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.
Leave Me Alone
The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm the talk of the neighbourhood,
Cause I don't do what I should.
A
I don't care what people say,
E
I'm gonna do things my way.
Chorus:
B7
I think I growing,
A A7
I've got my own thing goin'
E
Leave me alone x2
B7 A7
Trouble! Fight!
B7 A7
Almost every night.
B7 A
Bad man don't come around,
B7 A7
Or I'm gonna lay your body down, down.
People don't understand
Just what bugs this man.
Don't tell me what to do,
Or I'll put you down too.
Chorus.
Repeat 2nd verse and chorus.
The Band's song Leave Me Alone is about someone who does not follow societal norms and is consequently frowned upon by the neighbourhood. The singer is aware that people are talking about him, but they are not interested in conforming to their expectations. Rather, they are determined to live life in their own way, irrespective of what people have to say about it. The lyrics convey a sense of rebellion and non-conformity. The singer's behaviour invites trouble and fights, which seem to be a regular occurrence.
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the song is that it was recorded in 1965 but not released until 1975 as part of The Band's album "Northern Lights-Southern Cross". The album was the first full album that The Band had released in four years, and it was their first album without Robbie Robertson taking a leading role in the writing process. Additionally, the song features an unusual but effective up-tempo banjo sound, which is not typical of The Band's style.
Another interesting detail about the song is that it was written by pianist and founding member of The Band, Richard Manuel. Manuel struggled with alcoholism throughout his career, and the lyrics of Leave Me Alone could be seen as an expression of his desire for independence and creative expression. The Band was known for their close harmonies, and this song features the trio vocals of Manuel, Levon Helm, and Rick Danko.
The song has seen several other notable covers, including one by Canadian pop rocker Randy Bachman in his 1993 album "Any Road". Another cover was done by Ronnie Hawkins, who was a mentor to The Band early in their careers. Hawkins features on the song "Who Do You Love" from The Band's debut album "Music from the Big Pink". In 1985, Hawkins released an album titled "The Hawk" and included a cover of "Leave Me Alone" on it.
Other interesting facts about the song include the fact that the lyrics were written before The Band had acquired their name. They were also not included in any of the band's setlists before their hiatus in 1976. The song's belated release in 1975 meant that it did not receive the attention it deserved despite its catchy and upbeat melody. It is believed that The Band performed the song at several live shows but it was not captured on tape.
The chords for The Band's song Leave Me Alone are as follows:
Verse: E A E
Chorus: B7 A A7 E
Bridge: B7 A
Note: The bridge is only played once in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the talk of the neighbourhood,
People are gossiping about me in the neighborhood.
Cause I don't do what I should.
They are talking about me because I don't do what is expected of me.
I don't care what people say,
I don't care about the opinions of others.
I'm gonna do things my way.
I will do things according to my own desires and not as per society's norms.
I think I'm growing,
I feel like I am maturing both personally and professionally.
I've got my own thing goin'
I have my own priorities and responsibilities in life.
Leave me alone x2
I want people to stop interfering in my life and respect my privacy.
Trouble! Fight!
I often encounter problems and confrontations.
Almost every night.
These problems and fights occur almost on a daily basis.
Bad man don't come around,
I don't want troublesome people to visit me.
Or I'm gonna lay your body down, down.
If someone dangerous comes around, I will take strict actions to deal with them.
People don't understand
The people around me fail to comprehend my thoughts and actions.
Just what bugs this man.
They don't know what irritates me and what I am going through.
Don't tell me what to do,
I don't want people to dictate my actions and decisions.
Or I'll put you down too.
If someone tries to dominate or control me, I will stand up for myself and fight back.
Contributed by Vivian N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
dylanpresley
Wish there were more of these early Hawks songs in the vaults. It's fun stuff. A complete album from the early Hawks would have been cool.
Stephen Smith
Fascinating. You can here the beginnings of the genius that was to be The Band.
mtut
@Jimi44444 You are right. They trade lines in the verses (Levon does the ascending, Richard the descending lines), and they sing the refrains together. Richard's "normal" non-falsetto voice deepened quite a bit by the time The Band were releasing albums, but the timbre is already heavier, darker than Levon's. Really a nice counterpoint of voices - see what these two did later (in more sophisticated ways) on Daniel and the Sacred Harp and Whispering Pines.
seitarouTV
Goodjob！この曲も一度聞くと印象的なフレーズが頭の中に残ります！The Band の曲って、このパターンが多いですね♪
jvbryant
This is the The Levon Helm Sextet; should be in 1964. Later, the five (minus the guy on the left - Jerry Penfound) became Levon and the Hawks, then the Canadian Squires, then, of course, The Band. This song kicks!
nayr497
The Canadian Squires is a bad a*s name, love it!
RacBeat girl76
I know the feeling I sing all nite long.
ahl528
The guy on the left is Jerry Penfound, The Hawks' horn player at the time, along with Garth. I think he left in 1965.
Sincoola27
thanks for posting this. ZThis song is so badass
Sincoola27
@RacBeat girl76 Wow your comment led me back here I'd completely forgotten about this song> my first comment was 12 years ago. The song still hits just as hard as the first time I heard it. That summarizes the band perfectly though. Completely timeless and phenomenal music