Playing lead guitar and bass, respectively, Rundgren and Van Osten were joined by drummer Thom Mooney (formerly of the Munchkins) and lead vocalist/keyboardist Stewkey (born Robert Antoni). Nazz had their first gig in July 1967, landing an opening slot at a Doors concert. By September, the group received some financial support from the local record store Bartoff & Warfield, who also put them in touch with John Kurland, a record promoter who was looking for a guitar pop band. Kurland took a shine to Nazz and signed on as their manager. Throughout the fall, they practiced in their new home base of Great Neck, New York. Kurland and his associate, Michael Friedman, prevented the band from gigging regularly, believing that a lack of performances would increase demand for the group. The managers were convinced that Nazz could be marketed as a sharp, stylish boy band for the teenybopper audience, and helped the quartet members to refashion themselves in that mode.
With a wardrobe of clothes and an album's worth of material ready, Kurland and Friedman had Nazz sign with SGC Records -- an offshoot of Atlantic Records and Columbia-Screen Gems -- in the summer of 1968. Their debut album, Nazz, appeared in October, supported by the single "Hello It's Me." Although the song would later become a major hit for Rundgren as a solo artist, the dirgey original version barely scraped the national charts, largely due to mismanagement. The managers wanted that Nazz played only large halls, which was virtually impossible for an unknown, unproven band with a newly released debut album. As a result, most of the group's publicity was limited to glamour shots and puff pieces in teen mags. Ironically, many of the articles emphasized the band's "electrifying" live performances.
"Hello It's Me" managed to reach number 71 on the charts, and the record -- particularly the Nazz's self-production of "Open My Eyes" and "Hello It's Me" -- attracted some good notices. Taking this as a cue, Nazz headed to England to cut their second album, but they became embroiled in work visa problems. Undaunted, they returned to America and began work on an ambitious self-produced double album named Fungo Bat. By the time it was released in April 1969, it was trimmed to a single album and titled Nazz Nazz. Although the project's scale was diminished, the music remained dizzyingly diverse, as the record ran the gamut from psychedelic rockers to pop ballads. One problem emerged, however. In the process of editing, much of Rundgren's newer, Laura Nyro-influenced material -- which he had sung himself -- was left on the shelves. Neither the management nor his bandmates gave Rundgren much encouragement to sing, nor was his new introspective direction warmly received by his colleagues. Faced with a no-win situation, Rundgren left the group not long after their summer 1969 tour; by that time, Van Osten had already departed the band.
Stewkey took control of the Nazz, erased Rundgren's vocals from the album sitting in the vaults, and replaced them with his own. The result was released as Nazz III in 1970, but it stiffed. Mooney departed the group, later to play with such bands as the Curtis Brothers, Tattoo, and Paris. Stewkey joined Fuse, an Anglophile power pop group featuring future Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen. Mooney also played with Fuse, but left before Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson joined and the group became Sick Man of Europe.
Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Train Kept A-Rollin'
Nazz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was so handsome, she was a knock out girl
She was pretty from New York City
Oh I loved her up and down that whole damn track
With a heave and a ho, well I just couldn't let her go
Get along, sweet little woman, get along
Come on now get along
Train kept a rollin' all night long
Came a stop and I was jerky
She was a fowl and I was a real guy turkey
She got off the train
But she looked so good, well I just couldn't let her go
The lyrics of Nazz's song Train Kept A-Rollin' tell the tale of a chance encounter between the singer and a woman he meets on a train. The woman, described as "so handsome" and a "knock out girl," is from New York City, and the singer quickly falls for her. The couple spends the night together on the train, with the singer unable to let go of his newfound love. The train keeps rolling all night long, as the singer tries to convince the woman to stay with him.
The lyrics evoke a sense of energy and movement, with references to the train "rollin' all night long" and the singer's struggle to "let her go." The language used is colloquial and playful, with a number of rhyming couplets and puns. The singer's infatuation with the woman is portrayed as both comic and passionate, with lines like "She was a fowl and I was a real guy turkey" suggesting a degree of self-deprecating humor.
Overall, the lyrics of Train Kept A-Rollin' suggest a sense of wild abandon and carefree energy, with the train serving as a backdrop for the singer's amorous escapades.
Line by Line Meaning
On a train, I met a dame
I met a woman on a train
She was so handsome, she was a knock out girl
She was very attractive
She was pretty from New York City
She was from New York City and attractive
Oh I loved her up and down that whole damn track
I really liked her throughout the whole train journey
With a heave and a ho, well I just couldn't let her go
I couldn't bear to part with her
Get along, sweet little woman, get along
I asked her to leave peacefully
Come on now get along
I reiterated my request for her to leave
Train kept a rollin' all night long
The train was continuously moving throughout the night
Well the train kept a rollin' all night long
The train never stopped moving all night long
Came a stop and I was jerky
The train came to a sudden stop and I was unsteady
She was a fowl and I was a real guy turkey
She was irritated with me and I felt foolish
She got off the train
She left the train
But she looked so good, well I just couldn't let her go
Despite our arguments, I was still attracted to her and didn't want to lose her
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Howie Kay, Lois Mann, Tiny Bradshaw
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind