MC5 had a promising beginning that earned them a January 1969 cover appearance in Rolling Stone magazine and a story written by Eric Ehrmann before their debut album was released. They developed a reputation for energetic and polemical live performances, one of which was recorded as their 1969 debut album Kick Out the Jams. Their initial run was short-lived, though. In 1972, just three years after their debut record, the band came to an end. Often cited as one of the most important American hard rock groups of that era, their three albums are regarded by many as classics.
Tyner died of a heart attack in late 1991 at the age of 46. Smith also died of a heart attack, in 1994 at the age of 45. The remaining three members of the band reformed in 2003 with The Dictators' singer Handsome Dick Manitoba as its new vocalist, and this reformed line-up occasionally performed live over the next nine years until Davis died of liver failure in February 2012 at the age of 68.
In 2022, Kramer announced that a tour would take place that spring, and that a new MC5 studio album with producer Bob Ezrin would also be released later that year with original MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson playing on two tracks. In 2023, Kramer announced that the album would be released in the spring of 2024. Kramer died in February 2024, leaving Thompson as the only surviving original member of the band.
Teenage Lust
MC5 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hanging around town where I got totally crazed
Surrounded by bitches who just wouldn't give it in
Who thought that getting down was an unnatural sin
I'd whisper, "Baby, baby, help me, feel like I'm gonna bust
I need a healthy outlet for my teenage lust"
Yes, I do now baby
Moved into the city to improve my chances
I chased them at the bars and grabbed them at the dances
They'd huggy, snuggle, kissy but they'd never go all the way
They'd cringe like in terror when they hear me say
"Baby, baby, help, you really, really must
I need a healthy outlet for my teenage lust"
Yes, I do now, baby
My teenage lust won't make away much longer
I really need release
It means so much to me
How can a young Midwestern boy
Live in such misery, misery, misery, oh?
Then one day I had one perfect plan
I shake my ass and scream in a rock 'n' roll band
From now on there'll be no compromising
Rock 'n' roll music is the best advertising
"Baby, I can help, you know I got the guts
I'll be your healthy outlet for your teenage lust"
Come on, now
Come on, now
Come on darling, come on baby
This teenage lust is driving me crazy
I gonna have it baby, I can't do without
When I get the feeling, I got to work it out
I ain't got no time for messing around
So come on girl, you've got to get down
Come on darling, come on baby
This teenage lust is driving me crazy
In "Teenage Lust," MC5s muses about the struggles of a Midwestern teenage boy with his uncontrollable sexual urges. The song starts with the singer recalling his experiences growing up in Lincoln Park, where he was "surrounded by bitches who just wouldn't give it in." According to the singer, the women he encountered in his adolescence believed that "getting down was an unnatural sin." Despite this disapproval, the young man was consumed by his teenage lust, desperately seeking a "healthy outlet" for his sexual desires.
The singer moves to the city to pursue better opportunities and begins to frequent bars and clubs, where he tries to seduce women with no success. Frustrated and desperate, the young man decides to form a rock 'n' roll band, where he can let out his sexual energy and advertise his prowess to women. He competes with other guys for the attention of women while promising to act as their "healthy outlet for teenage lust."
The song's protagonist feels an overwhelming need for release, and rock 'n' roll provides him with a way to vent. The singer releases his pent-up urges through the performance, allowing everything to come out with every gig. The song is a commentary on the importance of sexual satisfaction and shows how teenagers act on this fundamental urge. Overall, MC5s analyses how teenage lust poses a challenge to society, with some people condemning it as an immoral action.
Line by Line Meaning
Back in Lincoln park where I was mostly raised
When I was growing up in Lincoln Park, I had a lot of experiences that shaped my personality.
Hanging around town where I got totally crazed
I spent a lot of time in my hometown, doing things that made me feel wild and free.
Surrounded by bitches who just wouldn't give it in
There were lots of girls around, but they weren't interested in having sex with me.
Who thought that getting down was an unnatural sin
They believed that having sex was wrong or immoral.
I'd whisper, "Baby, baby, help me, feel like I'm gonna bust
I need a healthy outlet for my teenage lust"
I would try to convince girls to have sex with me because I had a lot of sexual energy that I needed to release.
Moved into the city to improve my chances
I moved to the city hoping I would have more opportunities to meet girls who were interested in having sex.
I chased them at the bars and grabbed them at the dances
I would flirt with girls at bars and dance clubs and try to make physical contact with them.
They'd huggy, snuggle, kissy but they'd never go all the way
Girls would be affectionate with me, but they wouldn't have sex with me.
They'd cringe like in terror when they hear me say
"Baby, baby, help, you really, really must
I need a healthy outlet for my teenage lust"
When I would ask girls to have sex with me, they would be afraid or uncomfortable.
I really need release
It means so much to me
I have a strong desire to have sex because it makes me feel better and relieves my tension.
How can a young Midwestern boy
Live in such misery, misery, misery, oh?
I feel unhappy and unfulfilled because I can't find anyone to have sex with.
Then one day I had one perfect plan
I shake my ass and scream in a rock 'n' roll band
I decided to start a rock band and use it as a way to attract girls.
From now on there'll be no compromising
Rock 'n' roll music is the best advertising
I'm going to focus on my music career as a way to get girls interested in me.
"Baby, I can help, you know I got the guts
I'll be your healthy outlet for your teenage lust"
I use my status as a rocker to convince girls to have sex with me and help me satisfy my sexual needs.
Come on darling, come on baby
This teenage lust is driving me crazy
I gonna have it baby, I can't do without
When I get the feeling, I got to work it out
I ain't got no time for messing around
So come on girl, you've got to get down
Come on darling, come on baby
This teenage lust is driving me crazy
I am obsessed with having sex and will do whatever it takes to satisfy my desires.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRED SMITH, MICHAEL DAVID, WAYNE KRAMER, DENNIS THOMPSON, ROBERT W. DERMINER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ilpunitore
Did anyone catch Wayne on that VH1 special on Heavy Metal? He had a lot of interesting comments, he said he would take the blame or the credit for heavy metal....it's interesting to listen to this stuff now and see how it inspired punk and metal...the Stooges and thge MC5 to me, at least, had a lot of Stones-like elements to their music...just louder, cruder, and more manic. I still think of the Ramones as the first true punk band, beceause no one really played guitar like Johnny before.
turksmig
they are much better here.all their albums should have been recorded live
sirlordwhitman
great RAW sound.. kicks ass!!
Jay Moralez
love that mc5
FreeWorldarchitect
Back in Lincoln Park where I was mostly raised
Hanging around town where I got totally crazed
Surrounded by bitches who wouldn't give it in
Who thought that getting down was an unnatural sin
I'd whisper "Baby baby help me, you really must
I need a healthy outlet
For my teenage lust"
So I moved into the city to improve my chances
I chased them at the bars and I grabbed them at the dances
They'd huggy snuggle kissy but they'd never go all the way
They'd cringe like in terror when they hear me say
"Baby baby help, you really really must
I need a healthy outlet
For my teenage lust!"
Stan Pillis
Great!
Robert Smith
I named one of my dogs Iggy and another one Fred Sonic Smith.
Juha Huovio
7 ku ponupullo
Juha Huovio
5 and