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
Under The Ice
Nazz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your tears are down and so crass
Because all you wanted was a touch from the face
Try to find a feeling nothing and wondering why
And the snow queen turned into a princess of ice
Braving cold and staring cooly aloof as you die
Under the Ice
Please, an ill wind blows no one good
A hurricane in disguise
And it sings you a song you find appealing inside
Waits around until you've learned to sing like a fool
It's a wind that lingers long enough to be fed
Takes away the woman, leaves you hung in a blue sea of cool
In Nazz's song Under the Ice, the lyrics paint a picture of a person who longs for connection and affection, but is met with coldness and detachment from the other person, who has transformed into a "princess of ice". The first verse highlights the person's desolation and disappointment as they struggle to find any kind of feeling from the other person. The imagery of ice forming from tears and the snow queen turning into a princess of ice exemplifies the other person's emotional distance and lack of warmth. The chorus of "Under the Ice" creates a sense of suffocation and being trapped, trapped by the chilly walls the other person has built up around themselves.
The second verse introduces the idea of a destructive force in the form of an "ill wind", which is personified as a "hurricane in disguise". This force brings a song that is "appealing inside", but ultimately leads the person to sing "like a fool" and leaves them feeling "hung in a blue sea of cool". This verse suggests that the person's quest for connection has led them down a dangerous path, and they are left feeling empty and foolish in the end. Ultimately, the song portrays a sense of entrapment and disillusionment in the face of emotional barriers and the destructive forces of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Ice, it forms in sheets from your eyes
The pain and sorrow in your eyes are so intense that it feels like ice is forming and spreading from them.
Your tears are down and so crass
Your tears are falling uncontrollably, and the situation is so hopeless and unpleasant that they seem crude and unrefined.
Because all you wanted was a touch from the face
All you wanted was a simple gesture of love or affection from someone you care for deeply.
Try to find a feeling nothing and wondering why
You are trying to find a sense of meaning or purpose in a situation that feels empty and hollow, and you're not sure why this is happening to you.
And the snow queen turned into a princess of ice
The person you cared for, who was once loving and gentle, has now turned cold and distant, like a queen of an icy land.
Braving cold and staring cooly aloof as you die
They are remaining detached and unconcerned, even as you suffer and die from emotional pain and neglect.
Under the Ice
The metaphorical 'ice' represents the emotional distance and alienation you feel from the person who once cared for you.
Please, an ill wind blows no one good
Bad things happening never lead to anything good, and often make things worse.
A hurricane in disguise
Sometimes problems can seem small at first, but they can quickly spin out of control and become overwhelming, like a hurricane.
And it sings you a song you find appealing inside
The 'ill wind' is tempting you with promises of something that seems too good to be true, but that you desperately want or need.
Waits around until you've learned to sing like a fool
The 'ill wind' will stick around until you have become so desperate that you are willing to take whatever it offers, even if it's foolish or risky.
It's a wind that lingers long enough to be fed
The more you focus on the 'ill wind' and feed into your desire for what it's promising, the more it will stay with you and continue to control your life.
Takes away the woman, leaves you hung in a blue sea of cool
The 'ill wind' will ultimately take away the thing or person you care for most, and leave you adrift and alone in a cold and indifferent sea of emptiness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TODD HARRY RUNDGREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Keepsu
The drummer is brilliant. The whole song is brilliant.
@danielolson4286
Drums much? What a crunchadelic classic. This one's been stuck in my head for 40 freakin' years. Thanks for posting.
@danielconroy8928
You too?
@MyMuzikVideos578
Thom Mooney's drumming is off the charts! Man!! <3
@richardtoy1600
Todd must have said: play it like Keith Moon.
@lajack5273
Thanks for giving drummers name up I liked this group n 69 along with Lou Reed and Velvet Underground with Nico of course. I heard Andy Warhol told Lou Reed to use her n the group. Love Andy's picture of the banana on album cover
@ringonor4298
Killer band Thome Mooney is absolutely incredible, his drumming off the charts!
@KOSMICKEN09
Todd Rundgren has had such a fascinating career
@rorygg1
thom mooney kicks ass. some of the best drumming of all time. what a groove !!!!!!!!
@peterstafford1589
Great song, killer tone and manic drumming. I remember vividly first hearing this on WABX in Detroit in the spring of 1969.