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".
Going Back to Okinawa
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Goin' back down to Okinawa
Sorry, baby, but I can't take you
You better stay at home in California
There's nothing over there that you can do
Goin' back down to Okinawa
They treat me like a king down in Okinawa
And I may never come back no more
It's just an island floating in the sun
Everybody is having so much fun
Pretty mamas laying in the sand
Sure to know how to treat your man
Okinawian baby, won't you come by me ?
Sun going down in the China Sea
Making love on the beach all night
Okinawa moon is shining so bright
Folks in Okinawa sure have fun
They get together when the working day is done
Drinking cheap wine. and making romance
While some old man's doing the Okina dance
Back in the days of World War II
Fought against the Japanese like me and you
Everybody's worried 'bout World War III
Okinawa's just the place where I'm gonna be
Going back to Okinawa
Sorry, but I can't take you
Never coming back no more, baby
The lyrics of Ry Cooder's song "Going Back to Okinawa" tell a story of a man returning to Okinawa. He tells his lover that he cannot take her with him to the island, as there is nothing for her to do there. He talks about how the people of Okinawa treat him like a king and how he may never come back. He paints a picture of an island paradise, with pretty mamas laying in the sand and a beautiful Okinawa moon shining bright.
The chorus repeats his intentions to go back to Okinawa and how he'll never come back. He tells an Okinawian baby to come by him and make love on the beach all night under the China Sea's setting sun. The song describes how the people in Okinawa have fun and enjoy drinking cheap wine, making romance, and dancing the Okina dance.
The lyrics also mention World War II, and how both the Americans and the Japanese fought against each other. He mentions how everyone is worried about World War III, but Okinawa is a peaceful place he wants to be. The song's lyrics capture the magic of Okinawa, the simplicity of life on the island, the love, and the beauty.
Line by Line Meaning
Goin' back down to Okinawa
Heading back to Okinawa
Sorry, baby, but I can't take you
Unfortunately, I can't bring you with me
You better stay at home in California
It's best if you remain in California
There's nothing over there that you can do
There's no point in going
Ain't gonna do me like you've done before
I won't let you treat me the way you've treated me previously
They treat me like a king down in Okinawa
The people in Okinawa treat me well
And I may never come back no more
I might not return at all
It's just an island floating in the sun
It's a small island in the sun
Everybody is having so much fun
Everyone is enjoying themselves
Pretty mamas laying in the sand
Attractive women are relaxing on the beach
Sure to know how to treat your man
They know how to take care of their partners
Okinawian baby, won't you come by me ?
Okinawan woman, would you come over to me?
Sun going down in the China Sea
The sun is setting in the East China Sea
Making love on the beach all night
Spending the night making love on the beach
Okinawa moon is shining so bright
The moon is shining brightly in Okinawa
Folks in Okinawa sure have fun
People in Okinawa definitely have a good time
They get together when the working day is done
They come together after the workday is over
Drinking cheap wine, and making romance
Drinking inexpensive wine and engaging in romantic activities
While some old man's doing the Okina dance
Meanwhile, an elderly man is performing the Okinawan dance
Back in the days of World War II
During the era of World War II
Fought against the Japanese like me and you
Fought against the Japanese, just like you and me
Everybody's worried 'bout World War III
Everyone is concerned about a potential World War III
Okinawa's just the place where I'm gonna be
Okinawa is the place where I'm going to spend my time
Going back to Okinawa
Returning to Okinawa
Sorry, but I can't take you
Unfortunately, I can't bring you with me
Never coming back no more, baby
Possibly never returning again
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RY COODER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind