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.
Pull My Strings
Lakeside Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Girl, you got to pull my string
You got to pull my strings, girl
(Pull my strings)
You got to pull my strings
You got to pull my strings, girl
(Pull my strings)
If you really wanna see me do my thing
Let me tell you, girl, you got to pull my string
In the mornin’, in the evenin', all night long
(Pull, pull)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, baby
I’m a puppet just for you
You can pull here, pull there
Doesn’t really matter where
I’m just forced to go, now listen
I didn’t want no strings attached, now I take it back
‘Cause behind every strong man
There’s a woman just as strong
And girl, you keep me hangin’ on
I ain’t got no bell to ring
Girl, you got to pull my string
You got to pull my strings, girl
(Pull my strings)
You got to pull my strings
You got to pull my strings, girl
(Pull my strings)
You got to pull my strings
If you like my love like I know you should
Would you do this for me, honey, if you could
Stay with me if I ever need your touch?
(Pull, pull)
Love me, love me, love me, love me sugar
I need lovin’ like you do
‘Cause I love you, need you
Want you to love me too
Hope I’m in good hands, now, listen
If you never let me down, I’ll hang around
I guess I have to, baby, ‘cause you got me
Holdin' on to your sweet lovin’ and
I ain’t got no bell to ring
Girl, you got to pull my string
You got to pull my strings, girl
(Pull my strings)
You got to pull my strings
You got to pull my strings, girl
(Pull my strings)
You got to pull my strings
In the mornin’
You got to pull my strings, girl
(Pull my strings)
You got to pull my strings
(In the evenin’)
You got to pull my strings, girl
The song "Pull My Strings" by Lakeside is all about being under someone's control and doing anything to make them happy. The lyrics mention being a puppet that is forced to go wherever the person pulling the strings wants to go. The singer's entire existence revolves around doing what this person wants them to do, and they're asking for them to continue to pull their strings so they can keep them happy.
In the chorus, the singer is asking this person to pull their strings so they can do their thing, even if it means all night long. They mention that they don't have a bell to ring, so the only way to get them to perform is to pull their strings. The last verse has the singer admitting that they didn't want any strings attached, but now they take it back because this person has them under their control.
The song has a funky, upbeat rhythm that is typical of Lakeside's music. The lyrics are catchy and have a playful tone, despite the underlying theme of control and manipulation. Overall, "Pull My Strings" is a fun song to dance to but raises some interesting questions about power dynamics in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain’t got no bell to ring
I don't have an obvious signal to get your attention
Girl, you got to pull my string
You have to initiate our interaction
You got to pull my strings, girl
You have control over our relationship
(Pull my strings)
Emphasizes that the artist is controlled by the other person
If you really wanna see me do my thing
If you want me to be my true self
Let me tell you, girl, you got to pull my string
You have to make the effort to bring out my best
In the mornin’, in the evenin', all night long
At any time, anyplace
(Pull, pull)
Repeating the phrase to reinforce the idea
I’m a puppet just for you
The other person has complete control over the artist
You can pull here, pull there
The other person can manipulate the artist in any way they want
Doesn’t really matter where
The singer will go wherever the other person wants them to
I’m just forced to go, now listen
The artist has no choice but to follow the other person's lead
I didn’t want no strings attached, now I take it back
The singer didn't want to be tied down, but now they do
‘Cause behind every strong man
Strong women are also important
There’s a woman just as strong
Women can be as powerful as men
And girl, you keep me hangin’ on
The other person is essential to the artist's happiness
If you like my love like I know you should
If the other person appreciates the artist's affection
Would you do this for me, honey, if you could
Can the other person reciprocate?
Stay with me if I ever need your touch?
Will the other person be there for the singer?
Love me, love me, love me, love me sugar
The artist craves love and attention
I need lovin’ like you do
The artist wants the same level of affection from the other person
‘Cause I love you, need you
The artist is emotionally invested in the other person
Want you to love me too
The singer desires mutual affection
Hope I’m in good hands, now, listen
The artist trusts the other person
If you never let me down, I’ll hang around
As long as the other person is dependable, the singer will stay
I guess I have to, baby, ‘cause you got me
The other person has control over the singer
Holdin' on to your sweet lovin’ and
The singer cherishes the other person's affection
You got to pull my strings, girl
Restating the idea that the other person controls the relationship
(Pull my strings)
Reemphasizing the idea of control
In the mornin’
Repeating the earlier phrase to close the song
You got to pull my strings, girl
Final reminder that the other person holds the power
(Pull my strings)
Closing with a catchy repetition of the central concept
Contributed by Audrey C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@JCTrip22
Rough Riders. The badass titles back in the day man.😎
@DfromTC
🔥🔥🔥 Dayton, Ohio the land of funk!!!
@hodaridaniels8786
Marvin Craig one of the best funkiest bass player of that era, he is underrated.
@haroldsolomon2110
You prolly dont give a shit but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times you can stream pretty much all of the latest series on instaflixxer. Have been watching with my gf for the last few weeks :)
@corydevon5992
@Harold Solomon yup, been watching on instaflixxer for years myself :)
@hodaridaniels8786
Guitar playing by Stephen Shockley one of the most underrated funkiest guitar player. He had a 12 string guitar like Leroy Sugarfoot Bonner in the Ohio Players had, Lakeside came from Ohio they are still one of the baddest funk bands ever.
@hodaridaniels8786
One of my favorite jams by Lakeside, this got a bassline that nicely etched with the drums.
@wilsmith2440
These brothers are still Funky in 2020... written by Fred Lewis... released in 1979.
@SafaAlkan
Awesome song!
@lonniebradfordbradford8454
Tightest funk band of it's time, the intro of this song sounds similar to "It's all the way live"