Before Buffalo Springfield, Furay performed with Stills in the nine-member group, the Au Go Go Singers (Roy Michaels, Rick Geiger, Jean Gurney, Michael Scott, Kathy King, Nels Gustafson, Bob Harmelink, and Furay & Stills), the house band for the famous Cafe Au Go Go in New York.
In the late 1960s he formed the country-rock band Poco with Jim Messina and Rusty Young. The band failed to live up to Furay's expectations, with a disenchanted Messina and Randy Meisner leaving the band .Furay himself grew frustrated at the failure of Poco and he too departed .In 1974 he joined the The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. It was during this time that Al Perkins, the band's pedal steel guitar player, introduced Furay to Christianity. Although Souther, Hillman, Furay's self-titled first album was certified Gold and yielded the top thirty hit with "Fallin' in Love" in 1974, the group could not follow up on that success, and poor record sales eventually led to its demise.
Furay then formed The Richie Furay Band with Jay Truax, John Mehler, and Tom Stipe, releasing the album I've Got a Reason in 1976, which reflected Furay's newfound beliefs. To support the release of this album Furay formed an alliance with David Geffen and Asylum Records. Furay assured Geffen that his album would be Christian influenced but would not be an attempt to preach his newfound beliefs. "I've Got a Reason" did, however, establish Furay as a pioneer in Christian Rock. The title track of his third album, the secular "I Still Have Dreams", became a mild radio hit in 1979. Overall, his albums failed to chart satisfactorily, and, compounded with the strain of two tours during the late 1970s wearing on him and his family, he hung up his rock and roll shoes in favor of a call to the ministry.
Since the early 1980s, Furay has been senior pastor of the Calvary Chapel in Broomfield, Colorado, a non-sectarian Christian church in the Denver area. He continues to perform as a solo artist, and very occasionally with Poco. He toured as an opening act for America and Linda Ronstadt during the Summer of 2006. The 2006 release of his latest CD The Heartbeat of Love returns Furay to his early country-rock roots with a contemporary flair.
In 2007 he toured with a new formation of the Richie Furay Band. At the Boulder and Bluebird Theatres in Colorado they recorded a double live CD ALIVE. The ALIVE set covers 29 songs of Furay's career. The Richie Furay band continued to tour through 2008 and 2009. Furay appeared with Poco for several shows in early 2009. At the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California in the Spring of 2009, Furay and the current Poco lineup were joined onstage by original members Jimmy Messina and George Grantham and former bass player Timothy B. Schmidt reuniting the Poco lineup that achieved the most critical acclaim.
On October 23, 2010, he reunited with surviving Buffalo Springfield bandmates Stephen Stills and Neil Young for a set at the 24th annual Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California.
Richie regrouped with Buffalo Springfield for a 2011 tour, headlining 2011 Bonnaroo with them. In July 2011, Furay announced on his Facebook page that he would be touring with Buffalo Springfield in early 2012, ending speculation there would be a 2011 fall tour with them.
From 2011 to 2015, Furay collaborated with The Piedmont Brothers Band as lead vocalist of some songs recorded in the album PBB III (2011), Back to the Country (2013) and A Christmas Piedmont (2015).
Furay appeared on the April 2013 Carla Olson album Have Harmony, Will Travel. They sang the Gene Clark (of the Byrds) classic "She Don't Care About Time" with Richard Podolor (producer of Souther Hillman & Furay) on mandolin and latter day Byrd John York on guitar.
In 2015 Furay released his CD "Hand in Hand".
Your Friends
Richie Furay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your friends, all of your friends
All of your friends, all of your friends.
You know when you get on your feet again
Everyone will want to be your friend
Yeah, when you get on your feet again
Everyone will want to shake your hand
Everyone will want to see you again
They'll all pat you on your back
Smile and tell you that they're glad you're back.
But when you get on your feet again
Everyone will want to be your friend.
But when you're down and out
There ain't a friend in the world that'll help you out.
But when you get on your feet again
Everyone will want to be your friend
Yeah, when you get on your feet again
Everyone will want to be your friend.
They'll tell you that they'll stand by you, never let you down
But when you start sinkin' low there isn't one of your friends to be found.
Yeah, when your ship comes in
Surprise all of your so-called friends
Give them, give them a helping hand
Show 'em all that you're a bigger man.
Well, when you get on your feet again
Everyone will want to be your friend.
But when you're down and out
There ain't a friend in the world that'll help you out.
But when you get on your feet again
Everyone will want to be your friend.
Your friends, all of your friends
All of your friends, all of your friends
All of your friends, all of your friends
All of your friends, all of your friends.
Your friends, all of your friends
Your friends, all of your friends
…
The lyrics to "Your Friends" by Richie Furay speak to the fickle nature of friendship based on one's success and societal standing. The opening lines set the tone for the song, with the repetition of "all of your friends" emphasizing the pervasive nature of this phenomenon. Furay suggests that when one is down, friends are scarce, but when they rise again, people will come out of the woodwork to be associated with their newfound success. The second stanza continues this theme with the imagery of people wanting to shake hands and pat backs while smiling and showing gladness at their success.
However, Furay acknowledges that these friends may not always be there in times of trouble, and when one has hit rock bottom, they are likely to be alone. The refrain is telling, as it emphasizes the contrast of people wanting to be friends when one is doing well versus the lack of support when they are struggling. The final stanza speaks to the idea that true strength comes not from tearing others down but in helping others succeed. The line "Show 'em all that you're a bigger man" speaks to the idea of generosity and kindness as a measure of character rather than one's success in society's eyes.
Overall, "Your Friends" is a thought-provoking song that reminds us to question the nature of our friendships and to focus on being true to ourselves and others rather than achieving success at any cost.
Line by Line Meaning
Your friends, all of your friends
The people who associate with you and call themselves your friends
You know when you get on your feet again
Everyone will want to be your friend
Yeah, when you get on your feet again
Everyone will want to be your friend.
When you become successful, people who previously ignored you will try to become your friend
Everyone will want to shake your hand
Everyone will want to see you again
They'll all pat you on your back
Smile and tell you that they're glad you're back.
People will act friendly towards you and act like they care about you when you are doing well
But when you're down and out
There ain't a friend in the world that'll help you out.
When you are struggling and not successful, none of your so-called friends will offer help or support
They'll tell you that they'll stand by you, never let you down
But when you start sinkin' low there isn't one of your friends to be found.
People might make promises to always be there for you, but when you actually need help, they won't be around
Yeah, when your ship comes in
Surprise all of your so-called friends
Give them, give them a helping hand
Show 'em all that you're a bigger man.
If you do become successful and help your friends, it shows that you are the better person
Your friends, all of your friends
All of your friends, all of your friends
Your friends, all of your friends
Your friends, all of your friends.
Reiteration of the concept of your friends and their fickle nature
Contributed by Mason L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.