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.
Spellbound
Poco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Movin' softly through the trees
I feel my head begin to reel
Can't explain the way I feel
Now the moonlight is fallin' around her
(Don't you know that?)
Tonight is the night for surrender
She's holdin' you spellbound, spellbound
She's got me hangin' by a heartbeat
Burnin' in the evening heat
She takes me there it leaves me breathless
Starry-eyed, satisfied
When you're burnin' the bridges behind you
(Don't you know that?)
Smoke can begin to blind you
(Can't you see it coming down?)
It's holdin' you spellbound, spellbound
Now the moonlight is fallin' around her
(Don't you know that?)
Tonight is the night for surrender
(Can't you see it comin' down?)
She's holdin' you spellbound, spellbound
No, no, no, spellbound
She's holdin' on to me
She's holdin' on it's true
She's holdin' on, she won't let go
Spellbound
The lyrics to Poco's Spellbound describe a feeling of being mesmerized and captivated by someone. The easy evening breeze and moonlight set a romantic scene, but it's the person that is causing the singer's head to reel and leaving him breathless. The repetition of "spellbound" emphasizes the power this person has over the singer. The lyrics also touch on the danger of being completely caught up in someone as they burn bridges behind them and become blinded by their own smoke. Despite this danger, surrendering to this person is inevitable and they hold on tight, leaving the singer spellbound.
The song captures the feeling of being completely taken by someone's charm and the ecstasy that comes with being near them. The imagery of the moonlight and evening breeze add to the romantic atmosphere of the song, reflecting the singer's emotional state. The line "Smoke can begin to blind you" adds an element of caution, highlighting that there is a risk in being too invested in someone and losing oneself in the process. Nonetheless, the feeling of being spellbound is too powerful to resist.
Line by Line Meaning
There's an easy evenin' breeze
The atmosphere is calm and tranquil
Movin' softly through the trees
The soft breeze is carrying the leaves of the trees with it
I feel my head begin to reel
The soothing vibes make me feel dizzy and lightheaded
Can't explain the way I feel
The feeling of being spellbound is indescribable
Now the moonlight is fallin' around her
The moon's light is radiating around the woman
(Don't you know that?)
A rhetorical question emphasizing the listener's lack of awareness
Tonight is the night for surrender
The night is ideal for giving in and letting go
(Can't you see it comin' down?)
Another rhetorical question asking the listener to observe the situation
She's holdin' you spellbound, spellbound
The woman has cast a spell and has complete control over the listener
She's got me hangin' by a heartbeat
The listener's heart is racing with anticipation and desire
Burnin' in the evening heat
The heat of the night is fueling the passion and intensity of the moment
She takes me there it leaves me breathless
The woman takes the listener to a heightened state of emotions and leaves them speechless
Starry-eyed, satisfied
The listener is in a state of wonder and is content with the experience
When you're burnin' the bridges behind you
When you're cutting ties and moving on from the past
Smoke can begin to blind you
The consequences of your actions can cause confusion and disorientation
It's holdin' you spellbound, spellbound
The repercussions of your decisions may have you under the woman's spell
No, no, no, spellbound
Reiterating the listener's state of enchantment
She's holdin' on to me
The woman won't let go of her hold on the listener
She's holdin' on it's true
The woman's grip is firm and unyielding
She's holdin' on, she won't let go
The woman has complete control over the listener and won't release her grip
Spellbound
The listener is under the woman's influence and can't break free
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Rusty Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind