Little Caesar is an American hard rock band. They are remembered for their … Read Full Bio ↴Little Caesar is an American hard rock band. They are remembered for their version of the soul music song "Chain of Fools", a 1990 hit single from their self-titled debut album. The band was founded late in the 1980s by vocalist Ron Young, who had previously worked as a nightclub bouncer. The group independently released an EP and were featured on the 1989 Metal Blade compilation Street Survivors with one song "Down to the Wire", which led to their signing with DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen Records, in 1989. John Kalodner did A&R work for the group, and Bob Rock produced their debut self-titled album, which was released in 1990 to positive reviews. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic retrospectively gave the album three stars out of five, writing it "may not be the most innovative recording of 1989, but it's honest and consistently satisfying." On the strength of the singles "Chain of Fools" (a cover of the Aretha Franklin song) and "In Your Arms", Little Caesar hit number 139 on the US Billboard 200 in 1990. Lead vocalist Ron Young made a brief cameo in James Cameron's Terminator 2, as the biker thrown through the window of the bar by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Despite the group's chart success, they had problems with exposure on then-critical MTV, due in part to the band being less than photogenic and "looking like a gang of Hell's Angels." They remained with DGC/Geffen for a sophomore release, Influence in 1992, but neither Rock nor Kalodner continued working with them. By this time, guitarist Apache had left and was replaced with Earl Slick. After Influence failed to match the success of their debut, the group disbanded. They were one of many metal bands whose careers faltered with the early 1990s rise of alternative rock. DGC - initially a label strongly devoted to metal/progressive rock label - began to favor alternative bands. Ron Young later went on to sing in The Four Horsemen, Manic Eden, and Dirt.

The band reformed for some live shows in 2001, and released a new album, Redemption, in 2009. They also introduced new guitar player Joey Brasler (who had played with Etta James, Bob Welch, Cherie Currie) replacing original member Apache. After touring in the US, Europe and the UK during 2010/2011, Little Caesar released their fourth album entitled American Dream on the Unison Music Group label in May, 2012. It was produced by Bruce Witkin. They embarked on a tour of Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and culminating in Wales in December 2012.

On 25 March 2013, it was announced that band would perform at the Download Festival on the 16 June 2013. Frontman Ron Young explained: “20 years ago we were offered to play the festival when it was called Monsters Of Rock. We had to turn it down because our label would not give us the funds to get there. Today, with no label, manager or big-money supporters, we finally made it. We got there because we have some amazing people that prop us up, inspire us, and bless us with their talent, energies – and most priceless, their friendship. They’ve helped us accomplish what we couldn’t do with a lot of powerful people behind us.”

Studio albums
Little Caesar (1990)
Influence (1992)
This Time It's Different (1998)
Redemption (2009)
American Dream (2012)
Eight (2018)

Cajun Panther
Little Caesar Lyrics

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Have mercy!

Well, the sun comes up
And the sun goes down
And the Cajun Panther
Wanders thru your town

Talkin' about, talk talkin'

Talkin' about, talk talkin'
Talkin' about, talk talkin', yeah
The Cajun Panther
Yeah, she's black as night

Well the telephone rings
And the TV's on
Someone's at the back door, oh, yeah
Writin's on the wall

Talkin' about, talk talkin'
I'm talkin' about, talk talkin'
Talkin' about, talk talkin', yeah
The Cajun Panther
Yeah, she's black as night

(Talk talkin')
The Cajun Panther
(Talk talkin')
She's a black-eyed woman
(Talk talkin')
Cajun Panther, yeah

Well, the sun comes up
And the sun goes down
And the Cajun Panther
Wandered thru my town, oh, yeah
She's an animal, ow!
A beast unleashed, ha, ha!
Well, my flesh and blood
Well, it was her feast
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, yeah

Talk talkin'
I'm talkin' about, talk talkin'
I'm talkin' about, talk talkin'
Cajun Panther

Cajun Panther
(Talk talkin')
She's a black-eyed woman
(Talk talkin')
Oh, oh animal, no, no
(Talk talkin')

The Cajun Panther
Yeah, she's black as night

Overall Meaning

The song "Cajun Panther" by Little Caesar is a blues rock track that explores the idea of a mythical creature, the Cajun Panther, wandering through a town. Throughout the song, the singer talks about the mysterious and dangerous qualities of this creature, who he describes as "black as night" with "black eyes." The lyrics paint a picture of a creature that is both alluring and destructive, with imagery of the sun rising and setting, the phone ringing, and writings on the wall as signs of the Cajun Panther's presence.

While the meaning behind the song is open to interpretation, it could be seen as a metaphor for a dangerous woman, or perhaps even representing the singer's own inner demons. The repetitive nature of the lyrics, with lines like "talkin' about, talk talkin'" and "Cajun Panther, yeah she's black as night" further emphasize the hypnotic and all-consuming nature of this creature. Overall, "Cajun Panther" is a haunting and mysterious track that leaves listeners with an eerie sense of foreboding.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, the sun comes up
The day starts anew

And the sun goes down
The day will end

And the Cajun Panther
This woman is unpredictable and dangerous

Wanders thru your town
Watch out, she's around

Talkin' about, talk talkin'
Repeating and spreading rumors

Talkin' about, talk talkin', yeah
The rumors and gossip never stop

The Cajun Panther
This black-eyed woman is unpredictable and dangerous

Yeah, she's black as night
She's mysterious and unapproachable

Well the telephone rings
Distractions arise

And the TV's on
There's no escape from outside influences

Someone's at the back door, oh, yeah
Unknown and possibly unwanted guests are coming over