22 C8 Corvette (This one is all hers). She was absolutely blown away!!!!
But better than that we have 7 children born between 1985 and 1996. Now have 5 grandchildren.
We only list to 70s and 80s music, especially when out cruising in any of our amazing cars! A happy wife is a blessing
@rhino
Love the 80s? Check out the 80s Hits Party Playlist 💃🏼🥂🕺🏻 https://lnk.to/80sPartyMusicYC
@lw5682
I'm still trying to figure out how it's almost 2020🤔
@sebashess4768
....and RIP GA - IIL
@metra85
Doing just that. Tx
@TheBestCat1290
This music is so old and found it on GTA
@yaquvs8540
🇺🇸
@jonasjezussek6882
The fact you searched this song and scrolled through the comments makes you cooler than you think
@katharinenoble1682
That..... or I heard Dean's snarky comment about Jefferson Starship on Supernatural and had to verify that the song was as bad as I remembered. Did not disappoint. Thank you, Dean!
@katharinenoble1682
Catchy, though.
@widukind2912
😂