The Electric Prunes are a rock band who first achieved international attention as an experimental psychedelic group in the late 1960s, and contributed one track to the soundtrack of Easy Rider. After a period in which they had little control over their music, they disappeared for a period of 30 years, reforming as a recording and touring band in 2001.
History
Origins
The group started in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, though during the group's long disbandment, rumors circulated that they were from Seattle, probably because their records were very popular in that city. The first members, Ken Williams (guitar), James Lowe (lead vocal), Michael Weakley (drums) and Mark Tulin (bass) called themselves The Sanctions, and later, Jim and the Lords. Soon, Dick Hargrave joined on organ, but shortly thereafter left to pursue graphic arts. Their lineup changed many times, including one lineup with Kenny Loggins.
Lowe, Tulin, Williams and Weakley were introduced to David Hassinger, then resident engineer at RCA studios, who arranged for them to record some demos at Leon Russell's home recording facility (which he called Sky Hill Studios). Hassinger also suggested they needed a new name. In response, the band produced a long list of suggestions, with The Electric Prunes last as a joke. Somehow it stuck.
A single Ain't It Hard/Little Oliver (the A side a cover, the B side original) was released from these sessions, and flopped.
Early success
The Prunes' next single, I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) (1966), was chosen from material Hassinger sourced from the established songwriting team of Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz. It remains their highest charting success, reaching 11 in the USA and 49 in the UK. Personnel included Jim Lowe on vocals, James "Weasel" Spagnola and Ken Williams on guitar, Mark Tulin on bass and Preston Ritter on drums. This is regarded by many as the classic Prunes lineup.
Their third single, Get Me to the World on Time, was also successful but less so, peaking at 27 in the USA and 42 in the UK. However both their first album, The Electric Prunes: I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) (1967) and consisting mainly of Tucker/Mantz material, and the followup Underground (1967) which featured mainly original Prunes material, charted in the lower reaches of the Billboard charts.
By the time Underground was complete, there had been several more personnel changes. Original drummer Weakley returned to replace Ritter, and Spagnola was replaced on guitar by Mike Gannon, who appears on only two songs. Their fourth single Everybody Knows You're Not In Love appears on this album.
The Axelrod period
The Prunes' third album, Mass in F Minor (1968), was a psychedelicized setting of the Mass written and produced by David Axelrod, and somewhat of an underground favorite. Kyrie Eleison from this record was used to back the Mardi Gras drug trip scene in Easy Rider. The band reportedly broke up during the recording, and Axelrod completed the album using Canadian band The Collectors[1] and session musicians. There was a planned tour to follow the album release, which was cancelled after one disastrous show at which it was obvious that the Prunes couldn't play the music, some of which they had seen for the first time only days previously.
This was followed by Release of An Oath (1968), another religious-themed Axelrod work this time combining Jewish and Christian liturgy. It was produced by Axelrod using top session musicians for all instruments, backing the Prunes vocal work.
"the new improved Electric Prunes"
To add to the indignities heaped upon the original band members, the following album Just Good Old Rock and Roll (1969) was recorded by another, completely different group of musicians, originally from Colorado, who were assigned the Prunes' name, which was not legally owned by Hassinger (according to James Lowe in a recent interview). The album cover read the new improved Electric Prunes. This band toured and also released a single on Reprise Records in 1969, but had totally dissolved by 1970.
Reissues and reformation
Through the inclusion of their classic "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" on the seminal "Nuggets" compilation on 1960s psychedelic gems the Electric Prunes continued to reach new fans in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. That track in particular has been a regular of psychedelic bands through the decades including Australia's Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers in the early to mid 1980s. The track was covered by psychedelic punks The Damned in the 1980s, under their alter ego of Naz Nomad and the Nightmares, and was also a feature of The Damned's live set in the mid-80s.
The late 1990s saw renewed interest in the Electric Prunes, with the release of Stockholm, a concert recorded by the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation while the (original) Prunes were on tour there in 1967. An early collection of recordings by The Sanctions and Jim and The Lords was also released, recovered from unplayed 35-year-old acetates.
After a long period of 30 years, the original quartet of Lowe, Tulin, Williams and Weakley met in the studio to consider a revival. As a result Lowe, Tulin and Williams (the three who had played on all the early recordings) were joined by two new members including James Lowe's son to reform the band. They began touring internationally in 2001, and in 2002 released a new recording titled Artifact and a DVD album called Rewired.
Continuing the momentum in 2007, the trio of Lowe, Tulin, and Williams released a new CD entitled Feedback and have also taken residence in myspace, reaching out to fans of new and old.
They are now recording and touring with a new drummer, Walter Garces, who has been called the "drum guru" of LA.
Onie
The Electric Prunes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Annette Tucker / Nancie Mantz)
Onie, I thought I knew you
What's happened to you
you're not the same
you're not yet grown up
why play a game
The years will find you if you let them
Don't try to get them before your time
Onie, don't lose what you've got
by being something you're not
Onie, Why don't you own up
you're not yet grown up
why play a game
Do all the fun things, seek out the laughter
and grow up after your youth is gone
Onie I like you a lot
but don't be something you're not.
The Electric Prunes's song Onie talks about a girl named Onie who seems to have lost her real self and is pretending to be someone else. The singer expresses his confusion about the changes he has noticed in Onie's behavior and asks her to stop pretending to be someone she is not. He advises her not to rush into adulthood and let the years take their own course. The song urges her to enjoy her youth, have fun, and not lose her real identity.
The lyrics of the song offer a warning to young people who try too hard to fit in or be someone else to catch up with their peers. The song is a reminder to stay true to oneself and not to rush to grow up too fast. The song's melody is upbeat and catchy, and its lyrics resonate with anyone who has experienced the pressure of trying to fit in or be someone they're not.
Line by Line Meaning
Onie, I thought I knew you
The singer knew Onie in the past but something has changed about them.
What's happened to you
The singer is unsure of what has happened to Onie to cause the change.
you're not the same
Onie has undergone a fundamental change that is noticeable to the singer.
Onie, why don't you own up
The artist wants Onie to admit to not yet having matured.
you're not yet grown up
Onie is still childish in some aspect.
why play a game
The singer wants Onie to be honest about their immaturity rather than pretending to be more adult than they are.
The years will find you if you let them
Time and experience will cause Onie to mature naturally as long as they don't try to rush it.
Don't try to get them before your time
Onie should let things happen naturally and not force themselves to mature too quickly.
Onie, don't lose what you've got
The artist wants Onie to cherish their current state and not try to grow up too fast.
by being something you're not
Onie should not pretend to be more mature than they are for the sake of fitting in or pleasing others.
Do all the fun things, seek out the laughter
The singer wants Onie to enjoy their youth while they still have it.
and grow up after your youth is gone
Onie should not try to rush their maturity, but rather allow it to happen naturally once their youthful days are over.
Onie I like you a lot
The singer has a fondness for Onie despite their immaturity.
but don't be something you're not
The singer wants Onie to stay true to themselves and not pretend to be someone they are not.
Contributed by Alyssa H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Benito Soriano
A ery nice and underated song should have done better. . . .Up to now.
Paige Elizabeth
Onie, I thought I knew you
What's happened to you
You're not the same
Onie, why don't you own up
You're not yet grown up
Why play a game
The years will find you if you let them
Don't try to get them before your time
Onie, don't lose what you've got
By being something you're not
Onie, Why don't you own up
You're not yet grown up
Why play a game
Do all the fun things, seek out the laughter
And grow up after your youth is gone
Onie I like you as lot
But don't be something you're not
saint. adam
wow. i shed a couple tears listening to this. i wish i discovered it a couple years back. i’m 18 now and it seems like everything is changing. i’ve outgrown everything i once knew yet it feels like i have nothing to grow into. i know i’m still young and i’m supposed to enjoy this time but i can’t help but feel like i missed out on the only security and youth i could’ve enjoyed seeing how quickly things have changed. i hope for better days but don’t wanna rush growing up. maybe in day i’ll figure it out. a beautiful song, timeless
T H
Don't overthink it. Your life changes so much all the time at your age. You have so, so much ahead of you and so many life experiences yet to come. There are literally thousands of new people in your future you're yet to meet. In just a few years time, your life will be totally different. Then a few years after that it'll be totally different again and what you're feeling now will just be a distant memory.
saint. adam
@T H wow, i appreciate your words a lot:) thank you this made me feel better
haesklar3
how are you
Surf Sean
Nice to know we enjoy timeless music and understand. Peace and love to everybody. Also The Beach Boys are great. I’m 27.
samgalindo
the absurd is inevitable. your life will change its form time and time again; the universe is cold and indifferent. it does not care about you. i find that realizing this to be the case, bleak as it is, really puts life into perspective for me. hope this helps for u, being that you're struggling with rapid changes to ur life
John Howie
Oddly enough a most underrated song which could have been huge in its day for anyone, really..One of those that got away and a super little gem.What more can one say.Tks for posting.
mercurialmagictrees
Yeah I think it was overlooked by the title track but Onie would have been a good follow up single to show how the band had some mellow music too.
Paige Elizabeth
Onie, I thought I knew you
What's happened to you
You're not the same
Onie, why don't you own up
You're not yet grown up
Why play a game
The years will find you if you let them
Don't try to get them before your time
Onie, don't lose what you've got
By being something you're not
Onie, Why don't you own up
You're not yet grown up
Why play a game
Do all the fun things, seek out the laughter
And grow up after your youth is gone
Onie I like you as lot
But don't be something you're not