Tesla's music fit well with the blasting sounds of their 80s hair metal and glam rock contemporaries. Yet it was more bluesy and lyrics dealt with other themes than just the usual, girls, alcohol and violence. But what set them even more apart from their contemporaries was their t-shirt and jeans image, a 'street' look reminiscent of the Ramones (and other 70s punk groups) that was in strong contrast of the leather, spandex, and flashy-make type look of the time.
The band's early lifespan as City Kidd brought them considerable frustration, with them failing to break into the musical mainstream while also competing with another band with the same name. Their mutation into Tesla provided a clear shot at success. 'Mechanical Resonance', their debut that the boys released in 1986, became a commercial smash while also receiving significant critical praise. That album was certified platinum by the RIAA on October 5, 1989.
In total, the group has released six studio albums with original music, the latest of them being 2008's 'Forever More'. They have also created a a double-disc covers album, titled 'Real To Reel', as well as a number of compilations and live albums. Their sound has focused on a particularly melodic and accessible kind of hard rock with strong shades of classic heavy metal as well.
Tesla's popular 1990 remake of Signs, originally recorded by the Five Man Electrical Band (who also inspired the album which the remake came from, Five Man Acoustical Jam), is probably the most mainstream of Tesla's hits. However, many fans remember fondly Tesla's other hits such as Gettin' Better, Modern Day Cowboy, Little Suzi, Edison's Medicine and Love Song.
The band derived their name, certain album and song names (e.g. The Great Radio Controversy, Mechanical Resonance, etc), and some song content from events relating to Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor and electrical engineer born in the 19th century in Smiljan, Austria-Hungary, modern day Croatia.
All The Young Dudes
Tesla Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How he kick it in the head when he was twenty-five
Speed jive don't want to stay alive
When you're twenty-five
And Wendy's stealing clothes from marks and sparks
And Freddy's got spots from ripping off the stars from his face
Funky little boat race
Oh man I need TV when I got T Rex
I'm a dude man
All the young dudes (Hey dudes)
Carry the news (Where are ya)
Boogaloo dudes (Stand up Come on)
Carry the news
All the young dudes (I want to hear you)
Carry the news (I want to see you)
Boogaloo dudes (And I want to talk to you all of you)
Carry the news
Now Lucy looks sweet cause he dresses like a queen
But he can kick like a mule it's a real mean team
But we can love oh yes we can love
And my brother's back at home with his Beatles and his Stones
We never got it off on that revolution stuff
What a drag too many snags
Now I've drunk a lot of wine and I'm feeling fine
Got to race some cat to bed
Oh is there concrete all around
Or is it in my head
I'm a dude man
All the young dudes (Hey dudes)
Carry the news (Where are ya)
Boogaloo dudes (Stand up)
Carry the news
All the young dudes (I want to hear ya)
Carry the news (I want to see ya)
Boogaloo dudes (And I want to relate to you)
Carry the news
All the young dudes (What dudes)
Carry the news (Let's hear the news come on)
Boogaloo dudes (I want to kick you)
Carry the news
All the young dudes (Hey you there with the glasses)
Carry the news (I want you)
Boogaloo dudes (I want you at the front)
Carry the news (Now you all his friends)
All the young dudes (Now you bring him down cause I want him)
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes (I want him right here bring him come on)
Carry the news (Bring him here you go)
All the young dudes (I've wanted to do this for years)
Carry the news (There you go)
Boogaloo dudes (How do you feel)
Carry the news
The song "All The Young Dudes" by Tesla is a cover of the original song by David Bowie. The lyrics describe a group of young people who are disillusioned with life and society. Billy raps about his suicidal thoughts, while Wendy is stealing clothes and Freddy is ripping off stars from his face. The TV man thinks they're all juvenile delinquents, but the singer prefers T Rex to TV. He declares himself a "dude man" and encourages all young dudes to carry the news.
The singer then describes Lucy, who dresses like a queen but can kick like a mule. He admires their ability to love, despite the fact that they never "got off" on the revolution stuff. The singer has been drinking wine and feels fine, but wonders if the concrete he feels around him is all in his head. The song ends with the singer encouraging all young dudes to carry the news and relate to each other.
The lyrics of the song are a reflection of the social and cultural climate of the 1970s, when the song was originally released. The generation of young people who grew up in the 1960s were disillusioned with the promise of revolution and the reality of societal problems. The song emphasizes the need for young people to come together and inform each other of what's going on in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Well Billy rapped all night about his suicide
Billy spoke all night about how he planned to commit suicide
How he kick it in the head when he was twenty-five
He talked about hitting his head so hard at 25 that he would die
Speed jive don't want to stay alive
Using drugs and living fast was Billy's preferred way of life to avoid having to stay alive
When you're twenty-five
This is the age at which Billy wanted to die
And Wendy's stealing clothes from marks and sparks
Wendy is stealing clothes from shops like Marks and Spencer
And Freddy's got spots from ripping off the stars from his face
Freddy has acne scars from removing the piercings on his face
Funky little boat race
Slang term for a person's face
Television man is crazy saying we're juvenile deliquent wrecks
The TV commentator thinks we are reckless delinquents
Oh man I need TV when I got T Rex
I prefer T Rex (the band) over TV
I'm a dude man
I'm just a cool guy
All the young dudes (Hey dudes)
Hey everyone, all the young cool guys
Carry the news (Where are ya)
Spread the word, guys
Boogaloo dudes (Stand up Come on)
Let's get dancing and be cool
Now Lucy looks sweet cause he dresses like a queen
Lucy looks good because he dresses like a drag queen
But he can kick like a mule it's a real mean team
He may look feminine, but Lucy is strong and powerful
But we can love oh yes we can love
We can love anyone we want, even if they don't conform to traditional gender expectations
And my brother's back at home with his Beatles and his Stones
My brother is at home listening to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
We never got it off on that revolution stuff
We didn't really get into the whole revolutionary movement
What a drag too many snags
It's too bad, there were too many obstacles in the way
Now I've drunk a lot of wine and I'm feeling fine
I drank a lot and I feel good
Got to race some cat to bed
I need to hurry up and get to bed with someone
Oh is there concrete all around
I feel disoriented and I can't tell what's real
Or is it in my head
Maybe it's all in my imagination
All the young dudes (Hey dudes)
Hey all you cool young guys out there
Carry the news (Where are ya)
Spread the word, guys!
Boogaloo dudes (Stand up)
Let's get grooving and have fun
Carry the news (I want to hear ya)
Spread the word, I want to hear from you
I want to see ya
I want to see you all having fun and being cool
And I want to talk to you all of you)
I want to chat with all of you cool dudes out there
All the young dudes (What dudes)
What's up my dude friends
Carry the news (Let's hear the news come on)
Let's hear what's happening in the world
Boogaloo dudes (I want to kick you)
Let's get dancing and having fun
Carry the news (I want to see ya)
Spread the word and come show me how cool you are
All the young dudes (Hey you there with the glasses)
Hey you in the glasses, you're a cool guy too
Carry the news (I want you)
Spread the word, I want you to join in
Boogaloo dudes (I want you at the front)
Be a leader and join us at the front
Carry the news (Now you all his friends)
Spread the word, and we'll all be friends
All the young dudes (Now you bring him down cause I want him)
Help me take him down (physically) and bring him over
Carry the news
Spread the word, this is important
Boogaloo dudes (I want him right here bring him come on)
Bring him here, I want to see him, and dance with him
Carry the news (Bring him here you go)
Spread the word and bring him here, come on
All the young dudes (I've wanted to do this for years)
I've been waiting for this moment for years now
Carry the news (There you go)
Spread the word and do it
Boogaloo dudes (How do you feel)
Let's check in and see how everybody's feeling today
Carry the news
Keep spreading the word, it's important
Contributed by Aubrey O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Christopher N. Savage
on Getting' Better
A shame that you can't see the original video, but this tune has the passion and power to lift you up and brighten your day!!!!!