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.
You're Driving Me Crazy
Ten Years After Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're makining me lazy, you're making me bad.
You know you're no good to me,
But you're the best woman I've had.
You lose all my friends,
You scare them away;
It looks like the end, babe,
You know you do me no good,
But then I hope that you're going to stay.
You ruin' my health, you use me too much.
You've blown all my wealth, you cripple my crutch.
I know I'm playing with fire,
But then I like what I feel when I touch.
My mama, she warned me - about your kind;
My friends all scorned me, they say I'm blind.
But then I know what I like, and,
Babe I like it with you all of the time.
They call you a witch, they say I'm a fool;
They call you a bitch, say you're really uncool.
But, babe, when I get on you,
It's just like getting a kick from a mule.
The lyrics of Ten Years After's song "You're Driving Me Crazy" tell the story of a man who knows that his partner is bad for him, yet he cannot bring himself to let go of her. He describes the negative impact she has on his life - she drives him crazy, makes him lazy and bad, loses all his friends and scares them away, ruins his health, and uses him too much. Despite all this, the man admits that he likes the way he feels when he is with her, even though others warn him about her and call her names like a witch or a bitch. The song is a classic example of the self-destructive nature of love and the difficulty of breaking free from a toxic partner.
The opening lines of the song immediately set the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The repetition of the phrase "you're driving me crazy" emphasizes the man's frustration and desperation in his relationship. The lines "You know you're no good to me, but you're the best woman I've had" reveal his conflicting emotions and his struggle to reconcile the negative impact of his partner with the pleasure he derives from being with her. The lines "You lose all my friends, you scare them away; It looks like the end, babe, of living my way" portray the extent to which the man's partner has alienated him from his social circle and his identity. Overall, the lyrics of "You're Driving Me Crazy" showcase the intense emotions and complex dynamics that can exist in a dysfunctional relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You're driving me crazy, you're driving me mad;
You're causing me to lose control of my thoughts and emotions, making me feel insane.
You're makining me lazy, you're making me bad.
You're making me lack motivation to do anything productive and causing me to adopt bad habits.
You know you're no good to me,
You're aware that you're not beneficial or helpful to me in any way.
But you're the best woman I've had.
Despite your negative impact on my life, I can't deny that you're the best romantic partner I've had.
You lose all my friends,
Your behavior causes me to lose the friendship of others.
You scare them away;
Your actions and behavior intimidate and frighten my friends, causing them to distance themselves from us.
It looks like the end, babe,
It seems like our relationship is coming to a close.
Of living my way.
Of living my life on my own terms and under my own control.
You know you do me no good,
You acknowledge that your actions and behavior have no positive impact on me.
But then I hope that you're going to stay.
Despite this realization, I still hope you'll stay with me.
You ruin' my health, you use me too much.
You're damaging my physical and mental health by taking advantage of me.
You've blown all my wealth, you cripple my crutch.
You've caused me to become poor and reliant on unhealthy coping mechanisms.
I know I'm playing with fire,
I'm aware that I'm engaging in risky behavior that could end badly.
But then I like what I feel when I touch.
But I can't resist the pleasure and satisfaction I get from being with you.
My mama, she warned me - about your kind;
My mother cautioned me about individuals like you and your behavior.
My friends all scorned me, they say I'm blind.
My friends criticize my continued involvement with you and suggest that I'm unable to see the negative impact you're having on me.
But then I know what I like, and,
But I'm aware of what I find pleasurable and enjoyable, and that's being with you.
Babe I like it with you all of the time.
I enjoy being with you no matter the cost, even if it's detrimental to my well-being.
They call you a witch, they say I'm a fool;
Others view you as manipulative and spiteful and me as gullible and foolish for being with you.
They call you a bitch, say you're really uncool.
People criticize your behavior and attitude, suggesting that you're unpleasant and unsavory.
But, babe, when I get on you,
However, when we engage in intimate activities,
It's just like getting a kick from a mule.
It's like getting a powerful and exciting adrenaline rush that leaves me longing for more.
Contributed by Blake D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Duane Ulmaniec
Said yer really uncool......you know who I r....don't ya.......who's yer new......pulltoy......I mean .....girlfriend😂😆😎