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.
Movin
The Black Crowes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's all right brother
It's all right sisters
It's all right brother
It's all right sisters
It's all right brother
It's all right brother
Brother, brother, brother
It's all right
It's all right sisters
It's all right brother
It's all right, all right
All right, all right, all right
It's all right sisters
It's all right brother
All right
It's all right sisters
It's all right brother
It's all right sisters
It's all right brother
The wheel within the wheel
The water below the well
Keep the curtain drawn and the record on
And be careful what you say
Bring the bottle near, make the real unreal
And let's go out and play
'Cause it's all right sisters
It's all right brother
We all get down sometimes
Starting to show me, starting to know me
Starting to feel the shine
Starting to let go now that we know
It's time to move it on down the line
The exit marks the hex
That moves from next to next
Keep your head on tight to make it through the night
You got to make a friend along the way
So cover up your tracks and avoid a tax
And live to love another day
'Cause it's all right sisters
It's all right brother
We all get down sometimes
Starting to show me, starting to know me
Starting to feel the shine
Starting to let go now that we know
It's time to move it on down the line, all right
It's all right sisters
It's all right brother
We all get down sometimes
Starting to show me, starting to know me
Starting to feel the shine
Starting to let go, baby now that we know
It's time to move it on down the line
Time to move it on down the line
It's time to move it on down the line
Time to move it on down the line, all right
Time to move it on down the line, move on
The Black Crowes song "Movin" appears on their third album "Amorica" released in 1994. The first verse is a repetition of an encouraging message, "it's all right sisters, it's all right brother". This mantra-like repetition, combined with the gospel-like harmonies in the background, creates a sense of community and unity, as if everyone is welcome and accepted no matter what. The song then takes a turn into more poetic and abstract lyrics, with images of wheels within wheels, water below the well, and curtains being drawn. These images can be interpreted in various ways, one could argue that they are symbolic of the complexity of life and the layers of meaning that exist beneath the surface of things.
The line "keep your head on tight to make it through the night" is a warning to stay focused and vigilant in order to survive, while "avoid a tax" can be seen as a nod to staying out of trouble and not being caught by the law. The final lines "time to move it on down the line" can be seen as a call to action, an encouragement to keep pushing forward and not get stuck in one place or moment. Overall, the song's message is one of resilience, community, and perseverance in the face of life's challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
It's all right sisters
Don't worry sisters, everything is all right
It's all right brother
Don't worry brother, everything is all right
It's all right, all right
Everything is perfectly fine
The wheel within the wheel
A complicated system with many moving parts
The water below the well
Something hidden deep below the surface
Keep the curtain drawn and the record on
Maintain a facade and keep up appearances, while continuing as usual
And be careful what you say
Be cautious about what you say, as it could have repercussions
Bring the bottle near, make the real unreal
Drink alcohol to blur reality and create an alternate world
And let's go out and play
Let's have fun and ignore our problems
Starting to show me, starting to know me
Getting to know each other better
Starting to feel the shine
Starting to feel a new sense of hope and positivity
Starting to let go now that we know
Letting go of our worries now that we have a better sense of our situation
It's time to move it on down the line
It's time to move forward and leave our problems behind
The exit marks the hex
Leaving is risky and can have repercussions
That moves from next to next
It's an ongoing process of moving from one thing to the next
Keep your head on tight to make it through the night
Stay focused and keep moving forward to survive
You got to make a friend along the way
It's important to have support and companionship on the journey
So cover up your tracks and avoid a tax
Be careful not to leave a trail and evade any consequences
And live to love another day
Keep going and don't give up on love
Time to move it on down the line, all right
It's time to move forward and leave our problems behind for good
Time to move it on down the line, move on
It's time to move on and start fresh
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind