The group originally formed in 1985, playing its first gigs in Dallas's Deep Ellum neighborhood. Its current members are Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath on guitar and lead vocals, Jimbo Wallace on the upright bass, and Scott Churilla on drums. Through relentless touring and a manic stage show, they have established themselves as one of the most popular underground acts in America. Their sound is self described as "Country-fed punkabilly." Their music is a mixture of country, punk, big band, swing, and rockabilly, all played loud and energetically with lyrics that are often very humorous.
Jim Heath played in a cover band called Southern Comfort with friends from Corpus Christi Ray, his high school, before attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1977. At UT, he often entertained friends and dormmates and was often found playing in the stairwells at Moore-Hill Dormitory late into the night to avoid disturbing the sleep of roommate Harold Shockley, now a Corpus Christi banker. Jim left school in the spring to join up with a touring cover band by the name of Sweetbriar. Three years later, former dormmate David Livingston, now in his senior year of school and at home visiting family, saw a familiar face on stage and reunited with Jim. David told Jim stories of the punk music scene in Austin and the acts playing at venues like Raul's and Club Foot. Once, while home on another visit, David took Jim to a Dallas rock and roll venue, The Bijou, to see an act called The Cramps. After the show, there broke out a punks vs. rockers brawl in the parking lot. While Jim and David escaped any involvement in the scuffle, Jim later claimed to have had an epiphany on that evening. Always a fan of blues and honky tonk, Jim returned the favor by taking David and his wife, Ellen, to see The Blasters in Dallas at a venue known as the Hot Klub and Jim's love for roots rock took over from there.
Jim had married a former bandmate from Sweetbriar, and together they had a child. Together they decided that the rock-and-roll lifestyle was over and that it was time to have real jobs. Around 1985, Jim was known as "Jim the Sound Guy" by those who frequented two warehouses that by night became music venues, Theater Gallery and The Prophet Bar. Jim used the old Sweetbriar PA system to earn from $20-$50 per night for extra money, running sound for bands such as the New Bohemians, End Over End, Shallow Reign and Three On A Hill. One night during a lull, Russell Hobbs, one of the original Deep Ellum visionaries and proprietors of these venues goaded Jim into getting up to play. He played alone, tearing through a version of "Folsom Prison Blues" that is now so familiar to millions of Reverend Horton Heat fans around the world. Throughout the song, Hobbs hooted and shouted out, "Go Reverend". Jim decided then and there to form a band and came up with the name Reverend Horton Heat, as an ode to Johnny Horton, using the shortened version of his last name, Heath. The late nights and the fact the Jim was now playing in a band and his wife and former bandmate was not took its toll on the marriage and she soon left with their child and dog. Jim's feelings upon the loss of his family are well documented in the song, "Where In The Hell Did You go With My Toothbrush?". The Jimi Hendrix poster mentioned in the song was on the back of a door that Jim used for a practice room in the house he shared with his wife and child. The dog's name really was Smokey.
About this time, David and Ellen moved back from Oklahoma City, where they had been since graduating from UT. David began to book gigs for Jim and his new band, and their refeshing sound and raw live performance quickly won over the local music scene. Jim drew crowds to brand new music venues, playing three nights a week at Froggy Bottoms in the then brand new West End and assured a quick start to Club Dada, the first "for profit" bar in Deep Ellum by playing every night for the first two weeks that it was open. David continued to work with Reverend Horton Heat until 1989, when his own new family and day job required all of his attention, and Jim needed a real manager who could get him out on the road and into the studio. Jim and David remain close friends today, and a song that they co-wrote together back in the '80s, "Liquor, Beer and Wine", appeared on 1994's "Liquor In The Front".
Check out the [url=http://[officialsite]www.victorymerch.com/store/reverendhortonheat]Reverend Horton Heat merch store.
This artist is also on Last.fm as: 'The Reverend Horton Heat'
Like a Rocket
Reverend Horton Heat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like A Rocket
Like A Rocket
Like A Rocket
Mmm mmm Number one certifiable rocket-Yeah.
Like A Rocket- Mmm mmm
Like A Rocket- Mmm mmm
I got the whole universe in the palm of my hand.
Punch the transmission
Four on the floor
It's an awful lotta mill for a thirty two Ford
(If) it's got no fenders or running boards
To the finish line [I'll blow them/their doors???]
Like A Rocket- Mmm mmm
Like A Rocket- be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be
Like A Rocket-Mmm mmm
Number one certifiable rocket-Yeah
Like A Rocket- Mmm mmm
Like A Rocket- be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be
Like A Rocket- Mmm mmm
If you drive a car then you understand...GO!
-guitar solo-------------(SCREAM)
Cruisin' down town
Everyone sees
Everyone's gotta car- wants a piece of me
Radio stays on hillbilly bop
Stickshift pokin' through the old rag top
Like A Rocket- Mmm mmm
Like A Rocket- be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be
Like A Rocket-Mmm mmm
Number one certifiable rocket-Yeah
Like A Rocket- Mmm mmm
Like A Rocket- be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be
Like A Rocket- Mmm mmm
I got the whole universe in the palm of my hand.
8...7...6...5...4...3...2...YEAH!
Yeah kids, that's "Like A Rocket".
That's Rock and roll!
Reverend Horton Heat's "Like a Rocket" is an energetic and fast-paced song that celebrates the power of cars and rock and roll music. The song's opening countdown adds to the excitement of the track, and as soon as the song begins, the lyrics start describing the singer's powerful car as being "certifiable" and like a rocket. The singer takes pride in owning a fast car and enjoys the attention that they get when cruising around town with hillbilly bop music blaring from the radio.
In the second verse, the singer brags about the power of their car and how it can beat any other car on the road. The guitar solo that follows is intense, which matches the energy of the rest of the song. Finally, the song ends with the opening countdown once again, leaving the listener with a feeling of excitement and anticipation.
"Like a Rocket" is a straightforward rock and roll anthem that celebrates cars and rock music, and it does so in a fast and fun way. The song's energy is infectious, and its lyrics are easy to sing along to, making it a great choice for anyone looking to feel the excitement of a car race or a rock concert.
Line by Line Meaning
Like A Rocket- Mmm mmm
I'm moving so fast and with so much force, it's like a rocket launching into space.
Like A Rocket- be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be
I'm accelerating so quickly that my engine is revving really loud, like a rocket blasting off.
Like A Rocket- Mmm mmm
I'm going faster than anything else out there and I love the feeling it gives me.
I got the whole universe in the palm of my hand.
I feel unstoppable, in control and untouchable, like I could take on anything and come out on top.
Punch the transmission
I'm shifting gears quickly and smoothly, like a boxer punching without hesitation.
Four on the floor
I have a manual transmission with four gears that I'm using to speed up even faster.
It's an awful lotta mill for a thirty two Ford
I'm driving a classic 32 Ford that has had a lot of modifications to make it go really fast, which is really impressive considering the age of the car.
To the finish line [I'll blow them/their doors???]
I'm going to win the race so easily that I might as well blow away the competition's doors with my force.
If you drive a car then you understand...GO!
If you've ever felt the thrill of driving a fast car, you understand why I can't hold back and need to accelerate more.
Cruisin' down town
I'm driving casually through town, but still able to go really fast because of my car's modifications.
Everyone sees
Everyone who sees me driving, especially in my classic car, is impressed and envious of my speed.
Everyone's gotta car- wants a piece of me
Everyone else out there with a car wants to race with me or beat me, but I know I'm better and faster than all of them.
Radio stays on hillbilly bop
I'm not interested in mainstream music or radio stations, and instead prefer to listen to classic hillbilly rock and roll.
Stickshift pokin' through the old rag top
I'm driving an old car with a stick shift that pokes through the roof, which shows how unique and classic my car is.
Number one certifiable rocket-Yeah
I'm the fastest and most impressive driver out there, and I know it.
Yeah kids, that's "Like A Rocket".
That's Rock and roll!
This song captures the essence of what it feels like to drive fast and be in control of your car, which is the ultimate goal of rock and roll music.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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