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
You Better Realize
REO Speedwagon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somebody's got it all
But you know you deserve somethin'
Workin' all day and all
You've been a loyal worker
Takin' a lot of abuse
Dreamin' about your fortune
So really, it ain't no use
Well, you check out your neighbor
Drivin' his second car
You know that when you're walkin'
Ain't gonna get too far
You're lookin' green with envy
He's got all that extra time
You're workin' fourteen hours
But you barely make a dime
Hoo
Who do you think you are?
Hoo, hoo
You'd never get too far
Well, you better realize
Just who and where you are today
Need I say?
Hoo
Who do you think you are?
Hoo, hoo
You'd never get too far
But, you better realize
Just who and where you are today
Need I say?
Hoo
Who do you think you are?
Hoo, hoo
You're never gonna get too far
You better realize
Just who the hell you are today
Need I say?
I don't understand
You were recording this, weren't you?
That was, I think we might have it
In You Better Realize, REO Speedwagon tells the story of a hard-working individual who feels stuck in life. The lyrics speak about the struggles of someone who works long hours and dreams of more but feels that they are not making any progress. They see their neighbor with all the material possessions they desire, driving a second car, and they cannot help but feel jealous. However, the chorus reminds them to take a moment to realize who they are and where they are in life. The song is a call to appreciate what one has and to focus on self-improvement rather than comparing oneself to others.
The song's message is one of self-reflection and self-awareness. It encourages listeners to understand their own worth and to focus on their personal progress rather than comparing themselves to others. The song's lyrics were written by Kevin Cronin, the band's lead vocalist and songwriter. The song was included on REO Speedwagon's 1990 album, The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken, and was released as a single in the United States the same year.
Line by Line Meaning
You got a lotta nothin'
You have little to show for your hard work
Somebody's got it all
Others seem to have everything you want
But you know you deserve somethin'
You believe that you are entitled to better things
Workin' all day and all
You work tirelessly every day
You've been a loyal worker
You have dedicated yourself to your job
Takin' a lot of abuse
You endure a lot of hardship and negativity in your job
Dreamin' about your fortune
You often fantasize about achieving financial success
So really, it ain't no use
Despite your hard work, you feel discouraged and hopeless about your future
Well, you check out your neighbor
You compare yourself to your neighbor
Drivin' his second car
Your neighbor has the luxury of owning multiple cars
You know that when you're walkin'
You realize that you're not making enough money to even afford a car
Ain't gonna get too far
Your financial situation puts a limit on your opportunities
You're lookin' green with envy
You feel envious of your neighbor's wealth
He's got all that extra time
Your neighbor seems to have more leisure time than you do
You're workin' fourteen hours
You work long hours with little break
But you barely make a dime
Despite your long hours, your income is very low
Hoo
Who do you think you are?
You need to reevaluate your expectations and limitations
Hoo, hoo
You'd never get too far
Your current path may not lead you to success
Well, you better realize
Just who and where you are today
Need I say?
It's important to acknowledge your current situation and work towards realistic goals to achieve success
Hoo
Who do you think you are?
You need to adjust your attitude and expectations
Hoo, hoo
You'd never get too far
Your current mindset may limit your potential for success
But, you better realize
Just who and where you are today
Need I say?
It's crucial to have a clear understanding of your current situation and work hard to achieve your goals
Hoo
Who do you think you are?
You must be honest with yourself about your abilities and circumstances
Hoo, hoo
You're never gonna get too far
With your current mindset and approach, it may be difficult to achieve long-term success
You better realize
Just who the hell you are today
Need I say?
It's imperative that you acknowledge and work with your current abilities and limitations to achieve success
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bekanimi j
You all Better Realize
Love from Canadian
George Estremera
When did this come out? Sounds like this was one of the albums without Kevin Cronin.
Miriam 🧿
George Estremera it’s during the Mike Murphy era of REO and it came out in 1975
melinda lee
Anyone know what R.E.O. is short for?
Michael Galbraith
Ransom Eli Old's