Baty was at University of California Berkeley studying mathematics when he formed the band with Rick Estrin (born 1949). The band's music relies chiefy on electric urban blues of the Chicago variety, but mixed in with other compatible styles, including early rock and roll, soul, surf music, swing, jump blues, and western swing. The band issued their debut album, All the Way Crazy, in 1987, including the songs "Poor Tarzan", "Suicide Blues" and "When Girls Do It". The following album Disturbing the Peace (1988), included "That's My Girl", "My Money's Green", "She's Talking" and "Nervous". The records help established them on the blues festival and club circuits, and they began touring the country extensively, playing a number of international venues. They have played at the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1980 and 1982, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the San Diego, California Street Scene and Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival plus the Juneau Jazz & Classics Festival in 2002.
Their 1993 album, Night Vision was produced and played on by Joe Louis Walker. It featured "My Next Ex-Wife," a witty blues-rocker that won Estrin a W.C. Handy Award for 'Song of the Year', highlighting his steadily growing reputation for songwriting prowess. Original drummer Dobie Strange left in 1996, after 20 years with the group, and his spot was taken by June Core.
In early 2008, Baty announced he was entering "soft" retirement, no longer tours with the band, except for possible reunion tours/shows in Europe and select North American festivals. Baty performed with JW-Jones at Mont Tremblant Blues Festival, Ottawa Bluesfest, and Piazza Blues in Bellinzona, Switzerland in July 2009. Estrin continued with the band re-billed as Rick Estrin & the Nightcats. Baty was replaced on guitar by Chris 'Kid' Andersen (born 1980), originally from Telemark, Norway. Andersen had played backing Charlie Musselwhite as well as fronting his own band.
Baty's most recent blues recording was as a guest on JW-Jones, Bluelisted (2008), an album which marked the first time in his career that he documented his harmonica playing on a recording, and the first time he and another West Coast blues musician, Junior Watson, had recorded together on the same tracks.
The band dissolved in 2008, with three members going on to form Rick Estrin & the Nightcats.
You Got Your Hooks In Me
Little Charlie & The Nightcats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I swear I can't shake 'em loose
You got your hooks in me
I swear I can't shake 'em loose
I know I really ought to quit you baby
(Hey-hey) but I'm hooked, and that's the truth
My poor heart is on the line
You got your hooks in me
My poor heart is on the line
I think I must be getting mighty weak
'Cause I believe I'm hooked
For good this time
You got your hooks in me
I try to fight but I can't win
You got your hooks in me
I try to fight but I can't win
The lyrics to Little Charlie & The Nightcats's song "You Got Your Hooks In Me" depict a person who is completely enamored and under the spell of their lover. The singer is aware that they ought to end the relationship, but they cannot bring themselves to do so because the other person has a hold on them. The metaphorical "hooks" in question represent the deep emotional attachment that the singer has to their lover. Despite feeling weak and defeated, the singer continues to fight the hold that the other person has over them, but ultimately fails to break free.
The repeated refrain of "You got your hooks in me" emphasizes the persistence and prevalence of the other person's influence over the singer. The added phrase "My poor heart is on the line" further emphasizes the vulnerable state that the singer is in, suggesting that their emotional wellbeing is at stake. The lines "I think I must be getting mighty weak / 'Cause I believe I'm hooked / For good this time" further illustrate how the singer is resigned to their fate, indicating that they have given up on any hope of breaking free from the hold that the other person has over them.
Overall, the lyrics of "You Got Your Hooks In Me" portray a classic example of a love that is both passionate and destructive, where the singer is trapped in an emotionally volatile situation that they cannot escape.
Line by Line Meaning
You got your hooks in me
I am deeply attached to you
I swear I can't shake 'em loose
I'm unable to break away from your hold on me
You got your hooks in me
You have a strong influence on my emotions
I know I really ought to quit you baby (Hey-hey) but I'm hooked, and that's the truth
I understand I should end our relationship, but I'm too emotionally invested to walk away
My poor heart is on the line
My heart is vulnerable and exposed to your influence
I think I must be getting mighty weak ('Cause I believe I'm hooked for good this time)
I fear that my emotional attachment to you is too strong to overcome
You got your hooks in me
You have a powerful control over me
I try to fight but I can't win
I attempt to resist your hold on me, but it's futile
Writer(s): Estrin
Contributed by Keira G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.