Richie Kotzen is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.

Bor… Read Full Bio ↴Richie Kotzen is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.

Born in Reading, Pennsylvania on February 3, 1970, Richie Kotzen was soon taken by music and first began playing piano at the age of five. At the age of seven he was inspired by New York City band KISS to learn the electric guitar. Relentlessly developing chops and his own unique voice on the guitar, Kotzen was eventually discovered by Shrapnel Records' Mike Varney, and he recorded his first album by the age of 18. During that same year, he also graced the cover of several publications including Guitar World Magazine. He created the video Rock Chops for REH video in 1989, highlighting many of his formative techniques, including using wide-intervals and fluid sweeping.

In 1993, Kotzen made his big break when he joined the rock band Poison at age 20, co-writing and performing on the album Native Tongue. This album produced two top twenty singles which Richie wrote, Stand and Until You Suffer Some. Kotzen was subsequently fired from the band when it was discovered that he had been romantically involved with Deanna Eve, the ex-fiance of Poison drummer Rikki Rockett. Kotzen and Eve later married and divorced. In 1999 Kotzen replaced Paul Gilbert as guitarist in the mainstream rock band Mr. Big. Kotzen maintained the band's enormous success, performing on the Mr. Big record Get Over It, which sold more than 1,975,000 copies in its first two weeks in Japan, eventually reaching platinum status. Kotzen also contributed guitars to Mr. Big's subsequent release Actual Size. The record included the Kotzen song Shine, which debuted at number one on Japanese radio charts. Following the disbanding of Mr. Big, Kotzen released the solo album Change, in 2003. The title track, and the song Get A Life were featured in TV commercials throughout Japan.

In mid 2002 Kotzen established a recording Studio/Production company in Los Angeles, California. He has since been producing acclaimed solo albums and collaborating with various figures in rock, jazz, and fusion. He now has formed a band called Forty Deuce which recently released a new album entitled Nothing to Lose.

Richie has a unique style, which he has described as a mix of rock, jazz fusion, and soul music. Of his albums, he claims he is most proud of Vertu. Kotzen utilizes a heavy amount of legato playing into his solos.

Richie is now living in Los Angeles, California. Besides playing the guitar, his hobbies include exercise and sports, especially basketball. Richie has said that if he had'nt become a professional musician, he would have liked to play professional basketball.

In 2008, Kotzen released his first official live album, "Live In São Paulo", which featured Johnny Griparic on bass and Dan Potruch on Drums.

Discography

* (1989) Richie Kotzen
* (1990) Fever Dream
* (1991) Electric Joy
* (1991) Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (Soundtrack)
* (1993) Native Tongue (Poison)
* (1994) Mother Head's Family Reunion
* (1995) Inner Galactic Fusion Experience
* (1995) Tilt (with Greg Howe)
* (1996) Wave of Emotion
* (1996) Times Gonna Tell (EP)
* (1997) Kotzen/Howe Project (with Greg Howe)
* (1997) Something to Say
* (1998) What Is
* (1999) Break It All Down
* (1999) BiPolar Blues
* (1999) Vertu (project with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White)
* (1999) Get Over It (Mr. Big)
* (2000) Deep Cuts (Mr. Big)
* (2001) Actual Size (Mr. Big)
* (2001) Slow
* (2002) In Japan (Mr. Big)
* (2003) Change
* (2003) Acoustic Cuts
* (2004) Get Up
* (2004) The Best of Richie Kotzen
* (2005) Nothing to Lose (Forty-Deuce)
* (2006) ZxR Ai Senshi
* (2006) Into the Black
* (2007) ''Return Of The Mother Head's Family Reunion'' (Japan & Europe)
* (2007) ''Go Faster'' (US only)
* (2008) ''Live In São Paulo''
* (2009) ''Peace Sign''
* (2011) ''24 Hours''
* (2013) ''The Winery Dogs'' (The Winery Dogs)
* (2014) ''Unleashed In Japan: The Second Show'' (The Winery Dogs) Released only In Japan (DVD/2CD)
* (2014) ''The Essential''
* (2015) ''Cannibals''
* (2015) ''Hot Streak'' (The Winery Dogs)
* (2017) ''Salting Earth''

Videography

* (1989) Rock Chops
* (1994) Mother Head's family Reunion (Videoclip from the Mother Head's family Reunion Album)
* (1996) Wave of Emotion (Videoclip from the Wave of Emotion Album)
* (2001) Don't Wanna Lie (Videoclip from the Slow Album)
* (2001) Shine (Videoclip from Mr. Big's Actual Size Album)
* (2002) ''Hi-Tech Rock Guitar''
* (2005) ''Live In South America''
* (2008) ''Chase It'' (Videoclip from the R.O.T.M.F.R. Album)
* (2008) ''Bootlegged in Brazil''
* (2014) ''Unleashed In Japan: The Second Show'' (The Winery Dogs) Released only In Japan (DVD/2CD)'
* (2015) ''Live''

Faded
Richie Kotzen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you wanna find some you got to try some more
What world you die for?
When you're faded if you got a life
Open your eyes before your faded

Arnie was a hitter for twin valley little league
Signed up in the summer of '73
Had big dreams of winnin the new world series
Till daddy went away on permanent leave
Behind the sweat and frustrated times
The fight to make ends meet
Is that age old story of what it takes
The right time at the right place

If you wanna find some you got to try some more
What would you die for when you're faded
If you got a life then open your eyes before
You are faded
If you wanna find some you got to try some more
What would you die for when you're jaded
If you got a life then
Open your eyes before your're faded

Yeah yeah yeah yeah
If you wanna find some you got to try some more
What would you die for when you're faded
If you got a life then open your eyes before
You are faded, oh baby
If you wanna find open your're eyes some more,
What would you die for? When you're jaded
If you got a life boy open your eyes before you're faded
You are faded hey yeah yeah yeah yeah no,

Oh what can you do?
Hey yeah yeah

Overall Meaning

The first verse is about Janis, who works the late shift in a coffee house and had once wanted to be a movie star, but her dreams never came true. She married a merchant marine and her silver screen dreams are now just a haunting memory. The lyrics suggest that she had a hard luck story, and the reality of her situation has struck her hard. The chorus encourages the listener to keep trying, to not give up even when things seem difficult or when you feel like you're fading away. It asks the question, "What would you die for?" and suggests that it's important to open your eyes and appreciate the life you have before it's too late.

The second verse is about Arnie, who had big dreams of being a baseball player, but his father left and his dreams were shattered. He had to work hard to make ends meet and the struggle is an age-old story of what it takes to succeed. The chorus is repeated, emphasizing the need to keep trying and not give up. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus and some ad-libs.

Overall, the lyrics of "Faded" are a reminder to stay positive and keep working towards your goals, even when the road is tough. It's important to appreciate what you have and to keep striving towards what you want, because life is short and you never know when it might be too late.

Line by Line Meaning

Janis worked the late shift in an all night Coffee house down by the 23 east Had high hopes of being a movie star Till she married a merchant marine Under her hat where the silver screen dreams Are a hounting memory Is a too true story of hard luck faith struck by reality
Janis used to work at a 24-hour coffee shop near the 23 East. She had lofty ambitions of being a movie star, but it was all cut short when she got married to a sailor. Her memories of wanting to be a famous actress haunt her, but the reality is that she has had a difficult life.

If you wanna find some you got to try some more What world you die for? When you're faded if you got a life Open your eyes before your faded
To find what you're looking for, you have to make more effort. What are you willing to sacrifice for your goals? Don't wait till it's too late to live your life; wake up and realize what you have before it's gone.

Arnie was a hitter for twin valley little league Signed up in the summer of '73 Had big dreams of winnin the new world series Till daddy went away on permanent leave Behind the sweat and frustrated times The fight to make ends meet Is that age old story of what it takes The right time at the right place
Arnie played for the Twin Valley Little League and had dreams of winning the World Series. However, his father died, which made life harder for him. Despite the difficult times and constant struggles to make ends meet, he knows that success comes down to being in the right place at the right time.

If you wanna find some you got to try some more What would you die for when you're faded If you got a life then open your eyes before You are faded
To achieve your goals, you must put in more effort. What are you willing to fight for, even when you're at your lowest? Don't wait until it's too late to appreciate all that you have.

If you wanna find some you got to try some more What would you die for when you're jaded If you got a life then Open your eyes before your're faded
Putting in more effort is the only way to reach your goals. What are you willing to do when you're exhausted and worn out? If you have a life worth living, don't wait until you're too tired to enjoy it. Wake up, appreciate what you have, and go make it count.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah If you wanna find some you got to try some more What would you die for when you're faded If you got a life then open your eyes before You are faded, oh baby If you wanna find open your're eyes some more, What would you die for? When you're jaded If you got a life boy open your eyes before you're faded You are faded hey yeah yeah yeah yeah no, Oh what can you do? Hey yeah yeah
You have to work harder to achieve your desires. What are you willing to do for your ambitions when you're exhausted and have nothing left? Appreciate your life while you have it and don't wait until it's too late. There's no time to waste when chasing your goals.

Writer(s): Richie Kotzen

Contributed by Jason A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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