Inspired by a variety of British Invasion groups, from the omnipresent Beat… Read Full Bio ↴Inspired by a variety of British Invasion groups, from the omnipresent Beatles to cult favorites the Move, Todd Rundgren and his Woody's Truck Stop colleague Carson Van Osten formed Nazz in 1967. Taking their name from an obscure Yardbirds song, Nazz were arguably the first Anglophiles in rock history. There had been many groups that drew inspiration from the Beatles and the Stones, but none had been so self-consciously reverent as Nazz. One of their first singles, "Open My Eyes," twisted the riff from the Who's "I Can't Explain," and much of their music felt like homages to Brit rock from the Kinks to Cream, thereby setting a precedent that was followed by scores of North American guitar pop bands from the Raspberries to Sloan.

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

You Are My Window
Nazz Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You are my window
You cast my shadow
All in the light is you
All I ever saw in the love light was you
All I knew
You are my marrow
You cast my sorrow
You feel the world for me

You are what the world isn't feeling for me
And the key
Here with me
And the world is black but I can't see my window
You are my prism
You are my reason
You're what I want to be
You are everything that I want you to be
You're my key
Set me free
Open up my mind
Make me be the soul you hope to find
Keep me in line
We know I'm not all I should be feeling
Don't make me fake it
I'm not all love sense
Not all,
always,
not all,
free and,
not all,
me and,
not all
You are,
you are,
you are,
you are,
you are my window
You're my everyday
my pathway,
you're my mind,
my hope,
my light,
my dream,
my sleep
You are my pillow
You are my willow
You shouldn't wait for me

No one need weep for me anymore
You're my door

Overall Meaning

The song "You Are My Window" by Nazz is a heartfelt declaration of love and appreciation towards someone who is the light in the singer's life. The opening lines "You are my window, you cast my shadow" implies that the singer sees their world through the eyes of their loved one. The line "All in the light is you" shows how the person is the center of the singer's world, and "All I ever saw in the love light was you, all I knew" emphasizes how the person is the source of the singer's happiness and understanding of love.

The lyrics "You are my prism, you are my reason" mean that the person is like a prism through which the singer can see the beauty and colors of the world. They are also the reason for the singer's existence and the one that they aspire to be. The lines "And the world is black but I can't see my window" describe how the singer feels lost and incomplete without the person to guide them. The song is an expression of dependence and vulnerability.

The chorus of the song is a repetition of the phrase "You are my window", which highlights how important the person is to the singer. The lyrics "Set me free, open up my mind, make me be the soul you hope to find" show that the singer is willing to change for the person they love and to be the best version of themselves. The song ends with "You are my pillow, you are my willow, you shouldn't wait for me, no one need weep for me anymore, you're my door", an acknowledgment of how the person is the one who makes the singer feel safe, comforted, and welcomed.

Line by Line Meaning

You are my window
You are the filter through which I see the world and myself

You cast my shadow
You are my source of identity and influence

All in the light is you
Your presence dominates all aspects of my being

All I ever saw in the love light was you
You are the only thing I see when I feel love

All I knew
Everything I understand relates to you in some way

You are my marrow
You are the source of life and vitality within me

You cast my sorrow
You are the one who causes or reduces my pain

You feel the world for me
You experience the world on my behalf

You are what the world isn't feeling for me
You give me what the rest of the world isn't capable of giving me

And the key
You hold the answer or solution to something important for me

Here with me
By my side and present in my life

And the world is black but I can't see my window
Even though the world is bleak, I know you are still there for me

You are my prism
You reflect and refract elements of my experience to help me understand them better

You are my reason
You are my motive and justification for living my life a certain way

You're what I want to be
I strive to take on qualities or characteristics that you possess

You are everything that I want you to be
You meet all my expectations and desires

You're my key
You unlock new possibilities and potential within me

Set me free
Release me from my limitations or restrictions

Open up my mind
Help me see things in a new or different way

Make me be the soul you hope to find
I aspire to be what you consider a desirable person

Keep me in line
Help me stay on track or consistent with my actions and choices

We know I'm not all I should be feeling
I am aware that there are gaps or deficiencies in my emotional state or behavior

Don't make me fake it
I don't want to pretend or put on a false persona in front of you

I'm not all love sense
I don't have complete understanding or knowledge of love

Not all, always, not all, free and, not all, me and, not all
I am not an ideal in every way

You are, you are, you are, you are, you are my window
You continue to be the most important and impactful person in my life

You're my everyday
You are a constant and consistent presence in my daily routine

my pathway, you're my mind, my hope, my light, my dream, my sleep
You are the road I travel, the thoughts in my head, my source of optimism and inspiration, the brightness in my life, the subject of my aspirations and my peaceful rest

You are my pillow
You provide me with comfort and support when I need it

You are my willow
You are a symbol of flexibility, resilience and grace

You shouldn't wait for me
You don't have to put your own life on hold for me

No one need weep for me anymore
I have no reason to be pitied or mourned

You're my door
You are my way in and my way out of situations and emotions

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: TODD HARRY RUNDGREN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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