The PPL ultimately located itself in Columbus, Ohio (sixty miles north of Waverly), and the group had its first success in Cincinnati. The original stage band was made up of Fuller, McGrail, Powell, Phil Stokes on bass, and Robin Suskind on guitar and mandola. His steel guitar greatly improved on the guys' country songs and sparked hot guitar duels with Fuller that contributed greatly to the 'fusion' ethos of the band, its signature sound.
PPL’s biggest hits include Fuller’s country classic, "Amie", a piece released in 1972 that still attracts major airplay today due to its smooth, emotional sound. Some of their other tracks are “Two Lane Highway” and the musically less-representative pop song "Let Me Love You Tonight", which was composed by Jeff Wilson, Dan Greer, and Steve Woodard. Vince Gill, later to become one of Nashville’s biggest solo stars, sang and played guitar with the band in the early 80s and recorded a revised version of "Amie" for their greatest hits album.
In the late 90s, PPL was back with a lineup of Fuller, Connor, Reilly, Burr, Fats Kaplin (pedal steel guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, accordion, washboard) and Rich Schell (vocals, drums, percussion). After two years, in June 2000, Burr was succeeded by Curtis Wright (vocals, guitars). The group began work on a new album in 2002, but abandoned the sessions and separated once again (probably due to the illness of Connor). Connor died on September 9th, 2004 after a long battle with cancer.
Following Connor's death, the group resumed touring once more in 2004 with Fuller, Reilly, Schell, Wright and Kaplin (when available), and released All in Good Time in 2005, their first album in 18 years. This release appeared on the small Drifter's Church label.
Since this time, PPL have continued to tour playing a handful of shows every year. Reilly was unable to continue in 2006 after he was forced to undergo a liver transplant. Jack Sundrud (from Poco) came in to sub for Reilly, and Rick Plant also briefly did a stint on bass (before relocating to Australia in late 2006). Sundrud then returned. Reilly appeared at a few shows in May 2007, playing guitar, but was unable to come back full-time until 2008. Jeff "Stick" Davis (from Amazing Rhythm Aces) sat in on bass for Mike in 2007. Call played some concerts in 2006 & 2007, standing in for Kaplin, and Donnie Clark replaced Curtis Wright in 2006, after Wright joined Reba McEntire's band.
A fourteenth album was released in 2006, composed primarily of Craig Fuller songs, an echo of their very first album back in 1971.
Meant to Be
Pure Prairie League Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I used to think I was in control
I held the reins of my heart and soul
But that's all changed, I guess you've won my trust
Never had a love feel stronger than the two of us
Some things just seem to go together
Well the lesson took some time to learn, but now I finally see
Some things, like you and me, are meant to be
There was a time that I could not believe
I'd ever find a love to last eternally
But now I know that it's never too late
You just have to learn to leave to the hands of Fate
Some things just seem to go together
If you try to tear the two apart, they won't work separately
Well the lesson took some time to learn, but now I finally see
Some things, like you and me, are meant to be
Some things just seem to go together
If you try to tear the two apart, they won't work separately
Well the lesson took some time to learn, but now I finally see
Some things, like you and me, are meant to be
In "Meant To Be" by Pure Prairie League, the singer reflects on how they used to think they had control over their heart and soul, but now realizes that they have surrendered that control to someone they trust. They express a strong love that they've never felt before and remark that some things just seem to be meant to be together, like them and their partner.
The lyrics paint a picture of someone who has found their true love and has come to terms with the idea that some things in life are beyond our control. They have learned to let go and trust that fate will lead them where they are meant to be. The repetition of "some things just seem to go together" emphasizes the idea that some pairings are meant to be and cannot be forced apart.
This song highlights the idea of surrendering control and trusting in fate, which can be difficult for some people to do. It speaks to the power of love and how it can change our perspectives on life. The simple melody and straightforward lyrics make this song relatable and uplifting.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to think I was in control
At one point, I believed that I had complete authority over my own heart and life decisions
I held the reins of my heart and soul
I believed that I was the one in charge of my own emotions and destiny
But that's all changed, I guess you've won my trust
However, those beliefs have since changed because I have placed my trust and confidence in someone else
Never had a love feel stronger than the two of us
The love between us is unparalleled and incredibly powerful
Some things just seem to go together
Certain things are just naturally meant to be paired together, and cannot function as well when separated
If you try to tear the two apart, they won't work separately
If you attempt to separate things that are meant to be together, they will not function as properly on their own
Well the lesson took some time to learn, but now I finally see
It took me a while to realize, but now I have come to understand
Some things, like you and me, are meant to be
Specifically, the love between us is one of those things that was always meant to exist and thrive
There was a time that I could not believe
At one point, I was unable to conceive of the possibility of ever finding true love
I'd ever find a love to last eternally
I doubted whether or not a love that could endure forever would ever come my way
But now I know that it's never too late
However, I have since come to believe that it is never too late for love to enter your life
You just have to learn to leave to the hands of Fate
The key is to relinquish control and let fate take its course, allowing love to enter your life in its own time
Contributed by Gavin W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.