They began as the Orbits in Toledo in 1957. Led by saxophonist Johnny Paris (born John Matthew Pocisk in Walbridge, Ohio, 29 August 1940 - 1 May 2006, Ann Arbor, Michigan), they were school friends who played on a few recordings behind Mack Vickery, a local rockabilly singer.
They signed with Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik of Twirl Records, which led to national engagements in 1959. Johnny and the Hurricanes recorded "Crossfire" in a vacant cinema to provide echo. It became a nationwide U.S. hit, and ranked No. 23 in the U.S. chart in the summer of 1959.
Johnny and the Hurricanes followed with "Red River Rock", an instrumental version of "Red River Valley", on Warwick Records, that became a top ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic (No. 5 in the U.S., No. 3 in the UK), and sold over a million copies. The musicians in the band then were Paris on saxophone, Paul Tesluk on a Hammond Chord organ, Dave Yorko on guitar, Lionel "Butch" Mattice on bass, and Bill "Little Bo" Savich on drums.
They specialised in versions of old tunes with a rock and roll beat. They chose these songs because they were well recognized and easier to accept with the beat. Tunes were credited to 'King, Mack' and usually one other name: King and Mack were in fact pseudonyms for Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik, the band's managers. In 1960, they recorded the United States Army bugle call, "Reveille", as "Reveille Rock", and turned "Blue Tail Fly" into "Beatnik Fly". Both tunes made the Top 40 achieving number 15 and 25 respectively. The band also recorded "Down Yonder" for Big Top Records. In the same year, they recorded "When The Saints Go Marching In" as "Revival", but it ranked in the charts for just one week, peaking at No. 97. The record was flipped over in the UK, where "Rocking Goose" reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
The band developed a following in Europe. In 1962, they played at the Star-Club in Hamburg, where the Beatles, then a little-known band, served as an opening act. Johnny and the Hurricanes cut records until 1987, with "Old Smokie" (their cover of "On Top of Old Smokey"), and an original tune, "Traffic Jam", both on Big Top Records, being their last releases to chart in America. Johnny Paris, the only constant member of the band, continued to tour with his Hurricanes in Europe and the United States until his death. He had an uncle, a realtor, in Rossford, Ohio, Johnny's home town, who owned a building on the main street and offered Johnny's first wife, Sharon Venier-Pocisk, space for an antique shop. When not on the road he helped out with the antique shop and vending machine business as payment for the store front for his first wife.
Johnny Paris and his band toured Europe occasionally until the end of 2005. He died on 1 May 2006 at the University Clinic of Ann Arbor, Michigan, of hospital-borne infections after an operation. Paris's second wife and widow, the German journalist, novelist and vocalist Sonja Verena (Reuter) Paris, took over his business (Atila Records, Sirius 1 Music and Johnny and the Hurricanes Incorporated) and the rights to his songs and trademarks. Paris claimed that over 300 musicians played in the band in its fifty-year existence.
The band inspired the song "Johnny and the Hurricanes" on the album How I Learned to Love the Bootboys, by the band the Auteurs. They were also namechecked in the Kinks' 1973 song "One of the Survivors", and in "Bridge in Time" on the 1990 Burton Cummings album Plus Signs.
Drummer Bill "Little Bo" Savich died on 4 January 2002. Bassist Lionel "Butch" Mattice died on October 16, 2006. Guitarist David Yorko died on 17 February 2017 at the age of 73.
The Hungry Eye
Johnny & The Hurricanes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though I'm not free to fall in love with you
Oh, baby
Why did I have to get so hung on you
Tell me
Why did I have to get so hung on you
Believe me, baby,
I thought I'd see you one night and
Forget you the next day
You're not the girl that I belong to
And even though I know it's wrong to
There's a little place where we can go
Where we won't run into a soul we know
Whoa, baby, baby
Well I wish I could get you out of my life
But my heart won't let you out of my life
Oh Baby
Why did I have to get so hung on you?
Tell me
Why did I have to get so hung on you?
Sure I could tell you it's over and then
One day I'd call you and beg you to see me again
This is a fine mess I got myself in
And let me tell you, you ain't helpin'
You know the changes I'm going through
But still you look at me the way you do
Girl you got me to fall in love with you
Though I'm not free to fall in love with you
Baby, baby
Why did I have to get so hung on you
I want to know
Why did I have to get so hung on you
The lyrics to Johnny & The Hurricanes' song "The Hungry Eye" tell the story of a man who is struggling with his love for someone he is not able to be with. He expresses his feelings of being "hung on" her, meaning that he is attached and unable to let go. He admits that he is not free to fall in love with her, yet he cannot help the way he feels. He questions why he has allowed himself to become so attached to her, even though he knows it is not the right thing to do.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of secrecy and hiding their relationship from others. The singer acknowledges that they cannot be together openly but suggests they can find a "little place" to be alone. He acknowledges that they are not supposed to be together, but he cannot resist his feelings for her. The chorus repeats the question of why he had to get so "hung on" her and reinforces the idea that his heart won't let her go.
The lyrics of "The Hungry Eye" capture the internal struggle of a person caught up in a forbidden love. The song's upbeat tempo and catchy melody contrast with the bittersweet lyrics, creating an interesting and memorable listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl you got me to fall in love with you
You successfully gained my affection and made me fall in love with you.
Though I'm not free to fall in love with you
Despite being in a committed relationship or already having someone else, I fell in love with you anyway.
Oh, baby
Expressing my frustration and regret over falling for you.
Why did I have to get so hung on you
Wondering why I became so attached and obsessed with you, despite knowing that it's not right.
Believe me, baby,
Assuring you that my feelings for you were not planned or intentional.
I didn't plan it this way
It wasn't my intention to fall for you and complicate things.
I thought I'd see you one night and
Initially, I believed that it would be a simple attraction, just a one-time encounter.
Forget you the next day
I expected to be able to easily move on and forget about my feelings for you.
You're not the girl that I belong to
Clarifying that I am already in a relationship with someone else.
And even though I know it's wrong to
Acknowledging that it's morally wrong to pursue a relationship with you while I am already committed to someone else.
There's a little place where we can go
Describing a hidden or secret location where we could be alone without anyone finding out about us.
Where we won't run into a soul we know
Ensuring that we can keep our relationship a secret by going somewhere where we won't encounter anyone who knows us.
Whoa, baby, baby
Exclaiming passionately about the frustration and difficulty of the situation between us.
Well I wish I could get you out of my life
Admitting that I am struggling with my feelings for you and wishing I could just forget about you.
But my heart won't let you out of my life
Despite my logical understanding that pursuing a relationship with you is wrong, my love for you won't allow me to let you go.
Oh Baby
Repeating my frustration with the situation.
Sure I could tell you it's over and then
Admitting that I could end things between us, but probably won't have the willpower to do so.
One day I'd call you and beg you to see me again
Assuming that I would eventually miss you and want to resume our relationship, despite knowing it's wrong.
This is a fine mess I got myself in
Describing the difficult and complex situation that I created for myself by becoming attached to you despite being in a committed relationship.
And let me tell you, you ain't helpin'
Expressing my frustration with you for making it difficult to end things and move on from our relationship.
You know the changes I'm going through
Acknowledging that you understand the difficult position I am in and the emotional turmoil that I am experiencing.
But still you look at me the way you do
Feeling conflicted because even though you understand how difficult things are for me, you still have feelings for me and look at me with love and affection.
I want to know
Expressing my frustration and desire for answers to the difficult questions that are weighing on my mind.
Why did I have to get so hung on you
Repeating the main theme of the song, wondering why I became so attached and obsessed with you despite the complications and difficulties involved.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TOM KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charles Rice
Ya know ,, either there's not too many people out there that like Johnny And The Hurricanes , or There's not too many "OLD SCHOLERS" , left out there . I see this a lot on a lot of music listings , either very little or no comments at all . There must not be many people out there who love and appreciate "GOOD OL' ROCK AND ROLL" , Either way ,, it's a tragic cryin' shame . Tsk , Tsk , Tsk . Long live rock and roll !!! CHEERS !!!!!!!!
missionrd100
Dave Yorko, the guitarist must have listened to a few blues guitarists while he was learning to play. He really does have "it".
Earl Dwire
I dont think he played on this. I was told by a person who knew them that the last record the original band with Dave Yorko played on was Ja-Da. After that Johnny Paris got all new members for the last few BigTop records.
jityr2
They have an alternate version of this too don't they?
FERNANDO ABAD
I LEARNED A LOT OF LICKS FROM DAVE YORKO.. MY BAND PLAYED A LOT OF THEIR HITS..THEIR STUFF STILL SOUNDS CURRENT TO ME TODAY.. NOT LIKE THE MULTI-TRACKED STUFF YOU HEAR NOW.
Earl Dwire
I dont think he played on this. I was told by a person who knew them that the last record the original band with Dave Yorko played on was Ja-Da. After that Johnny Paris got all new members for the last few BigTop records.