Lowell George met Bill Payne when George was a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. Payne had auditioned for the Mothers, but had not joined. They formed Little Feat along with former Mothers' bassist Roy Estrada and drummer Richie Hayward from George's previous band, the Factory. The name of the band came from a comment made by Mothers' drummer Jimmy Carl Black about Lowell's "little feet." The spelling of "feat" was an homage to The Beatles.
Their first two albums received nearly universal critical acclaim, and "Willin'" became a standard, subsequently popularized by its inclusion on Linda Ronstadt's album Heart Like a Wheel.
While touring in support of his solo album in June 1979, at the age of 34, George collapsed in his hotel room in Arlington, Virginia. The surviving members finished and released the Little Feat album "Down on the Farm" before disbanding.
The surviving former members of Little Feat reformed in 1987 when Paul Barrere, Sam Clayton, Kenny Gradney, Richie Hayward and Bill Payne added songwriter/vocalist Craig Fuller, formerly from the band Pure Prairie League (who also provided some rhythm guitar), and Fred Tackett on guitar, mandolin and trumpet.
With a seemingly constant tour schedule, Little Feat is easily one of the hardest-working and enduring bands in the industry today. With a history that spans more than 30 years, Little Feat is regarded by many rock music critics as a "band's band", and as one of the greatest rock bands in American rock music history. Best known for their combination of California rock and Dixie-inflected funk-boogie, they craftily blend folk, blues, rockabilly, country and jazz to create a unique style all their own, garnering a faithful grass-roots following. Simply put, Little Feat's sound transcends traditional music boundaries and they offer fans an unforgettable live performance.
Richie Hayward became the second founding member of the band to die, passing from pneumonia and other complications of lung disease on August 18, 2010.
Texas Rose Cafe
Little Feat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody answered, everybody answered but they won't say why
Then this dancer grabbed me down by the bus stop
And she said I'm takin' you with me to the Texas Rose cafe
I got a fast car, it's a jaguar, and I'll get you to the plane on time
Drinkin' Lone Star, play guitar, we'll have a real good time
I said love to be found in Austin,
Love to be found in Austin town,
'Cause when I was just a big time low ball fool
My friend Leroy came to me
He said look out your window
Does the first man you see look like me?
I'm sooooore displeased
Since that time I changed my mind
About the things I'm up to
Yet the things around me stay just the same
'Cause outside my hotel window is a sign that turns from red to green
It says chop suey and join the U.S. Marines
The singer of the song is in Houston, and he is picked up on his phone by somebody, but when he asks why they've called, nobody tells him anything. Suddenly, he gets grabbed by a dancer down by bus stop, and she takes him with her to the Texas Rose Cafe promising him a good time. She tells him that she has a fast jaguar car and will get him to the plane on time to which he agrees. There's talk of drinking Lone Star and playing guitar, all things that promise a good time. The singer talks about wanting to find love in Austin, but how his time is constrained, and he's back into the past, reminiscing about his friend Leroy and what his friend said to him about looking out the window. He then talks about how things have changed for him, but some things remain the same, like the sign outside his hotel window flipping from red to green, urging him to join the Marine Corps.
The song seems to be talking about the desires of people to be free and have a good time, but life has a way of trapping them. The singer is seemingly stuck in his current situation, unable to find love in Austin, feeling like his time is not his own. The Texas Rose Cafe seems to represent a place of escape, a place where the singer can be free and have a good time. However, even though he has changed, his surroundings haven't, and it appears that he is still trapped within his current reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Picked up on my phone in Houston
I received a phone call while I was in Houston
Everybody answered, everybody answered but they won't say why
Many people answered the phone, but none of them revealed the reason for the call
Then this dancer grabbed me down by the bus stop
A dancer pulled me aside near the bus stop
And she said I'm takin' you with me to the Texas Rose cafe
The dancer informed me that she was taking me to the Texas Rose Cafe
I got a fast car, it's a jaguar, and I'll get you to the plane on time
The dancer boasted about owning a fast jaguar car and promised to get me to the airport on time
Drinkin' Lone Star, play guitar, we'll have a real good time
We planned to drink Lone Star beer and play guitar for a fun time at the Texas Rose Cafe
I said love to be found in Austin,
I admitted that there is a possibility of finding love in Austin
Love to be found in Austin town,
I emphasized that Austin is a promising place to find love
I replied that I would try, but you see my time is not my own
Although I am interested, I explained that my schedule is not under my control
'Cause when I was just a big time low ball fool
In the past, I was foolish and reckless
My friend Leroy came to me
My friend Leroy approached me
He said look out your window
He asked me to look out of my window
Does the first man you see look like me?
He questioned if the first man I see resembles him
I'm sooooore displeased
He expressed his extreme displeasure
Since that time I changed my mind
I changed my ways after that incident
About the things I'm up to
I reevaluated my actions and decisions
Yet the things around me stay just the same
Despite my personal changes, my environment remains unchanged
'Cause outside my hotel window is a sign that turns from red to green
There is a sign outside my hotel window that changes from red to green
It says chop suey and join the U.S. Marines
The sign advertises for chop suey and joining the U.S. Marines
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LOWELL GEORGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Cochran
on Representing the Mambo
Heard this song right before I had to go on a buiness trip to Rio. The progression of the song up the mountainside to the dangerous favelas above the city to the isolated hidden samba clubs make this song a trip you can truly take in your mind to that place.