Popa Chubby is a true native son of the Big Apple. He was born in the Bronx and grew up in a neighborhood made famous by Robert De Niro in the movie A Bronx Tale. His parents owned a candy store on the corner of 181st Street and Arthur Avenue. His early memories of hearing the juke box playing the hits of early sixties soul and R&B – and the neighborhood teens flocking around it – made a lasting impression on him. To this day the musical influence of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye are ever present in Popa's music.
At the tender age of 8 he picked up the drums and became consumed in playing "Wipeout" (much to the dismay of his mother and neighbors). His parents were huge fans of jazz and R&B and had a vast collection of 78's and LPs. Popa would spend hours scratching them up by playing the sections he liked over and over again. When he was seven, his father took him to see an oldies show at Madison Square Garden. Up close to the stage he watched the headliner duck walk across the stage playing his Gibson 335 like a ringin' a bell!! Chuck Berry became Popa's idol. The untimely death of his father when he was nine left Ted living with his old-school Italian grandparents. His love affair with the drums was put on indefinite hold.
The 70's came and Popa began to hear the blues rock that was everywhere. Johnny Winter, Foghat, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones were on the radio and in the record stores and Popa, being a loner, found solace in listening to these records over and over on a beat up record player bought at a yard sale for a dollar.
At age fourteen he picked up his first guitar and never put it down. His fingers bled from trying to pick out the blues licks he heard second hand from the rockers who played them. In the late 70's Punk Rock hit the scene, and Popa answered a classified ad in the Village Voice for a guitarist. He was hired by Japanese performance/special effects artist, Screaming Mad George, and played a fortuitous gig at CBGB in New York City's Bowery. There he met Punk Rock godfather, Richard Hell, who was putting together a new version of his band the Voidoids. Popa was hired for a world tour. All the while Popa was honing his licks via the records of Albert King, B.B. King and especially Freddie King.
"When I first heard Freddie King my world was turned upside down. I was 19 and this older cat in the neighborhood played me the Just Pickin' record and I was knocked out cold. I thought, ‘Man, that's what I wanna be when I grow up.'"
With the 1980's upon him, Popa played any and all styles of music he could, the education helping him to survive as a working musician. In 1984, while busking in New York's Central Park, he met singer-songwriter Pierce Turner who had just signed with RCA Records. Pierce and Chubby shared a love for Otis Redding and Jimi Hendrix. Chubby was hired for a world tour and asked to contribute his blues-inflected guitar playing to Pierce's album The Sky and The Ground. Popa worked with Pierce throughout the late 80's, all the while itching to play the blues he loved.
In 1990 the Popa Chubby Band was born. The name was taken from an impromptu jam with Bernie Worell, one of the founding members of ‘70s psychedelic rock and R&B group Parliament Funkadelic. "He was singing a song called ‘Popa Chubby' and he pointed at me." The name captured the essence of what his music has come to represent. "Popa Chubby basically means to get excited. The core of my music is about excitement. I think music should make people feel alive."
Before long he was playing every club in New York. Popa landed the coveted spot as house band at the now defunct Manny's Car Wash. There he got to back up and open for many of the great musicians who came through town. The combined experiences of backing a variety of artists helped shape his vision of what he now calls "New York City Blues."
In 1991, he entered the National Blues Talent Search sponsored by Long Beach Radio station KLON. He beat out a score of bands to bring the title to New York City and was rewarded with an opening spot at the 1991 Long Beach Blues Festival. Popa soon started touring regionally and released two independent records on his own label.
In 1994 Popa signed a recording deal with the recently resurrected O-Keh label (Sony Music). At first reluctant to sign on with such a corporate outfit, it was the prospect of working with Tom Dowd, longtime Atlantic Records engineer/producer, whose recordings by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett and others are legendary, that convinced him. Booty and The Beast was released in 1994, and the single, "Sweet Goddess Of Love and Beer," soon was sweeping the country and became a summer radio hit coast to coast in 1995.
Creative differences left Popa a free agent in 1996, so he began releasing albums on his own label. On the advice of Dowd he went to Europe, where his first two CDs were released as a collection by the French Dixiefrog label. The record was an instant success and left Popa touring nonstop. The energy and showmanship of his sets earned him critical and commercial acclaim overseas, and in fact, he's become a huge star in Europe, where he appears on the covers of guitar magazines and routinely sells out major venues.
The innovative performer and producer went on to do a number of other projects for Dixiefrog, his own albums and others by Big Apple artists recorded under the aegis of Popa Chubby Productions. In the process, he spearheaded a New York City sub-genre of blues. The New York sound is as complex as the city itself, melding a variety of street sounds from hip hop, punk, straight-up rock, R&B, into an unadulterated blues format. "New York is a melting pot of social and musical cultures, and New York City Blues is an amalgam of all those styles," explains Chubby.
Popa Chubby's music, forged in the toughness that is New York City, takes blues to the cutting edge, where it highfives its contemporary cousins rock, rap, and hip hop. With his razor sharp, biting guitar, vocals from the gut, and top-notch skill as a songwriter, Popa Chubby artfully combines the rootsiness of blues with the more modern urban elements of today's popular music.
In May 2000, Dixiefrog released How'd a White Boy Get the Blues? in Europe, where it has sold over 60,000 records and is still climbing. Looking for a domestic label that would understand his unique approach to the blues, Popa brought the album to Blind Pig Records, which released this seminal blues-rock concept record in August of 2001. It uses electric and acoustic guitar blends, drum loops and electronics to show how close the blues, hip-hop and R&B really are. The New York Post said, "The guitar ace is fantastic on this CD - the quintessence of what New York City blues is all about. There isn't a bad song on it."
Popa Chubby's newest CD, Stealing the Devil's Guitar, was released on Dixie Frog Records in February 2006. The 13 songs on this record represent a journey through the real life blues of Popa Chubby. Popa writes from life and from the first track hits a home run with the talking slide blues of "Slide Devil Man Slide". The tone is set and the journey unfolds. Sonically, this record is the most textural to date with lots of slide and acoustic guitar, mandolin, Sitar, and a heavy dose of hard blues rock lead guitar. The urbane rap tome of "Smugglers Game" has Middle Eastern flavors and ejects the listener to exotic border crossings. The heart-rending dirge of "Preacher Man" bemoans the trials of the entrusted. The Western saga "Young Guns" sets the stage for a shootout between new and old- because if you want to take the devil's guitar, you got to steal it!
Discography:
Studioalbums:
1995 - Booty and the Beast
1995 - Hit the High Hard One (Live)
1996 - Gas Money
1996 - It's Chubby Time
1997 - One Million Broken Guitars
1998 - Brooklyn Basement Blues
1999 - Popa Chubby Presents New York City Blues
2000 - One Night Live In New York City (Live)
2000 - How'd a White Boy Get the Blues?
2001 - New York City Blues (Again
2001 - Flashed Back (Songs From The '60s Blues And Beyond) (feat. Galea)
2002 - The Good the Bad and the Chubby
2003 - Black Coffee Blues Band
2003 - Popa Chubby Live at FIP
2003 - Old School - Popa Chubby and Friends Play
2004 - Peace, Love and Respect
2005 - Wild Live
2005 - Big Man Big Guitar: Popa Chubby Live
2006 - Electric Chubbyland Volume One
2006 - Stealing the Devil's Guitar
2006 - Electric Chubbyland (3CD box set)
2007 - Deliveries After Dark
2008 - Vicious Country
2010 - The Fight Is On
2011 - Back to New York City
2013 - Universal Breakdown Blues
2014 - I'm Feelin’ Lucky (The Blues according to Popa Chubby)
2015 - Big, Bad and Beautiful (Live) (DoA, Live)
Compilations:
1996 - The First Cuts
2003 - The Hungry Years
2005 - Ten Years With Popa Chubby Best Of
Passion
Popa Chubby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the heat of the night
Looking pretty dangerous
Running out of patience.
Tonight in the city
You won't find any pity
Hearts are being twisted
In the bars and the cafes
Passion in the streets and the alleys
Passion a lot of pretending
Passion everybody searching passion.
Once in love you're never out of danger
One hot night spent with a stranger
All you wanted was somebody to hold on to yeah.
Passion passion passion passion
New York, Moscow, passion
Hong Kong, Tokyo, passion
Paris and Bangkok, passion.
A lotta people ain't got, passion.
Hear it on the radio, passion,
Read it in the paper, passion,
Hear it in the churches, passion,
See it in the school yards, Passion.
Once in love you're never out of danger
One hot night spent with a stranger
All you wanted was somebody to hold on to yeah.
Passion passion passion passion
Once in love you're never out of danger
One hot night spent with a stranger
All you wanted was somebody to hold on to, yeah
Once in love you're never out of danger
One hot night spent with a stranger
All you wanted was somebody to hold on to, yeah
Alone in your bed at night, passion,
It's half past midnight, passion
As you turn out your sidelight, passion,
Something ain't right, passion.
There's no passion, there's no passion
There's no passion, I need passion
You need passion, We need passion
Can't live without passion
Won't live without passion
Even the president needs passion
Everybody I know needs some passion
Some people die and kill for passion
Nobody admits they need passion
Some people are scared of passion
Yeah passion
Popa Chubby's song "Passion" is a powerful look at the raw emotions that come with love, lust, and desire. The song opens with a scene set in the heat of the night, and the singer describing someone as "pretty dangerous" and "running out of patience." This creates a sense of urgency and tension, as if something big is about to happen. From there, the song expands to describe a world where passion is everywhere - in the bars, cafes, streets, and alleys. The idea is that passion is something that everyone wants, and everyone is searching for.
The song explores the idea that love, and especially passion, can be dangerous. The repeated line "Once in love you're never out of danger" creates a sense of foreboding - like falling in love is almost like putting your life at risk. This is intensified by the line "One hot night spent with a stranger," which suggests that giving into our desires and letting passion take over can be both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
However, the song also makes it clear that passion is something that everyone needs. From New York to Moscow, Paris to Bangkok, passion is a universal desire. Even the president needs passion, according to the song. It's an essential part of the human experience, something that everyone is searching for, whether they admit it or not.
Overall, "Passion" is a song that captures the intense emotions that come with love and desire. It's a powerful reminder of the universal nature of human desire and the risks and rewards that come with giving in to our passions.
Line by Line Meaning
Somebody somewhere
There's always someone, somewhere who's feeling lonely and in need of something to fulfill them.
In the heat of the night
When things are intense or emotionally charged, it can be difficult to be rational or think straight.
Looking pretty dangerous
When someone is feeling upset, angry or frustrated, they can be unpredictable and react intensely.
Running out of patience.
When someone has been waiting for something for a long time, or they feel like they're not getting what they need, they can become restless and frustrated.
Tonight in the city
The nightlife in a city setting can be dramatic and unpredictable.
You won't find any pity
People in the city can be harsh and unforgiving, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.
Hearts are being twisted
People are getting played or hurt in love and feeling emotional pain.
Another lover cheated, cheated.
Someone has been betrayed by a partner and is feeling hurt and angry.
In the bars and the cafes
People often go out to these places to socialize and look for partners, but sometimes it's all an act or a facade.
Passion in the streets and the alleys
People in the city can be reckless and intense, even in public places.
Passion a lot of pretending
People often put on a show when it comes to love or sex, and they might not really be feeling what they're projecting to the world.
Passion everybody searching passion.
People are always looking for something to fill the gaps in their lives, and love can be a particularly powerful urge.
Once in love you're never out of danger
When you have grown to love someone, you cannot escape the risks that come with that connection.
One hot night spent with a stranger
Sometimes, when we're feeling lonely or unavailable, we might take risks and make choices that aren't in our best interests.
All you wanted was somebody to hold on to yeah.
Sometimes, all we need is someone to be there for us and help us through tough times.
Passion passion passion passion
Love and desire can be all-consuming and it's a powerful force that drives people to connect with others.
New York, Moscow, passion
No matter where you go in the world, people are always searching for love or sex.
Hong Kong, Tokyo, passion
Paris and Bangkok, passion.
A lotta people ain't got, passion.
Even though many people crave love and desire, not everyone is able to find it.
Hear it on the radio, passion,
Popular media is filled with images and themes related to love and sex.
Read it in the paper, passion,
Hear it in the churches, passion,
Even religious institutions acknowledge the power of love and desire over people's lives.
See it in the school yards, Passion.
Young people start experiencing crushes and romantic feelings from an early age.
Alone in your bed at night, passion,
When you're lying awake in bed, feeling lonely or sad, you might be filled with a longing for love or sex.
It's half past midnight, passion
As you turn out your sidelight, passion,
Something ain't right, passion.
Even when things seem to be going well in our love lives, something can feel off or missing.
There's no passion, there's no passion
Without love or desire, life can feel empty and meaningless.
I need passion
The singer is acknowledging their own desire for intimacy and connection.
You need passion, We need passion
Everyone craves love and desire, and it's something that brings us all together.
Can't live without passion
Love and desire are essential parts of the human experience, and without them life loses much of its meaning.
Won't live without passion
The artist is expressing a strong desire to find love, and is not willing to settle for a life without it.
Even the president needs passion
Everyone, regardless of their position in life, feels the pull of love and desire.
Everybody I know needs some passion
Some people die and kill for passion
Love and desire can be so intense that they drive people to extremes, both for good and bad.
Nobody admits they need passion
Despite the fact that most people crave love and desire, society often makes it difficult to admit our vulnerabilities and needs.
Some people are scared of passion
Connecting with others romantically or intimately requires vulnerability, and some people are afraid of that emotional exposure.
Yeah passion
Love and desire are a powerful force that shape the human experience and drive us to connect with others.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PHILLIP BRIAN WHITE, JOANNA SHEA SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheWernieX
Listening to this famous piece, I always see the horses galloping through the prairies. Love it.
@AndyinMokum
This is one seriously "bad ass" track!!
@cliftonsutherland5408
great song!
@jean-jacqueschampion7631
Toujours avec plaisir, for ever with pleasure, best song from passion 's popa chubby, like so much 😉
@jean-jacqueschampion7631
youtube toujours présent pour le développement de la culture sans frontières , encore bravo
@benoitloriot1667
.... mais que c'est beau....
@antoinetroullier4702
If you can listen to that and don't move ... it means you're dead :)
@KludgeMaker
@menckencynic
Why Popa ain't more famous than Black Keys. .. Pretty simple.
Bean counters ain't musicians. And vice versa. ;)
@jean-jacqueschampion7631
youtube toujours présent pour le développement de la culture sans frontières , encore bravo