In 1978, Tom Cochrane joined up with Rob Baker on drums, Jeff Jones on bass, Peter Boynton on keyboards and Ken Greer to form Red Rider. They were signed to Capitol Records and released their first album Don't Fight It in 1980. With the singles "White Hot" and "Don't Fight It", the album quickly reached gold status. Their second album As Far as Siam was released in 1981 and featured the hit "Lunatic Fringe" which was in the 1982 movie "Vision Quest.". "Lunatic Fringe" and two other tracks, "Cowboys in Hong Kong" and "What Have You Got To Do" were featured in an episode of Miami Vice in addition to which helped push the album to platinum. Boynton was replaced by keyboardist Steve Sexton on Red Rider's third album Neruda, released in 1983. The track "Napoleon Sheds His Skin" would become one of the more popular songs from the album.
For their 1984 album Breaking Curfew, John Webster replaced Sexton on keyboards. The album did not sell as well as Neruda and a dispute with Capitol Records over the future direction of the band resulted in Red Rider being dropped from the record label later in 1984.
The band subsequently signed with RCA. In what became a strong signal regarding the future of the band, they officially became known as Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, and released their self-titled fifth album in 1986.
In 1987, Capitol released a compilation CD titled Over 60 Minutes with Red Rider, covering the band's first four albums.
In the fall of 1988, the band released their sixth album Victory Day which contained the track "Big League", about a boy's dream of playing in the National Hockey League. The song was featured in a segment on CBC Television's Hockey Night in Canada.
Red Rider's final album, The Symphony Sessions, was released in 1989 and saw the band performing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, as Procol Harum had done seventeen years before. Cochrane's solo career was taking off and the band broke up shortly after the album was released.
The three-CD box set Ashes to Diamonds, including material by both Red Rider and Cochrane as a solo artist, was released in 1993.
Through The Curtain
Red Rider Lyrics
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But I'm going to get her back
Someday
I got my papers
I'll do some walking
It doesn't matter
How far I've got to go
I'll take those chances
To get my baby from overseas
'Cause she, she's my girl
Yeah, she, she's my world
She needs me
I've been out working
Every day now
To get my girlfriend
On a plane out of Romania
Through the curtain
Into the arms of her
Guy who's hurtin'
'Cause she, she's my girl
Yeah, she, she's my world
She needs me
I've been working
Everyday now
To get my girlfriend
On a plane out of Romania
Through the curtain
Into the arms of her
Guy who's hurtin'
'Cause she, she's my girl
Yeah, she, she's my world
She needs me
I got some friends who'll
Forge her passport
Make her look like a UN Diplomat
Get her to peace talks in Geneva
That's where they'll get her
And that's where I'll meet her
'Cause she, she's my girl
Yeah, she, she's my world
She needs me
Work, work, work, work
To get my baby
Work
Through the curtain
Work
To get my baby
Work
To get my baby
Work
Through the curtain
Ride down that Orient Express
The song "Through The Curtain" by Red Rider tells the story of a man who is in love with a woman who is overseas, and he is determined to bring her back home with him. The lyrics suggest that the woman is from Romania and that the man has been working hard to get her back. He speaks about taking chances, climbing fences, and doing whatever it takes to be reunited with his girlfriend.
The singer expresses his intense love for the woman and claims that she is his whole world. He talks about his plans to forge her passport and make her look like a UN diplomat so that he can get her to safety. The final lines of the song mention the Orient Express, which is likely a reference to the famous train that ran from Paris to Istanbul.
Line by Line Meaning
I left my baby, overseas
I am separated from my lover who is in a different country
But I'm going to get her back
I have a plan to reunite with my lover
Someday
I don't know when, but it's going to happen eventually
I got my papers
I have all the necessary documents
I'll do some walking
I am willing to travel long distances
It doesn't matter
The distance is not a hindrance to me
How far I've got to go
I am willing to go any distance to be with my lover
I'll take those chances
I am willing to take risks
I'll climb those fences
I am willing to pass through obstacles
To get my baby from overseas
I will overcome anything that stands between me and my lover
'Cause she, she's my girl
My lover is the most important person to me
Yeah, she, she's my world
My lover means everything to me
She needs me
My lover depends on me
I've been out working
I have been busy trying to find a way to be with my lover
Every day now
I have been doing this consistently
To get my girlfriend
I'm trying to get my lover back
On a plane out of Romania
I need to get my lover out of the country she's in
Through the curtain
I need to cross some sort of barrier or border
Into the arms of her
I need to be with my lover
Guy who's hurtin'
I am in pain being away from my lover
I got some friends who'll
I have people who can help me out
Forge her passport
Someone can make a fake passport for her
Make her look like a UN Diplomat
The fake passport will have her appear as a high-ranking official
Get her to peace talks in Geneva
She will be brought to a specific location
That's where they'll get her
She will be picked up at that location
And that's where I'll meet her
We will finally be reunited at that location
Work, work, work, work
I am persistent in my efforts
To get my baby
I am doing everything in my power to be with my lover
Through the curtain
I am still trying to cross the metaphorical barrier
Ride down that Orient Express
I will be taking a specific mode of transportation to reach my lover
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF JONES, KENNETH WILLIAM GREER, PETER BOYNTON, ROBERT STEPHENS BAKER, THOMAS WILLIAM COCHRANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind