Paul DiBartolo (guitar), Rob De Luca (bass) and Tommi Gallo had all been in a band called Bang , and when they met up with vocalist Ray West in New York, Spread Eagle was born. The group was quickly signed and sent into the studio. Tunes for the debut album had to be written while recording was taking place. The self-titled debut featured a razor sharp guitar sound as well as some explicitly sexual lyrics, demonstrated through songs such as "Back On The Bitch" and "Scratch Like A Cat."
By the time work began on the follow-up, Gallo was in and out of the band. Session musicians recorded most of the drums on Open To The Public. For this album the group had toned down their lyrics and even went so far as to say people misunderstood the lyrics on the debut album. The album was a bit of a disappointment compared to their previous effort, and after the tour, which featured Dave Femia on drums, Spread Eagle broke-up.
In 2006 Rob De Luca and Ray West reformed Spread Eagle. Their debut album which had been out of print for over 10 years was remastered and re-released by the independent label Lovember Records. They started touring in 2006 with Chris Caffery on guitar and John Macaluso on drums. There were only a few shows.
They found new guitarist Dennis Kimak and Rob De Luca returned to New York from touring with Sebastian Bach and UFO. In December 2010 Rik De Luca drummer and cousin of Rob De Luca joined the band and they toured throughout the Northeast of USA. Their debut album was voted as one of the top 20 glam albums of all time (along with Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Hanoi Rocks and Skid Row): In 2012 guitarist Dennis Kimak quit and was replaced by Ziv Shalev who played the first 2 shows with Spread Eagle in December 2012.
In 2017 Spread Eagle confirmed several tour dates in Europe, including the Hull Metal Heaven and HRH Sleaze festivals. Following their UK/EU 2017 tour, they signed to Frontiers Music SRL and started writing and recording. Their latest album 'Subway To The Stars' was released on August 9, 2019. The music video for the first single "Sound Of Speed" features the band members in a go-kart race with an unexpected ending. It was filmed in the Poconos, PA and directed by Phil Allocco (The Truth About Lies).
Australian drag racing team West Coast Pro Modifieds chose "Sound of Speed" as their official song for the 2019/2020 racing season. The Australian Spread Eagle fan club honored this by creating a "Pro Mod Edit" of the video, where the go-kart race sequences were replaced with real drag racing footages. Subway To The Stars was included in many best of 2019 polls, including the Top 5 hard rock releases on Ultimate Guitar and Top 20 albums of 2019 in both the Sleaze Roxx readers' voting | and The Rock Pit Australia. In July 2020 Spread Eagle released a lyric video for the track "More Wolf Than Lamb"
Broken City
Spread Eagle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm doin' time—time in this crazy place
I've been here so long I gotta get away
I got rats in the kitchen rippin' up the trash
Cold wind blowin' down my back straight through shattered glass
Strangers in the hallways turn your face to stone
My sweet home Broken City livin' my sweet home
There's a hole in my pocket where my money used to be
Landlord knockin' at my door I'm back out on the street
Crime and aggravation don't go out alone
People call this living hell I call this Broken City home
My sweet home Broken City livin' my sweet home
My sweet home Broken City livin' my sweet home
It feels like I'm doin' time
Street lights shinin' through my window
The only light I've ever known in my Broken City home
My sweet home Broken City livin' my sweet home
My sweet home Broken City livin' my sweet home
The lyrics in Spread Eagle's song Broken City depict the hardships and despair of living in a broken city. The opening line "Have mercy on this broken city home" sets the mood of the song, asking for compassion for those who live in the city. The following lines immediately introduce the idea of imprisonment, with the singer feeling trapped in the city and needing to escape. This is reinforced by the repetition of "my sweet home Broken City livin' my sweet home."
The second verse introduces the grim and unsanitary living conditions of the city, with rats in the kitchen and shattered glass allowing cold wind to blow through. The description of the people in the hallways turning their face to stone reinforces the idea that the city has hardened the inhabitants, making them unapproachable and emotionless. The third verse introduces financial difficulties, with the singer having a hole in their pocket where their money used to be and facing eviction from their landlord.
Overall, the lyrics paint a bleak picture of life in the city, with poverty, crime, and despair being the prevailing themes. The repeated phrase "my sweet home Broken City livin' my sweet home" suggests that the singer has a love-hate relationship with the city, recognizing its flaws but still finding it to be home.
Line by Line Meaning
Have mercy on this broken city home
Please show compassion for the state of my home in this city that's fallen apart
I'm doin' time—time in this crazy place
Living here feels like being trapped in a prison in this insane environment
I've been here so long I gotta get away
I've been stuck here for too long and need to escape this place
I got rats in the kitchen rippin' up the trash
There are rodents in my kitchen destroying everything in their path
Cold wind blowin' down my back straight through shattered glass
The wind blows through broken windows and hits me directly on my back
Strangers in the hallways turn your face to stone
Unknown people in the hallways give an unwelcoming and unpleasant vibe
People call this living hell I call this Broken City home
Others describe this as a terrible place to live, but I've accepted it as my home
My sweet home Broken City livin' my sweet home
Despite its negative aspects, this place is still my home and I have a degree of attachment to it
There's a hole in my pocket where my money used to be
I've lost all my money and am now financially unstable
Landlord knockin' at my door I'm back out on the street
The landlord is evicting me and I'm forced to leave and become homeless once again
Crime and aggravation don't go out alone
There's a high risk of criminal activity and disturbances in this place, making it dangerous to go out alone
It feels like I'm doin' time
I feel like I'm serving a prison sentence by living in this place
Street lights shinin' through my window
The only source of light in my room comes from the streetlights outside
The only light I've ever known in my Broken City home
Throughout my time living here, the only illumination I've had comes from these streetlights
My sweet home Broken City livin' my sweet home
Despite the numerous issues, this place still holds a degree of sentimental value and I consider it to be my home
My sweet home Broken City livin' my sweet home
The refrain is repeated to emphasize my attachment to this rundown city that I still call home
Contributed by Ella F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Roger Ewald
One of the coolest rock songs ever, Spread Eagle were Street Metal Monsters!
Oz Matterhorn
This is a fuckng epic song! So good! Would have to see it live back in the day!
Thanks so much for posting it!
🤘🏻😄🤘🏻
arcady adler
Sorry for my bad english. In 1991 on russian radio were a heavy metal show, where as a jingle was used a riff from "Broken City", with permission from the musicians. Hard rock addicts of my age remember that, and this song in Russia still is the cult.
Al Stone
A beautiful girl showed me this band when i was in grade 12.She was a cute little metalhead
PonchoPelvis
Hell yeah, thanks for the upload.
arcady adler
"Становись ребята в ряд, заступаем в Рок наряд." Жаль, что наши не помнят, а американцам не объяснить. Где мой 1991 год?!)))
Vlad Vampirelord
People call this living hell, I call this broken city home.
Michael Powell
Damn this song rocks and always has! Luv it! Luv Spread Eagle!
Tim Ramsay
03/15/2021 They're bad ass I saw them play this album live in Houston. Rock on Spread eagle
Tim Garlow
kick ass love this song.