… Read Full Bio ↴There have been multiple artists who have recorded as The Dragons.
1. The Dragons were a Los Angeles based trio consisting of three brothers Daryl Dragon, (August 27, 1942 - January 2, 2018) Doug Dragon and Dennis Dragon (d. September 2017). They were sons of composer/symphony conductor Carmen Dragon and an opera soprano. Multi-instrumentalist Daryl studied piano while growing up and briefly attended California State University at Northridge before dropping out to form an instrumental jazz trio with his brothers called The Dragons. The group released the single "Elephant Stomp"/"Troll" on Capitol Records in 1964.
Not much happened for a while in terms of releasing music and the brothers became involved with other projects. They were in late 1960s outfit Farm that recorded the soundtrack for the Australian surf film "The Innermost Limits Of Pure Fun" in 1968. In 1967 Daryl became a touring backup musician for the Beach Boys. He was dubbed "Captain Keyboard" by lead singer Mike Love because he always appeared on-stage in a yachting cap. In addition to touring with the Beach Boys, Dragon appeared on their albums of the period, including Sunflower and Holland, and he was billed as Rumbo on a British single released in 1970, "Sound of Free"/"Lady," credited to the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson & Rumbo. "Captain" Daryl Dragon and his wife, singer/pianist Toni Tennille, scored a series of pop/rock hits in a light, romantic vein in the second half of the 1970s, the most successful of which was the first, "Love Will Keep Us Together." The couple met in the summer of 1971, when Dragon was engaged as the keyboard player for a musical revue, Mother Earth, composed by Tennille.
In the late 1960s the three brothers were living in Malibu, surfing and gigging around the Los Angeles area and having their minds blown by the music of The Beatles, Hendrix and The Doors., the Dragon brothers decide it’s time to create their own psychedelic soul/rock masterpiece. A high school friend of Dennis, Donn Landee, is working as a recording engineer at Sunwest Recording Studios in Hollywood and they begin to go there to put tracks down in “off time” often working from 3 AM, when they finish their regular gigs, until morning.
They call the sessions “Blue Forces Intelligence,” find themselves layering their instruments in new ways, adding deep, bassy vocal lines and then ramming them up against falsetto harmonies, adding organs and space age sound effects, recording spirituals and pop and crazy rock opera. The effect is increasingly spacey and weird, but also funky – a missing link between new directions others are exploring in jazz and soul as well as rock music.
Unfortunately, the suits at the West Coast offices of the major labels aren’t ready, complaining that they don’t hear a hit. After shopping the record, now called just “BFI”, for a few months, the boys become disillusioned and focus instead on their session work. They all end up working in the Beach Boys’ backing band. Doug moves to Hawaii, tours Australia. Dennis becomes a successful record producer. Daryl hooks up with Toni Tennille and experiences international chart success as “The Captain”. “BFI” is forgotten.
Jump on 37 years. Strictly Kev/DJ Food, influential mixologist and designer for Ninja Tune and obsessive record collector – picks up a new batch of vinyl from a record dealer he knows. Among them is a 500-run private pressing of the soundtrack to a surf movie called “A Sea For Yourself”. On it is a track called “Food For My Soul” by a band called the Dragons. Kev being a fan of all possible food-based puns and currently putting together the mix for his new “Solid Steel” mix CD for Ninja, drops the needle on the groove.
What he finds amazes him – a true psychedelic original from a band he’s never heard of. Using his extensive contacts in the world of vinyl mania, he manages to track Dennis Dragon down. He emails him, asks him if he can include “Food For My Soul” on the mix. Sure, says Dennis. There’s a whole album of the stuff if he’s interested. Dennis checks. Donn still has the master tapes. He converts them to mp3 and emails them to Kev. Kev is blown away. He forwards them to Ninja Tune. Ninja Tune think it’s a scam. But then they listen. And they listen again. And then, after nearly forty years sitting on a recording engineer’s shelf, Ninja Tune decide to release “BFI”.
Beautifully played and produced, full of crazy invention and a lovably naive lack of self-consciousness, “BFI” is a miniature masterpiece, a lost classic of psych-whimsy, West Coast sexiness and serious musical chops. The moral of this story is: keep your master tapes. Whatever you do, keep your master tapes.
2. The Dragons was a rock band based in San Diego, California, that released six CDs between 1991 and 2005. The band was notably fronted by singer/guitarist Mario Escovedo, whose musical family also includes Alejandro Escovedo, Pete Escovedo, Javier Escovedo, Coke Escovedo, and Sheila E. Other members of The Dragons included Ken Horne (lead guitar), Steve Rodriguez (bass guitar) and Jarrod Lucas (drums). The band played a combination of glam, garage and punk rock, similar to New York Dolls and Hanoi Rocks.
Discography:
"Pain Killer" – Scam-O-Rama Records, 1996
"Cheers to Me" – Junk Records, 1998
"Rock Like Fuck" – Junk Records, 1999
"Live at the Casbah" – Junk Records, 2000
"Sin Salvation" – Gearhead Records, 2003
"Rock n Roll Kamikaze" – Gearhead Records, 2004
Breakdown
The Dragons Lyrics
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Steady breakin' me on down, break break down,
Steady breakin' me on down,
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down,
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down.
You called yesterday to basically say
That you care for me,
Immediately I pretended
To be feeling similarly
And led you to believe it was o.k
To just walk away from the one thing
That's unyielding and sacred to me
[Chorus]
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath a disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
Till I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
So what do you do
When somebody you're so devoted to
Suddenly just stops loving you
And it seems they haven't got a clue
Of the pain that rejection is putting you through
Do you cling to your pride
And sing "I will survive"
Do you lash out and say "How dare you leave this way?"
Do you hold on in vain as they just slip away
Yeah, c'mon, yeah, c'mon, c'mon
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
Till I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
It'll break you down
Only if you let it
Everyday crazy situations rocking my mind
Tryin' to break me down
But I won't let it
Forget it (forget it)
I be feelin' like you bringing me down
Taking me around
Stressin' me out
I think i better go and get out
And let me release some stress (stress)
Don't ever wanna feel no pain (pain)
Hoping for the sun
But it looks like rain (rain, rain, rain)
Lord, I just wanna maintain
Yeah, I can feel pressures y'all
But never the less
Krayzie won't fall
It's over, it's ending here (here)
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
Till I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
The Dragons' "Breakdown" portrays the aftermath of a breakup where the singer is trying their best to hide their feelings of pain and heartbreak from friends and family but ultimately cannot keep up the façade. The song starts with the repetition of "Break break down" which instantly sets the mood for a song about a mental breakdown. The song describes the conflicting emotions one feels after a breakup where the other person still cares but the love is not there. The reluctance to show genuine emotions and unwillingness to reveal the pain one is facing leads to internal suffering. The singer tries hard to hide their emotions and act nonchalant, but their façade eventually crumbles, and they find themselves crying alone at night.
The chorus of the song drives home the idea of a desperate need to prove to oneself and the world that they are okay without their significant other. However, reality is not always so kind, and slowly losing one's mind is the consequence of not acknowledging the pain caused by a breakup. The verses describe how wearing a nonchalant façade and lying to friends about one's feelings to avoid revealing the pain is a defense mechanism that does more damage than good. The bridge also touches on how the pain felt by an unexpected breakup is incredibly isolating, and it is difficult to seek comfort from anyone or anything.
Line by Line Meaning
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down
The singer is being broken down emotionally and mentally, and it's happening consistently.
You called yesterday to basically say that you care for me, but that you're just not in love
The singer received a call from someone they're close to, who expressed love but not being in love. It hurt the singer deeply.
Immediately I pretended to be feeling similarly and led you to believe it was o.k to just walk away from the one thing that's unyielding and sacred to me
To spare the other person's feelings, the singer pretended to be okay with ending the relationship when really it's something they hold dear.
Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalant about it and I'm going to extremes to prove I'm fine without you
The artist is trying to maintain a cool demeanor and pretend they're doing okay without the other person. They're going to great lengths to prove it.
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind underneath a disguise of a smile
Despite the facade of being okay, the artist is not okay and is struggling with their mental state and emotions.
Gradually I'm dying inside
The emotional pain is taking a toll on the singer, causing them to feel like they're dying inside.
Friends ask me how I feel, and I lie convincingly 'cause I don't want to reveal the fact that I'm suffering
The singer is hiding their pain and suffering, lying to friends when asked about their feelings to spare themselves from vulnerability.
Do you cling to your pride and sing 'I will survive', do you lash out and say 'How dare you leave this way?'
The artist wonders how one should handle rejection. Should they hold onto their pride and insist they'll be okay, or lash out in anger?
Do you hold on in vain as they just slip away
The artist questions whether it's worth holding onto someone who's slipping away despite their efforts.
It'll break you down only if you let it
The artist acknowledges that emotional pain can be debilitating, but only if you allow it to be.
Everyday crazy situations rocking my mind, tryna break me down, but I won't let it, forget it
The singer is dealing with daily stress and struggles that could potentially break them down, but they refuse to let it happen.
I be feelin' like you bringing me down, taking me around, stressin' me out, I think I better go and get out, and let me release some stress
The other person's presence is causing the artist stress and anxiety, and they feel the need to remove themselves from the situation.
Don't ever wanna feel no pain, hoping for the sun but it looks like rain, lord, I just wanna maintain
The singer doesn't want to feel any more pain and is hoping for positive things, but it seems like things are going to get worse before they get better. They just want to maintain their current state.
Yeah, I can feel pressures y'all, but nevertheless Krayzie won't fall, it's over, it's ending here
The singer acknowledges that there are external pressures, but they are determined not to let them get the best of them. They see the situation as coming to an end.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MARIAH CAREY, SEAN COMBS, ANTHONY HENDERSON, STEVEN A JORDAN, CHARLES SCRUGGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind