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 'Round The Flag
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 Round the Flag" is a patriotic song that speaks of the rally towards the flag and battle cry. It is a song that speaks of a call to arms with a sense of honor and duty towards a nation. The song starts with the singer saying, "Yes, we’ll rally 'round the flag, boys, we'll rally 'round again, shouting the battle cry of freedom." This line captures the sense of duty and honor that comes with rallying behind the flag. The singer emphasizes the importance of rallying despite the potential dangers ahead, which includes shouting the battle cry of freedom as a common call to arms.
The second paragraph, "The union forever, hurrah boys, hurrah, down with the traitor, up with the star, while we rally 'round the flag, boys, rally once again, shouting the battle cry of freedom," speaks of a collective union, emphasizing the need for all people to come together and rally around a common cause, which is freedom. The song particularly highlights the importance of nation above individualism, calling out traitors and highlighting the need for loyalty to the nation. It concludes with an invitation to join hands and stand loyal to the nation.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, we'll rally 'round the flag, boys
We will gather together to show our support and allegiance to our country.
We'll rally 'round again
We will come together once more, just as we have in the past.
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
We will loudly proclaim our desire for freedom and our willingness to fight for it.
We will rally from the hillside
We will gather from high points in the terrain to show our unity and strength.
We'll gather from the plain
We will also gather from low-lying areas, uniting people from all levels of society.
The union forever, hurrah boys, hurrah
We will stand together as one, committed to preserving our nation and its values.
Down with the traitor, up with the star
We will not tolerate those who seek to harm our country, and we will proudly display our flag as a symbol of hope and freedom.
While we rally 'round the flag, boys
As we come together to support our country and its ideals,
Rally once again
We will do so again and again, whenever necessary.
We will welcome to our numbers
We will be inclusive and welcoming to all who share our values and support our cause.
The loyal, true and brave
We seek those who are loyal, honest, and courageous in their commitment to our country.
And although he may be poor
Even those who are disadvantaged or economically challenged deserve our support and protection.
Not a man shall be a slave
We will fight for the rights and freedoms of all people, and will not tolerate slavery or oppression in any form.
So we're springing to the call
We are eager and energized to respond to the call of duty and defend our country.
From the east and from the west
People from all regions of the country will come together to support our cause.
And we'll prove a loyal crew
We will show ourselves to be committed and dependable, working together for the common good.
To the land we love the best
Our love and devotion is for our country, and we will do everything in our power to protect it.
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
We will continue to loudly proclaim our desire for freedom and our willingness to fight for it, no matter what.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: RY COODER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind