During the 70s, while still in his teens, Mitchell began playing with local bands in the city of Sarnia. After evolving through a few name changes with essentially the same band, Mitchell and a group titled "Zooom" headed off for Toronto, Ontario. The band eventually dissolved, with Mitchell travelling over to the Greek islands.
Upon his return to Canada, he formed the band Max Webster, which managed to finally break through commercially. Besides playing the group, Mitchell and wrote most of the band's songs with fellow Sarnia native and lyricist, Pye Dubois (Paul Woods). Max Webster toured extensively and built a string of hits. Mitchell's solo career began after his departure from Max Webster, with session work and a succession of solo albums.
In early 1985, the song "Go For Soda" from the Akimbo Alogo album became an international hit and perhaps remains his best known song outside of his native Canada.
In 2004, Mitchell entered the radio broadcasting industry, becoming afternoon drive time host on Toronto classic rock radio station Q107.
As of 2005, Mitchell, still does the afternoon drive time on Q107, and is working on a new double CD set for a Spring 2006 release.
In December of 2005, Mitchell had proposed to the Q107 listeners that they write a Christmas song together. The resulting song is entitled "A Christmas Smile". At the end of the song, Mitchell advises his fans not to drink and drive, but to "go for a soda" instead.
Chain of Events
Kim Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Boy meets girl, boy meet chest
From where I sit, I see chain of events
Boy goes "wow", girl goes "I guess"
From where I sit, I see chain of events
Boy wants number, girl plays hard to get
From where I sit, I see chain of events
Boy wants girl, boy needs chest
From where I sit, I see chain of events
Girl plays up for, respect, respect
From where I sit, I see chain of events
Boy lights up one of those fancy cigarettes
From where I sit, I see chain of events
Boy and girl in hot silhouettes
From where I sit, I see chain of events
Girl starts whispering, "tonight I guess"
All night, all night tonight
In "Chain of Events," Kim Mitchell describes observing a series of events unfold before him, likely at a club or party. The first verse describes the classic scenario of a boy trying to pick up a girl he's attracted to. He meets her, checks out her chest, and tries to get her number, but she plays hard to get. The second verse shows the girl posturing for respect, while the boy lights up a fancy cigarette - both trying to impress each other. The bridge suggests that the tension between the two has mounted to the point where they're moving towards an intimate rendezvous.
Overall, the song seems to be a playful commentary on the ritual of dating, filled with suggestive but non-explicit lyrics. Mitchell's perspective as an observer allows him to make amusing observations about the stereotypes and expectations that people bring to these interactions.
Line by Line Meaning
From where I sit, I see chain of events
The singer is witnessing a series of actions happening in succession.
Boy meets girl, boy meet chest
The boy and girl have just met, and the boy is checking out the girl's chest.
Boy goes "wow", girl goes "I guess"
The boy finds the girl attractive and expresses it, but the girl responds nonchalantly.
Boy wants number, girl plays hard to get
The boy is interested in pursuing a relationship with the girl, but the girl is testing his persistence.
Boy wants girl, boy needs chest
The boy is attracted to both the girl's personality and physical attributes.
Girl plays up for, respect, respect
The girl is trying to earn respect from the boy through her behavior and actions.
Boy lights up one of those fancy cigarettes
The boy is trying to impress the girl by smoking an expensive cigarette.
Boy and girl in hot silhouettes
The boy and girl are physically close and appearing attractive to each other.
Girl starts whispering, "tonight I guess"
The girl is indicating that she is willing to engage in a physical relationship.
All night, all night tonight
The events described in the song occur over the course of one night.
Contributed by Adrian G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.