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.
The dance
Poco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't you see the music is just starting?
Night is falling, and I am falling
Dance with me
Fantasy could never be so giving
I feel free, I hope that you are willing
Pick the beat up, and kick your feet up
Let it lift you off the ground
Starry eyes, and love is all around us
I can take you where you want to go
Dance with me, I want to be your partner
Can't you see the music is just starting?
Night is falling, and I am falling
Dance with me
Let it lift you off the ground
Starry eyes, and love is all around us
I can take you if you want to go
Dance with me, I want to be your partner
Can't you see the music is just starting?
Night is falling, and I am falling
Dance with me
The lyrics of Poco's song "The Dance" depict a romantic scene where the singer invites a partner to dance with him. He emphasizes the joy that comes from dancing and connects it with freedom and fantasy. The chorus repeats the invitation to dance and highlights the beauty of the moment, as the night falls and love is present.
Through the lyrics, the singer creates a sense of intimacy between the dancers, suggesting that dancing together brings them closer. The invitation to dance is not only a physical one but also an emotional one, as it can symbolize a deeper connection between the two people. The lyrics reveal the power of music and dancing to create a magical moment that lifts us off the ground and fills our hearts with love.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of pure joy that comes with dancing with someone you care for. The lyrics encourage the listener to seize the beauty of the moment and find freedom and love through dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Dance with me, I want to be your partner
I invite you to dance with me because I desire to be your companion.
Can't you see the music is just starting?
Can't you perceive that the rhythm has just begun? Let's dance together.
Night is falling, and I am falling
The darkness is approaching, and I am falling in love with you.
Dance with me
Let's dance in each other's arms and enjoy this moment of unity.
Fantasy could never be so giving
Our imagination could never be as satisfying as what we experience in reality when we dance together.
I feel free, I hope that you are willing
Dancing brings me a sense of liberation, and I hope you will dance with me and feel the same.
Pick the beat up, and kick your feet up
Let's intensify the pace of the music and elevate our joy by dancing with all our might.
Let it lift you off the ground
Allow yourself to be transported by the music and let it lift you off your feet.
Starry eyes, and love is all around us
Our eyes are shining with delight, and love is palpable in this moment of shared joy.
I can take you where you want to go
Let me lead you on the dance floor, and together, we can go wherever the music takes us.
Dance with me, I want to be your partner
For the second time, I ask you to join me on the dance floor, hoping to be your partner for a little while longer.
Can't you see the music is just starting?
For the second time, I remind you that the music has just begun, and there is much dancing left to be done.
Night is falling, and I am falling
I reiterate that darkness is setting in, and I am falling deeply in love with you through our dance.
Dance with me
Let's end this song the same way we began it - dancing together, enjoying the music, and each other's company.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHANNA HALL, JOHANNA D HALL, JOHN HALL, JOHN J HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steve Catanzaro
This is excellent and thought so for the last 40+ years. From one of Poco's best albums Indian Summer. One of the most underappreciated bands of the 1970's.
Manfred Mann
I have listened to Poco since I was 9 in 1977. In a way, I am kind of glad they did not become too commercialized. IMO, the best music, like this, is not mainstream.
bobby7771117
I think this four-part song is a little masterpiece of musical complexity! yes, they couldn't play the whole thing on a top 40 format, but they could have played one part! I think the musical critics have no idea how much musical know-how went into this song, with session players lending a hand to make this long, great song! I love it, and i loved Poco! After Timothy B. Schmit left, Poco was never the same--though they still made some great music! Bobbyk
Tim Lunn
I agree. Critics think too much and like to hear themselves talk.
JV Smith
PROOF that Poco was one of the best musical acts of all time. A true master piece. Long live Poco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bobby7771117
I use to always play my Poco albums at SUNY New Paltz! I was like the only person that had all of their albums! It's sad because they were a great band that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!!! BobbyK
sal economos
Ten + minutes of perfect POCO.
TBS was the unique and recognizable voice of this great band.
Crazy Eyes was their masterpiece. IMHO.
Manfred Mann
My favorite album from Poco is the self-titled album from 1974 with Angel, Skatin, and Just Call My Name.
Rosemarie Maldonado
Gorgeous. I love Paul's vocals. ..and the guitar work
Denys Tull
No doubt the Crazy Eyes was a masterpiece and this too, but the live version of Believe Me on the double LP (disc) "The Forgotten Years" is incredible too.