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.
Over The Hill
Ten Years After Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My mind is like a drain
Here I go again
Over the hill
My eyes don't seem too clear
I'm not sure what I hear
It seems I'm going clear
Like a cripple and his crutch
I have leaned a bit too much
Seems that I should never touch again
Now it seems it's plain to see
That this stuff is killing me
Got to quit, so, I'll be free again
I got too much to lose
No one can fill my shoes
Think I'll leave the blues
Over the hill
Ten Years After's song "Over the Hill" is a ballad imbued with a somber and wistful mood. The lyrics portray the turmoil and distress of the singer, who is grappling with addiction and its disastrous effects on his physical and mental health. The opening lines set the tone of the song and the impression that the singer's mind is deteriorating due to excessive drinking. The metaphor of a drain highlights the rapid depletion of the singer's mental faculties.
The singer seems disoriented and unsure of his surroundings, even desensitized to the sounds he hears. The phrase "It seems I'm going clear" could be indicating that the singer is becoming sober or attaining a moment of clarity amid the chaos that his life has become. However, this could also signify the singer's delirium as he wanders aimlessly.
The third and fourth stanzas of the lyrics describe the devastating impact of the singer's addiction on his life. The singer uses a metaphor of a cripple and his crutch to describe his dependence on alcohol. The line "Seems that I should never touch again" implies that the singer acknowledges the need to quit and get sober. The following line "Now it seems it's plain to see/That this stuff is killing me" conveys the urgency of change and the need for escape from the addictive habits.
The final stanza reflects a sense of regret and a desire to break free from the shackles of addiction. The line "I got too much to lose" could indicate that the singer realizes how much of his life he has wasted and the consequence that his dependencies have brought. The closing line "Think I'll leave the blues/Over the hill" is an expression of hope and courage to start a new chapter in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I got water on the brain
I have too much on my mind and feel overwhelmed
My mind is like a drain
My thoughts are constantly being emptied out and I can't focus
Here I go again
I'm falling into the same patterns even though I know better
Over the hill
I'm beyond my prime and feeling like it's too late to make significant changes
My eyes don't seem too clear
I'm having trouble seeing things clearly and making sense of what's around me
I'm not sure what I hear
I'm struggling to understand the messages being conveyed to me
It seems I'm going clear
I might be starting to understand things better, but still unsure of how to proceed
Like a cripple and his crutch
I'm overly reliant on something that's not helping me move forward
I have leaned a bit too much
I've put too much faith in something that is not benefiting me
Seems that I should never touch again
It's clear that what I've been relying on is only bringing me down
Now it seems it's plain to see
I'm starting to realize just how much damage my situation is causing
That this stuff is killing me
My current habits and patterns are negatively impacting my wellbeing
Got to quit, so, I'll be free again
I need to make some changes and let go of what's holding me back in order to feel liberated
I got too much to lose
I have a lot at stake and can't afford to mess up
No one can fill my shoes
I have a unique role and can't be replaced by anyone else
Think I'll leave the blues
I'm going to try and shift my mindset and focus on the positive instead of dwelling on the negative
Over the hill
I'm feeling restless and looking for a way out of my current situation
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALVIN LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind