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
Open Up
REO Speedwagon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know you've got to hide
You don't know who to follow
Or who is on your side
You don't know where you're goin'
You won't talk of where you've been
And I may see you tomorrow
Or nevermore again.
And I've seen you in the cities
I've seen you on the road
And your face is all a-twisted
'cause your brain is a heavy load
And then you turn and ask me
Say how will I ever know
And you talk of all your searchin'
But I think it's all for show
Open up my friend
Love someone if you can
Go on, let her in
Open up again.
And I hear your mournful songs
I hear your painful crys
And I've seen the light of hunger
Linger deep within your eyes
And you talk about your sinkin'
And what a hole you're in
You expect for me to love you
When you hate yourself my friend.
And you've got yourself a potion
Oh to keep you from your sleep
In that dark and lonely hour
Well I've heard you laugh and weep
But you'll always be a-runnin'
Runnin' till you find your doom
'Cause you never face your lonely soul
You never face the gloom.
Open up my friend
Love someone if you can
Go on, let her in
Open up again.
The song "Open Up" by REO Speedwagon was released in 1972 and is a heartfelt ballad about someone who is lost and doesn't know where they're going. The lyrics speak of a person who is constantly running and hiding, unsure of who to follow or trust. The singer has seen this person in different cities and on the road, their face twisted in pain from the weight of their burdens. The person talks about their searching but the singer feels that it's all for show. The chorus then tells the person to open up and love someone if they can, to let someone in and open up again.
The second stanza revolves around the person's sadness and pain. The singer hears their mournful songs and painful cries and sees the hunger in their eyes. They talk about their sinking and the hole they're in, expecting the singer to love them even as they hate themselves. The person has a potion to keep themselves from sleeping and the singer has heard them both laugh and weep in their dark and lonely hour. Despite all this, the person is always running and will continue to do so until they find their doom, never facing their lonely soul and the gloom within.
This song is a powerful reminder that no one is an island and that we all need someone to love and support us. It encourages listeners to open up and let someone in, to not be afraid to ask for help or love. The haunting melody and powerful lyrics make this song a classic that has stood the test of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Say you know you've got to run
You acknowledge that you need to leave or escape from something/someone
You know you've got to hide
You feel the need to conceal or protect yourself
You don't know who to follow
You are uncertain about whom to trust or rely on
Or who is on your side
You feel like you're alone and aren't sure who supports you
You don't know where you're goin'
You lack direction or purpose in your life
You won't talk of where you've been
You choose to keep your past experiences to yourself
And I may see you tomorrow
There's a possibility that we'll meet again in the future
Or nevermore again.
It's also possible that we'll never cross paths again
And I've seen you in the cities
I've witnessed you in urban areas
I've seen you on the road
I've seen you while you're traveling
And your face is all a-twisted
Your facial expression shows that you're distressed or burdened
'cause your brain is a heavy load
You have a lot on your mind and it's weighing you down
And then you turn and ask me
You direct your question to me
Say how will I ever know
You express uncertainty about how to proceed
And you talk of all your searchin'
You discuss your pursuit of something (goal, purpose, etc.)
But I think it's all for show
I suspect that you're displaying a façade; you're not really committed to your search
Open up my friend
You need to be more vulnerable and honest with me
Love someone if you can
Try to develop a relationship with someone you care about
Go on, let her in
Allow someone to get closer to you emotionally
Open up again.
Be receptive and willing to trust other people
And I hear your mournful songs
I'm aware of the sad music you create
I hear your painful crys
I'm aware of the emotional distress you're experiencing
And I've seen the light of hunger
I've observed the desire or need you have for something
Linger deep within your eyes
I notice that your longing is deeply embedded in your gaze
And you talk about your sinkin'
You mention that you're feeling down, depressed, or failing
And what a hole you're in
You describe the difficult situation you're currently facing
You expect for me to love you
You anticipate that I will show you affection and support
When you hate yourself my friend.
However, you harbor dislike or negative feelings towards yourself
And you've got yourself a potion
You've found a way to medicate yourself (physically or mentally) in order to cope
Oh to keep you from your sleep
You take this remedy to help you avoid insomnia or sleeplessness
In that dark and lonely hour
You use it during a time of depression or loneliness
Well I've heard you laugh and weep
I've seen you express both happiness and sadness
But you'll always be a-runnin'
You consistently flee from situations, even though root issues remain
Runnin' till you find your doom
You continue this behavior until it causes more harm than good
'Cause you never face your lonely soul
You haven't yet acknowledged or come to terms with your innermost feelings of loneliness
You never face the gloom.
You resist confronting or dealing with feelings of sadness or despair
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: STILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kneapoe51
Joe Walsh + album+tune= CLASSIC!!!
Daniel Davis
Not a bad song on this album!!!
Josie Owl
Hey I love this song first time I've heard it .
Paul Parker
Much better than the original. Kudos to Steven Stills for writing it but REO kicks it up a notch.
Scott B
Joe Walsh did play on the album and it's a rare a song that Gary playing acoustic guitar
Howard Kelsey
If your foot don't tap to this....you might oughta go see a doctor 'cause something's wrong!
aclipted
ha my foot is tappin!!
jjtcorsair
Just learned that's Joe Walsh playing slide guitar.
Nash Burnette
Written by Stephen Stills.
Catherine Carpenter
Oooh, I can hear that!