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".
Rally
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll rally 'round again
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
We will rally from the hillside
We'll gather from the plain
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
The union forever, hurrah boys, hurrah
While we rally 'round the flag, boys
Rally once again
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
We will welcome to our numbers
The loyal, true and brave
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
And although he may be poor
Not a man shall be a slave
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
So we're springing to the call
From the east and from the west
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
And we'll prove a loyal crew
To the land we love the best
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
The song "Rally" by Ry Cooder is a cover of "The Battle Cry of Freedom", a popular Civil War song written by George Frederick Root that praises the Union and denounces the Confederacy. The lyrics encourage those who love their country to rally around the flag and fight for freedom. The first and second verses express the idea of gathering together from different parts of the country, whether it's the hillside or the plain, to shout the battle cry of freedom. The third verse states the Union's goal to stay together and defeat the traitors, with a rallying cry for the loyal and brave to join their cause. The fourth verse speaks to the idea of equality, stating that no man shall be a slave, regardless of their financial status.
The chorus of the song, which repeats throughout, is a rallying cry for Union supporters, a call to arms for the fight for freedom. The song was likely a morale booster during the Civil War, as it reinforced the ideas of unity and freedom, and encouraged people to join the fight.
Overall, "Rally" by Ry Cooder is a powerful interpretation of "The Battle Cry of Freedom". Through the use of simple but impactful lyrics and a catchy chorus, the song conveys the idea that those who love their country will band together to fight for freedom and equality.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, we'll rally 'round the flag, boys
We will come together under the flag as a sign of national unity
We'll rally 'round again
We have rallied before and will do so again
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
We will shout loudly in support of the freedom we desire
We will rally from the hillside
We will assemble from all corners, including those far from cities and towns
We'll gather from the plain
We will come together from the flatlands and prairies alike
The union forever, hurrah boys, hurrah
We pledge eternal allegiance to our union and are excited to shout alongside it
Down with the traitor, up with the star
We reject any traitors and pledge our support to the national symbol, the star
While we rally 'round the flag, boys
As we gather under the flag
Rally once again
Coming together once more
We will welcome to our numbers
We will welcome new people into our group
The loyal, true and brave
We are only interested in loyal, genuine and brave people
And although he may be poor
Regardless of a person's financial standing
Not a man shall be a slave
Slavery will not be tolerated in any form for anyone
So we're springing to the call
We are responding to the call with zeal and energy
From the east and from the west
People are coming from all directions
And we'll prove a loyal crew
We will show our loyalty as a group
To the land we love the best
We deeply love our country
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
Still shouting for freedom
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: RY COODER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind