He quit Faces in 1973 and formed his own band, Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance, in 1973 to record the hit single "How Come" (UK No. 11) and "The Poacher", then the album Anymore For Anymore, showcasing his own blend of British rock music, folk, and country music.
After initial success with the singles, he commenced a tour called "the Passing Show", touring the UK as a carnival, complete with tents, barkers, etc. Viv Stanshall, from the The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, was a short-lived ringmaster (of sorts).
Lane moved to Island Records and issued Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance and One For The Road. In late 1976, he joined a short-lived reformation of the Small Faces, but quit after two rehearsals, to be replaced by Rick Wills (who currently plays alongside the former Small Faces drummer, Kenney Jones, in the Jones Gang). However, since Lane had already signed a contract with Atlantic Records as part of the reformed Small Faces, Atlantic informed him that he owed them an album. Pete Townshend recorded an album with Lane, titled Rough Mix, which was released in 1977. Rough Mix was lauded as contender for best album of the year by many critics, but the label did not promote it, and sales were thereby lacklustre. Rough Mix not only left Lane out of debt to the label, but it cemented his credentials as an unsung hero.[citation needed]
During the recording of Rough Mix, Lane was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (his mother had also suffered, and died, from the disease). Nonetheless, he toured, wrote, and recorded (with Eric Clapton, among many others) and managed to release yet another album, See Me, which features several songs written by Lane and Clapton.
In 1983, his girlfriend, Boo Oldfield, contacted record producer Glyn Johns in the hopes of getting a concert going to help fund Action for Research into Multiple Sclerosis, a London-based organization. Johns was already arranging Clapton's Command Performance for Prince Charles, so they decided to book the Albert Hall for another couple of nights and hold a benefit. The resulting A.R.M.S. Concerts featured Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Kenney Jones, Andy Fairweather-Low, and more. With the addition of Joe Cocker and Paul Rodgers, they toured the U.S. It was during this time that Rodgers and Page started the band, The Firm.
Move to Texas
Lane moved to Texas in 1984, where the climate was more beneficial to his health, and continued playing, writing, and recording. He formed an American version of Slim Chance, which was, as always, a loose-knit conglomeration of available musicians. For much of the time, membership included Alejandro Escovedo. For close to a decade, Lane enjoyed his rock royalty status in the Austin area, and even toured Japan. Still, his health continued to decline, and his last performance was in 1992 at a Ron Wood gig. Also in the band that night was Ian McLagan. In 1994, Ronnie and his last wife, Susan, moved to the small town of Trinidad, Colorado. Jimmy Page and Rod Stewart generously continued to donate money for his medical care because there were yet no royalties from Small Faces' work. Through the efforts of Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan, the Small Faces were eventually able to secure ongoing royalty payments. By then, however, Steve Marriott had died in a house fire, and on June 4, 1997, Lane had succumbed to pneumonia.
In 2000, Paul Weller recorded "He's the Keeper", a song dedicated to Lane's memory. An album of live BBC recordings was about to be released to raise money for his care when Lane died. An album of live and in-studio recordings from Lane's Austin days was later culled, and released as Live in Austin. The place where he was born, Plaistow (in East London) named a street after him, fittingly called "Ronnie Lane", in 2001. In January, 2006, BBC Four debuted an extensive documentary about Lane, which had been in the works since 2000. They also aired vintage concerts by the Faces and Slim Chance. In October 2006 the documentary was also shown on BBC Two.
Lazy Sunday
Ronnie Lane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But they make it very clear they've got no room for ravers
They stop me from groovin' they bang on me wall
They're doin' me crust in it's no good at all
Lazy Sunday afternoon
I've got no mind to worry
Close my eyes and drift away
Here we all are sittin' in a rainbow
Cor blimey hallo Missus Jones
How's your Berts lombago?
I'll sing you a song with no words and no tune
I'll sing at your party while you suss out the moon oh yeah!
Lazy Sunday afternoon
I got no mind to worry
Close my eyes and drift away
Close my eyes and drift away
Close my eyes and drift away
A-roo de do de do
A-roo de do de doi doi!
there's no one to see me there's nothin' to say
And no one can stop me from feelin' this way
Lazy Sunday afternoon
I've got no mind to worry
Close my eyes and drift away
Close my eyes and drift away
close my eyes and drift away
Ronnie Lane's song Lazy Sunday is about the struggle of being an outsider in one's own community. The singer expresses a desire to get along with their neighbors, but their neighbors make it clear that they do not want anything to do with the singer or their lifestyle. The neighbors bang on the singer's wall and prevent them from dancing and having fun. The singer is frustrated by this and feels like they are being unfairly targeted. Despite this, the singer takes solace in the idle pleasures of a lazy Sunday afternoon. They "close their eyes and drift away" from their worries and the judgmental attitudes of their neighbors.
The lyrics of Lazy Sunday speak to the universal human desire to belong and connect with others. The singer's situation is one that many people can relate to, whether because of their race, sexuality, or lifestyle. The song is also a comment on the conservative attitudes of British society in the 1960s, when the song was written. It was a time of social upheaval, and many people were challenging the status quo. The singer's neighbors represent a conservative mindset that is threatened by those who are different from them.
Line by Line Meaning
Wouldn't it be nice to get on wiv me neighbors
It would be great if my neighbors and I got along
But they make it very clear they've got no room for ravers
My neighbors don't like me playing music and having fun
They stop me from groovin' they bang on me wall
They disrupt my music by banging on the wall
They're doin' me crust in it's no good at all
Their behavior bothers me and makes me unhappy
Lazy Sunday afternoon
It's a relaxed, lazy Sunday afternoon
I've got no mind to worry
I don't have any concerns on my mind
Close my eyes and drift away
I close my eyes and relax, letting my thoughts drift away
Here we all are sittin' in a rainbow
We are all relaxed and happy
Cor blimey hallo Missus Jones
Hello, Mrs. Jones!
How's your Berts lombago?
How is your husband's back pain?
I'll sing you a song with no words and no tune
I'll sing something improvised and unstructured
I'll sing at your party while you suss out the moon oh yeah!
I'll sing at your party while you admire the moon
A-roo de do de do
Nonsensical vocalization to add to the relaxed atmosphere
A-roo de do de doi doi!
More nonsensical vocalization
There's no one to see me there's nothin' to say
I am alone and don't need to talk or impress anyone
And no one can stop me from feelin' this way
Nobody can interfere with how I feel
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RONNIE LANE, STEVE MARRIOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Mauste007
Not wanna say anything bad about Marriot, but Ronnie Lane wa the special one. He was the genious.
@aliceborealis
That means soooo much coming from someone who can't even SPELL 'genius'.