In a perfect world, Michael Monroe would have been one of the leading front… Read Full Bio ↴In a perfect world, Michael Monroe would have been one of the leading frontmen of the ‘80s glam metal movement -- leaving most of his unbearable contemporaries in the dust. Born Matti Fagerholm on June 17, 1960, in Helsinki, Finland, Monroe played saxophone with a variety of Finnish bands throughout the late ‘70s before eventually switching to vocals, and helping co-form Hanoi Rocks in 1980. Preceding Mötley Crüe by several years, Hanoi Rocks was one of the first groups in several years to adopt the glam look (something that would become commonplace on L.A.'s Sunset Strip in only a few years) -- heavy on the make-up and hair spray, flashy outfits, etc. -- but unlike their future offspring, Hanoi Rocks' roots weren't in heavy metal, but rather punk and garage rock (the Stooges, early Alice Cooper, New York Dolls, Dead Boys).

After some lineup tweaking, the "classic" Hanoi Rocks lineup was put in place, consisting of Monroe, guitarists Andy McCoy and Nasty Suicide, bassist Sam Yaffa, and drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley. On the strength of several Euro-only indie releases (1981's Bangkok Shocks, 1982's Self Destruction Blues and Oriental Beat, plus 1983's Back to Mystery City), and European tours (as well as visits to such exotic locales as Israel and Japan), a buzz began to build. Hanoi Rocks was signed to Columbia Records soon after, as U.S. success appeared to be just around the corner -- especially after the release of 1984's Two Steps from the Move. Then came a much-publicized car accident that killed Dingley (behind the wheel was an inebriated Vince Neil) in December of 1984. Despite Monroe and company attempting to carry on with replacements, the promising Hanoi was laid to rest later the next year.
Relocating to New York City, Monroe began to pick up the pieces and embarked on a solo career. His first solo release was 1987's Nights Are so Long (a Scandinavia-/Japan-only release), which was quite Dead Boys-influenced (Monroe had befriended Stiv Bators and covered one of his solo songs, while guitarist Jimmy Zero contributed a pair of songs). An appearance in the star-studded Sun City video followed, as did a worldwide solo deal with Polygram Records. An initial plan of reissuing Nights failed to pan out, resulting in 1989's Not Fakin' It being the first domestically issued solo Monroe release. The album would go on to become Monroe's most successful stateside release (and the only one to appear on the Billboard charts), while all of Hanoi Rocks' albums were reissued on Guns N' Roses' short-lived Uzi Suicide label (Monroe also appeared on GN'R's Use Your Illusion releases and The Spaghetti Incident? ).

Many assumed that Monroe would obtain ever-elusive breakthrough success this second time around, but once more, it was not to be. A planned collaboration with ex-Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens failed to pan out, as it looked like Monroe had vanished. This proved not to be the case, and he continued to issue lower-profile solo releases (1992's Jerusalem Slim, 1996's Peace of Mind, 1999's Life Gets You Dirty, 2002's Take Them and Break Them, and 2003's Whatcha Want). Monroe has also sporadically reunited with his ex-Hanoi bandmates, including Yaffa, under the name Demolition 23 (1995's Demolition 23), and with McCoy as Hanoi Rocks, resulting in the releases Twelve Shots on the Rocks (2002), Another Hostile Takeover (2005), and Street Poetry (2007). In 2010 Monroe issued his first ever live solo LP, Another Night In the Sun: Live in Helsinki via Spinefarm Records, with a new studio album, Sensory Overdrive, dropping the following year. Horns and Halos, his ninth solo long player, arrived in 2013, followed by Blackout States in 2015.

Theres another artist who uses the name Michael Monroe is from Minnesota, USA. His music is a mix of acoustic folk, jazz and reggae. He is not merely 'using' the name Michael Monroe but was born with that name in 1952. He has toured professionally with his music and his own/real name since 1970. There was no internet to check when Matti Fagerholm assumed the 'Michael Monroe' name for his band many years later. Most of MN/USA's Acoustic Michael Monroe's original music and CDs have been listed on the LAST FM web as written and performed by heavy metal Michael Monroe and that is not the case. Michael Monroe/MN/USA/Acoustic's albums are: Summer Rain, Twice In One Day, As Far As I Can See, Abandin My Own Mind, IF, Chased By The Light, Simple Life, Wintersong, Michael Monroe "LIVE" At The Cedar he performs vocals and on hand made guitars from the Gunflint Trail, bamboo/crystal flutes and harmonica using his 'live' looping technique. His web site is listed on this page MichaelMonroeMusic as a source for this information.

Biography by Greg Prato

Kick Out the Jams
Michael Monroe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well i feel pretty good
An' i guess that i could get crazy now, babe
'coz we all got in tune
Now that the dressing room got hazy now, babe
I know how you want it
Wind it up real tight
The girls can't stand it when you are doin' it right
Put me up on the stand

An' let me kickout the jams
Yeah, kick out the jams
I gotta kick 'em out!

Well i'm starting to sweat
My shirt's all wet
I got the feeling
And this song that i found
Gets me up, sends me right thru' the ceiling
Gotta have it baby, you can't do without it
When you get the felling
You gotta sock 'em out
Put the mike in my hand
And let me kick out the jams
Yeah, kick out the jams
I gotta kick 'em out!

So you got to give it up
You know you can't get enough it's like...
It gets in your veins
Drives you insane into frenzy
Wailing guitars and the crash on the drums
If you wanna keep on rockin' till the morning comes
Let me be who i am
Let me kick out the jams

Yeah, kick out the jams
I done kicked 'em out!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Michael Monroe's song Kick Out the Jams are all about breaking free and letting loose. The singer talks about feeling good and getting crazy, and how the dressing room has gotten hazy. He wants to wind it up tight and kick out the jams, and he begs to be put up on stage and given the mic so he can really let loose. The song talks about the feeling that rock music gives you, how it gets into your veins and drives you into a frenzy. The wailing guitars and crashing drums keep you rocking all night, until the morning comes.

Line by Line Meaning

Well i feel pretty good
I am feeling good about myself

An' i guess that i could get crazy now, babe
I feel like I could let loose and get wild

'coz we all got in tune
We are all on the same page and in harmony

Now that the dressing room got hazy now, babe
The atmosphere is charged and intense

I know how you want it
I understand what you are looking for

Wind it up real tight
Get ready to go all out

The girls can't stand it when you are doin' it right
The ladies love it when we perform well

Put me up on the stand
Let me take the stage

An' let me kickout the jams
Let me play my heart out

Yeah, kick out the jams
Let's give it our all

I gotta kick 'em out!
I need to play with intensity and passion

Well i'm starting to sweat
I am working hard and starting to perspire

My shirt's all wet
My undershirt is saturated with sweat

I got the feeling
I am overcome with emotion

And this song that i found
This particular piece of music

Gets me up, sends me right thru' the ceiling
It elevates me and makes me feel ecstatic

Gotta have it baby, you can't do without it
This music is essential and cannot be ignored

When you get the felling
When the spirit moves you

You gotta sock 'em out
You have to give it your all

Put the mike in my hand
Give me the microphone

And let me kick out the jams
So I can give it my all with this song

So you got to give it up
You need to give it your all

You know you can't get enough it's like...
This music is irresistible

It gets in your veins
This music is intoxicating

Drives you insane into frenzy
It makes you crazy with excitement

Wailing guitars and the crash on the drums
The powerful sound of the guitars and drums

If you wanna keep on rockin' till the morning comes
If you want to keep dancing and partying all night long

Let me be who i am
Allow me to express myself authentically

Let me kick out the jams
Let me give it my all

I done kicked 'em out!
I have put on a great show and played with passion

Contributed by Charlie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Comments from YouTube:

Mike Naykki

Excellent on that song 👍👍🎤🎸😎

Uncle Ed Vapes

Excellent

Frog McLobstir

BOC version way better

Frog McLobstir

@Preeb Reintzus Buck did a lot of singing but mostly Bloom

Frog McLobstir

@Preeb Reintzus 😆Chong - Eric is the singer—I talked to Buck once for a couple minutes at the expo music hall nice guy he was tuning up before the show.