Jim Sullivan was a West Coast should-have-been, an Irish-American former high school quarterback whose gift for storytelling earned him cult status in the Malibu bar where he performed nightly. Sullivan was always on the edge of fame; hanging out with movie stars like Harry Dean Stanton, performing on the Jose Feliciano Show, even stealing a cameo in the ultimate hippie movie, Easy Rider. U.F.O., his debut, was a different beast to the one-man-and-his-guitar stuff Jim had been doing on stage; instead, it was a fully realized album of scope and imagination, a Folk-Rock record with its head in the stratosphere. The album is punctuated with a string section, other times a Wurlitzer piano provides the driving groove.
In March 1975, Jim Sullivan mysteriously disappeared outside Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His VW bug was found abandoned, his motel room untouched. Some think he got lost in the desert. Some think he fell foul of a local family with alleged mafia ties. Some think he was abducted by aliens.
By coincidence – or perhaps not – Jim’s 1969 debut album was titled U.F.O. Released in tiny numbers on a private label, it too was truly lost, until Seattle’s Light In The Attic Records begun a years-long quest to give it the full release it deserves – and to solve the mystery of Sullivan’s disappearance. Only one of those things happened.
For record collectors, some albums are considered impossible to get hold of, records so rare you could sit on eBay for years and not get a sniff of a copy. U.F.O. is one of those albums.
Thoughts from Jim Sullivan (copied from inside the gatefold of CCR5000):
"Born Aug 13 which makes me a Leo I guess but actually my name is Jim Sullivan, 7th son of a Nebraska farmer that came to the big city during World War II to work in the defense plants."
"I grew up in a government housing project with a bunch of other Oakies and Arkies (…of all sizes and colors) in a fairly clean pile—"
"I decided that I would like to play music when I would sit and listen to the blues groups practicing around various houses—you could even hear the upright piano in the early electric blues groups…"
"I watched the guitar players studiously and then went home to practice "Oakie-Doakie Stomp" by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown until I had grown callouses on my finger tips and brain."
"At the same time I was going to college and working (so what?). Anyhow me and another guy bought a bar near the college [and used] that for income. We damn near starved to death."
"The bar went broke and I went to work with a few different rock groups, the music got louder and louder. A few years of bangin around went by. I decided to move to L.A. and concentrate on writing and here I am…"
"His voice has this kind of weathered, worldly Americana sound," he says. "Kind of a country-mixed-with-rock element to it. From there, the production, the strings — it's lush, but they're dark and eerie. I kind of look at it as pop songs that aren't happy. They're filled with despair."
Jim Sullivan's place in obscurity is a curious one. His lack of fame wasn't because of a weak supporting cast — Phil Spector's studio musicians backed him on the record. According to Matt Sullivan, his gig at a bar called the Raft in Malibu piqued the interest of some entrepreneurs, who decided that the musician was worth investing in.
"On Day 2, Texans walk in, hear Jim's music and love it. They realize, 'We should make a record with this guy,' " Matt Sullivan says. "Somehow, they hired the Wrecking Crew, the band that who backed up everyone from The Beach Boys to Phil Spector back in the day."
Legend has it that Sullivan left his family to catch a break in Nashville, but he never made it to Tennessee.
"He leaves L.A. in March 1975, and he has $120 in his pocket, so he starts driving in his little VW bug, and 15 hours later, he's outside Santa Rosa, NM," Matt Sullivan says. "He checks into a local motel. Soon after, his car is found is found 26 miles from the motel, and he's never seen or heard from ever again."
The mysterious nature of his disappearance is amplified by Jim Sullivan's cryptic lyrics — on U.F.O., he talks about long highways, leaving his family behind and being abducted by aliens in the desert.
"With or without his disappearance, there's something in those lyrics that is incredibly mysterious and eerie," Matt Sullivan says. "One thing that one of Jim's friends pointed out was that the guitar was left in the car. If Jim was going to disappear, that would have been the one thing that he would have taken, because wherever he was in the world, he could always stand on a street corner and make a few bucks playing his guitar."
Strange as Jim Sullivan's story is, Matt Sullivan says he hopes the singer is remembered for his music above all else.
"I hope that people remember him for making a masterpiece," he says.
Jerome
Jim Sullivan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I bought a pound of magic and
a kinda dream and plan
where you lay you hand.
I found a magic man.
Where is where it's at Jerome?
Where is there I want to go?
Where is where it's at Jerome?
Just a town down there,
if you're driving slow.
Where is where it's at Jerome?
maybe you can find Jerome.
Sits on top of a hill
overneath a hole.
If you're driving slow,
maybe you can find Jerome.
Maybe you can find Jerome.
Maybe you can find Jerome.
Look all around and see if you can spot Jerome.
In Jim Sullivan's song "Jerome," the lyrics suggest a desire to find a place called Jerome, which is described as "where it's at." The singer buys a "pound of magic" and has a "kinda dream and plan" to find this place through following the directions of a "magic man." The song asks rhythmic questions about the location of Jerome, wondering if it's just a small town down a road or if it's a grander place out in the world. The song inspires listeners to search for this magical place and perhaps find it themselves.
The lyrics of "Jerome" reflect the concept of the journey as much as the destination. The elusive nature of Jerome provides a magical quality to the song which is enhanced by the simple, almost hypnotic melody of the song. The reference to the "magic man" also emphasizes the mystical nature of the search. The repeated question, "where is where it's at Jerome?" suggests that the true essence of Jerome may be subjective and dependent on personal experience, meaning everybody's "Jerome" might look different.
Line by Line Meaning
And I found a magic man.
The singer encountered someone who has magical powers.
I bought a pound of magic and a kinda dream and plan where you lay your hand.
The magic man sold the singer a pound of magical substance and gave him/her a vision for the future where success is guaranteed.
Where is where it's at Jerome? Where is there I want to go? Where is where it's at Jerome? Is it a place out there?
The singer is asking for the location of where success and prosperity lies, which is represented by the name 'Jerome'. The singer questions if this is a tangible place or concept.
Just a town down there, if you're driving slow. Where is where it's at Jerome?
Jerome is just an ordinary town that can be easily overlooked if one is not paying attention.
Maybe you can find Jerome. Sits on top of a hill overneath a hole. If you're driving slow, maybe you can find Jerome. Maybe you can find Jerome. Maybe you can find Jerome. Look all around and see if you can spot Jerome.
The singer is encouraging the listener to slow down and look around, as Jerome is not an actual place, but a state of mind that is achieved through personal growth and spiritual journey. It can be found by observing the world around oneself and discovering hidden opportunities for success and happiness.
Writer(s): Jim Sullivan
Contributed by Sarah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
okaminokuro
with a song like this in the late 60's, i think the real mystery is how he wasn't more popular during the golden age of folk rock, shit's tight
Auri Emma
Jim was popular among the "hip crowd" but never wanted record deals, in his earlier days. In the later 60's he was more partial to deals.
spamskanal
No, not to me. Melody is 'inconsistent' with very few surprising turns
Jim D
Great song. Well written songs, great voice and rich music throughout the entire album. Happy that his masterpiece is back in circulation. Worth getting!
hambugga
yeah this could have been a hit for sure. whole album's something special
dan32113
this song has beautiful melody, a timeless quality! bravo
indioblast
excelente primera vez que escucho esta banda y puedo decir que buena canción. como no es conocida!! hermosa cancion!
Janet Wilhelm
My Dad saw him play in a small club in Soho in 68. He sat and drank vodka with my Dad and they had a great friendship. To my Dad's last day,he wondered where his friend Jim Sullivan had gone.
Robin Hood
Really
Nicole
a favorite song of mine! absolutely beautiful and unlike anything i've heard before