Initially known as "Seafood Mama", the group gained a strong local following playing bars and nightclubs in Portland, Oregon. In the spring of 1980, Seafood Mama recorded Marv's new composition "Harden My Heart" on a private record label. The single received considerable airplay on Portland radio stations, and the band felt that they were ready for something more
Signed by a then young label, Geffen Records, the group released their first album, 'Quarterflash', in 1981. The label's marketing organization had urged getting rid of the "Seafood Mama" name, so they changed things. The new name supposedly came from an colloquial Australian reference to new immigrants as "one quarter flash and three parts foolish".
A new version of "Harden My Heart" was recorded and released; and rose to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album reached number 8 on Billboard's Top Albums, and sold over a million copies, earning RIAA gold certification on February 5, 1982, and platinum status on June 29, 1982. Their follow-up single from the album, "Find Another Fool", reached #16.
Quarterflash released their second album, Take Another Picture, in 1983. It reached #34 on Billboard, and scored the single "Take Me to Heart", which reached #14. The group released their final album, Back Into Blue, in 1985. It peaked at #150 in Billboard, and group disbanded after getting dropped from their record label.
In 1991, Marv & Rindy Ross were awarded a commision by the state of Oregon to produce a stage musical based on diaries of migrants on the historic Oregon Trail. From that project came a nine disc collection of traditional Americana music, recorded as The Trail Band.
"Harden My Heart" still receives air play on "Classic" rock radio.
Come to Me
Quarterflash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a moon above Cassis
There's a menu in my room that can't be read
I am burned, broke and legless on pastis
And tonight you're all I really miss or need
There's a band down the street
Singing high and sweet
But I can't make out a word they say
Won't you come to me, come to me
Won't you come to me
There's a map inside my pocket,
But I don't know where I'll go
I'm pulled in all directions by the moon
I am lost, free, exhausted and alive
And you been on my mind all afternoon
But the lines are always blocked
And the operators talk
But I can't make out a word they say
"Tout le monde de besoin d'amour"
Won't you come to me, come to me
Won't you come to me
The lyrics of Quarterflash's "Come To Me" tell a story of a person who is lost, physically and emotionally. The first verse describes a scene where the singer is in a hotel room in Cassis, a beautiful town on the French Riviera. The window has a lizard on it, and the singer is drinking pastis, a popular anise-flavored liquor in France that is often served with water. The moon is shining above Cassis, and there's a menu in the room that can't be read, perhaps indicating a language barrier. Despite the beautiful surroundings, the singer is burned, broke, and legless on pastis, indicating a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. In this state, the singer longs for someone they miss or need, and a band down the street is singing sweetly, but the words are incomprehensible.
The second verse continues the theme of being lost and directionless. The singer has a map but doesn't know where to go, and they feel "pulled in all directions by the moon." This line suggests a sense of being at the mercy of fate or the universe's whims. The singer is lost, free, exhausted, and alive, indicating a mix of conflicting emotions. Once again, the singer longs for someone they've been thinking about all afternoon, but the lines are always blocked, and the operators' words are incomprehensible.
Overall, the lyrics of "Come To Me" paint a picture of a person who is physically and emotionally drained, lost, and seeking connection. The references to France and the French language give the lyrics a romantic and exotic feel, but the longing and loneliness are universal emotions that many people can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a lizard on my window,
I have a lizard crawling on the window of my room.
There's a moon above Cassis
The moon is visible on the sky above Cassis.
There's a menu in my room that can't be read
There's a menu in my room that cannot be understood because the language is not familiar.
I am burned, broke and legless on pastis
I am suffering from burn injury and broke financially, shocked and speechless due to the effect of drinking pastis.
And tonight you're all I really miss or need
You are the one thing that I really yearn for tonight, nothing else seems necessary.
There's a band down the street
A band is performing in the vicinity.
Singing high and sweet
The band is singing melodiously.
But I can't make out a word they say
I am unable to understand the lyrics of their songs.
"Tout le monde de besoin d'amour"
The French phrase means 'everyone needs love'.
Won't you come to me, come to me
Asking someone to come to me.
There's a map inside my pocket,
There's a map inside my pocket that indicates the direction.
But I don't know where I'll go
I don't know where to go despite having a map.
I'm pulled in all directions by the moon
I am confused about choosing a direction because the moon appears to be guiding me in every direction.
I am lost, free, exhausted and alive
I am lost, enjoying freedom, very tired, but feeling alive.
And you been on my mind all afternoon
You have been occupying my thoughts throughout the afternoon.
But the lines are always blocked
The phone lines are always jammed.
And the operators talk
The operators speak but are unable to connect the call.
But I can't make out a word they say
I am unable to understand what they are saying.
"Tout le monde de besoin d'amour"
The French phrase means 'everyone needs love.'
Won't you come to me, come to me
Asking the person to meet me.
Won't you come to me
Repeating the request to come to me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TONY GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind