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''
Rust
Richie Kotzen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can move you in so many ways
Then she leaves you alone
To let you know how it feels
I know I was wrong to you
But these days are much too hard
The best years have found a home
I know we're not gettin no younger,
Aint no use hidin what I know
It's better to lose at love
Then to have never loved at all
Tears wont do me no justice,
Theres only rust in my eyes
I'm on my knees every night prayin for you in my life
And now I see very clear what it was I sacrificed
Well if I knew what I had from the start I'd have never
Never let it go this far
All my life I've been hangin on,
But the time ..the time is right...
And I am really all right...yeah
The song Rust by Richie Kotzen is a ballad that describes the pain of losing someone you love. The lyrics describe how a woman can touch a man's heart in so many ways and then leave him, making him feel what it's like to be alone. The singer regrets that he didn't appreciate and love the woman enough when he had the chance. He acknowledges that he was wrong to her, but now he realizes the value of what they had together. The singer also accepts that the relationship is over and that the memories of the best years they spent have found a corner in his mind.
The singer also contemplates the passage of time and how it affects relationships. He acknowledges that they are not getting any younger and that there's no use in hiding what he knows. He believes that it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. The tears he sheds won't make him feel better since he only sees rust in his eyes. The chorus of the song reveals that the singer prays every night for the woman to come back into his life. He realizes that he sacrificed something precious and important, and he wishes he could undo it. Finally, the singer accepts that the time is right to move on and that he is really alright.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me please how a woman
Expressing wonderment on how a woman can affect you in so many ways
Can move you in so many ways
Being perplexed about how a woman can have different types of impact on people
Then she leaves you alone
Referring to how a woman would desert you just to make you sense the pain too
To let you know how it feels
The women leaves you alone to make you comprehend their emotional sufferings
I know I was wrong to you
Realizing that whatever wrong actions done must have been because of your own shortcomings
But these days are much too hard
Life is getting difficult day-by-day
The best years have found a home
The best times have already passed, and it's irreversible
Fallin the corner of my mind
The past is right in the corner of my memory where it haunts me continuously
I know we're not gettin no younger,
Realizing that we all are aging and losing the best moments of our lives
Aint no use hidin what I know
It's of no good to keep hiding or ignoring the truth
It's better to lose at love
It's much better to have lost in love than to have never felt that affection at all
Then to have never loved at all
Choosing to endure the pain of love failures rather than never experiencing love emotions
Tears won't do me no justice,
Crying is not going to resolve the issue or do any good
Theres only rust in my eyes
Feeling as if your eyes have rust in them, meaning a clogging of judgments about the past incidents which haunt you
I'm on my knees every night prayin for you in my life
Expressing a strong desire for a second chance, wishing for the return of the one who walked away
And now I see very clear what it was I sacrificed
Now acknowledging the cost of your past mistakes and what was given up
Well if I knew what I had from the start I'd have never
Regretting the past, knowing that sometimes, what you have is much better than what you could have
Never let it go this far
Indicating the withdrawal of a statement, in that, you went too far and should have acted differently earlier
All my life I've been hangin on,
Living by holding on to something that isn't coming back
But the time ..the time is right...
Comprehending that the best time to do something is now, not then
And I am really all right...yeah
Coming to the realization that you are okay, and it's time to move on
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RICHARD DALE KOTZEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind