It was during this time that they changed their name to Rock City Angels and worked different musical genres into their style. From glam, soul and blues to classic rock, the band then moved to Los Angeles where they quickly gained a following with their inclusion of guitar players, Johnny Depp and Mike Angel. In 1987 they were signed to Geffen Records, soon after Johnny had left to pursue a career in acting and Angel quit for personal reasons.
With the basic line-up in tow, they moved to Memphis where Bobby, Andy, Doug Banks and drummer Ringo Jukes hooked up with guitarist Mike Barnes to record the "Young Man's Blues" LP with Jim Dickinson who had just produced the Replacements.
"Young Man's Blues" went on to become a critical favorite of 1988 and sold hundreds of thousands worldwide. The band toured first with Jimmy Page, then Joan Jett and the Georgia Satellites. In 1991 the band toured Japan to sold out venues and continued to write for their next Geffen release.
That release would never come. Geffen failed to honor their contract and the band broke up in 1993. Throughout the 90’s Bobby and Andy continued to play in other bands while on the internet a revolution was coming. A compilation album was released in 1999, "Rock City Angels".
In 2001 Bobby discovered that Young Man’s Blues was still a cult favorite and decided to try to record something different, something more personal. He recruited his old friends Andy, Jimmy James (an original RCA guitarist) and new drummer Chris Yates to create "Use Once and Destroy".
"Use Once and Destroy" was released Thanksgiving 2008.
And, released 2010 by FnA Records, "Midnight Confessions - Lost sounds - 1989-1993") ! These demo's for the unreleased second Geffen album have been remastered and sound fantastic! Includes a legendary performance from Brian Robertson of Thin Lizzie, who wrote 6 songs with Bobby in late 1992. Check it out at http://www.fnarecords.net/artists/32-r/152-rock-city-angels-midnight-confessions
Another release "Southern Vision: Lost Recordings from 1989 to 1992, Vol. 2" followed in 2018.
Mary
Rock City Angels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another shot of tears rolling my way
Was I so blind I just couldn't see
The way your love just burned into me
Oh Mary
With no money to spend and love to begin
Oh Mary
I'd sell my soul just once
No-one could see, ni-one could know
We all loved ya, didn't it show
We all get tired of life, year, that's true
But a needle's no defence
When the tears won't do
With no money to spend
And only love to begin
oh Mary
I'd sell my soul just once
Just to have a love
Mary, where's my love?
The lyrics to Rock City Angels' song "Mary" present a story of heartbreak and loss. The singer is reminiscing on their past relationship with Mary, who is no longer with them. The song begins with them seeing a picture of Mary on a magazine cover, which sends them into a spiral of sadness with tears rolling down their face. The singer questions whether they were blinded by love and couldn't see how much Mary's love meant to them until it was gone. The chorus repeats the line "Oh Mary" emphasizing their longing for her. They lament the fact that they were too broke to do anything for her, yet all they had to offer was love. The second verse speaks to the fact that everyone loved Mary, but no one knew how tired she was of life. They recognize that a needle is not a defense against the pain of life, and they would do anything to have her back.
In summary, the song tells the story of a lost love and a broken heart. It speaks to the depths of despair that comes with the loss of a loved one and the regrets and longing that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw your picture on the cover today
I saw your picture on a magazine cover today
Another shot of tears rolling my way
Seeing your picture made me cry again
Was I so blind I just couldn't see
Maybe I was blind and couldn't see the truth
The way your love just burned into me
Your love affected me deeply
Oh Mary
Addressing Mary, the subject of the song
With no money to spend and love to begin
I have no money but enough love to start a relationship with you
Oh Mary
Addressing Mary again
I'd sell my soul just once
I'd do anything, even make a deal with the devil, to have another chance with you
Just to have one more chance
I want another opportunity to spend time with you
No-one could see, ni-one could know
Nobody else could see or know how I feel about you
We all loved ya, didn't it show
We all loved you and it was obvious
We all get tired of life, year, that's true
We all get tired of life sometimes
But a needle's no defence
Using drugs is not a solution to our problems
When the tears won't do
When crying doesn't help anymore
With no money to spend
I'm broke and can't afford anything
And only love to begin
All I have is my love to offer
oh Mary
Addressing Mary again
I'd sell my soul just once
I'd do anything to be with you
Just to have a love
I just want to experience love
Mary, where's my love?
Asking Mary where my love is
Writer(s): Mikhail Stein, Robert Kuster, Simon Angell, Patrick Watson
Contributed by Lillian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@luvdabluzzz
This is sooo awesome! WOW!!!
JUSTICE FOR JOHNNY FROM WE THE PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD!!!
@therockcityangelstheabuser2922
Thank You Leslie!
@raindemarre
I've been listening to this.(w/ Bobby Durango /M Barnes) music since 88. It's the first time I've seen Johnny get credit for it. It's true that he was the original lead in this band. Love it still..brings back so many memories.
@t.a.4702
I was diggin on this bigtime since it's release around 89'.. I had a CD mix of it. Rock City Angels boyz.. Pure pain and blues.
@lauriemagdefrau2091
JD is a very,very talented man
@jonshearer7309
I didn't know he wrote this song this is amazing
@annabelmgraham
This track has teeth...wow!
So much going on and dynamic ranges being explored. I could listen to this over and over. Beautiful.
@therockcityangelstheabuser2922
Tell Johnny to record it!
@annabelmgraham
@The Rock City Angels, The Abusers He definitely should. You've prob got a better chance of contacting him than I do.
@gildaaparecida6012
This song is a masterpiece💕