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.
Time
Tesla Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got to wake up ev'rybody,
Seven-thirty o'clock,
It's time to go to work.
A-send the young to school,
Gonna teach them the golden rule.
Talk about things that they don't wanna know about.
Now teacher, teacher, can't you see,
I don't wanna hear whatcha gotta say
About arithmetic or history.
All that jive don't mean a thing to me.
It's all a waste of time.
I ain't got no time for doin' this,
Ain't got no time for doin' that,
Ain't got no time for that at all, no!
I ain't got no time for messin' 'round,
For funky bullshit goin' down.
Just time for rock-n-roll. Oh yeah.
I just got time to rock-n-roll.
Why now, must they take my favorite song,
Turn around and say it's wrong, when I know it's right?
Now, why don't they just leave it alone,
'Cause it's only rock-n-roll, but I like it!!
Now, listen Mrs. Politician,
Don't ya try to tell me how to sing my song.
Tell me, who do you think you are?!
Who do you think you are?!
I ain't got no time for messin' 'round,
For funky bullshit goin' down.
No time for that at all, no!
I ain't got no time for Uncle Sam,
Taxin' my money, tax my land.
Just time for rock-n-roll, woh yeah!
I just got time to rock-n-roll!
Tell 'em, Frankie!!
The song "Time" by Tesla is about the restlessness and rebellion of youth against authority and the obligations of adulthood. The opening lines of the song, "You've got to wake up ev'rybody, seven-thirty o'clock, it's time to go to work. A-send the young to school, gonna teach them the golden rule" suggest a daily routine that is imposed upon society. The lyrics convey a sense of frustration with this routine that is tagged to responsibilities such as work, school, and chores. It's a sentiment that many people can relate to, particularly in the coronavirus pandemic, where the work-from-home routine has started to become monotonous and tiring for many.
The song's chorus lyrics, "I ain't got no time for messin' 'round, for funky bullshit goin' down. Just time for rock-n-roll. Oh yeah. I just got time to rock-n-roll" exemplify the youthful desire to "rock-n-roll" and retain the spirit of being young, carefree, and rebellious. The song's lyrics also contain a political message, calling out politicians and criticizing their policies that are infringing on the singer's rights, and how they are questioning the tenets of rock and roll, which is considered a powerful medium of rebellion.
Line by Line Meaning
Time.
The concept of time.
You've got to wake up ev'rybody,
It's time for everyone to wake up and start the day.
Seven-thirty o'clock,
The specific time of day.
It's time to go to work.
It's time to start the workday.
A-send the young to school,
The young generation needs to go to school.
Gonna teach them the golden rule.
They will learn important life lessons, like the golden rule.
Talk about things that they don't wanna know about.
The subjects may not be of interest to them, but are still important.
Now teacher, teacher, can't you see,
Asking the teacher for understanding.
I'm tired and I need some sleep.
The artist is tired and in need of sleep.
I don't wanna hear whatcha gotta say
The artist is not interested in hearing what the teacher has to say.
About arithmetic or history.
The subjects being discussed.
All that jive don't mean a thing to me.
The artist finds the topics unimportant.
It's all a waste of time.
The singer believes the subjects are a waste of time.
I ain't got no time for doin' this,
The singer has no time for certain activities.
Ain't got no time for doin' that,
The singer has no time for other activities.
Ain't got no time for that at all, no!
The artist has no time for anything else.
I ain't got no time for messin' 'round,
The artist has no time for nonsense.
For funky bullshit goin' down.
The singer has no tolerance for foolishness.
Just time for rock-n-roll. Oh yeah.
The singer only has time for rock-n-roll music.
I just got time to rock-n-roll.
Reiterating the artist's love for rock-n-roll and lack of time for anything else.
Why now, must they take my favorite song,
Expressing frustration about a favorite song being criticized.
Turn around and say it's wrong, when I know it's right?
The artist believes the song is right despite criticism.
Now, why don't they just leave it alone,
The singer wishes they would stop criticizing the song.
'Cause it's only rock-n-roll, but I like it!!
Asserting that liking the song is only a matter of personal taste.
Now, listen Mrs. Politician,
Addressing a hypothetical politician.
Don't ya try to tell me how to sing my song.
The singer accuses the politician of trying to control their expression.
Tell me, who do you think you are?!
Asking the politician to justify their actions.
I ain't got no time for Uncle Sam,
The artist has no time for the government.
Taxin' my money, tax my land.
The artist is resentful of being taxed.
No time for that at all, no!
The singer has no time for government interference.
Tell 'em, Frankie!!
An exclamation and possible reference to Frank Sinatra.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRANK HANNON, JEFF KEITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Michael S.
The one thing Elon seemed to never have learned is the phrase, "Under promise, Over deliver". Its like the lead singer who irritates his band mates because he's always late to practice, as well as the gig, but he has such an incredible voice that could never be duplicated so you just put up with it. But hey....Elon is super human but still human, and like all of us, we have our strengths and weaknesses.
GDNASP
You guys have recently stepped up the funny bits and clips, the script, the comedy overall, and it's great! So many laughs. Cheers guys!
Steven C D
My range experience after owning 5 Teslas is that it is more honest than the gas cars I owned. In some cases I got better range than Tesla claims.
Sparky Sho
Heavy on th regen rokx
Reata_Glen_Residents' Technical_Team
Ditto
FutureSystem738
Ditto. If I am navigating to a destination I trust what my Tesla says. Other ICE cars that I have owned are a joke on this.
Stephane Nouafo
That's a lot of Teslas 😳
R.A. Monigold
Episode # 360 !!!
How many degrees in an episode?
That's a circular question.
Now You Know - Thank you ALL for this fine product. Entertaining, Informative and Newsworthy !!!!
Sparky Sho
Writers quality humor 2 weeks HA I feel for too zack betrail at its best. Question is is Mr Elon sooooooo rich he dgf???? Or will he do th RIGHT THING as simply obviously should HAVE FAITH ZAC HE WILL