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.
Before My Eyes
Tesla Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She comes on softly as she moves across the room before me
I can't resist, I'm hypnotized, I'm surrounded by her
I can't, I can't forget that face, and I will, I will go back to that place
She stands before my eyes, right before my eyes
I see the words, I hear the sound, going round in my head
But I know there's something out there, please tell me, is this reality
Right before my eyes, right before my eyes
[Solo]
She comes on softly as she moves across the room before me
I can't resist, I'm hypnotized
I can see the colours are coming one after another for me
I see an image of myself
Before my eyes, right before my eyes
Before my eyes, before my eyes
That was nice, whoo! Typical nice, right Philadelphia? Right?
Yeah, I mean, you know (can you turn on the air conditioning, please?)
Can you turn on the air conditioner, please? It's fuckin' hot!
Turn on the air conditioner, or these people are gonna kill you!
Wait a minute, here. Oh! Oh, hey! (Oh, hey, we got a...)
Oh, Brian, you tried to give this play bass, didn't you, oh, hell no
Let's go jam a little Ebony and Ivory
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time
Maybe I'm afraid of the... well, we don't know that song
But, anyway, right, we got mr. Brian Wheat...
Thank you, that's just what I was... oh, and old Ted Tulsa hat
Well shit, goddamn, hell-puh - alright!
And anyway, we got mr. Brian Wheat on the piano for ya on this one and
It's a tune of our second album (hit it!)
Hit it
In "Before My Eyes," Tesla sings about being entranced by a woman who walks into the room. The singer can't help but feel drawn to her and is surrounded by her presence. He is completely fixated on her, unable to get her out of his head. He sees colors and hears sounds that he can't quite comprehend which makes him question whether or not this is a real feeling. The repeated line "right before my eyes" reinforces that the singer is experiencing it all in the moment. Throughout the song, the singer is in a state of amazement, unable to process all that is happening around him.
The lyrics could be about falling in love or simply being captivated by someone's beauty. The use of colors and sounds, however, suggests something more profound or perhaps even supernatural. The lines "But I know there's something out there, please tell me, is this reality" hints at the possibility of something otherworldly at play. The ending jam session and switch to a cover song adds an abrupt and light-hearted contrast to the intensity of the rest of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
She comes on softly as she moves across the room before me
A woman enters the room and catches the singer's attention with her gentle movements.
I can't resist, I'm hypnotized, I'm surrounded by her
The singer is so captivated by the woman's beauty and charm that he feels hypnotized and completely enraptured by her.
I can't, I can't forget that face, and I will, I will go back to that place
Despite trying, the singer cannot get the woman's face out of his mind and becomes determined to see her again.
She stands before my eyes, right before my eyes
The woman is now physically present and captivating the singer's attention.
I can see the colours are coming one after another for me
The singer's senses are heightened and he is experiencing intense emotions, vivid colors, and sensations one after another.
I see the words, I hear the sound, going round in my head
The singer is preoccupied with thoughts of the woman and her effect on him, and he hears her voice and sound in his mind.
But I know there's something out there, please tell me, is this reality
The singer is questioning whether his experiences with the woman are real or just in his mind.
Before my eyes, right before my eyes
The singer is emphasizing the intensity of his experience with the woman and how she is captivating his attention.
Before my eyes, before my eyes
The singer repeats the phrase to emphasize his fixation on the woman and his experience with her.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRANK HANNON, JEFF KEITH, TOM SKEOCH, TROY LUCCKETTA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mercierjanice
We need old school metal BACK. 57 YRS OLD, will never stop rockin
@donnacook3150
Same here Janice!
@tb8651
I played the shit out of this album in 87' while living in S. Cali. Moved to Seattle in 88' and requested they play some Tesla on the local rock station, Yes Kids we actually did that in the 80's, and they said, "Who the hell is Tesla." I said, "I thought you were a Rock station." and hung up. A week later they were playing "Modern Day Cowboy." I miss the days of Disk Jockeys.
@bjonesvike
Listened to this song before heading out the locker room door to play HS football games. Got me calmed down and focused. Still raises the hair on my neck when I hear it 30 some years later!
@kimberlylach6734
This is so damn Beautiful 🤩 💕💕🎶🎼🎵The lyrics….Sing it Jeff Keith!! These boys never disappoint!!!
@Pagsalsal
Very nice song indeed from Tesla's album Mechanical Resonance. I bought it in 1986!!!
@danielbrown1724
Jan van Wonderen great track to close out the album right!! I could listen to this album in its entirety without skipping a track, which is more than I can say for even some of my fav bands.
A-Z, this album had it. I loved this song, Modern Day Cowboy and Little Suzi
@musiclovr3286
This album brings back so many memories of the best people I grew up with I played football with at Permian High School in Odessa Texas and most of the friends I ran with have passed but we listened to this TAPE along with psychotic supper until we wore them out love this band
@mercierjanice
I've loved these guys since the 80s, a wonderful era of the best rock/metal ever made. Then the 90s came and ruined everything.
@danielbrown1724
Janice Mercier Mercier come on, I loved the 80’s too but the 90’s saw some of the best bands come out too.
Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, NIN, Stabbing Westward, etc.