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.
Kiss Me In The Dark
Randy Rogers Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cowboys ride
Lovers love when they get the chance
Take it slow
Turn down the light
Soft and low
Let the shadows dance
Baby don't hold back
Kiss me in the dark
Roll me through the night
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Hit me with your heart
Til the morning light
Let your skin talk to my soul
Kiss me in the dark
Let's strip away everything
Tonight there's nothing getting in our way
The ties that bind, the where's and why's
Take em off and leave them all outside
Lock it all outside
Kiss me in the dark
Roll me through the night
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Hit me with your heart
Til the morning light
Let your skin talk to my soul
Kiss me in the dark
Without a single a word
Baby we can say so much
Reveal everything with just one touch
Kiss me in the dark
Roll me through the night
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Hit me with your heart
Til the morning light
Let your skin talk to my soul
Kiss me in the dark
Kiss me in the dark
The opening stanza of the Randy Rogers Band's "Kiss Me In The Dark" sets the mood and tone for the song. We are presented with a sequence of actions that underlie the idea of seizing the moment, being present in the moment, and engaging in pleasures that life has to offer. The first two lines express a sense of wandering, journeying, and traveling, perhaps even searching for something that could fulfill the needs and desires of sailors and cowboys. The lovers, on the other hand, are aware that they finally have the chance to express their love and passion. The lyrics remind the listener that the moment of intimacy is about taking it slow, turning down the light, and creating an atmosphere of softness and privacy that allows the shadows to dance. The phrase "Baby don't hold back" is an invitation not to be timid in displaying one's emotions, and to enjoy the moment fully.
Line by Line Meaning
Sailors sail
Some people live their life at sea, going where the wind takes them.
Cowboys ride
Other people prefer to live a life out on the range, taking control of their surroundings on horseback.
Lovers love when they get the chance
No matter who you are or what you do, everyone wants to feel loved and desired.
Take it slow
Sometimes, it's best to enjoy the moment and not rush into things.
Turn down the light
Dim the lights and set the mood for a more intimate experience.
Soft and low
Speaking in hushed tones can make a moment feel more private and exclusive.
Let the shadows dance
The way the light shines can create beautiful patterns and shapes, adding to the overall ambiance.
Baby don't hold back
Let yourself go and open up emotionally to the person you're with. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable.
Kiss me in the dark
Immersed in the shadows, two people embrace in a passionate kiss.
Roll me through the night
In the darkness, they move together like waves on the ocean and lose themselves in each other's touch.
Hold me like you'll never let me go
The connection between them is so strong that they feel as though they are meant to be together forever.
Hit me with your heart
The love that they feel for each other is so intense that it's palpable and they want to experience it fully.
Til the morning light
They're so wrapped up in each other that they lose track of time and continue until the sun comes up.
Let your skin talk to my soul
Their bodies are speaking a language of their own, conveying emotions that words can't express.
Let's strip away everything
They want everything that stands between them to be removed so they can be fully connected.
Tonight there's nothing getting in our way
They're fully immersed in the moment and nothing can distract them from their connection.
The ties that bind, the where's and why's
Everything that has held them back in the past is gone, and they're free to explore their love and passion without questions or metaphysical restrictions.
Take em off and leave them all outside
They want to live in the moment and not let anything from the outside world interfere with their feelings for each other.
Without a single a word
Words aren't needed to convey the emotions that are being felt in the moment between them.
Baby we can say so much
There's an unspoken bond between them that speaks volumes about how they feel for each other.
Reveal everything with just one touch
Their connection is so strong that they are able to communicate everything they have been feeling with just a touch.
Kiss me in the dark
The song concludes with a repetition of the first line, reminding us of the intimate moment being shared between two people in the midst of the shadows.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGE DUCAS, RADNEY M. FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DarLing LoiDz
Sailors sail
Cowboys ride
Lovers love when they get the chance
Take it slow
Turn down the light
Soft and low
Let the shadows dance
Baby don't hold back
Kiss me in the dark
Roll me through the night
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Hit me with your heart
Til the morning light
Let your skin talk to my soul
Kiss me in the dark
Let's strip away everything
Tonight there's nothing getting in our way
The ties that bind, the where's and why's
Take em off and leave them all outside
Lock it all outside
Kiss me in the dark
Roll me through the night
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Hit me with your heart
Til the morning light
Let your skin talk to my soul
Kiss me…
Creator Rishabh Sharma
Why is it underrated? ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Sailors sail
Cowboys ride
Lovers love when they get the chance
Take it slow
Turn down the light
Soft and low
Let the shadows dance
Baby don't hold back
Kiss me in the dark
Roll me through the night
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Hit me with your heart
Til the morning light
Let your skin talk to my soul
Kiss me in the dark
Let's strip away everything
Tonight there's nothing getting in our way
The ties that bind, the where's and why's
Take em off and leave them all outside
Lock it all outside
Kiss me in the dark
Roll me through the night
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Hit me with your heart
Til the morning light
Let your skin talk to my soul
Kiss me in the dark
Without a single a word
Baby we can say so much
Reveal everything with just one touch
Kiss me in the dark
Roll me through the night
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Hit me with your heart
Til the morning light
Let your skin talk to my soul
Kiss me in the dark
Kiss me in the dark
Amanda Kaye
We used to tear up the dance floor to this song in south Texas ❤️ Still one of my favorite Texas Country songs and bands
Michael Schmidt
Saw them in college station when I was in college. Amazing music.
Sweet Willy
Amanda Knobbe used too us texans still do but i get what u mean.
Amanda Kaye
JQ joaquin venguez used to for me. I married a military man and unfortunately we no longer live in my great state of Texas. Now I just dance around the living room with my boys and teach them our Texas dance moves listening to some good ol Texas country 🤗
It'll always be home to me even if we don't live there anymore
Sweet Willy
Amanda Knobbe oh well ur still a texan.
Amanda Kaye
JQ joaquin venguez till I die 😉👊
da rara
I'll be damned if this song doesn't play at my wedding! these smooth vibes honesty talk to my soul. I wish there was more of this.
Drank Larry
Hello how are you doing ?
William Wilson
Don't know why I never heard of this band before, what I do know is they are terrific. loved it guys.
Tasva Pontaranne
Somehow came across this masterpiece in 2007, when in love for the first time. In 2023 it still hits my heart. Sensual yet never cheesy, it's like true passion embodied. Love you, guys.