In 1969, Dayton, Ohio native Stephen Shockley formed the Young Underground after exiting the Monterreys. Vocalist Mark Woods, who was a member of the local band the Nomads, joined up with Shockley to form a more mature-sounding Young Underground. The group initially had a record deal with Curtom Records as a result of winning a talent contest in Chicago. However, Curtom folded shortly thereafter. While in Chicago the group renamed itself Lakeside Express, after the Lakeside Express Newspaper in Chicago.
In 1974 the emerging Lakeside Express and another group by the name of Liquid Funk, which featured Dallas native Fred Alexander, Jr. on drums, arrived in Los Angeles around the same time. For the next couple of years the bands performed at events around the greater L.A. area, occasionally crossing paths. The members of Liquid Funk returned to Dallas, but Alexander remained in L.A. Lakeside, who by now had dropped the Express from their name, was seeking additional personnel to solidify their band. After two auditions, Alexander was welcomed into the group.
Lakeside inked a deal with Motown, but found no success. Consequently, they released a ballad on ABC Records, but that label went under. The good fortune they were seeking turned out to be at Dick Griffey's Solar Records. The group signed a deal with Griffey, and released their first Top Ten hit on Solar Records, "It's All the Way Live," which peaked at number four on the Billboard R&B charts.
Lakeside released a host of songs that scaled the R&B charts, but didn't threaten the position of any other artists. However, in 1980 they went storming up the charts again with their smash number one single, "Fantastic Voyage," which was produced by the self-contained band. They followed the success of "Fantastic Voyage" with another Top Ten R&B single, a remake of the Paul McCartney and John Lennon classic "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The group continued their success with the Billboard Top Ten singles "Raid," "Outrageous," and a string of R&B party songs and ballads.
More hits on the R&B charts, such as "Raid" (1983) and "Outrageous" (1984), kept the group going.
Fantastic Voyage
Lakeside Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a party over there, that ain't no jive
It's live, live, it's all the way live
Don't even have to walk, don't even have to drive
Just slide, glide, slippity-slide
Just forget about your troubles and your nine to five
And just sail on (that's what you do), just sail on
Now this groove's so funky, hey, what to you think
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
I'm the captain of this vessel
We wanna take you on a cruise
All around the land, music is at hand (huh)
We wanna play it for you
(You see) we want to be (we want to be)
Your crew of entertainers (jam to the music) jam to the beat (jam, yeah)
Don't let nothing restrain you (uh-huh)
We just want you to feel
Nothing but pleasure (pleasure), musical pleasure (yeah, yeah)
Our music is very real (it's really real)
Truly a treasure (a treasure), musical treasure
Come along, pack your bags
Get on up and jam y'all
Come on and ride on the funk, y'all
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
We're the directors of this groove ship
And you are under our command, yeah
What you should do is take a listen, too
So you can understand
(You know) we like to see (people havin' a good time)
Everybody happy (do you wanna party)
We create the beat (that foot stompin' music)
That keeps the people dancin' (uh-huh)
We just want you to feel (we just want you to feel)
Nothing but pleasure, musical pleasure (want you to feel)
'Cause music is a world of fantasy (it's a fantasy)
Let's live it together (a pleasure), musical pleasure (come along, come along, come along)
So come along beyond the sea
(Dance in the sunshine) take a load off of your mind
Our music is very real (so very real)
Truly a treasure, musical treasure
Come along, pack your bags
Get on up and jam y'all
Come on and ride on the funk, y'all
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
(Come along, ride the boat, hey bring it on me)
To the land of funk
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
(Do you wanna ride with me)
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
(Do you wanna go, ah)
To the land of funk, funk, funk
To the land of funk, to the land of funk, to the land of funk
Hey, come on, come along take a ride
There's a party over there, that ain't no jive
It's live, live, it's all the way live
Don't even have to walk, don't even have to drive
Just slide, glide, slippity-slide
Just forget about your troubles and your nine to five
And just sail on (that's what you do), just sail on
Now the groove's so funky, hey, what to you think
What is it called, let's call it Lakeside stank
If you're ready to party and you wanna get down
Bring your ma, your pa, and brother James Brown
Bring auntie em and toto too
And all the party people to do their do
We'll dance and party till the early light
And say hey, we're feelin' alright?
So come along, come on take a ride
There's a party over there, that ain't no lie
We're leavin' here in a cloud of smoke
And th-th-that-th-th-that-th-th-that's all folks
Whoa, whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
We just want you to feel (we just want you to feel)
Nothing but pleasure, musical pleasure (want you to feel)
'Cause music is a world of fantasy
Let's live it together (together), musical pleasure (we want you to feel)
So come along beyond your seat (come along beyond the seat)
(Dance in the sunshine) take a load off of your mind (yeah)
Our music is very real (so very real)
Truly a treasure, musical treasure
Hurry up
Pack your bags and jam y'all
Come on and ride on the funk now
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
(Do you wanna go, do you wanna go, do you wanna go, do you wanna go)
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
(Come-a, come-a, come-a, come on, come on now to the land of funk)
(Do you wanna party, do you wanna jam) to the land of funk
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
(Come on and dance in the sunshine)
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
The lyrics to "Fantastic Voyage" by Lakeside describe a party that is "all the way live" and encourages the listener to forget about their troubles and daily routine, and hop on the groove that is the Lakeside stank. The band dubs themselves as the captain and directors of the "groove ship," and they want to take the audience on a "fantastic voyage" around the land, jamming to their music along the way. They hope to create nothing but pleasure for their listeners and want them to enjoy the musical treasure that they have to offer. The song ends with an invitation to all party-goers to join in and take a ride to the land of funk.
The lyrics are catchy and upbeat, encouraging listeners to let loose and embrace the party atmosphere. The idea of hopping on a fantastic voyage and cruising around to the sounds of Lakeside is an irresistible image, suggesting that their music is a means of escape, a way to forget the worries of the world and simply enjoy the moment. The song is a celebration of music, dance and good vibes, and it has remained a classic party anthem since its release in 1980.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, come on, come along take a ride
Join us on a journey of musical pleasure
There's a party over there, that ain't no jive
We have an exciting event planned, not a joke
It's live, live, it's all the way live
Our music is vibrant and full of energy
Don't even have to walk, don't even have to drive
You don't need to put in any effort to join the party
Just slide, glide, slippity-slide
Move effortlessly to the rhythm of the music
Just forget about your troubles and your nine to five
Relax and leave your worries behind
And just sail on (that's what you do), just sail on
Enjoy the musical journey, without any worries
Now this groove's so funky, hey, what to you think
Our music is extremely funky and entertaining
What is it called, let's call it Lakeside stank
Let's name this irresistibly funky style of music after our band
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
Join us on a fun and excitingly musical journey
I'm the captain of this vessel
As the band leader, I take charge of this musical journey
We wanna take you on a cruise
We want to entertain you with our music
All around the land, music is at hand (huh)
We provide music that can be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere
We wanna play it for you
We want to share our music with you
(You see) we want to be (we want to be)
We aspire to be your preferred musical entertainers
Your crew of entertainers (jam to the music) jam to the beat (jam, yeah)
As your musical crew, we want you to enjoy our music and dance along with us
Don't let nothing restrain you (uh-huh)
Don't hold back, let yourself go with the flow of the music
We just want you to feel
Our goal is to make you feel good and enjoy the music
Nothing but pleasure (pleasure), musical pleasure (yeah, yeah)
Our music is intended to give you nothing but pleasure and enjoyment
Our music is very real (it's really real)
Our music is authentic and meaningful
Truly a treasure (a treasure), musical treasure
Our music is a true gem, a valuable treasure
Come along, pack your bags
Get ready to join us on this musical journey
Get on up and jam y'all
Dance and enjoy the music with us
We're the directors of this groove ship
As the band, we manage and direct the musical journey
And you are under our command, yeah
As our listener, we provide the music and you follow us
What you should do is take a listen, too
We encourage you to pay attention and listen to our music
So you can understand
By listening, you can appreciate and comprehend our music better
(You know) we like to see (people havin' a good time)
We enjoy watching people have fun and enjoy themselves
Everybody happy (do you wanna party)
We want everyone to be happy and enjoy the party atmosphere
We create the beat (that foot stompin' music)
We make the music that gets people up and dancing
That keeps the people dancin' (uh-huh)
Our music is meant to keep people dancing and having fun
We just want you to feel (we just want you to feel)
We want you to experience and enjoy the music
Nothing but pleasure, musical pleasure (want you to feel)
Our music is all about giving you the best enjoyable experience
'Cause music is a world of fantasy (it's a fantasy)
Music is a creative and imaginative world that takes you on a journey
Let's live it together (a pleasure), musical pleasure (come along, come along, come along)
Let's share and enjoy this musical world together
So come along beyond the sea
Join us on a musical journey around the world
(Dance in the sunshine) take a load off of your mind
Relax and dance along with us under the sun
Our music is very real (so very real)
Our music is genuine and has real value
To the land of funk
Let's travel together to a place full of funky music
(Do you wanna ride with me)
Join us on our musical journey
(Do you wanna go, ah)
Would you like to join us?
Now the groove's so funky, hey, what to you think
Our music is really funky and lively, what do you think?
If you're ready to party and you wanna get down
If you're ready to enjoy the party and dance
Bring your ma, your pa, and brother James Brown
Invite everyone, including James Brown, to join the party
Bring auntie em and toto too
Invite your friends and family to join the fun
And all the party people to do their do
Encourage everyone to enjoy themselves and dance
We'll dance and party till the early light
We'll keep dancing and partying until sunrise
And say hey, we're feelin' alright?
We'll ask ourselves if we're having a good time
We're leavin' here in a cloud of smoke
We'll leave the party with excitement and enthusiasm
And th-th-that-th-th-that-th-th-that's all folks
And that's the end of our musical journey, see you soon!
Whoa, whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Our music is so energetic and lively that it will make you go whoa!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Fred Alexander, Fred Lewis, Mark Wood Jr., Marvin Craig, Norman Beavers, Otis Stokes, Stephen Shockley, Thomas Shelby, Tiemeyer Mccain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mackpines
“Just slide, glide, slipidy slide; forget your troubles and your 9 to 5.”
Love it. Just pure funky goodness right here folks!
@wynditurner2826
Amen 🙏 😊✌️
@robertweir1856
Don't forget about Atomic Dog.
@pbpb8499
Hell yeah and da dipper pfp😎
@kraken1473
8 to 5 here ._.
@Mr.MarcAntony
R.I.P. Coolio
@valenciawhitehead9589
This bassline never disappoints...
@tacommanche
Marvin Craig.
One of the underrated bass players in music history. His bass always hits home!
@morrisdante2194
Hello Valencia...
@morrisdante2194
How are you doing today