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.
Ups and Downs
Paul Revere & The Raiders Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything was fine
You never made no sign
That you had changed your mind
I guess I was mistaken, girl
To count so on you
What else could I do
Well girl, I've been torn up before
But I can't handle that once more
Well I been down for a long long time
And now it's time to reach my mind
There's lots of pain upon this earth
Girl, I've had my money's worth
I have had my ups and downs and all around
Girl, I've tried to change your way of thinkin'
Tried to make you see
Well, livin' here with me
Is where you ought to be
But it didn't seem to make no difference
It never changed your world
Or stopped your social twirl
You're still the same old girl
And now, I've been torn up before
But I can't handle that once more
I been down for a long long time
But now it's time to reach my mind
'Cause there's lots of pain upon this earth
And girl, I've had my money's worth
I have had my ups and downs and all around
I've been up, down, all around now baby
I've been up, I been down, I been all around now baby
Yeah we've both been up and down and all around baby
You go up, you go down, you go all around now baby
Yes, I'm up, I'm down, all around now baby
Up and down and all around
The song "Ups and Downs" by Paul Revere & The Raiders is a classic rock tune that explores the heartache of a man who has been let down by his lover. The opening verses reference how the singer believed everything was perfect with his partner, until he realized that she had changed her mind without warning. He feels disillusioned and betrayed, and realizes that he has been "mistaken" to trust her. It is clear that he has invested a lot in the relationship, and is now contemplating whether he is willing to continue to pay the emotional price.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I've been torn up before, but I can't handle that once more", which suggests that the singer has been through breakups before and is reaching his breaking point. He acknowledges the "pain upon this earth" and notes that he has already had his "money's worth" of suffering. The final verse acknowledges that the singer has tried to convince his partner to stay with him, but she has been unwilling to change her ways. The repeated refrain of "up and down and all around" echoes the turbulent nature of their relationship.
Overall, "Ups and Downs" is a classic tale of heartbreak and disillusionment in a romantic relationship. The singer realizes that he cannot continue to invest in someone who does not reciprocate his feelings, and must move on to deal with the "ups and downs" of life on his own.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, things was looking golden, baby
Everything was going great before, girl.
Everything was fine
The situation seemed perfect with no issues at all.
You never made no sign
You never gave any indication that your mind had changed.
That you had changed your mind
That you had changed the way you thought about us.
I guess I was mistaken, girl
I was foolish to believe things were still the same.
To count so on you
To rely on you too much for my happiness.
What else could I do
I had no other option but to face the consequences.
Time to pay my dues
Time to face the consequences of my mistakes and bad decisions.
Well girl, I've been torn up before
I have experienced heartbreak and pain in the past, girl.
But I can't handle that once more
But I cannot bear to go through that pain again.
Well I been down for a long long time
I have been feeling down and depressed for a long time now.
And now it's time to reach my mind
It's time for me to take control of my thoughts and feelings.
There's lots of pain upon this earth
There are many things that hurt people in this world.
Girl, I've had my money's worth
I have experienced enough pain in my life already, girl.
I have had my ups and downs and all around
I have experienced success and failures throughout my life.
Girl, I've tried to change your way of thinkin'
I have tried to change the way you look at things, girl.
Tried to make you see
I have attempted to make you understand my point of view.
Well, livin' here with me
I thought it would be best for us to live together.
Is where you ought to be
I felt that our true place was living together as a couple.
But it didn't seem to make no difference
However, it seems that my efforts have been in vain.
It never changed your world
My attempts have failed to change your perspective and your lifestyle.
Or stopped your social twirl
They have not prevented you from enjoying your social life.
You're still the same old girl
You have not changed at all, and continue to be the same person I fell in love with.
I've been up, down, all around now baby
I have faced success, failure, and a mix of all emotions, now baby.
Yeah we've both been up and down and all around baby
We have both enjoyed success and dealt with hardships, now baby.
You go up, you go down, you go all around now baby
Life is unpredictable with many ups and downs, now baby.
Yes, I'm up, I'm down, all around now baby
I share the same experiences as you, all around, now baby.
Up and down and all around
The journey of life comprises of many ups and downs, twists and turns.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARK A. LINDSAY, TERRY MELCHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
B5Payne
Sadly, THE most under-rated band in rock music history. My mom had such a crush on Mark that I am named after him. Great music, so no regrets for that.
Jane Fuller
Your mom's not the only one who had a huge crush on him!! Me too!
EmpressOfWyoming58
They weren't over looked at the time. They were HUGE, with a sound all their own. I'm glad you can make sure newer generations get to discover them again.
Kennneth Treistman
EmpressOfWyoming58 they have quite a few tracks on Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, The new movie from Quentin Tarantino with Brad Pitt!
Jacqueline Langworthy Smith
@Kennneth Treistman and they rocked the radio and tv in '65, '66, '67 & '68. They gave American Bandstand quite the boost and spawned additional tv shows with Dick Clark - Where the Action Is and Happening. They were, and are, awesome.
steve rose
Yes, they were absolutely huge with the HS R&R men & women teenyboppers in the mid-late 60s.
ITILII
The Monkees are the ONLY artists in rock history to have FOUR number 1 albums in a single year - 1967, the year where The Monkees sold more records than the 2 greatest groups in rock history, The Beatles and Rolling Stones COMBINED !!! And they won the Grammy for Best Comedy, beating out Andy Griffith, Bewitched, Get Smart and Hogan's Heroes. Monkees should have been in the Rock Hall 25 Years ago !!!!!!!!!
Kevin McGauley
I LOVED the Raiders when I was a kid in NJ in the 60's (13 in '66). Never missed one episode of "Where The Action Is--"Ups and Downs" was one of my favorite 45's--it's just as great as Kicks, Hungry, Great Airplane Strike, or Him or Me. Mark was the American Mick Jagger to me--and Fang on bass was HILARIOUS. I'll always love and miss these guys. Guidobrat (Kevin M.)
Ken McDee
Paul Revere and the Raiders should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For example, listen to the song Stepping Out, circa 1965. Strong bass line and excellent guitar lead. The song is one of the genesis and origins of garage/punk rock music. They were good musicians, re: Drake Levin and Phil Volk, et.al. The are apparently overlooked by R &R Hall of Fame committee members because of their "shtick" with the Revolutionary War costumes and their playing around. But listen to the music. In my opinion, they were ahead of their time. R and R committee members are snobs. P.S. A young guitar player watched one of the Raiders performances in Seattle in the 1960's. Drake Levin was playing the lead guitar behind his back and doing other lead guitar tricks. The young guitar musician told Drake that he dug his guitar playing. That young guitar player was Jimi Hendrix. Peace, out!
RockinProfessor
Only R&R act's should be allowed in the Hall of Lame !