At the time of their first self-titled EP, in 1980, the band changed their name to Red Cross, which was allegedly inspired by the masturbation scene in the film, The Exorcist. Ron Reyes became the drummer. Eventually, Hetson left to join the Circle Jerks (and later Bad Religion) and Reyes left for Black Flag. Keller left to join Trixie and the Doorknobs as its guitarist and singer. To complete the lineup on their first full-length album, Born Innocent, they assembled a revolving door of musicians including original drummer John Stielow and drummer Janet Housden. Full of the brothers' pop culture obsessions, Born Innocent featured odes to Linda Blair (who starred in a television movie of the same name), a cover of "Look On Up At The Bottom" by the Carrie Nations from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, and Charles Manson (whose song "Cease to Exist" they covered). The album also contains nods to Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Tatum O'Neal, and Lita Ford. Not long after the release of the album, the group was threatened with a lawsuit from the International Red Cross and changed their name to Redd Kross, allegedly being inspired by Redd Foxx.
In 1984, Redd Kross returned with drummer Dave Peterson to record Teen Babes from Monsanto, an album featuring songs originally by such artists as KISS, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, and The Shangri-Las.
In 1984, lead guitarist Robert Hecker joined the band, as Redd Kross embarked on tour in support of Teen Babes from Monsanto.
In that same year, they were featured on the soundtrack of Desperate Teenage Lovedolls with their cover of the Brady Bunch Kids' "It's a Sunshine Day". Jeff and Steve appear in the movie, along with Robert in the sequel Lovedolls Superstar which the brothers co-wrote with Dave Markey and Jennifer Schwartz. Both movies are available now on DVD.
In 1985, drummer Roy McDonald (formerly of The Things, and no relation to the brothers) joined the band.
In 1987, Redd Kross released Neurotica, an album reportedly influenced by Saturday morning cartoons and breakfast cereal (one of the songs was called "Frosted Flake"). Although the album itself was successful, the band's label, Big Time Records folded. The band continued to tour during these years however, and in 1988, drummer Victor Indrizzo joined the band.
On February 20, 1990, Redd Kross appeared on Episode 2 of the cult Public-access television show "Decoupage" with Summer Caprice.
In 1990, Redd Kross signed with Atlantic Records, releasing Third Eye, and appeared with David Cassidy in the film Spirit of '76, and issued several singles, including "Annie's Gone", which had some mild success on college radio. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers / future Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons joined for the Third Eye tours, and appears in the promotional video for "Annie's Gone", which saw some light rotation on MTV. Brian Reitzell succeeded Irons as drummer in the band, and appears in the promotional video for "1976".
In 1991, Robert Hecker took leave from the band.
The album Phaseshifter was released in 1993, with new band members Eddie Kurdziel, Gere Fennelly, and Brian Reitzell. The videos for "Jimmy's Fantasy" and "Lady In The Front Row" were both shown on MTV's 120 Minutes. They toured on Phaseshifter for over a year, headling their own shows as well as tours supporting The Lemonheads and The Spin Doctors in late 1993 and Stone Temple Pilots in 1994. In 1995, Jeff and his wife, Charlotte Caffey (from The Go-Go's), had a daughter, named Astrid.
In 1997, Redd Kross released Show World, produced by Chris Shaw (who also produced albums for Weezer and Soul Asylum) and toured supporting The Presidents of the United States of America. The band took an indefinite hiatus after the Show World tour, and their future was uncertain after the untimely death of guitarist Eddie Kurdziel on June 6, 1999.
On July 1, 2006, Redd Kross returned to the live stage after almost a decade's absence. The Neurotica-era line up of Jeff McDonald, Steven McDonald, Robert Hecker and Roy McDonald performed a career-spanning set at the REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/Cal Arts Theater) at Disney Hall in Los Angeles. The band has subsequently gone on to play at the Azkena Festival in Spain, the Detour Festival in Los Angeles, give a performance of their entire first EP in honor of Rodney Bingenheimer's being awarded a star on Hollywood Boulevard, and a set consisting of the entire Born Innocent album opening for Sonic Youth (who performed Daydream Nation) at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. They toured Spain and England in January, 2007. They have played a number of one-off shows including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. In 2008 they played the Coachella Festival in Coachella, California; ATP vs Pitchfork festival in Sussex, England; and NXNE Festival in Toronto, Ontario. In 2010, Redd Kross headlined the Turbo Rock Festival in Spain. In 2011 they headlined the POP Montreal Festival.
Redd Kross will tour Australia again as part of the Hoodoo Gurus' 30th Anniversary on the "Dig It Up" Festival concert series.
The band released "Researching the Blues" in 2012.
Heaven Only Knows
Redd Kross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When i can't sleep at night
Heaven only knows
I dream about makin' you mine, yes i do
Whe i'm holding you tight
Heaven only knows, mm hmm
Never been sure 'bout a girl before
Heaven only knows, mm hmm
Given you my heart and my soul and my love
Cause i trust you so
Heaven only knows, mm hmm
Heaven only knows that i want you baby
Everytime i see you it drives me crazy
Coz you're the only girl that my heart wants to know
Whoah yeah
Tell me what you want and i'll do it for you
Baby let me show you that i adore you
Baby let me go everywhere you go
Never been sure 'bout a girl before
But i want you to know
Heaven only knows, mm hmm
I'm givin' you my heart and my soul and my love
Cause i trust you so
Heaven only knows, mm hmm
Heaven only knows that i love you baby
Heaven only knows that i hate you baby
Heaven only knows that i despize you baby
Heaven only knows that i idolize you baby
(Fade)
The opening line of Redd Kross's song "Heaven Only Knows" immediately sets the tone for the rest of the track: "I dream about you all the time, yes I do." The lyrics are relatively simple and direct, expressing the singer's intense desire for someone they have fallen for. The song's recurring phrase "Heaven only knows" expresses the idea that despite the singer's best efforts, they are unsure about whether their feelings will be reciprocated.
The chorus of the song ("Heaven only knows that I want you baby...") is the most memorable part and drives home the singer's single-minded obsession. The phrase "Never been sure 'bout a girl before" suggests that the singer is not only inexperienced in matters of love, but also that the woman they are fixated on is different from anyone they have encountered before. By the end of the song, the singer's extended range of emotions towards this individual is expressed with lines such as "Heaven only knows that I idolize you baby" and "Heaven only knows that I hate you baby" - a testament to the complex nature of love and lust.
Overall, "Heaven Only Knows" is a straightforward rock ballad that expresses the enduring power of desire and its sometimes bewildering and complicated nature.
Line by Line Meaning
I dream about you all the time, yes i do
I often think of you in my dreams
When i can't sleep at night
I am often kept up at night thinking of you
Heaven only knows
Only the heavens know the depth of my feelings for you
I dream about makin' you mine, yes i do
I fantasize about being in a romantic relationship with you
When i'm holding you tight
When I imagine being close to you
Never been sure 'bout a girl before
I have never been certain about my feelings towards a girl
But i want you to know
But I want you to understand how I feel about you
Given you my heart and my soul and my love
I have given you my all: my heart, my soul, and my love
Cause i trust you so
Because I have a great deal of faith in you
Heaven only knows that i want you baby
Only the heavens know how much I want to be with you
Everytime i see you it drives me crazy
Seeing you fills me with intense emotions
Coz you're the only girl that my heart wants to know
You are the only person I want to know deeply and intimately
Tell me what you want and i'll do it for you
I am willing to do anything for you
Baby let me show you that i adore you
Let me demonstrate how much I love and admire you
Baby let me go everywhere you go
I want to be with you always
Heaven only knows that i love you baby
Only the heavens know how much I love you
Heaven only knows that i hate you baby
Only the heavens know how much I hate loving someone who may not love me back
Heaven only knows that i despize you baby
Only the heavens know how much I resent my feelings for you
Heaven only knows that i idolize you baby
Only the heavens know how much I hold you in high regard
Writer(s): Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich
Contributed by Logan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.