Frontman John Kay's mother escaped with him at age 4 from Soviet occupied East Germany, an event recounted in the song "Renegade" on the album Steppenwolf Seven. His family resettled in Hannover, West Germany, before moving to Canada in 1958. Kay is partially blind, hence the use of dark glasses
In 1968, Nick St. Nicholas replaced Moreve as bass player.
Steppenwolf had its origins in the Toronto blues band Sparrow, which was formed in 1964 and played coffeehouses in Yorkville. By 1967 they had settled in San Francisco.
Steppenwolf rocketed to fame after their third single, "Born to Be Wild" was used in the movie Easy Rider, as well as "The Pusher". The former song may have coined the term "heavy metal". This was followed by several more hits, including "Magic Carpet Ride" from Steppenwolf the Second, and "Rock Me" from At Your Birthday Party. Many fans consider their double album Steppenwolf Live [an extended single album in the UK] the best of Steppenwolf's releases. Monster and For Ladies Only were the band's most political albums, and are still fondly remembered by fans as two of the best rock & roll snapshots of the attitudes of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The band broke up in 1971, and Kay pursued a solo career. Steppenwolf reformed in 1974 with the album Slow Flux, and disbanded in 1976. Afterwards, several versions of the band toured North America until Kay reformed the official version of the group in 1980.
John Kay released a solo album in 2001.
Everybody's Next One
Steppenwolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Met him yesterday and he's already gone
And though tonight she'll swear it was the last time
A smiling face will come that knows the right line
And then she'll do all the right things with the wrong guy
And when he's gone, next day she'll sit and wonder way.
She doesn't know why she's everybody's next one
All the pity in the world ain't gonna help none
She has to realize that to keep one, her ways have to change some.
She tries too hard and she comes on too strong
Digs herself too much and thinks she can't be wrong
She's too impressed by things that do not matter
To be the Queen of hearts is what she's after
And then she'll do all the right things with the wrong guy
And when he's gone, next day she'll sit and wonder way.
She doesn't know why she's everybody's next one
'Cause she's afraid that the truth is gonna hurt some
All the pity in the world ain't gonna help none
She has to realize that to keep one, her ways have to change some.
The song Everybody's Next One by Steppenwolf tells the story of a woman who seems to constantly find herself in failed relationships. The opening lines reveal that she has just lost yet another partner whom she had met only the day before. Despite wanting to break the cycle, she is unable to resist the charm of the next person who comes along, even though she knows deep down that he is not right for her. Her pattern of behavior and her inability to keep a partner has made her feel like she is "everybody's next one".
The chorus expresses her fear of facing the truth about her own behavior, recognizing that she needs to make some changes in order to keep a partner. She tries too hard to impress and digs herself into a hole that she can't get out of, leading her to focus on the wrong things in a relationship. She appears to want to be loved and to be the "Queen of hearts" but doesn't know how to go about achieving this. Ultimately, the song is about the need for change and self-reflection in order to break out of a cycle of bad relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
She's all alone, just lost another one
She is currently alone because she lost another relationship.
Met him yesterday and he's already gone
She had just met him the day before, and he is already gone.
And though tonight she'll swear it was the last time
She will swear that she won't make the same mistake again tonight.
A smiling face will come that knows the right line
Someone who knows the right things to say will come and talk to her.
And then she'll do all the right things with the wrong guy
She will do all the things that she thinks are right, but with the wrong person.
And when he's gone, next day she'll sit and wonder way.
After he leaves, she will wonder why she keeps repeating the same mistake.
She doesn't know why she's everybody's next one
She doesn't understand why she keeps ending up in the same situation with different people.
'Cause she's afraid that the truth is gonna hurt some
She's afraid to face the truth because she knows it will cause pain.
All the pity in the world ain't gonna help none
Feeling sorry for herself won't solve her problem.
She has to realize that to keep one, her ways have to change some.
In order to keep a relationship, she needs to change her behavior.
She tries too hard and she comes on too strong
She puts in too much effort and appears too needy.
Digs herself too much and thinks she can't be wrong
She has a high opinion of herself and doesn't think she can make mistakes.
She's too impressed by things that do not matter
She is easily influenced by superficial things that are not important for a relationship.
To be the Queen of hearts is what she's after
Her ultimate goal is to be loved and cherished by everyone.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GABRIEL MEKLER, JOHN KAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Move Over
A really great song.
Philip Kassabian
on It's Never Too Late
Yet another great Steppenwolf song.
Philip Kassabian
on Jupiter's Child
Wow what an excellent song.
Philip Kassabian
on Born to Be Wild
Wow a great song love it.
Scott
on Happy Birthday
It is I hope you read your story book NOT WRECK YOUR STORY BOOK.