Their collaboration with legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller gave them a unique sound that was very humorous most of the time. Their first huge hit came with "Young Blood" and "Searchin'." They also had success with hits such as "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown," and "Little Egypt."
Gardner was still touring with The Coasters as late as 2005, although he is the only surviving original member. Gardner is now semi-retired and has handed the reins over to his son Carl Jr.
In 1987, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, thus becoming the first group to be inducted (the other inductees at the time were solo acts). In 2000, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame. In 2004, "Young Blood" was #414 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Songs Of All Time. "Young Blood" and "Yakety Yak" were part of The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll. The band's song "Down In Mexico" appears on the new film, Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof.
Down in Mexico
The Coasters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a crazy little place that I know
Where the drinks are hotter than the chili sauce
And the boss is a cat named Joe
He wears a red bandana, plays a blues pi-anna
(In a honky-tonk, down in Mexico)
He wears a purple sash, and a black moustache
Well, the first time that I saw him
He was sittin' on a piano stool
I said "a-tell me dad, when does the fun begin?"
He just winked his eye and said "man, be cool"
He wears a red bandana, plays a blues p-ianna
(In a honky-tonk, down in Mexico)
He wears a purple sash, and a black moustache
(In a honky-tonk, down in Mexico, in Mexico)
All of a sudden in walks this chick (in Mexico)
Joe starts playing on a Latin kick (in Mexico)
Around her waist she wore three fishnets (in Mexico)
She started dancin' with the castanets (in Mexico)
I didn't know just what to expect (in Mexico)
She threw her arms around my neck (in Mexico)
We started dancin' all around the floor
And then she did a dance I never saw before
So if you're south of the border
I mean down in a-Mexico
And you want to get straight, man
Don't hesitate
Just look up a cat named Joe
He wears a red bandana, plays a blues pi-anna
(In a honky-tonk, down in Mexico)
He wears a purple sash, and a black moustache
(In a honky-tonk, down in Mexico)
The Coasters' "Down in Mexico" is a fun, up-tempo song that takes us to a bar south of the border. The opening lines describe the setting as a "crazy little place that I know" down in Mexicali, where the drinks are hotter than chili sauce and the boss is a cat named Joe. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery that draws the listener in - we can practically see Joe in his red bandana playing the blues piano, or the girl with the castanets around her waist dancing around the floor.
The singer meets Joe for the first time on a piano stool and asks when the fun will begin. Joe responds with a wink, telling him to "be cool." The singer then meets a girl who starts dancing with castanets around her waist, and the two begin to dance together. The chorus repeats Joe's description - he wears a red bandana and plays the blues piano, and wears a purple sash and black mustache.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in the Mexicali
There is a place in Mexicali
There's a crazy little place that I know
There is a small and peculiar place that I am aware of
Where the drinks are hotter than the chili sauce
The drinks are really hot, even hotter than the chili sauce
And the boss is a cat named Joe
The boss is called Joe
He wears a red bandana, plays a blues pi-anna (In a honky-tonk, down in Mexico)
Joe wears a red bandana, plays blues piano in a honky-tonk in Mexico
He wears a purple sash, and a black moustache (In a honky-tonk, down in Mexico)
Joe also wore a purple sash and a black mustache while playing piano in the honky-tonk in Mexico
Well, the first time that I saw him
When I first saw Joe
He was sittin' on a piano stool
He was sitting on a stool playing a piano
I said "a-tell me dad, when does the fun begin?"
I asked him when the fun was going to start
He just winked his eye and said "man, be cool"
He winked and told me to calm down
All of a sudden in walks this chick (in Mexico)
Suddenly, a girl enters the honky-tonk
Joe starts playing on a Latin kick (in Mexico)
Joe starts playing Latin music
Around her waist she wore three fishnets (in Mexico)
She had three fishnets around her waist
She started dancin' with the castanets (in Mexico)
She began to dance with the castanets
I didn't know just what to expect (in Mexico)
I was uncertain about what was going to happen next
She threw her arms around my neck (in Mexico)
She hugged me and put her arms around my neck
We started dancin' all around the floor
We started dancing around the floor
And then she did a dance I never saw before
She did a dance that I've never seen before
So if you're south of the border
If you're in Mexico
I mean down in a-Mexico
I'm talking about being in Mexico
And you want to get straight, man
If you want to have a good time
Don't hesitate
Do not delay
Just look up a cat named Joe
Find a guy called Joe
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BELINDA ABERBACH STEVENSON AGAR REVOCABLE TRUST
Written by: JERRY LEIBER, MIKE STOLLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind