The members of The Band first worked together as The Hawks, the backing band of rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins from 1959 until 1963. Afterwards, Bob Dylan recruited the quintet for his history-making 1965/1966 world tour and they joined him on the informal recordings that became the acclaimed Basement Tapes.
Dubbed "The Band" by their peers, the group left the comfort of their communal home in Saugerties, NY to begin recording as a group unto themselves. The Band recorded two of the most important albums of the late 1960s: their 1968 debut Music from Big Pink (featuring the hit single "The Weight") and 1969's The Band. These critically praised albums helped conceive country rock as something more than a genre, but rather as a celebration of "Americana." As such, throughout their career they would repopularize traditional American musical forms during the psychedelic era. The Band dissolved in 1976; Martin Scorcese's landmark concert film "The Last Waltz" documented their final performance. They reformed in 1983 without founding guitarist and main songwriter Robbie Robertson.
Although always more popular with music journalists and fellow musicians than the general public, The Band has remained an admired and influential group. They have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Their music fused many elements: primarily old country music and early rock and roll, though the rhythm section often had a bouncy, funky punch reminiscent of Stax or Motown, and Robertson cites Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Singers as major influences. At its best, however, The Band's music was an organic synthesis of many musical genres which became more than the sum of its parts. The group's songwriting was also remarkable as, unlike much earlier rock and roll, and following upon the example set previously by The Byrds, very few of their early compositions were based on conventional blues and doo-wop chord changes.
The Band comprised Robbie Robertson (guitar); Richard Manuel (piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone); Garth Hudson (organ, piano, clavinet, accordion, synthesizer, saxophone); Rick Danko (bass guitar, violin, trombone); and Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar) Excepting Robertson, all were multi-instrumentalists; each person's primary instrument is listed first. There was little instrument-switching when they played live, but when recording, the musicians could offer all manner of subtle aural colors and textures to enhance songs. Hudson in particular was able to coax an impressive range of timbres from his Lowrey electronic organ; on the choruses of "Tears of Rage", for example, it sounds startlingly like a mellotron. Helm's drumming was rarely flashy, but he was often praised for his subtlety and funkiness. Critic Jon Carroll famously declared that Helm was "the only drummer who can make you cry," while prolific session drummer Jim Keltner admits to appropriating several of Helm's techniques.
Singers Manuel, Danko, and Helm each brought a distinctive voice to The Band: Helm's gritty, southern voice had more than a hint of country, Danko sang in a soaring, unfettered tenor, and Manuel alternated between fragile falsetto and a wounded baritone. The singers regularly blended in unorthodox, but uncommonly effective harmonies. Though the singing was more or less evenly shared between the three men, both Danko and Helm have stated that they saw Manuel as the Band's "lead" singer.
Robertson was the unit's chief songwriter (though he sang lead vocals on only three or four songs in The Band's career). This role, and Robertson's resulting claim to the copyright of most of the compositions, would become a point of much antipathy between the group's members, especially between Robertson and Helm.
Producer John Simon is cited as a "sixth member" of The Band for producing and playing on Music from Big Pink, co-producing and playing on The Band, and playing on other songs up through The Band's 1993 reunion album Jericho.
On 10 December 1999 is when Rick Danko died in his sleep at age 56. He had been a long-time drug user. In 1997 he had been found guilty of trying to smuggle heroin into Japan. He told the presiding judge that he had begun using the drug (together with prescription morphine) to fight life-long pain resulting from a 1968 auto accident. No drugs were found in his system at the time of his death. Following the death of Rick Danko, The Band broke up for good.
Levon Helm died on 19 April 2012 from complications of throat cancer.
Key to the Highway
The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Packed up and bound to go
I'm gonna leave here running
'Cause walking is most too slow
I'm going back down to the border
Where I'm much better known
'Cause you ain't done nothing but
So give me one more, one more kiss, baby
Just before I go
I'll be back out on the highway
That's the only place I know
And when the moon creeps over the mountains, honey
I'll be on my way
I'm gonna roam this old highway
Until the break of day
I've got the key to the highway
Packed up and bound to go
I'm gonna leave here running
'Cause walking is most too slow
Well, its so long, so long, baby
I must say goodbye
I gotta roam, roam this highway
Until the day I die
The Band's song "Key to the Highway" is about a man who is leaving his lover and heading out on the road. He has the key to the highway, which is symbolically the key to his freedom. He can "roam" the country and not be tied down to anyone or anything. The lyrics express his restlessness and desire to escape. He wants to move quickly, not wanting to waste time by walking slowly. He feels like he has no choice but to leave, as he has been driven away from home by his lover's actions.
The man is going back down to the border, where he feels he needs to be. It is possible that he is a musician or a migrant worker who needs to cross the border for work. He feels like his lover has done nothing but drive him away, suggesting that she may have betrayed him or not supported him in his career or dreams. He asks for one more kiss before he leaves, indicating that he still loves her despite their issues. However, he knows he must leave and is resolved to roam the highways until the day he dies.
Overall, the song is a bluesy, melancholy tribute to the road. It speaks to the restlessness and wanderlust that many people feel, as well as the desire to be free from the constraints of daily life.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got the key to the highway,
I have the freedom to go wherever I please, quickly and easily.
Packed up and bound to go.
My bags are packed and I'm ready and excited to leave.
I'm gonna leave here running,
I'm going to start my journey with energy and speed.
Cause walking is most too slow.
I don't want to waste time and take things slow, I want to get on the highway and go as fast as I can.
I'm going back down to the border
I'm returning to the place where I need to be.
Where I must fairly go(?),
I am obligated or compelled to go there, and it's the right thing to do.
Cause you ain't done nothing but
You haven't done anything except for
Drive a good man away from home.
Push me away from where I belong and need to be.
So give me one more, one more kiss, baby
Before I leave, I want to share one last intimate moment with you.
Just before i go
Right before I hit the road.
I'll be back out on the highway,
I'll be back on the open road again.
That's the only place i know.
I feel most comfortable and alive when I'm out on the road.
And when the moon creeps over my room, honey,
Late at night, when I'm alone with my thoughts,
I'll be on my way.
All I'll be able to think about is hitting the road again.
I'm gonna roam this old highway
I'm going to travel aimlessly and explore wherever I please on this road.
Until the break of day.
Until the sun rises and a new day begins.
Well, its so long, so long, baby.
It's time to say goodbye
I must say goodbye.
I have to leave now, even though it's hard to let go.
I gotta roam, roam this highway
I have to keep traveling, keep seeking new adventures on this road.
Until the day i die.
I'll never stop traveling and exploring until the very end of my life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Charles Segar, William Lee Conley Broonzy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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