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 – Oliver North was labelled a "criminal motherfucker" – 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
Native American
Little Steven Lyrics
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Ho Ka Hey Wah Nah Woh
Ho Ka Hey Wah Nah
Ho Ka Hey Wah Nah Woh
[War Cry of the Lakota Sioux - "Let's Go - Now"]
Life was forever when we were young
The land was protected for everyone
But now the water no longer comes
And now all that remains
Is darkness and poisoned earth
And now before it's too late
We must provide our own new birth
I am Native American
The question of honor you must decide
The soul of the nation has been denied
Our dreams have been stolen before our eyes
How do you say there's no tomorrow to a child?
From us there is much to learn
There is so much you've forgotten
You can't change me
Try and understand
I am proud of who I am
I am Native American
We must try and remember what we're here for
You will suffer the darkness alone no more
You will have the strength of all of us gathered here today
That is something they can never take away
I am Native American
The song "Native American" by Little Steven is a poignant reflection on the destruction of the land, culture, and spirit of the Native American people. The song begins with the war cry of the Lakota Sioux, "Ho Ka Hey Wah Nah," which translates to "Let's Go - Now." This sets the tone for the urgent message to come, as Little Steven sings about the devastation wrought by the encroachment of Western civilization on the land and people that existed long before it.
The verses of the song touch on themes of loss, darkness, and poisoned earth. Little Steven sings of a time when life was forever and the land was protected for everyone, but now the water no longer comes and all that remains is darkness and destruction. He calls on listeners to understand the question of honor and to recognize that the soul of the nation has been denied. He asks how one can say there is no tomorrow to a child who has already lost so much.
Despite the sadness and anger that permeates the song, Little Steven ultimately offers hope and strength. He points out that there is much to learn from Native American culture and history, and that there is still time to provide a new birth for the earth and all its inhabitants. He affirms his pride in his heritage and encourages others to embrace their own identities. The repetition of the line "I am Native American" resonates with power and pride, and serves as a reminder that the struggles and triumphs of indigenous people are not forgotten.
Line by Line Meaning
Ho Ka Hey Wah Nah
War Cry of the Lakota Sioux - 'Let's Go - Now'
Ho Ka Hey Wah Nah Woh
War Cry of the Lakota Sioux - 'Let's Go - Now'
Life was forever when we were young
Life seemed infinite during our youth
The land was protected for everyone
The land was preserved for all to cherish and utilize
Forever as long as the rivers run
The land was meant to be preserved for all of eternity
But now the water no longer comes
The natural resources are being depleted
And now all that remains
The aftermath of our actions have resulted in darkness
Is darkness and poisoned earth
The land is now barren and contaminated
And now before it's too late
We must take action before it's too late
We must provide our own new birth
We must create a new beginning by rectifying our mistakes
I am Native American
I am of Native American heritage
The question of honor you must decide
It's up to you to decide what honor means to you
The soul of the nation has been denied
The core values of our nation have been stripped away
Our dreams have been stolen before our eyes
Our aspirations have been taken from us as we've witnessed
How do you say there's no tomorrow to a child?
How do you tell a child that their future is uncertain?
From us there is much to learn
There are valuable lessons to be learned from Native Americans
There is so much you've forgotten
There are important values that have been disregarded
You can't change me
I won't compromise my values
Try and understand
Please attempt to comprehend my perspective
I am proud of who I am
I'm proud of my identity
We must try and remember what we're here for
We mustn't forget our purpose
You will suffer the darkness alone no more
You no longer have to face dark times alone
You will have the strength of all of us gathered here today
You can draw strength from the collective community assembled today
That is something they can never take away
They are incapable of taking that away from us
I am Native American
I am of Native American heritage
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: STEVEN VAN ZANDT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind