The late-1970s arrival of Eddie Van Halen quickly eclipsed Schon's bravado, giving rise to a new era of the technically facile rock guitar virtuoso. Nonetheless, Schon has secured a place as a respected and influential blues rock guitarist.
Besides numerous albums with Journey, his work also includes a pair of albums with keyboardist Jan Hammer, short-term collaborations with Sammy Hagar (HSAS and Planet Us) and Paul Rodgers, stints with Bad English (which also featured Journey’s Jonathan Cain and Deen Castronovo and Jonathan Cain's former Babys bandmates John Waite and Ricky Phillips) and Hardline (which also featured Deen Castronovo). Even as Journey’s latest lineup plays to a still-faithful body of fans, Schon is immersed in side projects such as Piranha Blues (1999) and "Black Soup Cracker" a funk outfit that features former Prince associates Rosie Gaines and Michael Bland, and most recently Soul SirkUS with Jeff Scott Soto.
Neal Schon can be heard on three tracks on Michael Bolton's The Hunger, with the Schon sound most recognizable on "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay". Schon's style can best be characterized as aggressively soulful, taking obvious inspiration from 1960s-era soul singers such as Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and blending them with blindingly fast bluesy runs similar to Johnny Winter and Alvin Lee.
Schon currently endorses Gibson guitars, and has a signature Les Paul model, but also uses Paul Reed Smith guitars. In the late 1980s, Schon manufactured and played his own line of guitars.
Blackened Bacon
Neal Schon Lyrics
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I woke up this morning, I went down to the store.
My baby wants bacon but I can't find no more.
I woke up the next morning and what did I see?
My baby's cookin' bacon, and she blackened it for me.
I've been tryin', I've been lyin', but I can't find the score.
No she don't.
Baby's cookin' bacon.
The song "Blackened Bacon" by Neal Schon is a lighthearted and playful tune that tells the story of a man trying to procure bacon for his significant other. The lyrics describe his struggles with finding the bacon in the store, but then he wakes up to find that his partner has cooked it for him. The line, "She knows what I'm talkin' about," shows that they are in sync and have a strong connection.
Despite the light nature of the song, there is a sense of desperation in the lyrics. The repetition of "I've been tryin', I've been lyin'" suggests that the singer is anxious about pleasing his lover and feels the need to fib to cover up his bacon-hunting failures. The line "my baby don't talk to me no more" adds a note of sadness as it implies that his partner is upset with him for his failure to find the bacon.
Overall, "Blackened Bacon" is a fun and catchy tune that celebrates the joys of simple pleasures in life while highlighting the importance of communication and honesty in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
She knows what I'm talkin' about.
My partner understands what I am saying.
I woke up this morning, I went down to the store.
I woke up and went to the store.
My baby wants bacon but I can't find no more.
My partner wants bacon but I am unable to find any.
I woke up the next morning and what did I see?
The next morning, I saw something unexpected.
My baby's cookin' bacon, and she blackened it for me.
My partner cooked bacon for me, and it ended up being burnt or overcooked.
I've been tryin', I've been lyin', but I can't find the score.
I have been attempting and potentially lying, but I cannot succeed.
I've been tryin', I've been lyin', my baby don't talk to me no more.
Despite my efforts and maybe deceptions, my partner no longer speaks to me.
Baby's cookin' bacon.
My partner is cooking bacon.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BOB MARLETTE, MARK NEWMAN, NEAL SCHON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind