At the time of their 1990 debut, the kind of rock & roll the Black Crowes specialize in was out of style. Only Guns N' Roses came close to approximating a vintage Stones-style raunch, but they were too angry and jagged to pull it off completely. The Black Crowes replicated that Stonesy swagger and Faces boogie perfectly. Vocalist Chris Robinson appropriated the sound and style of vintage Rod Stewart while guitarist Rich Robinson fused Keith Richards' lean attack with Ron Wood's messy rhythmic sense. At their best, the Black Crowes echo classic rock without slavishly imitating their influences.
The Robinson brothers originally formed the Black Crowes in Georgia in 1984. By the time of their 1990 debut, Shake Your Money Maker, the group comprised Chris Robinson (vocals), Rich Robinson (guitar), Johnny Colt (bass), Jeff Cease (guitar), and Steve Gorman (drums). "Jealous Again," the first single from Shake Your Money Maker, was a moderate hit but it was the band's cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle" that made the group a multi-platinum success. "Hard to Handle" climbed its way into the Top 40, propelling the album into the Top Ten. The acoustic ballad "She Talks to Angels" became the band's second Top 40 hit in the spring of 1991. Shake Your Money Maker would eventually sell over three million copies.
The Black Crowes delivered their second album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, in the spring of 1992, adding new lead guitarist Marc Ford and keyboardist Eddie Harsch. It entered the charts at number one, but it didn't have as many hit singles as the debut; none of the singles cracked the Top 40 and only "Remedy" and "Thorn in My Pride" made the Top 100. Nevertheless, the band established themselves as a popular concert attraction that summer, selling out theaters across America. The Black Crowes' third album, Amorica, arrived in late 1994. Amorica debuted in the Top Ten, but none of the singles from the album made the charts; even though the record went gold, it slipped off the charts in early 1995.
Three Snakes & One Charm, the group's fourth album, was released in July of 1996. The album entered the charts at number 15, but it quickly slipped out of the Top 50. Nevertheless, the album received the best reviews of any Crowes album since The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Guitarist Marc Ford was fired from the Black Crowes in August, 1997; two years later, the group returned with By Your Side. In mid-2000, the band collaborated with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page on the double-disc Live at the Greek, an eclectic mix of newly recorded Zeppelin covers and additional classic blues cuts. A Tribute to a Work in Progress: Greatest Hits 1990-1999, a 16-track best-of compilation was also released in mid-2000. The Don Was-produced Lions appeared in spring 2001, and a summer tour with Oasis -- the Tour of Brotherly Love -- followed in June. But all was apparently not well with the group, in January of 2002 the band announced that they were on hiatus. Drummer Steve Gorman was fired from the band, and Chris Robinson announced his intentions for a solo career.
The Black Crowes have since reunited. All members circa 1992 are back, with the addition of one of their previous bassists, Sven Pipien, and harmony singers Mona Lisa Young and Charity White. They are enjoying a renaissance within the group as well as with their longtime fan base and have been consistently touring since formally reuniting in March 2005. In November of 2007, it was announced that North Mississippi Allstar guitarist Luther Dickinson formally joined the band, replacing Paul Stacey. He appears throughout the Crowes' album Warpaint, which was released in March of 2008.
In late 2019, during an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Chris and Rich Robinson announced that they had resolved their differences (the brothers hadn't spoken in the years since the band's 2015 split). Besides the Robinson brothers, the reunited lineup featured an entirely new backing band including guitarist Isiah Mitchell (from the bands Earthless and Golden Void), bassist Tim Lefebvre (formerly of the Tedeschi Trucks Band), keyboardist Joel Robinow, and drummer Raj Ojha. This line-up premiered at The Bowery Ballroom in New York City on November 11, 2019 where they played the entire Shake Your Money Maker album.
Chevrolet
The Black Crowes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna buy you a watch and chain
I'm gonna buy you a watch and chain
And do cool stuff for you baby
And do cool stuff for you
I'm gonna buy you a Chevrolet
I'm gonna buy you a Chevrolet
And do cool stuff for you
Yeah do cool stuff for you
Gonna build you a house and home
I'm gonna build you a house and home
Said I'm gonna build you a house and home
And do cool stuff for you baby
Said do cool stuff for you
Now I'm going take back my diamond ring
I'm going take back my diamond ring yeah
I'm going take back that diamond ring
Gonna get it back from you baby
Said get it back from you
Take back my credit cards that's right
I'm gonna take back my credit cards
I'm gonna take back my credit card
Take it back from you yes I will now
Take it back from you
Say re-possess that Chevrolet yes I will
Re-possess my Chevrolet
I'm gonna re-possess that Chevrolet
Take it back from you
I'm gonna take it back from you
I'm gonna tear down her house and home
I'm gonna tear down her house and home
Brick by brick you know it's gonna go
To take away from you baby
To take it away from you
Gonna buy the girl five dollar drinks
Gonna buy her five dollar drinks
I'm gonna buy her five or six them thing
To get her home with me now
I said to get it on with me
And then I'll roll up my highest gauge
I'm gonna roll up my highest gauge
I'm gonna roll up my Sunday night gauge
To do blow smoke from you
To blow smoke over you
I'm gonna beat ya black and blue huh
I'm gonna beat ya beat ya black and blue
Yeah just tell me baby if you want me to
I'll beat you black and blue
hey if you ask me to
Well beat ya
Well I'm gonna beat ya
Well baby
That's what I
That's what I
That's what I'm gonna do yeah
I said now that's what I wanna do
(Yeah)
The lyrics to "Chevrolet" by The Black Crowes appear to be about a man who is making grand promises to a woman he loves. He tells her he will buy her a watch and chain, a Chevrolet, and build her a house and home. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the relationship is deteriorating. He wants to take back his diamond ring and credit cards, re-possess the Chevrolet, and tear down the house he built for her. He also seems to be considering using drugs and physical violence against her. The lyrics are filled with contradictions and suggest a toxic and abusive relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm gonna buy you a watch and chain
I am going to buy you a nice gift like a watch and chain and be cool to you.
I'm gonna buy you a Chevrolet
I am going to buy you a Chevy car and continue to be awesome to you.
Gonna build you a house and home
I will construct a place that you can call home and be amazing to you.
Now I'm going take back my diamond ring
I am going to retrieve the diamond ring that I gave you earlier.
Take back my credit cards that's right
I am planning to get back the credit cards you borrowed from me.
Say re-possess that Chevrolet yes I will
I am going to take back the Chevrolet car that I bought for you.
I'm gonna tear down her house and home
I'm going to demolish the house where you are living and remove you from there.
Gonna buy the girl five dollar drinks
I will offer someone else some drinks that cost five dollars each so that they will come home with me.
And then I'll roll up my highest gauge
I will light my best tobacco and inhale it.
I'm gonna beat ya black and blue huh
I plan on physically harming you by hitting you in order to get you to do what I want.
Well I'm gonna buy you a watch and chain
I am going to buy you a nice gift like a watch and chain and be cool to you.
Contributed by Carter R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.