Over the course of its career, the band has sold more than 40 million records and has charted thirteen Top 40 hits, including the number ones "Keep On Loving You" and "Can't Fight This Feeling". REO Speedwagon's mainstream popularity waned in the late 1980s, but the band remains a popular live act.
In the fall of 1966, Neal Doughty entered the electrical engineering program at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois, coming in as a junior. On his first night, he met another student, Alan Gratzer. They held an impromptu jam session in the basement of their Illinois Street Residence Hall dormitory, and soon started a rock band. Gratzer had been a drummer since high school, and was playing in a local group on the weekends, while Doughty had learned some Beatles songs on his parents' piano.
Doughty started to follow around Gratzer's band, eventually sitting in on a song or two. The keyboard player was the leader, but several other band members were unhappy with the situation. On the last day of the university's spring semester, guitarist Joe Matt called the band's leader and told him that he, drummer Gratzer, and bassist Mike Blair had decided to leave the band and start a new one with Doughty.
They made a list of songs to learn over the summer break, and Doughty landed a summer job to buy his first keyboard. On his Farfisa organ, he learned "Light My Fire" by The Doors. The members returned to school in the fall of 1967, and had their first rehearsal before classes even started. They named the band REO Speedwagon, from the REO Speed Wagon, a flatbed truck Doughty had studied in transportation history, and the initials are those of its founder Ransom E. Olds. Rather than pronouncing REO as a single word as the motor company did, they chose to spell out the name with the individual letters each pronounced ("R-E-O"). An ad in the school newspaper produced their first job, a fraternity party that turned into a food fight. They continued to perform cover songs in campus bars, fraternity parties, and university events. The first lineup consisted of Doughty on keyboards, Gratzer on drums and vocals, Joe Matt on guitar and vocals, Mike Blair on bass and vocals.
In early 1968, Terry Luttrell became lead singer, and Bob Crownover joined as the guitar player, replacing Matt. When Mike Blair left the band in the summer of 1968, Gregg Philbin replaced Blair, Marty Shepard played trumpet and Joe McCabe played sax until McCabe moved to Southern Illinois University. Crownover played guitar for the group until the summer of 1969 when Bill Fiorio replaced him. Fiorio then departed in late 1969, eventually assuming the name Duke Tumatoe, and went on to form the All Star Frogs. Steve Scorfina (who would go on to found progressive rock/album-oriented rock band Pavlov's Dog) came aboard for over a year, composing with the band and performing live, before being replaced by Gary Richrath in late 1970.
Richrath was a Peoria, Illinois-based guitarist and prolific songwriter who brought fresh original material to the band. With Richrath on board, the regional popularity of the band grew tremendously. The Midwestern United States was the original REO Speedwagon fan stronghold and is pivotal in this period of the band's history.
The band signed to Epic Records in 1971. Paul Leka, an East Coast record producer, brought the band to his recording studio in Bridgeport, Connecticut where it recorded original material for its first album. The lineup on the first album consisted of Richrath, Gratzer, Doughty, Philbin, and Luttrell.
Richrath was a Peoria, Illinois-based guitar player and prolific songwriter who brought original material to the band including REO's signature song "Ridin' the Storm Out". With Richrath on board, the regional popularity of the band grew tremendously. The Midwestern United States was the original REO Speedwagon fan stronghold and is pivotal in this period of the band's history.
The band signed to Epic Records in 1971. Paul Leka, an East Coast record producer, brought the band to his recording studio in Bridgeport, Connecticut where it recorded original material for its first album. The lineup on the first album consisted of Richrath, Gratzer, Doughty, Philbin, and Luttrell.
The band toured relentlessly under guidance from early manager Irving Azoff. The band's most successful period featured lead vocalist Kevin Cronin who joined the band briefly for their second album T.W.O in 1972, and left in the middle of recording the Album "Ridin' The Storm Out" and returned in 1976, co-producing with Richrath their landmark Live: You Get What You Play For. Ridin' the Storm Out was completed with Michael Bryan Murphy on the microphone. Murphy stayed on for two more albums, "Lost in a Dream" and "This Time We Mean It", before Cronin returned to the fold in January 1976 and recorded "R.E.O.", which was released that same year.
They grew in popularity in the Midwestern United States during the early 1970s and peaked in popularity in the early 1980s. The band's first mid 70s FM hit was the Richrath composed concert fave "Ridin' The Storm Out", and their first gold record was a live album, 1977's "Live: You Get What You Play For". Their hard rocking live show was so integral to their success, their label released another live album in 1978, "More Live".
In 1977, Philbin was replaced with Bruce Hall to record the first studio album that reached platinum, "You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish", released in 1978 which received FM radio airplay but fell short of the Top 40. In 1979, the band took a turn back to hard rock with the release of Nine Lives.
By 1981's "Hi Infidelity" they had reached a new peak, and the LP spawned several major radio hits including "Keep On Loving You", "Don't Let Him Go" and "Take It on the Run" which went to #5 on the US charts, and the Cronin composed "Time For Me To Fly, released on the "Tuna" album.
REO Speedwagon followed up the "Hi Infidelity" LP with the power ballad "Can't Fight This Feeling" from Good Trouble in 1982, and dented the charts again with 1984's "Wheels Are Turning" album, 1987's "Life as We Know It" was the last new release to go gold, before popularity waned, and their long winning streak subsided. Founding members Richrath & Gratzer left the band, essentially ending a 20 year arena rocking run, but the band's collections continued to sell and earn classic rock & retro power pop airplay. Richrath and Gratzer was replaced by Miles Joseph and Graham Lear, Cronin's band members from jazz ensemble called "The Strolling Dudes". And soon Lear and Joseph was replaced by Bryan Hitt (formerly of Wang Chung) and Dave Amato.
Nowadays Reo Speedwagon remains a U.S concert circuit staple, mostly known as a crowd pleasing classic AOR genre rock band. Still fronted by longtime vocalist Cronin, currently the only original member in the 21st century touring lineup is keyboardist Neil Doughty. The hired guns brought in since have had stints in band's like Ted Nugent and Wang Chung. Spurred on by numerous re-packagings of their back catalog, and successful newer live recordings, in 2007 they released "Find Your Own Way Home" the group's first new studio album in more than ten years. Though it did not chart as an album, it produced two singles which appeared on Billboard's Adult Contemporary radio chart.
REO Speedwagon continues to tour regularly, performing mostly their classic hits. They are popular on the fair and casino circuits, but still team with other acts to play larger venues.
REO Speedwagon's birth place was reportedly a Red Lion Inn, on Green Street near the U of I campus (Champaign-Urbana, IL).
Principal Members (1971)
Gary Richrath - Guitar
Alan Gratzer - Drums
Gregg Philbin - Bass
Terry Luttrell - Vocals
Mike Murphy - Vocals
Current Lineup
Kevin Cronin - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Dave Amato - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Bruce Hall - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Neal Doughty - Keyboards
Bryan Hitt - Drums, Percussion
http://www.speedwagon.com
Lay Me Down
REO Speedwagon Lyrics
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I'll be another fool to hang upon your wall
I laid my heart out like an open book
And it's a simple thing and don't take much
To crack it open and bleed, so
Lay me down
Lay me down when you're through with me
Let me bleed when you're through with me
Don't let me think you're wrong
Just let me fall down I'll pick myself up again
And it's the kindest thing you can do for me
So, woman, won't you lay me down, yeah
Well I lied to myself tried to believe in you
But it's hard to rely on the ghost of someone I hardly even knew
You see you bring things out just to bring me down
Then you twist them about and shove 'em in my face
Till my eyes can't see any good
Oh lay me down
Lay me down when you're through with me
Come on lay me down
Let me bleed when you're through with me
Don't let me think you're wrong
Just let me fall down I'll pick myself up again
And it's the kindest thing you can do for me
So, woman, won't you lay me down, come on
Oh lay me down
Lay me down when you're through with me
Come on lay me down
Let me bleed when you're through with me
Don't let me think you're wrong
Just let me fall down I'll pick myself up again
Oh baby lay me down
Lay me down when you're through with me
Oh lay me down
Let me bleed when you're through with me
Don't let me think you're wrong
Just let me fall down I'll pick myself up again
It's the kindest thing you can do for me
Woman, won't you lay me down
The lyrics to "Lay Me Down" by REO Speedwagon are about a relationship that has come to an end, but one person is having a difficult time letting go. The singer of the song is trying to move on, but is struggling with the pain of the breakup. They have been hurt by their partner and have tried to believe in them, but ultimately it all came crashing down. They feel like they have been played and taken for granted, and now they just want to be put out of their misery. The repeated chorus of "lay me down" can be interpreted as a desire for the pain to end, to be laid to rest and allowed to heal.
The lines "Don't let me think you're wrong / Just let me fall down I'll pick myself up again" highlight the singer's need for closure. They don't want to be convinced that they were wrong or that their partner was in the right. They just want to be allowed to fall and pick themselves back up, without any interference or unhelpful words from their ex. The line "till my eyes can't see any good" emphasizes the idea that the singer's perspective has been clouded by their partner's actions and words, and they can no longer see any positive aspects of the relationship.
The repetition of the phrase "when you're through with me" implies that the relationship was one-sided and that the singer has been used or discarded. They just want to be put out of their misery and allowed to move on. The final line of the song ("Woman, won't you lay me down") emphasizes the singer's vulnerability and need for someone else to take control and help them heal.
Overall, "Lay Me Down" is a poignant reflection on the pain and difficulty of moving on from a relationship that has ended badly.
Line by Line Meaning
I've played your game and I've played it well
I have been part of your scheme and followed your plan exactly as you wanted.
I'll be another fool to hang upon your wall
I will not be another trophy or possession for you to show off and prove your worth.
I laid my heart out like an open book
I revealed my emotions and feelings completely and left myself vulnerable.
And it's a simple thing and don't take much
It is easy to take advantage of my open heart and cause me pain.
To crack it open and bleed, so
You can easily cause me emotional harm and make me feel exposed and vulnerable.
Lay me down
Let me surrender and give in to the pain you are causing me.
Lay me down when you're through with me
Once you have finished exploiting me and making me suffer, let me rest.
Let me bleed when you're through with me
Let me feel the pain and the consequences of my trust in you.
Don't let me think you're wrong
Don't try to make me doubt myself or my feelings. It's not my fault that you hurt me.
Just let me fall down I'll pick myself up again
I don't need your help to recover from the pain you caused me. I will do it on my own.
And it's the kindest thing you can do for me
The best thing you can do for me is let me heal on my own, without interference or blame.
So, woman, won't you lay me down, yeah
Addressing the person causing the pain directly, asking them to let me suffer on my own and leave me alone.
Well I lied to myself tried to believe in you
I deceived myself and pretended that you were trustworthy, even though deep down I knew you weren't.
But it's hard to rely on the ghost of someone I hardly even knew
It's difficult to trust someone who is not present emotionally, and whom I barely know or understand.
You see you bring things out just to bring me down
You intentionally use my vulnerabilities and insecurities to hurt me and lower my self-esteem.
Then you twist them about and shove 'em in my face
You take my weaknesses and use them against me, making me feel ashamed and helpless.
Till my eyes can't see any good
You make me blind to any positive aspects of our relationship or myself, and make me feel worthless.
Oh lay me down
A repeated plea to be given a break from the pain and allowed to recover on my own.
Woman, won't you lay me down, come on
A direct plea to the person causing the pain to stop and let me heal on my own.
Oh baby lay me down
An emotional plea for mercy and understanding, acknowledging the pain and asking for release from it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALAN GRATZER, GARY RICHRATH, GREGG PHILBIN, NEAL ALLAN DOUGHTY, TERRY LUTTRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind