In 1976 at the age of 17 she became one of the founding members of the legendary teenage all-female hard rock band The Runaways. There she played lead guitar.
After the group folded in 1979, she began a solo career. Her guitar playing was well respected amongst her peers, both when she was a member of The Runaways and as a solo act. When she had the material to back her up, Ford was inarguably capable of rocking out aggressively and assertively, and more times than not, better than the best of her male counterparts. Her first two albums, Out for Blood and Dancin' on the Edge were relatively successful, and in 1985, Ford was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance for "Gotta Let Go", along with Wendy O. Williams and Pia Zadora. However the musical genre of "arena metal rock" had already crested and was now beginning its decline in the second half of the 1980s.
Nothing was heard from Ford for the next four years; a follow-up to Dancin' on the Edge, titled The Bride Wore Black, was abandoned and never released, as Ford switched from Mercury Records to RCA Records. By the time Ford returned again, the lighter pop-metal she had long favored had broken through to mainstream audiences, which set the stage for her most commercially successful album, 1988's Lita. With Sharon Osbourne as her manager, and slickly produced by Mike Chapman, the album featured Ford's first commercial hit, the #12 "Kiss Me Deadly". Its follow-up ballad, a duet with Ozzy Osbourne entitled "Close My Eyes Forever", provided both artists with their first Top Ten single.
Lita Ford is back with a vengeance! Her new album Wicked Wonderland is due for release October 6th 2009. More information can be found on her My Space profile: Lita Ford Official My Space Profile
The Ripper
Lita Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a shadow in the night
Molested by his sight
He's come to get you
Sharper than cold steel
He's gonna show you how it feels
Ain't that a sight
Nothin' you can do
Like all the other bad girls
He'll rip your heart, he won't let go
He wants your soul to keep,
Spreading his disease
He'll bring you to your knees
Destroys all he sees,
He's the Ripper
Terror in the streets
Enough to make you scream
He's all you'll ever need,
He's the Ripper
Standing face to face
I get a little taste of his venom
I feel it in my veins
I cannot break the chains
I'm in heaven
I was so special that he drug me straight to hell
Like all the other bad girls
He'll rip my heart, he won't let go
He wants my soul to keep,
Spreading his disease
He'll bring you to your knees
Destroys all he sees,
He's the Ripper
Terror in the streets
Enough to make you scream
He's all you'll ever need,
The Ripper
Now he's taken me
He wants me for his queen
For all eternity,
He's the Ripper
The lyrics to Lita Ford's song The Ripper speak of a malevolent force that is haunting the singer like a shadow in the night. The Ripper is depicted as a creature with a cold, sharp steel-like persona that preys on women, dragging them straight to hell. The singer is aware of his intent and is afraid of his venomous essence, but also feels entranced by him, as she claims to be in heaven when she stands face to face with him. The Ripper is presented as a creature spreading his disease and causing terror in the streets, destroying anyone who crosses his path. The singer's fate is sealed as she claims that he has taken her to be his queen for all eternity.
The lyrics of The Ripper are quite straightforward and paint a bleak picture of a dangerous creature preying on women. The imagery of The Ripper as a steel-like creature with venomous qualities is particularly striking, and the singer's fears and fascination with him are palpable. The ripper is depicted as an unstoppable force that destroys everything in his path and consumes the souls of his victims. The lyrics also suggest that the singer's fate is sealed, as she claims that he has taken her to be his queen for all eternity.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey!
Attention grabber to draw the listener in.
Like a shadow in the night
He is stealthy and unpredictable.
Molested by his sight
His gaze is intrusive and overwhelming.
He's come to get you
He is focused and determined in his pursuit.
Sharper than cold steel
His actions are precise and calculated.
He's gonna show you how it feels
He will make you experience pain and suffering.
Ain't that a sight
There is a sick pleasure he derives from causing harm.
Nothin' you can do
You are helpless against him.
You were so special that he drug you straight to hell
You are not safe from his grasp, no matter how unique or special you think you are.
Like all the other bad girls
You are not the first victim and will not be the last.
He'll rip your heart, he won't let go
He will emotionally and mentally destroy you, and will not grant you any reprieve.
He wants your soul to keep
He wants ownership and control over your spirit.
Spreading his disease
His influence is toxic and contagious.
He'll bring you to your knees
He will break you down to a point of submission.
Destroys all he sees
He causes ruin and devastation wherever he goes.
He's the Ripper
A reference to Jack the Ripper, a notorious serial killer.
Terror in the streets
He creates a sense of fear and unease in his wake.
Enough to make you scream
The horror is overwhelming and unbearable.
He's all you'll ever need
He is an addiction, a toxic relationship that the victim cannot escape from.
Standing face to face
A confrontation between the artist and the Ripper.
I get a little taste of his venom
The artist is affected by his influence and malicious intentions.
I feel it in my veins
She is unable to escape his grasp and feels trapped.
I cannot break the chains
She is unable to free herself from his control.
I'm in heaven
The pleasure derived from their relationship greatly outweighs the pain and harm caused.
He wants my soul to keep
He desires ownership and control over the singer's spirit and essence.
Now he's taken me
The singer has become the Ripper's latest victim.
He wants me for his queen
The singer has become his prized possession and reigns alongside him as his partner in destruction.
For all eternity
The artist will be trapped and under his control for an infinite amount of time.
He's the Ripper
Reinforcement of the dangerous and destructive nature of the character.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DAVID LAWRENCE EZRIN, LITA ROSSANA FORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andy Brown
Best song and solo Lita ever made, nearly 30 years old and still sounds great!
capnzilog
Agreed!
terry davis
Can't believe only 491 views? Lita Ford, one of the greatest female rockers of all time!! ROCK ON LITA!!
fred fredburger
Discovered Lita in (maybe) 1992. She's the prototype for any aspiring rock female singer. Look at Lizzy Hale from Halestorm, she's basically Lita Ford 2.0. That's a good thing.
Angela Reid
terry davis In the name of The Queen of fucking rock...we salute you Lita”.....☠️
Alex Lopez
One of the greatest solos ever!
korina220able
The best solo of Lita by far!
Eric Gisclon
her solo is an anthology a very great solo...she plays F pentatonic mineur (= C Phrygian) + C pentatonic minor
Sushrut
That solo killed me lita thanks a lot
Steve Merryman
I used to play the solo over and over on my cassette player. 🎸