He pioneered studio tools such as multiple over-dubbing on one- and two-track machines, close miking, direct input of bass-guitars, the compressor, and effects like echo and reverb, as well as sampling. Unlike other producers, his search was for the "right sound" rather than for a catchy musical tune, and throughout his brief career he single-mindedly followed his quest to create a unique "sonic signature" for every record he produced.
At a time when many studio engineers were still wearing white coats and assiduously trying to maintain clarity and fidelity, Meek, the maverick, was producing everything on the three floors of his home studio and was never afraid to distort or manipulate the sound if it created the effect he was seeking. For the song "Johnny Remember Me" he placed the violins on the stairs, the drummer almost in the bathroom, and the brass section on a different floor entirely.
Meek was one of the first producers to grasp and fully exploit the possibilities of the modern recording studio. His innovative techniques -- physically separating instruments, treating instruments and voices with echo and reverb, processing the sound through his fabled home-made electronic devices, the combining of separately-recorded performances and segments into a painstakingly constructed composite recording -- comprised a major breakthrough in sound production. Up to that time, the standard technique for recordings, regardless of musical genre, was to record all the performers in one studio playing together in real time as the music was cut live to tape all at once. Joe Meek's recording techniques (as well as the recording techniques of Les Paul) did much to further the art of record production as we know it today.
Besides his idiosyncratic music production, many of Meek's character eccentricities continue to capture the imagination of people today. Although never properly diagnosed, it is believed today by many that Meek suffered from bipolar disorder type one (some even suggest further that he was paranoid-schizophrenic). Meek was obsessed with outer space, the occult and the idea of "the other side". He would set up tape machines in graveyards in a vain attempt to record voices from beyond the grave, in one instance capturing the meows of a cat he claimed was speaking in human tones, asking for help. In particular, he had an obsession with Buddy Holly (claiming the late American rocker had communicated with him in dreams). His professional efforts were often hindered by his paranoia (Meek was known to tear up his walls as he was convinced that Decca Records would put hidden microphones behind his wallpaper in order to steal his ideas), drug use, and attacks of sudden rage and depression.
Meek's homosexuality (illegal in the UK at the time) also put him under pressure during his career. He had been charged with "importuning for immoral purposes" in 1963 and was consequently subjected to blackmail. In January of 1967, police in Tattingstone, Suffolk, discovered a suitcase containing the mutilated body of Bernard Oliver, an alleged rent boy who had previously associated with Meek. According to some accounts, Meek became concerned that he would be involved in the murder investigation when the Metropolitan police stated that they would be interviewing all known homosexuals in the city. On February 3rd, 1967, the eighth anniversary of Buddy Holly's death, Meek killed his landlady Violet Shenton and then himself with a single barreled shotgun that he had confiscated from his protegé, former The Tornados' bassist and solo star Heinz Burt. Joe Meek was 37 at the time of his death.
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Joe Meek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hear a new world (I hear a new world)
Calling me, calling me (calling me)
So strange, I'm sorry (so strange, I'm sorry)
So strange, I'm sorry
Haunting me, haunting me (haunting me)
How can I tell them? (how can I tell them?)
How can I tell them?
What's in store for me?
I hear a new world (I hear a new world)
I hear a new world
Calling me, calling me (calling me)
How can I tell them? (how can I tell them?)
How can I tell them?
What's in store for me? (what's in store for me?)
What's in store for me?
I hear a new world (I hear a new world)
I hear a new world
Calling me, calling me (calling me)
Calling me, calling me
The lyrics of "Have I the Right" by Joe Meek express a longing and desire for the love interest, asking repeatedly if the singer has the right to hold, kiss, touch, and thrill them. The lyrics convey a sense of urgency and desperation for the love interest to return to the singer, with lines like "Come right back, I just can't bear it" and "I've got this love and I long to share it." The singer vows to show that their love is strong and pleads with their love interest to return to where they belong.
The lyrics of the song are straightforward and simple, conveying a message of love and desire that is universal in its appeal. The upbeat tempo of the song and the catchy melody have made it a popular dance hit over the years. The song has been covered by various artists and has been used in numerous movies, commercials, and television shows.
Line by Line Meaning
Have I the right to hold you
Asking for permission to hold the person they love
You know I've always told you
Referencing prior conversations about the strength of their love
That we must never ever part, oh oh oh oh
Emphasizing the importance of their relationship and the promise to stay together
Have I the right to kiss you
Asking for permission to show their affection through physical intimacy
You know I'll always miss you
Expressing their love and desire to always be with the person they love
I've loved you from the very start
Declaring their love has been present for a long time
Come right back I just can't bear it
Desperately wanting the person they love to return to them
I've got this love and I long to share it
Describing the intensity of their love and the desire to express it
Come right back I'll show my love is strong, oh yeah
Promising to prove the depth of their love and loyalty
Have I the right to touch you
Asking for permission to show their affection through physical touch
If I could you'd see how much you
Suggesting that the person they love has yet to fully understand the level of their love
Send those shivers running down my spine, ooh ooh
Describing the physical sensation of being in love and feeling excited to be near the person they love
Have I the right to thrill you
Asking for permission to make the person they love feel excited or passionate
You know I'll wait until you
Expressing patience and willingness to wait for the person they love
Give me the right to make you mine
Asking for permission to enter into a committed relationship
That we must never ever part, no, no no, no, no
Reiterating the promise to stay together and never separate
Come right back I'll show my love is strong, oh yeah, yeah
Reaffirming the promise to prove the strength of their love
Come right back right back where you belong, oh yeah
Requesting the person they love to return to where they belong, in their arms
You belong, oh yeah, you belong
Declaring the person they love as their own and belonging to them
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: Robert George Meek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shaunfossett
Joe Meek was legendary for those he worked with, and equally legendary for those he refuse to. None the less, he'll live on for his vision. Rest in peace, Joe Meek!
@pjr5913
bowie got stronger beatrtles who cares
@nicklopez8004
They put the first song in The Backrooms Game: The Complex
@Gabriel2oh6
@@pjr5913what language is your comment in?
@PinemartenMusic
Insanely ahead of its time when this was released. 1959... That's incredible.
@adrinathegreat3095
This kind of electronic music had been around since the late 40s.
Electronic weird sounding music had been released on Album's since 1956 commercially, with all kind of strange looping, high pitched voices etc.
This was really Joe's attempt to have a go at it Himself
@mar15115
insanely brilliant. one of the earliest psychedelia
@Meta_Myself
He was into amphetamines, not psychedelics.
@charleshanley1818
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@JustinEdwords
@ˈMɛtəSɛlf speed music can have some overlap
Brian Wilsons ‘smile’ is largely speed fueled