Richard and the Young Lions were an American garage rock band from Newark, … Read Full Bio ↴Richard and the Young Lions were an American garage rock band from Newark, New Jersey. They produced a moderately successful single with their song, "Open Up Your Door".

The Young Lions originally performed under the name, the Emeralds. When Richard Tepp saw the group perform, he was so impressed with the act, he joined the band, which resulted in changing their moniker to the Original Kounts. In addition to having a repertoire conceived of British Invasion cover versions, the band members became known as one of the more rebellious acts as a result of the bandmembers growing their hair long. After being discovered by Larry Brown, (a.k.a. L. Russell Brown) and Ray Bloodworth during a chance encounter in a Newark pizzeria and joining Bob Crewe Productions, the name was changed to Richard and the Young Lions. The core of the group consisted of Tepp (lead vocals and tambourine), Bob Freedman (rhythm guitar and vocals), Marc Lees (lead guitar and vocals), Norm Cohen (drums), Ricky Rackin (guitar and bass guitar), and Jerry Raff (piano).

The Young Lions managed to produce one minor hit with their song "Open Up Your Door". It reached number one in Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Elyria, Ohio; and Salt Lake City, Utah; number two in Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Canada; number three in Tucson, Arizona; and the Top 10 in many other cities in the US and Canada. Nationally, it peaked at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 24, 1966 and number 91 on the Record World Top 100 Pops chart on October 8, 1966. The corresponding Cash Box listing was at number 70 on October 22, 1966. The band made several television appearances including The Hy Lit Show and The Jerry Blavat Show out of Philadelphia, PA. They also appeared in the Detroit market on Robin Seymour's Swingin' Time show, out of Windsor, Ontario. A video of that appearance on Swingin' Time has survived to this day and can be found on line. And the band also made two appearances on the Upbeat TV show out of Cleveland, OH, hosted by Don Webster.

Their follow-up release, "Nasty", was chosen and released in late December 1966 and became a regional hit, but did not match the sales of their debut single. The Young Lions' final single, "You Can Make It" was released in February 1967 and received extensive radio play. However, the record company refused to distribute the single to the public, so "You Can Make It" failed to chart. The band sought to compose their own tracks, however they were no longer backed financially which led to their disbandment.

Band members

Current members:
The Twig
Lou Vlahakes
Fred Randall
Rick Robinson
Mike Fornatale

Past members:
Bob Freedman
Marc Lees
Norm Cohen
Ricky Rackin
Jerry Raff (RIP)
Eric Rackin (RIP)
Lawrence Smith
Shelly Riff
Richard Tepp died of leukemia in 2004.

A documentary on the band was produced in 2004, entitled Out of Our Dens: The Richard and the Young Lions Story by James Hannon and Leon Leybs, and narrated by preeminent radio personality Pat St. John. It featured the group's history from their early days to their reunion shows in the early 2000s. Howard "Richard" Tepp, died on 17 June 2004, about a week after this movie was completely finished and duplicated. Two days before his death, he watched the completed version for the first time.

The Invaders, a punk group featuring the original singer from The Sonics, recorded a cover version of "Open up Your Door" (retitled "Open up Yer Door") in 1979. The Romantics, a hit pop group from the 1980s, recorded the same song, which appeared on their album, In Heat, and on two of their live albums. "Open Up Your Door" has also been covered by; Bill Kennedy's Showtime, The Raving Mojos, The Demolition Doll Rods, The Flakes, The Goldstars, The Hunchmen, The Stance, and The Future Primitives. And their song, "You Can Make It" was covered by Las Membranas.

Discography

Singles
"Open Up Your Door" b/w "Once Upon Your Smile": Philips 40381 (1966) (both US and Canadian pressings)
"Nasty" b/w "Lost and Found": Philips 40414 (1966) (both US and Canadian pressings)
"You Can Make It" b/w "To Have and to Hold": Philips 40438 (1967) (both US and Canadian pressings)

Compilation appearances
"You Can Make It", their swan song, was compiled on Volume 12 of the Pebbles series in 1983.
"Open up Your Door" was featured on the 1998 four CD box set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968.

Warning
Richard & the Young Lions Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well I'm given you the warning
you better listen to me
I got something to say
I ain't playing with you
I'm giving you the warning
I'm giving you the warning
I want your soul and a whole lot more
I wanna see my baby at my door

I wanna know all your hopes and plans
I wanna know if baby I'm your man
now that's all I'm gonna tell you
you better listen to me
that's all I'm going to tell ya
I ain't playing with you
well I'm giving you the warning
I'm giving you the warning
I'm giving you the warning
I want your soul and a whole lot more
I wanna see my baby at my door
I wanna know all your hopes and plans
I wanna know that baby I'm your man
yeah yeah yeah

now I'm giving you the warning
I'm giving you the warning

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Richard & the Young Lions's song Warning appear to be a warning from the singer to an unnamed person. The singer seems to be telling this person that they want more than just their physical presence - they want their soul and a whole lot more. The singer also wants to know their hopes and plans, and whether or not they see him as their man. By repeating the phrase "I'm giving you the warning" throughout the song, the singer is making it clear that he is serious about what he wants and that the person he is addressing needs to take him seriously.

Overall, the lyrics of this song seem to be about a man who is looking for something more meaningful than just a fling or a one-night stand. He wants to connect with someone on a deeper level and is not afraid to be upfront and honest about what he wants. The repeating chorus of "I'm giving you the warning" reinforces the sense of urgency and seriousness in the singer's message.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I'm given you the warning
I am alerting you to something important

you better listen to me
You should pay attention to what I'm saying

I got something to say
I have a message to convey

I ain't playing with you
I am serious and not joking around

I'm giving you the warning
I am providing you with a heads up

I want your soul and a whole lot more
I desire your complete devotion and commitment

I wanna see my baby at my door
I want to be with my significant other

I wanna know all your hopes and plans
I want to understand your goals and aspirations

I wanna know if baby I'm your man
I want to know if I am the one you love

now that's all I'm gonna tell you
I have said what I needed to say

you better listen to me
It's important for you to pay attention to me