Bassist/vocalist Timothy B. Schmit, later of the Eagles, replaced original Poco member Randy Meisner after Poco's debut album. Meisner was unhappy with Furay and Messina, feeling they gave him zero respect in the production of songs. Meisner went on to join Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon band and later the Eagles. Schmit later joined the Eagles in 1978. Jim Messina, later of (Kenny) Loggins and Messina fame, who formed the band with Furay, departed in 1970, feeling Furay exhibited too much control. Paul Cotton replaced Messina on lead guitar in 1971. Original drummer George Grantham added a strong rock beat to country flavor picking and provided excellent harmony vocals. Other Poco members included later seventies/early eighties Drummer Steve Chapman and Bassist Charlie Harrison and current bassist Jack Sundrud. George Lawrence replaced Grantham on drums after illness took him from the band in the summer of 2004.
Poco's back catalogue includes a wide variety of styles, from 60's folk rock to 70's hard rock and from country to electric pop. The band's three first albums, "Pickin' Up The Pieces (1969)", "Poco (1970)" and "Deliverin (1970)'" all share a joyful, slightly psychedelic atmosphere. For some fans, this was the real Poco.
Guitarist/songwriter Paul Cotton's joining Poco then brought more variety and also considerably more rock punch to the band on "From The Inside (1971)", "A Good Feelin' To Know (1972)" and "Crazy Eyes (1973)" .
However, a disappointed Furay departed , lamenting that the band had not increased it's audience since it's inception..
.After Furay's departure, the band released it's last two LP's on Epic,.The albums "Seven (1974)" and "Cantamos (1974)" also resulted in mediocre sales, charting at #'s 68 and 76, respectively.
Poco left Epic after Cantamos and signed with ABC-Dunhill Records. Head Over Heels was their first ABC release, featuring Schmit's acoustic "Keep On Tryin'", which became the group's most successful single to date, charting at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100. Around the time of the release of Head Over Heels, The Very Best of Poco was released as a compilation album that documented the group's years with Epic. Epic's release fought with Head Over Heels for attention though neither charted very well, hitting #43 and #90, respectively.
The group's next ABC-Dunhill album was Rose Of Cimarron which also failed to generate much enthusiasm and peaked at #89. Another Epic release also came out in 1976, the live album Live. Indian Summer was released the following spring, reaching #57.
In August 1977, Schmit quit to join the Eagles, coincidentally replacing former Poco member Meisner yet again. As a result, a possible new live album was cancelled by ABC. After languishing in storage for many years, the album was eventually released as The Last Roundup in 2004.
After Schmit's departure, Poco decided to take a break. Grantham took some time off, while Young and Cotton decided to continue as the "Cotton-Young Band". They added Steve Chapman (drums) and Charlie Harrison (bass) to round out their new quartet. However, ABC decided to pick up the Cotton-Young album — as long as they continued under the 'Poco' name. Thus, although Grantham had never quit Poco, he found himself bought out of the group. He subsequently landed a job as drummer for Ricky Skaggs.
The new Poco couldn't have started much better, since "Legend (1978)" became band's first hit album with two TOP-20 hits. The album is very different from everything Poco had so far done and the hard rocking title track hinted for what was to follow.
The joy was short lived, however. In the 1980s, the group released five more albums: Under The Gun (1980), Blue And Gray (1981), Cowboys & Englishmen (1982) on MCA and, moving over to Atlantic Records, Ghost Town (1982) and Inamorata (1984). Poco failed to duplicate the success achieved by Legend, with each album doing more poorly than its predecessor.
After poor commercial success, Poco went into hiatus until the original line-up surprised everyone with new album "Legacy (1989)". It was also a hit album with another TOP20 hit single "Call it love". The album to many listeners was a welcome return to band's original country rock style. This line-up didn't last, however, and only recorded this one album. This wasn't the end of Poco, though. The band, now again Cotton & Young -lead, continued gigging and even made a new studio album "Running Horse" in 2002, which failed to gather much acclaim.
The band has been active in the 2000's ever since, having so far released three live albums from both recent and older concerts: "Keeping The Legend Alive", "The Last Roundup" and "Bareback at Big Sky". A concert DVD is also available. Paul Cotton's three solo albums "Changing Horses (1990)", "Firebird (2000)" and "When The Coast is Clear" (2005)" are also available and well worth a check.
On March 11, 2010, Cotton departed the band . Keyboardist Michael Webb from Nashville TN joined the band and Poco continued to tour.
Plans are underway for a new CD in early 2011 as well as a tour.
Read more about Poco at http://www.poconut.org.
Flyin' Solo
Poco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please don't go
Take it easy
Move it slow
Yeah, yeah
Say it ain't so
I got the feelin'
And you say
You've got to run away
Everyday
You think you'll find your way
But it's OK
'Til you find out you've been flyin' solo
No, no
Don't go below
Rise above it
Let it flow
Yeah, yeah
There are seeds you must sow
Grab ahold and don't let go
Take the key
And unlock the door
What's that you see
Another corridor
And there's much more
'Til you find out you've been flyin' solo
Have you ever been dreamin'
'Bout the way it could have been
Then you wake up disbelievin'
It's a sin
Oh, but then
You're flyin' solo
So much to know
Feel the rhythm
Head to toe
I know
We all must grow
But raise the curtain
Before the show
Do you feel
You've been mesmerized
Makin' a deal
To free you from your ties
It's all right
'Til you find out you've been flyin' solo
The lyrics of Poco's song "Flyin' Solo" appear to be a plea from one person to another to stay in the relationship and take things slow. The first stanza seems to indicate that the person is considering leaving and the other person is pleading that they stay and ease into things. They go on to say that the person may feel like they need to run away but they'll eventually realize that they've been "flyin' solo" all along. The second stanza continues this theme of not giving up on the relationship and encourages the person to do the work needed to keep it together. There's a suggestion of growth and finding something more meaningful than what they have now, but only if they don't give up too soon.
The chorus seems to suggest that the singer has been dreaming of what could be but is ultimately accepting that they may have to continue on their own. The line "We all must grow" indicates that the singer understands that change may need to happen but they don't want to let go just yet. The last line of the chorus is an affirmation that it's okay to be alone if necessary but the implication is that they would rather not be.
Overall, there's a sense of hoping that the other person will stick around and work on the relationship but also an understanding that they may not. The chorus provides a sense of acceptance and a willingness to move forward either way.
Line by Line Meaning
No, no
PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME
Please don't go
I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE ME
Take it easy
RELAX AND CALM DOWN
Move it slow
TAKE YOUR TIME AND DON'T RUSH
Yeah, yeah
I HEARD YOU
Say it ain't so
TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE
I got the feelin'
I SENSE THAT
You want me no more
YOU DON'T WANT ME ANYMORE
And you say
YOU TELL ME
You've got to run away
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO LEAVE
Everyday
ALL THE TIME
You think you'll find your way
YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL FIGURE IT OUT
But it's OK
IT'S FINE
'Til you find out you've been flyin' solo
UNTIL YOU REALIZE YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN
No, no
DON'T DO THAT
Don't go below
DON'T SINK TO A LOWER LEVEL
Rise above it
OVERCOME IT
Let it flow
ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN NATURALLY
Yeah, yeah
I'M LISTENING
There are seeds you must sow
THERE ARE THINGS YOU MUST DO TO SUCCEED
Grab ahold and don't let go
HOLD ON TIGHT AND DON'T GIVE UP
Take the key
GRAB THE OPPORTUNITY
And unlock the door
OPEN UP NEW POSSIBILITIES
What's that you see
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT
Another corridor
ANOTHER PATH YOU CAN TAKE
And there's much more
THERE ARE ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES
'Til you find out you've been flyin' solo
UNTIL YOU DISCOVER THAT YOU ARE NAVIGATING ALONE
Have you ever been dreamin'
HAVE YOU EVER IMAGINED
'Bout the way it could have been
WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED
Then you wake up disbelievin'
THEN YOU WAKE UP AND CAN'T BELIEVE IT
It's a sin
IT'S A SHAME
Oh, but then
BUT EVENTUALLY
You're flyin' solo
YOU REALIZE YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN
So much to know
THERE IS SO MUCH TO LEARN
Feel the rhythm
UNDERSTAND THE PATTERN
Head to toe
COMPLETELY
I know
I UNDERSTAND
We all must grow
EVERYONE MUST EVOLVE
But raise the curtain
TAKE ACTION
Before the show
BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE
Do you feel
DO YOU SENSE
You've been mesmerized
YOU'VE BEEN FOOLED
Makin' a deal
MAKING A COMPROMISE
To free you from your ties
TO BREAK FREE FROM YOUR RESTRAINTS
It's all right
IT'S FINE
'Til you find out you've been flyin' solo
UNTIL YOU REALIZE YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN BRENNAN, TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jrsn2music
Tim Schmit has one the most easily recognized voices. Loved the songs he sang lead on in Poco and The Eagles as well. Been a while since I've heard this one. Thanks for posting, Jim!
John
@Nipstersongs1
A great band for sure, John. When Timothy B. Schmit was in the band they had some great songs written and sung by him. Thank you so much for your great comments!
Jim
@joechiocca8429
I'm completely revisiting Poco these last few months.
This song actually got FM radio airplay in the mid-'70's when I was in HS. And I used to have the album, Head Over Heels.
Forgot all about one. Timothy B.Schmitt has an incredible voice- always!
@LoveTheOConnor
Great song by a great group, Jim! Love all the backgrounds and band pictures! Thanks so much for sharing! Hope your week is off to a wonderful start :))
@Nipstersongs1
Thank You, Heather! "Great group", for sure! Thank you so much for watching and commenting! Wishing you a wonderful week!
Jim
@frizzg.firefly
Wonderful Band! Wonderful Song!
@joechiocca8429
I can't sing it (too high for me) , but I'm learning this great song to teach our new 'old Country-rock' band project. Our drummer can sing it, maybe? Timmy Schmidt has an incredible voice and one solid a** R&B bass player. On a old Poco kick, they were fantastic!
@seamushague958
Yeah, maybe ;-)
@wecanthandletruths
Groovy sound :D
@Nipstersongs1
Thanks so much for listening!
Jim