Guitarist Mike Connell formed the band in 1984, along with his brother David Connell on bass, Doug MacMillan on vocals, and future filmmaker John Schultz on drums. This initial four-person line-up was quickly supplemented by the addition of George Huntley on second guitar, keyboards, and vocals. Around the same time, former Johnny Quest drummer Peele Wimberley replaced Schultz, finalizing the "classic" line-up of the band.
From the beginning of the group, Mike Connell wrote both the music and the lyrics of the majority of the band’s songs, although he was not the band's primary lead singer. Connell’s influences included the 1960's guitar pop of his childhood, including The Byrds and The Beatles; in an early interview, he stated that the first song he wrote as a teenager was titled “Psychedelic Butterfly."
Like Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Johnny Marr of The Smiths, Connell and Huntley played Rickenbacker guitars for the first several years of the band’s career, creating a jangly, folk-rock sound reminiscent of The Byrds and other Southern U.S. and North Carolina bands of the era, such as the dB's and Let's Active.
A re-recorded version of “Darker Days” provided the title track to the band’s debut album, which was produced by fellow North Carolinian Don Dixon and released in 1985 on Elvis Costello's Demon Records in the UK and the band’s own Black Park Records label in the U.S.
After touring heavily behind Darker Days, the Connells re-entered the studio in 1986 with Dixon and R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter to record their second album, Boylan Heights. The decision to work with Easter continued to perpetuate the comparisons to R.E.M.
Although the band shopped Boylan Heights to various labels, the major record companies, including Columbia Records, which expressed some mild interest, passed on it; the record was ultimately released in 1987 on mid-major TVT Records, which had made its name releasing a series of "Tee Vee Toons" television theme song compilation CDs. TVT would prove to be no commercial match for R.E.M.'s own mid-major label, I.R.S. Records, and over the next decade, The Connells would engage in a series of disputes with the label, on at least one occasion suing, unsuccessfully, to break their recording contract.
Despite the problems with TVT, Boylan Heights was a substantial college radio hit, and The Connells continued to tour relentlessly. During this period, both Connell and Huntley began to move away from their twelve-string Rickenbackers towards six-string Fender and Gibson guitars, leading to a heavier, less folky sound on Fun and Games, the 1989 follow-up album.
Fun and Games was quickly followed in 1990 by One Simple Word, which was recorded in Wales with U.K. producer Hugh Jones.
After a three-year recording hiatus, which included more legal jousting with TVT Records, a rejuvenated Connells released Ring in 1993. While European music fans made Ring a platinum record outside the United States, such high level success in America remained elusive. 1996's Weird Food and Devastation failed to build on the momentum established by its predecessor.
In 1998, the band released Still Life, which marked their final album for TVT. The band released Old School Dropouts on the revived Black Park Records label in 2000. The band recorded the record themselves and promoted it sparingly in the American South.
Peele Wimberley and George Huntley have since left the band. Wimberley briefly played with another band called Parklife, and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue interests in Hollywood and in electronic music. He is currently a member of the Los Angeles band, The Lamps.
Huntley is now selling real estate and working part time at the University of North Carolina music department.
Peele Wimberley was replaced on drums by Steve Ritter; after several years Ritter was soon replaced by Chris Stevenson on drums, and Mike Ayers took George's place on lead guitar. The new lineup recorded the album Old School Dropouts.
In 1993, they released "''74-'75" which remains their most popular song. It is based on experiences of the Class of 1975 in a high school in Raleigh, North Carolina. The video juxtaposed original yearbook pictures with the class members as they appeared at the time. And then in 2015, the producers tracked down the original members once again, and produced a remixed video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6l3Lh2cb_g
The last official release of the band was in 2001. They still occasionally perform together, including a reunion concert in 2020.
What Do You Want
The Connells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If i wasn't in here I'd be leaving.
It's a room for viewing and a stage for dance.
So a dollar can buy cheap romance,
But its so on and so on for sue
The midget's stare can't compare to the rich man's.
Fools, they kneel at the wave of her hand.
Legs are long beneath her flowing hair,
She's pregnant and barely she shows it.
What do you want?
A mind untangled is a mind set free.
What do you want?
A laugh in a mirror, a cry for me.
What do you want?
The song has ended, she leaves the stage.
Clapping rings loud and clear.
It isn't music that has brought us here.
Go on and ask us, say.
Say
What do you want?
A mind untangled is a mind set free.
What do you want?
Some can fake it, and some can not.
What do you want, do you want, to leave him?
Hand jive, hand jive.
She said hand jive, hand jive.
Hand jive, hand jive.
The lyrics of What Do You Want? by The Connells describe a scene in a room where people are seeking cheap entertainment and romantic attention. The singer, who seems to be observing the people in the room, acknowledges that if they were not there, they would be wanting to leave. The room serves as a space for viewing and dancing, where women can perform and men can admire. The reference to a "midget's stare" highlights the physical differences between performers and viewers, while acknowledging that everyone is seeking the same thing: attention and gratification.
The singer shifts his focus to a particular woman in the room, who is described as a queen. Her beauty is emphasized by the mention of her long legs and flowing hair. The fact that she is pregnant but barely showing it adds to her mystique and allure. The lyrics then pose the question "What do you want?", suggesting that these people are seeking something deeper than the superficial attention they are receiving.
The repeated phrase "hand jive" at the end of the song may be interpreted as an instruction to the audience to participate in the performance, encouraging them to join in the dancing and become part of the spectacle.
Overall, What Do You Want? is an exploration of the human desire for attention and affirmation, set against a backdrop of cheap entertainment and superficiality.
Line by Line Meaning
The room we're in's the only friend this evening.
We have no one else to hang out with tonight, except for the room we're in.
If i wasn't in here I'd be leaving.
If I weren't stuck in this room, I'd leave and find something better to do.
It's a room for viewing and a stage for dance.
This room is designed for watching and dancing.
So a dollar can buy cheap romance,
Someone can pay for a romantic encounter for cheap while in this room.
But its so on and so on for sue
This type of behavior and atmosphere is typical and expected, especially for someone named Sue.
The midget's stare can't compare to the rich man's.
The look on a small person's face can't match the expression of a wealthy man.
Fools, they kneel at the wave of her hand.
Some people willingly submit to someone's power and influence.
She's like a queen, when she's standing there.
When she's standing, she exudes a regal and majestic presence.
Legs are long beneath her flowing hair,
Her hair flows while showing off her long legs.
She's pregnant and barely she shows it.
Despite being pregnant, she's not showing much physically.
What do you want?
A mind untangled is a mind set free.
What are your desires? Having an unburdened mind can lead to liberation.
What do you want?
A laugh in a mirror, a cry for me.
What are your desires? Do you want to see yourself happy or sad in the reflection of a mirror?
What do you want?
The song has ended, she leaves the stage.
What are your desires? The performance is over and she's gone.
Clapping rings loud and clear.
The sound of applause can be heard loudly and distinctly.
It isn't music that has brought us here.
We didn't come here for the music specifically.
Go on and ask us, say.
Say
What do you want?
Feel free to ask us what we want, go ahead and say it.
A mind untangled is a mind set free.
Having a clear and unburdened mind can lead to liberation.
Some can fake it, and some can not.
Some people can pretend and some people can't.
What do you want, do you want, to leave him?
What is it that you want? Do you want to break up with him?
Hand jive, hand jive.
A hand jive dance is being performed.
She said hand jive, hand jive.
She stated that the dance being performed is a hand jive.
Hand jive, hand jive.
A hand jive dance is being performed.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: GEORGE HUNTLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
B Bloem
on In my Head
I always thought this was being sung to an aborted baby.