Originally from Nottingham in the UK, this band of virtuoso musicians under the leadership of Alvin Lee conquered the UK scene and then spread their wings to the USA. Their blend of jazz, blues and rock was initially slightly awkward but their first album provided an opening for them. In October, their 1967 self-titled debut album was released.
In 1968, after touring Scandinavia and the United States, Ten Years After released their second album, live Undead, which brought their first classic, "I'm Going Home." This was followed in February 1969 by studio issue, Stonedhenge, a British hit, that included another classic, "Hear Me Calling" (it was released also as a single, and covered in 1972 by British glam rock rising stars, Slade). In July 1969 they appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, in the first event to which rock bands were invited. In August, the band performed a breakthrough American appearance at Woodstock; their furious-to-soft-to-furious rendition of "I'm Going Home" featuring Alvin Lee as the lead singer was featured in both the subsequent film and soundtrack album and catapulted them to star status.
During 1970, Ten Years After released "Love Like a Man", their only hit in the UK Singles Chart. This song was on their fifth album, Cricklewood Green. The name of the album comes from a friend of the group who lived in Cricklewood, London. He grew a sort of plant which was said to have hallucinogenic effects. The band did not know the name of this plant, so they called their album Cricklewood Green. It was the first record to be issued with a different playing speed on each side – one a three-minute edit at 45rpm, the other, a nine-minute live version at 33rpm. In August, Ten Years After played the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 to an audience of 600,000.
In 1971, the band released the album A Space in Time which marked a move toward more commercial material. It featured their biggest hit, "I'd Love To Change The World". But a few albums later, the band broke up after the 1974 album Positive Vibrations. They re-united in 1983 to play the Reading Festival and this performance was later released on CD as The Friday Rock Show Sessions - Live At Reading '83. In 1988, they re-united for a few concerts and recorded the album About Time (1989). Finally, in 1994, they participated in the Eurowoodstock festival in Budapest.
Alvin Lee has since then mostly played and recorded under his own name. In 2003, the other band members replaced him with Joe Gooch and recorded the album Now. Material from the following tour was used for the 2005 double album Roadworks.
Lee died on March 6, 2013. According to his website, he died from "unforeseen complications following a routine surgical procedure."[2][3][4] He was 68. His former bandmates lamented his death, Leo Lyons called him "the closest thing I had to a brother", while Ric Lee (no relation) said "I don't think its even sunk in yet as to the reality of his passing." Billboard Magazine wrote of his passing, highlighting such landmark performances as "I'm Going Home" from the Woodstock festival and his 1974 hit single "I'd Love to Change the World."[5]
Band members:
Alvin Lee – guitar, vocals
Leo Lyons – bass
Chick Churchill – keyboards
Ric Lee – drums
Joe Gooch – guitar, vocals (joined in 2003)
You can also see Alvin Lee and / or Alvin Lee & Ten Years After and / or Alvin Lee & Co and / or The Alvin Lee Band on Last.fm.
I'd Love To Change The World
Ten Years After Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dykes and fairies, tell me, where is sanity?
Tax the rich, feed the poor
'Til there are no rich no more
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
Population keeps on breeding
Nation bleeding, still more feeding, economy
Life is funny, skies are sunny
Bees make honey, who needs money? No, not poor me
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
Oh, yeah
World pollution, there's no solution
Institution, electrocution
Just black and white, rich or poor
Them and us, stop the war
I'd love to change the world
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
Ten Years After's song "I'd Love to Change the World" presents a witty and sarcastic critique of society, culture, and politics in the late '60s and early '70s. The opening line, "Everywhere is freaks and hairies, dykes and fairies, tell me, where is sanity?" brings to light the cultural changes of the time and the discomfort that it caused some people, who knew little about the counter-culture movement. The song proceeds with a call for action by advocating to tax the rich and feed the poor until everyone is equal. However, the paradoxical nature of such a script is highlighted next when the singer laments, "I'd love to change the world, but I don't know what to do, so I'll leave it up to you".
The second verse warns of the dangers of overpopulation, which is a global issue that is still relevant today. The line "Bees make honey, who needs money? No, not poor me," is a statement of the singer's indifference toward materialistic pleasures that many people always seem to be racing to achieve in life. The third verse of the song highlights the government's inefficacy in dealing with the problems plaguing society, "World pollution, there's no solution, institution, electrocution. Just black and white, rich or poor, them and us, stop the war." The pattern established throughout the song of introducing a set of problems/social issues and then sarcastically concluding with the assumption that they don’t know what to do about them.
Line by Line Meaning
Everywhere is freaks and hairies
Everywhere there are people who are different from the societal norm and may be ostracized for it.
Dykes and fairies, tell me, where is sanity?
People who do not conform to stereotypical gender roles are ostracized, so where is the rationality in that?
Tax the rich, feed the poor
If the wealthy are taxed, it can be used to support those who are disadvantaged.
'Til there are no rich no more
If the rich are taxed enough, eventually there will be no more wealthy people.
I'd love to change the world
I want to make a difference in society.
But I don't know what to do
I don't know how to create impactful change.
So I'll leave it up to you
I am relying on someone else to make the change happen.
Population keeps on breeding
The human population continues to grow.
Nation bleeding, still more feeding, economy
The country is hurting, but still needs to support its people and maintain its economic system.
Life is funny, skies are sunny
Life can be ironic and unpredictable, but there are still good moments.
Bees make honey, who needs money? No, not poor me
Nature can provide for itself, so why do we need material wealth? The singer, who is poor, does not feel like they need it.
World pollution, there's no solution
The problem of pollution is difficult to solve.
Institution, electrocution
The establishment is oppressive, and individuals can be punished harshly for going against it.
Just black and white, rich or poor
There is a clear divide between the haves and have-nots in society.
Them and us, stop the war
There are distinct groups in society, but we need to end conflict between them.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Alvin Lee
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@roywall5231
Timeless. Some songs would be hits in any generation, this is one of those.
@whiskeyweeniesENT
https://youtu.be/7AiTiF0M3Nw?si=hziGY7XEfpts42U3
@user-rd9cs4zl7o
That’s right
@federacionmexicanacolegios2936
Agreed
@stevehope6283
Yep!! I have a 30 y.o. friend I just turned on to this and he loves it. There's hope for some of our youth!!✌️💜🎶
@deniselange7363
I was 15 in 1969 and listened to all of these great bands as a teenager. I had a blast growing up.
@howardjohnson6189
The “recreational” offerings, that were so readily available during this era, made for taking so many “magical trips”, while absorbing an almost daily plethora of amazing new music!
I am also grateful that I was able to partake in so much of what life had to offer as we were spinning off of the “hippie culture” of the sixties into, what I believe, was the most creative age of rock n roll music throughout the seventies. Still waiting though for some, or even one, of those “flashbacks”, we were warned so much about, to occur!!
Peace, Love,
Blessings, and
Prosperity, unto
you and yours!
God Bless!!
@briancatt3648
I was 7 and sounds like we were on the same page older sister
@santiagosanchezblanco9430
Tenía yo 5 años tan sólo,pero la reverberación del mejor rockanroll que se hacía entonces,acertó en alcanzar mi mente.Greetings,Bros.
@emilymarin7793
you don't have to brag lol 😭 Do you think I, being 15, like my generation? the answer is no, I do not 🙁