van Zandt was born as Steven Lento in Winthrop, Massachusetts. His mother, Mary Lento, remarried when he was young and Steven took the last name of his stepfather, William Van Zandt. The family moved from Massachusetts to Middletown Township, New Jersey when he was seven.
Van Zandt subsequently became a songwriter and producer for fellow Jersey shore act Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes in the mid- to late-1970s, penning their signature song "I Don't Wanna Go Home", co-writing other songs for them with Springsteen, and producing their most-acclaimed record, Hearts of Stone. As such, Van Zandt became a key contributor to the Jersey Shore sound. Van Zandt then went on to share production credits on the classic Springsteen albums Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, and Born in the U.S.A..
Van Zandt has produced a number of other records, including an uncredited effort on the Iron City Houserockers' Have A Good Time (But Get Out Alive). Less successful was his work on Lone Justice's second album Shelter, which was a career-ending flop for the Los Angeles cowpunk band.
In 2004, he contributed the song "Baby Please Don't Go" to Nancy Sinatra's self-titled album
Van Zandt officially left the E Street Band in 1984 (Springsteen's song "Bobby Jean" is said to be inspired by the split) and has been involved in numerous solo musical projects and collaborations since then, ranging from soul music to hard rock to world music. In particular, he released four albums in the 1980s and one in 1999, sometimes fronting an on-and-off group known as Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. Van Zandt has written that these albums are each elements in a five-part concept cycle. The first of them, 1982's white soul Men Without Women, earned the most critical praise (Jay Cocks of TIME magazine dubbed it one of the ten best albums of the year), while its follow-up, 1984's Voice of America, did the best on the U.S. albums chart, although none of them were much of a commercial success. With Voice of America, his music became explicitly political, with the central theme being opposition to Ronald Reagan-era American foreign policy.
Continuing his involvement in issues of the day, in 1985 he created the music-industry activist group Artists United Against Apartheid as an action against the Sun City resort in South Africa. Forty-nine top recording artists, including Springsteen, U2, Bob Dylan and Run DMC, collaborated on a song called "Sun City" in which they pledged they would never perform at the resort. The effort was modestly successful. In 1987 he released the album Freedom - No Compromise, which continued the political messaging in an even more strident fashion. Some U.S. appearances in that year as opening act for U2's arena-and-stadium Joshua Tree Tour continued in the same vein โ Oliver North was labelled a "criminal motherfucker" โ but were not well-received by audiences, who found the sound overbearing and the performances lacking musicality. Both the record and his concerts were more popular in Europe, however. Little Steven's fourth album, 1989's Revolution, attracted little attention.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Van_Zandt
Angel Eyes
Little Steven Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She makes me coffee, she combs her hair
Her eyes are shining she's gone I know
She's on a stage in a palace so long ago
Ain't it a shame, money can't buy what she sees
She's got the heart of a child, bless my soul
Precious as diamonds, silver and gold
You got me baby I realize
I ain't never gonna make you cry
Ooh, you angel eyes
She dances in shadows, she bleeds in tears
She turns into animals, she disappears
Surrounded by mirrors while the spirits watch
They look now baby, but they can't touch
The pain is intoxicating if the music is loud enough
I'd buy her jewelry, I'd buy her a ring, I'd buy her the world
But it don't mean a thing
When I look into your angel eyes
You got me baby, I realize
I ain't never gonna make you cry
Ooh, you angel eyes
Ain't it a shame, up 'till now she's had to dream alone
She really belongs in another time
But for awhile she's mine all mine
When I look into your angel eyes
You got me baby, I realize
I ain't never gonna make you cry
Ooh, you angel eyes
The song "Angel Eyes" by Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul tells the story of a woman who is both vulnerable and powerful. We see her from a distance, as the singer watches her from her window as she makes him coffee and combs her hair. However, the woman is also a performer, and we see her on a stage in a palace "so long ago." Despite her talent and success, she still has a childlike heart and is as precious as diamonds, silver, and gold.
The second verse delves deeper into the woman's inner world. She dances in shadows and bleeds in tears, turning into animals and disappearing. She is surrounded by mirrors while spirits watch, but they cannot touch her. The pain she feels is intoxicating, especially when there is loud music. The singer wants to give her everything, from jewelry to the world, but it does not seem to matter. It is only when he looks into her angel eyes that he realizes he will never make her cry.
The song has a melancholy tone, as if the woman lives in another time and place, and cannot fully be with the singer. Nevertheless, for a while, she is his, and he appreciates her for who she is, both vulnerable and powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
She sits by her window I watch her there
The singer watches the woman he loves from outside of her house
She makes me coffee, she combs her hair
The woman takes care of herself and the singer, creating a comforting and intimate environment
Her eyes are shining she's gone I know
The woman is distant, living inside her own mind and memories
She's on a stage in a palace so long ago
The woman's mind is elsewhere, perhaps reliving happier times from her past
Ain't it a shame, money can't buy what she sees
The woman has a unique perspective or vision that cannot be replicated or bought
She's got the heart of a child, bless my soul
Despite her inner turmoil, the woman has a pure and innocent heart
Precious as diamonds, silver and gold
The woman is invaluable and cherished like rare and precious metals
When I look into your angel eyes
The artist is entranced by the woman's gaze
You got me baby I realize
The woman has captured the artist's heart and attention completely
I ain't never gonna make you cry
The artist vows to protect and cherish the woman forever and never make her sad
She dances in shadows, she bleeds in tears
The woman's emotions are intense and often hidden in darkness
She turns into animals, she disappears
The woman seems to have a shapeshifting quality and often retreats into herself
Surrounded by mirrors while the spirits watch
The woman is haunted by her own image and watched by unseen forces
They look now baby, but they can't touch
The woman remains elusive and out of reach to those who seek her
The pain is intoxicating if the music is loud enough
The woman finds solace in music and is drawn to the emotions it stirs in her
I'd buy her jewelry, I'd buy her a ring, I'd buy her the world
The artist would give the woman anything to make her happy
But it don't mean a thing
Despite the material items the artist would give her, it wouldn't truly make the woman happy
Ain't it a shame, up 'till now she's had to dream alone
The woman has had to bear her burden on her own until the singer came into her life
She really belongs in another time
The woman feels out of place in the present and belongs somewhere else
But for awhile she's mine all mine
The artist cherishes the time he has with the woman, knowing it might be fleeting
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN VAN ZANDT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fabioanges
We here in Brazil love your musical genius.
@zietzufriets8866
Thank's so much for putting this online โค. I saw this show live on german tv when I was 11 years old. After this I went to the record store in the nearest town by bus every saturday, with my coca cola can full of coins, asking whether the Little Steven album was out yet. I finally got it, and still love it till this day! I got to see you live in 1983 in Geleen, the Netherlands, standing in the front row and loving every bit of it. Such great memories!
@rickvia8435
From one of the best solo albums I've ever heard.
@8ackbiter
Agree it's a fabulous album, but it was a full band album!
@paulheptinstall3838
@@8ackbiter Totally agree Rick, bought it the year of it's release and have been listening to it on and off ever since. Graet album, graet front man and a great band. Love all the tracks but Till The Good Is Gone is an absolute CORKER.
@no834
I love it also
@StevenVanZandt-ki8wr
Thanks for following my page,thank you for the support and love โค๏ธ I really appreciate you ๐ฅฐ Iโll love to honor you by dropping me your personal information for a private conversation if thatโs ok by you...
@rickvia8435
@@StevenVanZandt-ki8wr Somewhere between the Wild, The Innocent, The Jukes and the Disciples Of Soul, you and Bruce have lost your minds. No Thanks, Steve.
@joelpanettaonline
I wore this cassette out twice. Once of my favorites of all time.
@juliascheibner3903
Thank you so much Stevie.