Before Queen, Taylor founded Smile with Brian May. Smile released one album in Japan which is now available throughout the world as Ghost of a Smile. Smile wrote a few of the songs which would later appear on Queen's self-titled debut album, and one - Doin' Alright was featured on the Smile album.
Taylor also fronted another band, The Cross from 1987 to 1991. The first album, Shove it (1988) was a solo album by Taylor in all but name - he wrote all the songs and played most of the instruments himself. This was an experiment that didn't really work for Taylor and in the other two albums by The Cross he allowed the other members of the band to contribute more, resulting in more traditionally styled rock albums.
Out of the four original members of Queen Taylor and guitarist Brian May continued to play as Queen + Paul Rodgers between 2004 and 2008. Of the other original members singer Freddie Mercury tragically died in 1991 and bassist John Deacon retired from music business in the mid-1990's.
In 2009, after the partnership between him, Brian and Paul ended, Roger worked on some new solo material from which his single The Unblinking Eye (Everything is Broken) was digitally released at 23th November at Queenonline.com. At the moment it is unclear how the future of Queen will look like, though Roger has announced that he will do a short tour in the spring of 2010.
Cowboys & Indians
Roger Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well the long fast dance of progress
And the long slow waltz of decay
Made such a natural born couple
They settled down right here in the USA
Dream home for two in the USA
Hot jazz, cool blues, we got country
Like to dance, come on down get funky
That's the way, that's the way
That's the way hey, hey in the USA
There's still cowboys and indians at home on the range
But the cowboys and indians have changed - they've changed
We've got James Dean on the silver screen
We've got James Brown he won't let you down
Now Elvis was the king of rock and roll
We got preacher men who want to save your soul
Got the motorcity with the Motown beat
Get hip to the beat on the hip hop street
Stars and bars and the biggest cars
And a rocket ship take you up to Mars
There's the east coast trip where it's real uptight
Where you work all day and you play all night
And the west coast side with the laid back scene
When you just lay back and it seems like a dream
There's a lot of places in between
There's Hollywood and the city by the bay
And the whole damn south down Louisiana way, way, way
That's the way, that's the way hey, hey in the USA
There's still cowboys and indians at home on the range
But the cowboys and indians have changed, the've changed
In the land of the free and the home of the brave
The cowboys and cowgirls and indians have changed
Baby, baby, baby
That's the way, that's the way in the USA
Cowboys and indians...
Home on the range
The song "Cowboys & Indians" by Roger Taylor talks about the dance of progress and decay, with cowboys and Indians being a metaphor for the past that has changed with time. The lyrics describe the modern-day United States as a dream home for two, which blends different genres of music such as hot jazz, cool blues, rock and roll, and country music. The song also highlights the different regions of the US, such as the east coast, west coast, and Louisiana, that have their unique culture and lifestyle. The chorus emphasizes that while there are still cowboys and Indians at home on the range, they have changed with time, like the rest of America.
The lyrics suggest that Americans embrace the new culture while not forgetting their heritage. They value their history but also accept and welcome the changes happening in their country. It reflects the changing times and the evolution of American culture into a melting pot of different sounds, values, and beliefs. Overall the song compares the past with the present, highlighting the contrast between the two while acknowledging that change is inevitable and necessary.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a long fast dance
Life progresses quickly
Well the long fast dance of progress
Life is a dance and the fast parts represent progress
And the long slow waltz of decay
However, just as there are fast parts of life, there are slow parts of decay
Made such a natural born couple
These two aspects of life go hand in hand
They settled down right here in the USA
This is all happening in the United States
Dream home for two in the USA
The United States is a place to live the 'American Dream'
Hot jazz, cool blues, we got country
America is home to many styles of music
We get rock and roll all day
Rock and roll is an important part of American music
Like to dance, come on down get funky
People in America love to dance and have fun
That's the way, that's the way
This is just the American way of life
That's the way hey, hey in the USA
All of this happens specifically in the USA
There's still cowboys and indians at home on the range
The traditional symbols of the American West are still present today
But the cowboys and indians have changed - they've changed
However, these symbols have evolved over time
We've got James Dean on the silver screen
America has a history of movie stars that are iconic
We've got James Brown he won't let you down
Music legends are also an important part of American history
Now Elvis was the king of rock and roll
Elvis Presley was particularly famous as a rock and roll artist
We got preacher men who want to save your soul
Religion is also an important feature of American life
Got the motorcity with the Motown beat
Detroit is famous for its music scene
Get hip to the beat on the hip hop street
Hip hop music is particularly important to contemporary American culture
Stars and bars and the biggest cars
America is also known for its love of luxury
And a rocket ship take you up to Mars
The United States is also known for its space program
There's the east coast trip where it's real uptight
The East Coast of America is particularly known for its busy, fast-paced lifestyle
Where you work all day and you play all night
People in the East Coast tend to have busy lives but also have a lot of fun
And the west coast side with the laid back scene
The West Coast of America is known for its more relaxed lifestyle
When you just lay back and it seems like a dream
The West Coast lifestyle is often described as a dream
There's a lot of places in between
There are many different types of lifestyles in America
There's Hollywood and the city by the bay
California is famous for its film industry and for cities like San Francisco
And the whole damn south down Louisiana way, way, way
The Southern part of America is known for its unique cultural characteristics, particularly in Louisiana
In the land of the free and the home of the brave
America is known for its freedom and courage
The cowboys and cowgirls and indians have changed
Symbols of the American West have adapted over time and have become more inclusive
Baby, baby, baby
Lyric for effect
That's the way, that's the way in the USA
Again, this is just the way things are in America
Cowboys and indians...
Symbols of the American West are still around in various forms
Home on the range
Repeats the idea of the American West
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROGER MEDDOWS TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind