Ryland "Ry" Peter Cooder (b. 1947) is a guitarist, singer and composer from… Read Full Bio ↴Ryland "Ry" Peter Cooder (b. 1947) is a guitarist, singer and composer from the United States. He is known mostly for his slide guitar work, his passion for American roots music, and for his collaborations with the Rolling Stones, the Buena Vista Social Club and many other musicians from countries all around the world.

Born in Los Angeles, California on 15th March 1947, Cooder first attracted attention in the 1960s, playing with Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, after having worked with Taj Mahal in The Rising Sons.

He was a session guitarist on various recording sessions with the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969; Cooder's contributions most notably appear on the Stones' Beggars Banquet where he shares a prominent credit with pianist, Nicky Hopkins on the back cover. He continued to appear on the succeeding albums, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers, on which he contributed the haunting slide guitar solo to "Sister Morphine". Cooder is reputed to have taught Keith Richards to play in open-G tuning, now a Richards hallmark, as well as to have written the open-G signature riff of "Honky Tonk Women". He was briefly considered to fill the departed Brian Jones' place in the Rolling Stones, but reportedly Cooder and Keith Richards did not get along very well. For some time after the sessions, Cooder accused Keith Richards of "ripping him off" musically, but now refuses to talk about his experiences with the Stones. Cooder played slide guitar for the 1970 film Performance, which contained Mick Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner" on which Cooder played guitar.

Throughout the 1970s Cooder released a series of Warner Brothers albums that showcased his guitar work, to some degree. In this respect, Cooder's guitar work on these records is not unlike the guitar playing of Robbie Robertson on the Band's albums: Both virtuosos emphasized song over solo. Cooder's 1970s albums spotlight, more than anything, a wide-ranging taste in music. Cooder has been seen as almost a musicologist, exploring bygone musical genres with personalized and sensitive, updated reworkings of revered originals. Cooder's 1970s albums (with the exception of Jazz) cannot be neatly pigeonholed by genre, But - to generalise broadly - it might be fair to call Cooder's first album blues; Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, and Paradise and Lunch, folk + blues; Chicken Skin Music and Showtime, a unique melange of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; Jazz, 1920s jazz; Bop till You Drop 1950s R&B and blues; and Borderline an eclectic mix of Tex-Mex with blues, R&B, and country and Get Rhythm, with more rock-based excursions.

Cooder has worked as a studio musician and has also scored many film soundtracks, of which perhaps the best known is that for the 1984 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas. Ry Cooder based this soundtrack, and the haunting title song "Paris, Texas" on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)", which he described as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all music from the US." His other film work includes Walter Hill's The Long Riders (1980) and Southern Comfort (1981).

In recent years, Cooder has played a role in the increased appreciation of traditional Cuban music, due to his collaboration as producer in the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. Cooder worked with Tuvan throat singers for the score to the 1993 film Geronimo: An American Legend.

Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and almost everything else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Little Feat, the Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Gabby Pahinui, and Ali Farka Toure. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.

Cooder's 1979 album Bop till You Drop was the first popular music album to be recorded digitally. It yielded his biggest hit, a disco/R&B cover of Elvis Presley's 1960s recording "Little Sister".

634-5789
Ry Cooder Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you need some good loving
Call on me
And if you need some good hugging
Call on me baby
I'll be right here at home
All you gotta do is pick up the telephone and dial now

Six three four five seven eight nine

That's my number
Six three four five seven eight nine

If you want some loving
Call on me
And if you want sweet hugging
Call on me baby
No more lonely nights will you be alone
All you gotta do is pick up the telephone and dial now

Six three four five seven eight nine
That's my number
Six three four five seven eight nine

I'll be right there
Just as soon as I can
And if I'll be a little bit late
I hope you will understand

If you want some good loving
Call on me
If you need a good loving baby
Call on me baby
Oh I'll be right here at home
All you gotta do is pick up that telephone and dial now

Six three four five seven eight nine
That's my number

Six three four five seven eight nine
Six three four five seven eight nine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ry Cooder's song 634-5789 are a declaration of love and commitment from the singer. He promises to be there for his lover whenever they need him, whether it be for good loving or sweet hugging. The repeated refrain of "Call on me" emphasizes the singer's willingness to be there for his partner no matter what, and the simple and catchy melody makes the message clear and memorable.

The phone number in the title, 634-5789, was actually the phone number for soul music radio station WLOK in Memphis, Tennessee. It is likely that Cooder was inspired by seeing the number written on billboards or hearing it repeatedly on the radio.

Line by Line Meaning

If you need some good loving
If you require someone to care for and cherish you

Call on me
Feel free to seek my assistance or support.

And if you need some good hugging
And when you are in need of affectionate embrace

Call on me baby
Feel free to seek my assistance or support, dear.

I'll be right here at home
I am always available at my residence.

All you gotta do is pick up the telephone and dial now
Just dial my phone number for immediate assistance.

Six three four five seven eight nine
The exact number one must dial to reach me

If you want some loving
If you desire my affection and love

And if you want sweet hugging
If you seek caring and tender embraces from me

No more lonely nights will you be alone
You will always have a companion by your side

Six three four five seven eight nine
The exact number one must dial to reach me

I'll be right there
I will come to you immediately

Just as soon as I can
As quickly as I possibly can

And if I'll be a little bit late
If my arrival is delayed by a short span

I hope you will understand
I trust you will be tolerant and accept this delay

If you want some good loving
If you desire my affection and love

Call on me
Feel free to seek my assistance or support.

If you need a good loving baby
If you require a genuine and sincere loving partner

Call on me baby
Feel free to seek my assistance or support, dear.

Oh I'll be right here at home
I am always available at my residence.

All you gotta do is pick up that telephone and dial now
Just dial my phone number for immediate assistance.

Six three four five seven eight nine
The exact number one must dial to reach me

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVE CROPPER, EDDIE FLOYD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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