Taylor's life took an unusual turn in 1979 when he was first of the 100 chosen, from 20,000 applicants, to spend the summer at John Davidson's summer camp. At the camp, Taylor spent time learning from singers like Tony Orlando, Florence Henderson, and John Davidson. Also that year, Taylor heard one of his biggest influences, The Clash's London Calling. "It saved my life, musically," said Taylor.
Taylor recorded a demo of original songs that took the Contemporary Christian music world by surprise. Taylor first began to write for the musical group The Continentals, then recorded his debut solo EP I Want To Be A Clone in 1982 and released it in January, 1983.
Taylor quickly gained a reputation as a "controversial" artist, using his lyrical ability to sharply criticize other Christian beliefs and practices that he believed were incompatible with Biblical Christianity. However, his lyrics would also prove to be quite humorous as well.
In 1984, Taylor recorded his first full length album, Meltdown with some of the demo material that was not included on Clone plus some new material. His video single of the title track, Meltdown (at Madame Tussaud's) was widely played on MTV, which was unusual for a Christian artist at the time. The video featured an appearance by actress Lisa Whelchel, from NBC's The Facts of Life television series.
Taylor followed that release with On The Fritz, produced by Foreigner's Ian McDonald. In 1987, Taylor once again lived up to his controversial reputation with a song called I Blew Up The Clinic Real Good. The song criticizes anyone who claims to be a pro-life activist who would blow up abortion clinics or kill doctors. Like much of his music, it was meant as a satire. Unfortunately, the point of the song was lost on many and resulted in Taylor's album, I Predict 1990, being pulled from the shelves at some Christian record stores. Taylor himself would occasionally call those stores to explain the song to them.
Taylor then took a break from music, until 1990 when he returned as the lead singer of Chagall Guevara. The band's first recording was Tale o' the Twister, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1990 film Pump Up the Volume. The band released their only album, the self titled Chagall Guevara, in 1991 on MCA records that year. A follow up album was begun, but due to label restructuring the band was released from its contract.
Taylor returned with another solo album, Squint, and a live CD, Liver, in the mid 1990's.
A tribute to Taylor entitled I Predict A Clone was released in 1994, which features performances by Sixpence None The Richer, Fleming and John, Starflyer 59 and others.
In the years following those releases, Taylor focused his efforts on running a record label, Squint Entertainment, and producing projects for other artists, including Sixpence None The Richer's self titled 1997 release that featured the hit singles Kiss Me and a cover of The La's There She Goes. Squint Entertainment lost its financial backing in 2001 and Taylor was forced out of the company. He is also noted for his work in production and songwriting with the Newsboys.
Taylor is currently working full time as a film maker and has directed music videos for Fleming and John, Rich Mullins, Sixpence None The Richer, Newsboys, Guardian, and two video albums for himself. While still running Squint, Taylor had begun work on a major film project called St. Gimp. That film was abandoned with the company. He has cowritten, coproduced, and directed a film starring Michael W. Smith entitled The Second Chance, released February 17, 2006.
Taylor appears in the documentary film Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? (released on DVD in 2006), in interview segments and performing part of a song.
drive
Steve Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a desert road that steamed the sky
with the windows up and the air on high
I was off the stage, I was on the mend
with a solo drive to a holiday weekend
my thirsty car came to a stop at the Reptile Gardens Curio Shop
when a wind came hissing through the vents,
my forehead broke in a cold, cold sweat--
in the rearview mirror was a silhouette
then I heard the doorlocks take a dive
and a whisper screamed "Don't turn around, just drive"
Scratch! Dressed in red--pointy tail and horn-rimmed head
and a widow's peak like Eddie Munster
I sat frozen in my seat--"We haven't had the chance to meet...
are you a singing telegram or something?"
he just flashed a hellish smile--"Let's go driving for a while"
he held something in his hand I'd never seen before
it was my Chevrolet's pink slip
Scratch! Evil eye
"Step on it, boy, if you want to stay alive" he said
"Don't look surprised, you know what I want
I've lived for years inside your trunk, so drive" he said
"Let's get talking business, son--you ain't fooling anyone
I know just what you want to be--now it's time to work for me, so drive"
If this is a nasty dream
I'd prefer to wake up here
I believe the point is clear...
Scratch! Out of my car!
He said "Ha! I've come too far...
besides, I kinda like the velour seatcovers"
God, help me! What do I do?
"Shut up boy, it's too late for you...now drive!
all you phonies get it wrong--double lives take half us long
should have kept your windows clean--now I'm part of this machine
you've got a good 80,000 miles left
before the recall..."
If this is a nasty dream
I believe the point's quite clear
I'd prefer to wake up here
I started humming Amazing Grace
he said "Come on, boy, give me a break"
so I hit the brakes with both my feet
and sent two horns through the bucket seat
then the locks shot up as the grace came down
I said "Here's the keys--I'll be walking back to town..."
"Drive, He Said" by Steve Taylor is a song about a man's encounter with the devil while driving to a holiday weekend. The track tells the story of the singer driving through a desert road when their car overheats in front of a shop named Reptile Gardens Curio. Suddenly, they hear a whisper saying "Don't turn around, just drive," and notice in the rearview mirror a silhouette. The dark figure turns out to be the devil, Scratch. Scratch flashes a hellish smile and tells the singer to drive while handing them the pink slip to the car, which means he now owns it. Throughout the song, Scratch tries to recruit the driver for his nefarious activities, but the driver resists and ultimately gets rid of the devil and his influence on the car.
The song's lyrics convey the themes of temptation, succumbing to it, and ultimately resisting its lure. The devil's presence in the car represents the driver's inner demons, and the act of getting rid of him symbolizes the singer's triumph over temptation. The song is notable for its humorous tone, with puns and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, despite the dark subject matter.
Line by Line Meaning
On a desert road that steamed the sky
The singer was driving across a hot desert
with the windows up and the air on high
The air conditioning was on high to battle the heat
I was off the stage, I was on the mend
The singer had finished a performance and was tired
with a solo drive to a holiday weekend
The artist was going alone for a vacation
my thirsty car came to a stop at the Reptile Gardens Curio Shop
The car stopped at a shop for a break
when a wind came hissing through the vents,
The car windows were rolled up and wind came only through the vents
and I felt my sneakers growing tense
The singer was scared
my forehead broke in a cold, cold sweat--
The artist was sweating due to fear
in the rearview mirror was a silhouette
The artist saw a figure in the mirror
then I heard the doorlocks take a dive
The locks of the car doors shut down
and a whisper screamed "Don't turn around, just drive"
A voice asked the singer to continue driving without looking back
Scratch! Dressed in red--pointy tail and horn-rimmed head
The silhouette had a pointed tail and a horn-rimmed head
and a widow's peak like Eddie Munster
The silhouette had a widow's peak, just like Eddie Munster
I sat frozen in my seat--"We haven't had the chance to meet...
The singer was frightened and sat still
are you a singing telegram or something?"
The singer questioned the figure if he was a singing telegram
he just flashed a hellish smile--"Let's go driving for a while"
The figure had an evil smile and wanted to go for a drive
he held something in his hand I'd never seen before
The figure had an object in his hand that the artist was unaware of
it was my Chevrolet's pink slip
The figure had the pink slip of the singer's car
Scratch! Evil eye
The figure gave the singer an evil look
"Step on it, boy, if you want to stay alive" he said
The figure told the artist to drive fast if he wanted to live
"Don't look surprised, you know what I want
The figure informed the artist that he knew what he wanted
I've lived for years inside your trunk, so drive" he said
The figure had hidden in the trunk of the artist's car and asked him to drive
"Let's get talking business, son--you ain't fooling anyone
The figure was serious and wanted to discuss business with the singer
I know just what you want to be--now it's time to work for me, so drive"
The figure claimed to know the desires of the artist and wanted him to work for him
If this is a nasty dream
The singer wondered if everything is just a bad dream
I'd prefer to wake up here
The singer wanted to wake up from the nightmare
Scratch! Out of my car!
The singer asked the figure to leave his car
He said "Ha! I've come too far...
The figure claimed to have come too far to leave the car
besides, I kinda like the velour seatcovers"
The figure gave a reason for not leaving the car
God, help me! What do I do?
The singer appealed to God for help
"Shut up boy, it's too late for you...now drive!
The figure asked the singer to drive and told him it's too late for him
all you phonies get it wrong--double lives take half us long
The figure called the artist a phony and criticized him
should have kept your windows clean--now I'm part of this machine
The figure asked the artist to clean his car and said he's now part of his evil plans
you've got a good 80,000 miles left
The figure informed the artist about the distance his car can cover
before the recall..."
The figure warned the singer about the recall of his car
I started humming Amazing Grace
The artist started humming a hymn for hope and salvation
he said "Come on, boy, give me a break"
The figure thought the singer was wasting time
so I hit the brakes with both my feet
The singer hit the brakes abruptly
and sent two horns through the bucket seat
The force pushed the horns through the seats
then the locks shot up as the grace came down
The locks automatically locked while the artist found grace
I said "Here's the keys--I'll be walking back to town..."
The artist gave back the keys and decided to go back to the town by foot
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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