When the Randy Rogers Band’s last project debuted as the most-downloaded country album on iTunes, plenty of the industry “insiders” on Music Row were left scratching their heads: Who are these guys?
The Nashville elite may not have known about the five-piece band, but much of America already did. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them alongside such artists as U2 and the Stones in its list of Top 10 Must-See Artists in the summer of 2007. They earned $2.5 million—a staggering total for a still-developing act—on the tour circuit in a single year. Willie Nelson, the Eagles, Gary Allan and Dierks Bentley all picked them as opening acts for their concerts. And more than 2,200 people showed up and bought the bands album at an appearance at Wherehouse Music.
The fans’ exuberance was shared by USA Today, which praised the band for having “loads of grit, swagger and heart.”
The Randy Rogers Band built its audience by combining forces: It’s a dynamic live act centered around songs that fit the rowdy, party vibe of the concert circuit, but their songs also say something.
That’s particularly true in their album, The Randy Rogers Band, in which a dozen persuasive tracks give the listener plenty of reasons to want to down a celebratory brewski. But the songs also maintain a depth that makes them powerful and provocative even beyond their edgy arrangements and tough-guy sound.
Invariably, the songs are about people making choices and dealing with the consequences they bring. That’s the case in the opening “Wicked Ways,” in which a string of wild endeavors leaves an out-of-control adult in need of redemption. It’s true in “When The Circus Leaves Town,” where a performer comes to terms with the emotional crash that accompanies the conclusion of a pumped-up show. It’s even a tenet in “One Woman,” a ballad that finds a former playboy recognizing his old choices and behaviors were a shallow pursuit next to the promise and solidity that stand before him.
“These songs are definitely true, and they’re relatable to many different life situations that I’ve either gone through in the past or will go through in the future,” Rogers, the lead singer and primary songwriter, says. “I just tried to create believable characters and relatable characters. I hear from fans that we really have helped them in real-life situations when they’ve applied the songs to their everyday life. That’s what I strive for in the songs that I write.”
“We’re not old, but we are getting a little bit more mature,” bass player Jon Richardson asserts, drawing laughter from the rest of the band. “We’re trying to be more mature, anyway. And that’s something that we can write about a little more naturally now instead of ‘Here’s a song about how much fun I had’ or ‘Here’s a song about a girl.’ That’s probably just a natural progression of our own lives being reflected in our songs.”
Indeed, the Randy Rogers Band is confronting the same questions about relationships and identity that face many of the college students and young adults that form the centerpiece of the group’s audience. The balancing act between work, home and recreation is a difficult one—even tougher for an ensemble that spends more than 200 days annually on the road.
“All the guys, except for Jon, are married or soon to be married,” guitarist Geoffrey Hill observes. “Les [drummer] and I both have kids. So sometimes it feels like you’ve really gotta struggle to fit all that into your life, I guess, but it’s kinda part of the game. I always said that I play music for free, and I get paid to leave the family behind and go on the road.”
That requires a constant rededication to the group, a commitment the five members have repeatedly made since the current lineup coalesced in 2003.
The Randy Rogers Band’s status as a group has occasionally confused its audience, which sometimes assumes Rogers is simply a solo artist. It’s the same issue that acts such as Huey Lewis & The News and Edwin McCain have battled, though one that doesn’t concern RRB all that much.
“I don’t think it’s an issue at all,” fiddler Brady Black asserts. “I think when we got together, Randy had already had a band, and his name had been out a little bit, and so we just kind of went with it.”
“That,” Black smirks, “and he owned the van…”
Actually, the name came rather innocently. Rogers had developed a following, he played open-mic nights, impressing club owner Kent Finlay enough to offer Rogers his own regular night, as long as he found a band to back him.
That group might have taken his name, but Rogers—who’d had previous experiences as a guitar player in another band—had no interest in being just a one-man show.
“I always wanted everybody to be equal, not only financially but also input-wise and creatively,” he says. “When we started the band, I pledged to them that I would work every day as hard as I could and try to get us down the highway a little further if they would sign up with me and share in some of those sacrifices, and I think from that day on, everybody pretty much quit their alternative jobs, and kinda gave 110 percent to the band.”
The Randy Rogers Band took the same slot that George Strait and the Ace In The Hole band had once occupied at Cheatham Street, appropriate since the band used the same sort of inner motivation in building its sound as Strait did a generation ago.
Their music is hardly the same. In contrast to Strait’s pure-country aesthetics, RRB combines that traditional country sound with a rollicking, swagger influenced by rugged sounds from such diverse sources as Waylon Jennings and Stone Temple Pilots. But, as Finlay recognized, there’s an authenticity and honesty to the band that parallels Strait’s personal manifesto.
“In a way, George was a little bit out of the box for Nashville when he debuted,” Rogers notes, “I think George Strait, when he first hit town, he knew who he was, and I think that’s partly why he has been so successful throughout his career. If there’s a correlation between the two of us, I think that we definitely have a sound and we know who we are.”
The Randy Rogers Band further distinguishes that identity in its self-titled album, the band’s second release since signing with Mercury Nashville. Produced by longtime admirer Radney Foster, who’s successfully maintained alt country integrity while writing mainstream hits for the likes of Sara Evans and Keith Urban, sessions for The Randy Rogers Band took place at Dockside Studios, a bayou location in Maurice, Louisiana, that’s also been the breeding ground for projects by B.B. King, Mavis Staples, Keb’ Mo’, Levon Helm and Mark Knopfler.
“We shut ourselves up for 10 days and had a band-camp set up,” Richardson observes. “There weren’t any distractions. It wasn’t like we were all goin’ home every night and comin’ back the next day. We were just living and breathing it for 10 days or so. We were just completely absorbed by it.”
The consequences of that choice are just as absorbing for the listener. The album ranges from the hypnotic country of “Buy Myself A Chance” and the first single, “In My Arms Instead,” to the propulsive buzz of “Never Be That High” to the painful conclusion, “This Is Goodbye.”
Rogers’ various performances reflect the wide-ranging influences that snapped together in the process, evoking at times the sneer of Steve Earle, the soul of Bakersfield’s Monty Byrom (formerly of Big House) and the vulnerability of Keith Urban.
With its infectious hooks and daring attitude, the album underscores the iTunes popularity of the Randy Rogers Band, its critical appeal and its significance on the nation’s concert circuit, where they’ve broken attendance records at numerous clubs across the heartland. Even Kenny Chesney, who consistently places among the top-selling tours, saw the group’s blue-collar connection when he covered Rogers’ “Somebody Take Me Home” for the album The Road And The Radio.
Each of the five members recognizes his contribution to the Randy Rogers Band’s overall unity, and they repeatedly make choices—creatively and personally—that keep that all-for-one-and-one-for-all solidarity intact.
Again
Randy Rogers Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well it's started again, yeah it's started again
Close the door now, close the door now
Won't you let me in? Why won't you let me in?
Cause it's been six long days and I'm on my way
Will I ever see the end?
And I can't sleep again, no I can't sleep again
Hold the phone now, hold the phone now
You're calling again, why won't you call again?
Say my name little girl, say my name little gir
Even though it's a sin, yeah you know it's a sin
Cause it's been six long days and I'm on my way
Will I ever see the end?
I've got a heavy load down a dead end road
And I can't sleep again, no I can't sleep again
I've gotta roll on
Gotta leave you alone
Yeah but baby not for long
Cause it's been six long days and I'm on my way
Will I ever see the end?
I've got a heavy load down a dead end road
And I can't sleep again, no I can't sleep again
The song "Again" by Randy Rogers Band is a ballad that speaks of lost love and the despair that comes with it. The song starts with the singer being on the floor and experiencing the pain of a broken heart that keeps coming back again and again. The singer asks the person he's talking to, most likely an ex-girlfriend, to let him in so that he can try to mend their relationship. But he's aware it's going to be a long and difficult journey to win her back, and he's not sure if the end result will be positive. He feels like he's carrying a heavy load down a dead-end road, and he can't seem to sleep without her.
The chorus of the song reinforces the idea of the endless cycle of heartbreak and pain. Despite the difficulties, the singer says he has to move on and leave her alone, at least for the moment. However, he doesn't plan on staying away forever because he's still in love with her and hopes that they can reconcile at some point in the future.
Overall, "Again" is a relatable song that speaks to the many people who have experienced heartbreak and still carry the scars from their past relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
On the floor now, on the floor now
The singer is feeling defeated and exhausted
Well it's started again, yeah it's started again
The same emotional cycle is repeating itself
Close the door now, close the door now
The singer needs to be alone and away from distractions
Won't you let me in? Why won't you let me in?
The artist is seeking comfort and support from someone who is shutting them out
Cause it's been six long days and I'm on my way
The artist has been struggling with their emotions for a while now
Will I ever see the end?
The singer is unsure if their emotional turmoil will ever come to an end
I've got a heavy load down a dead end road
The singer feels burdened by their situation and sees no escape
And I can't sleep again, no I can't sleep again
The artist's emotional distress is keeping them awake at night
Hold the phone now, hold the phone now
The artist is surprised and caught off guard by something happening again
You're calling again, why won't you call again?
The artist is confused by someone's inconsistent behavior
Say my name little girl, say my name little girl
The singer is seeking validation and attention
Even though it's a sin, yeah you know it's a sin
The artist knows that their desires may be morally questionable
I've gotta roll on
The singer needs to move forward and leave this situation behind
Gotta leave you alone
The singer needs to distance themselves from someone or something that is causing them pain
Yeah but baby not for long
The singer is conflicted about whether or not they can truly let go of this situation
Cause it's been six long days and I'm on my way
The artist is still struggling with their emotions and trying to move forward
Will I ever see the end?
The artist is still unsure if they will find a resolution to their emotional turmoil
I've got a heavy load down a dead end road
The singer is still feeling burdened by their situation
And I can't sleep again, no I can't sleep again
The singer's emotional distress is still keeping them up at night
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEAN BERNER, SKIP BLACK, ERIC PASLAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind