The band, initially located in Boise, Idaho, started as an instrumental rock outfit led by organist Paul Revere Dick (January 7, 1938 – October 4, 2014) (named in honor of the Revolutionary War hero), who in his early twenties already owned several restaurants in Portland, Oregon. Singer Mark Lindsay (March 9, 1942), joined in 1958. Originally called The Downbeats, their name was changed to Paul Revere & The Raiders in 1960 on the eve of their first record release for Gardena Records. The band scored their first Pacific Northwest regional hit in 1961 with "Like Long Hair", an instrumental. Revere was drafted, became a conscientious objector and worked at a mental institution for a year and half of deferred service. After reforming the band, they attracted national attention again with a cover of "Louie Louie", which was picked up by Columbia Records although beaten in the charts by The Kingsmen's version.
Known for their live high energy rock n' roll performances they consistently toured the Northwest - hitting the no-alcohol teen venues where the testosterone levels were as high as the high school beer buzzes that fueled the rowdy crowds of sweating dancers out for the transcendence of the music, or maybe just to get laid. The highlight of their gigs in the early 60's was the 6 foot high cardboard mock up of a can of Crisco that came on during the song "Crisco Party", which was about the delights of getting naked, smearing yourself and your teenage honey all over in Crisco and doing the diry boogie all night long. Never has an organ (Paul Revere's that is!) wailed so in tune with with the zeitgeist. Mark Lindsay was always out in front, on stage and into the crowds, but it was Paul Revere who lead the crowd involvement, bouncing the big Crisco barrel off the stage and into the dancehalls and dance floors of the teenage wastelands - before the Vietnam war changed the vibes and the audiences began to sit and listen to the lyrics and innocent horniness teenage was replaced by the searching for meaning in the midst of a war that threatened to kill them.
They would maintain a huge level of popularity in the mid-1960s beginning with "Just Like Me" (1965), which marked the beginning of a string of garage rock classics. The Raiders, under the guidance of producer Terry Melcher, increasingly emulated the sounds of British Invasion bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Animals albeit with an American R&B feel.
The band appeared regularly on national television, especially on Dick Clark's Where the Action Is, Happening '68, and It's Happening, the latter two of which were co-hosted by Paul Revere and Mark Lindsay. Here they were presented as the American response to the British Invasion. The group wore American Revolutionary War soldier uniforms and performed slapstick comedy and synchronized dance steps while the ponytailed Lindsay lip synched to their music. This farcical, cartoonish image obscured the proto-hard rock sound that their music often took.
Their hits from the mid-60's included "Kicks" (Billboard Pop Chart #4), "Him or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" (#7), "Good Thing" (#5), "Hungry" (#5), and "Great Airplane Strike" (#20). Of these, "Kicks" became their best-known song, an anti-drug message written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was especially akin to The Animals.
In mid-1967, with three gold albums to their credit, they were Columbia Records' top-selling rock band; their Greatest Hits album was one of two releases selected by Clive Davis to try out a higher list price for albums expected to be particularly popular, along with Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits.
Changing tastes in the late 1960s rendered the group unfashionable, but they still continued to have hits through the rest of the decade, "I Had A Dream" (1967 - #20), "Too Much Talk" (1968 - #18, and an illustration of their tendency towards Beatles imitations), and "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" (1969 - #18). Tensions between Lindsay and Revere increased during this time; Lindsay wanted to go more in the direction of hard rock acts like Led Zeppelin or the James Gang, while Revere sought a bubblegum pop direction. Lindsay's vision for the Raiders was represented on songs such as "Let Me" (1969 - #20 - Gold Single), "Powder Blue Mercedes Queen" (1972 - #54) and "Just Seventeen" (1970 - #70) and the 1970 album Collage. By the time of the release of Collage the band's name was officially shortened to The Raiders. "Freeborn Man", written by Lindsay and bassist Keith Allison, has since gone on to be a Country Rock standard, covered by The Outlaws, Junior Brown, and Glen Campbell amongst many others.
Ironically, their single release "Indian Reservation" (1971 - #1 - Platinum single) would be their biggest hit of all, after about a year and a half or so of no hits.
In 1972 The Raiders made one last attempt at a pop album with Country Wine but Columbia was sinking money into other acts, such as Mott The Hoople and Aerosmith, and Country Wine and The Raiders sank in the resulting quagmire.
Lindsay left the band in 1975 to continue his solo career as a country star of sorts, landing a hit single with Kenny Young's "Arizona". Country music was also the choice of short-lived member Freddy Weller, who had more success in this market. Revere continued to put together Raiders lineups with some success, but Lindsay had clearly been the star of the band.
The punk rock and New Wave eras would see a wave of interest in the Raiders' music; "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" was covered by The Sex Pistols and Liverpool band The Farm (although The Monkees' cover version was more well known than the Raiders' original), and later "Just Like Me" would be covered by The Circle Jerks (as well as by more mainstream figures like Joan Jett and Pat Benatar). "Hungry" was also covered by Sammy Hagar. The Paisley Underground, garage rock revival, and grunge movements would all acknowledge the Raiders' influence.
Revere has continued to play shows on the oldies circuit and in Las Vegas with various Raiders. Lindsay is musically semi-retired and lives in Hawaii, but occasionally plays. Other members of the band constantly changed; bassist Keith Allison, who played in the Raiders from 1968 to 1975, is probably the best known of them, and has since gone into acting, and has appeared in the film Gods and Generals.
In 1997 the group's classic Midnight Ride lineup - Mark Lindsay, guitarist Drake Levin, bassist Phil "Fang" Volk, and drummer Mike "Smitty" Smith - reunited in full costume (though without Revere himself) for a one-off 30th anniversary performance in Portland. Smith died four years later.
Mark Lindsay performed as part of the "Happy Together" tour with the Turtles, Mickey Dolenz, the Grass Roots and the Buckinghams in 2010. The tour was well received in the US.
Lindsay was invited on stage by Mitch Ryder at the "Hippiefest" tour in Fort Lauderdale, FL, on July 31, 2010 and performed "Kicks" to a wildly appreciative audience at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Over You
Paul Revere & The Raiders Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's gonna be some sad sad talkin'
There's gonna be some flower bringin'
There's gonna be some sad sad singin'
Over you, child, wo, I said over you
Hey, hey, oh baby, if I ever hear you say we're through
Oh, there'll be a hole about 6 feet deep
Into a coffin and a-down you go
And you will stay there, sleet or snow
Over you, wo, I said over you, wo, oh
Over you, pretty baby, if I ever hear you say we're through
Yeah, there'll be a long black Cadillac
And all your folks will be dressed in black
Yeah baby, they'll be puttin' you away
Pretty mama, they'll be grievin' that day
Over you, it's gonna be all over you, wo, oh
Over you, pretty baby, if I ever hear you say we're through
Wo, I'm gonna have to kill you, baby
Tell me that's what I'll do, what I'll do
Wo baby, if I ever hear you say we're through
Yeah, I'm gonna slay you, mama
Now tell me what'd I say, what'd I say?
Hey baby, if you ever treated me that way
Wo, gonna kill you, baby
Tell me what I'll do, what I'll do
Oh baby, if I ever hear you say we're through, wow
The lyrics to "Over You" by Paul Revere & The Raiders depict a jilted lover's strong desire for revenge on their partner if they ever leave them. The song describes a burial scene where they talk about the slow walk, sad talk, and flower bringing that will be associated with the funeral. The lyrics take a chilling turn as they describe the six-feet-deep hole for the partner to take their eternal sleep. The large funeral would consist of the woman’s loved ones, dressed in black and grieving, while the man is filled with pure anger at his former partner. The song concludes with the man threatening to kill his partner if she ever tries to leave him.
The lyrics of the song are a prime example of the anti-love movement happening in the 1960s. It was a time where songs about love were starting to decline in popularity, and songs with cold lyrics that lacked emotion and advocated for revenge were becoming more popular. Many people tried to compare this song to the film noir genre that was popular in the 1940s as it depicted a similar storyline.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a-gonna be some slow, slow walkin'
People will walk slowly in mourning
There's gonna be some sad sad talkin'
People will talk sadly about the loss
There's gonna be some flower bringin'
People will bring flowers to the funeral
There's gonna be some sad sad singin'
People will sing sad songs at the funeral
Over you, child, wo, I said over you
All attention will be focused on the deceased
Hey, hey, oh baby, if I ever hear you say we're through
If you break up with me, I'll make sure you regret it
Oh, there'll be a hole about 6 feet deep
The grave will be six feet deep
For you, baby, to take your sleep
You will be in eternal rest
Into a coffin and a-down you go
You will be put in a coffin and lowered into the grave
And you will stay there, sleet or snow
You will remain in the grave forever
Over you, wo, I said over you, wo, oh
All attention will be focused on the deceased
Over you, pretty baby, if I ever hear you say we're through
If you break up with me, I'll make sure you regret it
Yeah, there'll be a long black Cadillac
A hearse will carry the coffin to the funeral
And all your folks will be dressed in black
All the people attending the funeral will be dressed in black
Yeah baby, they'll be puttin' you away
Your body will be buried
Pretty mama, they'll be grievin' that day
Everyone will be sad at the funeral
Over you, it's gonna be all over you, wo, oh
All attention will be focused on the deceased
Over you, pretty baby, if I ever hear you say we're through
If you break up with me, I'll make sure you regret it
Wo, I'm gonna have to kill you, baby
I will become violent if you leave me
Tell me that's what I'll do, what I'll do
I will resort to murder to keep you
Wo baby, if I ever hear you say we're through
If you break up with me, I'll make sure you regret it
Yeah, I'm gonna slay you, mama
I will kill you
Now tell me what'd I say, what'd I say?
I will take violent action to keep you
Hey baby, if you ever treated me that way
I will react violently if you break up with me
Wo, gonna kill you, baby
I will take your life if you leave me
Tell me what I'll do, what I'll do
I will resort to murder to keep you
Oh baby, if I ever hear you say we're through, wow
If you break up with me, I'll make sure you regret it
Contributed by Alexis J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mykola Alexander
I love all of the Raiders' music (well, with Mark Lindsay), but the older music is so much fun. I have every album they ever did, plus Mark's solo work and all the CDs. Rabid collector... When I really need a lift I put on their 1964 and before. Timeless. Mark Lindsay made that group and he is still rocking it out. His newest CD, "Life Out Loud" (2013) is amazing. Check him out on Facebook.
jody8526937
Hello Mykola, is the Paul Rever & Raider song over you an original composition? Great R&R.
Dan Jackson
@jody8526937 No this is not original composition, Aaron Neville recorded it first in 1960.
Jeffrey Dickison
Saw these guys in Branson, Mo. with Bill Medley singing Lindsay's parts.
Valerie Ehrlichvalerie
These guys were awesome I also have all their stuff and Fang (Phil volk) eve if your hair is snow white now you are gorgeos