Kleinow and Ethridge instigated a reformation of the band in 1975 which continued through 1984. The band was reformed once again in 1985 and were disbanded for a final time in 2001.
The band best known as the "Flying Burrito Brothers" actually 'borrowed' their name from the original "Flying Burrito Brothers", composed of bassist Ian Dunlop and drummer Mickey Gauvin, bandmates of Parsons from the Boston-based International Submarine Band, plus any of a loose coalition of musicians, including Parsons himself from time to time. In a deliberate choice of focusing on just creating and playing music without the distractions of the music industry, in 1968 the original Brothers moved from Los Angeles to New York City. From this base they continued to tour the Northeast playing their eclectic traditional/rockabilly/blues/R&B-oriented version of rock, using the name "The Flying Burrito Brothers East" after Parsons' group became famous.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Parsons and guitarist/mandolinist/bassist/vocalist Chris Hillman thought this same moniker would be perfectly suited to the band they had been dreaming of since early 1968, when, as members of Roger McGuinn's band The Byrds, they created one of the first country-oriented rock albums, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. They immersed themselves in their vision in their house in the San Fernando Valley, dubbed "Burrito Manor", even replacing their wardrobe with a set of custom country-Western suits from tailor to the C&W stars, Nudie's Rodeo Tailors (Parsons's had marijuana leaf embroidery) and began a period of intensely fruitful creativity. At this juncture, the band also included pianist/bassist Chris Ethridge and pedal steel guitarist "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow.
Their first album The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969) did not sell terribly well, being a radical departure from anything most of the record-buying public (either rock or country) had ever seen, but the group had a cult following which included several famous musicians, such as Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. Parsons soon became friends with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and left the group after 1970's Burrito Deluxe, which also saw the departure of Ethridge and addition of guitarist/dobro player/vocalist Bernie Leadon and drummer Michael Clarke (of The Byrds). Rick Roberts replaced Parsons and released a self-titled album with the group in 1971. Kleinow then left to become a session musician and Leadon joined The Eagles. Al Perkins and Roger Bush replaced them, and Kenny Wertz and Byron Berline joined as well, releasing The Last of the Red Hot Burritos (1972), a live album. The band fell apart. Hillman and Perkins joined Manassas, while Berline, Bush and Wertz formed Country Gazette. Roberts reassembled a new group for a 1973 European tour, and then began a solo career before forming Firefall with Michael Clarke.
As Gram Parsons's influence and fame grew, so did interest in the Flying Burrito Brothers, leading to the release of Honky Tonks (1974), a double album, and the recreation of the band by Kleinow and Ethridge in 1975. Floyd "Gib" Gilbeau, Joel Scott Hill and Gene Parsons (no relation to Gram) also joined, and the band released Flying Again that year. Ethridge was then replaced by Skip Battin for Airborne (1976), followed by an album of unreleased early material, Sleepless Nights. For the next few decades, the group released albums and toured and had a country hit with "White Line Fever" (1980, a cover by Merle Haggard) and then became the Burrito Brothers. Headed by prolific songwriter and ace guitarist John Beland and Gib Guilbeau, and normally featuring Sneaky Pete, this incarnation scored moderately well on the Country charts in the early 1980s. Through numerous incarnations (including Brian Cadd for a time), the band released albums and toured throughout the 1980s up till 2001 when John Beland "officially" ended FBB. While the bands work during the 1980-1999 period was exceptional, after 1984 none of the many releases had any chart impact. Sneaky created a Burritos spinoff in his new band Burrito Deluxe, which featured Carlton Moody on lead vocals and Garth Hudson from The Band on keyboards. While a good band, there has never been any real continuity with the true Burritos and this group can not be considered anything more than a spinoff. Pete however, left the band due to illness in 2005, leaving no direct lineage to the original masters.
Gram Parsons died on September 19, 1973. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow died on January 6, 2007. Chris Hillman is still a very successful singer-songwriter, having been part of Souther-Hillman-Furay, McGuinn-Clark-Hillman, then going on to form the Desert Rose Band (1986-1993) with Herb Pedersen. He still sings with Pedersen today as Chris and Herb, having released "The Other Side" (2005).
Dance Dance Dance
The Flying Burrito Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never thought love had a rainbow on it
Used to think a cloud was a nightmare
That was up until when I first met you
Now I go around hoping you care.
Dance, dance, feel it all around you
Never thought love had a rainbow on it
See the girl dance
See the girl dance.
Mississippi mud never touched her fingers
California sand lies in her hand
Love her more than life as the daylight lingers
Early in the morning I′ll be her man.
Dance, dance, feel it all around you
Dance, dance, dance
Mississippi mud never touched her fingers
See the girl dance
See the girl dance.
The Flying Burrito Brothers’ song Dance Dance Dance is about a young man who was previously disillusioned about love, thinking it was akin to a nightmare. He believed that there was no rainbow to be found in love until he met a special someone, and now he hopes that they care about him just as much as he cares about them. The song is a celebration of being in love and the beauty that it brings to life. The phrase ‘Dance, dance, feel it all around you’ is encouraging the listener to surrender to their emotions and let love guide them through life.
The second verse of the song alludes to the woman the singer is in love with: she is someone who has never gotten mud on her fingers from Mississippi, but instead has a piece of California sand in her hand. Her beauty and grace have captivated the singer, and as the daylight lingers, he wants to be with her for the rest of his life. The chorus repeats twice, emphasizing the theme of dancing and letting go, encouraging the listener to embrace love and all its colors.
Line by Line Meaning
Never thought love had a rainbow on it
I never believed that love could be so colorful and vibrant until I met you.
Used to think a cloud was a nightmare
I used to see the world through a fearful lens, and simple things like clouds would scare me.
That was up until when I first met you
But since I met you, my view of the world has changed for the better.
Now I go around hoping you care
I'm constantly thinking of you and hoping that you feel the same way about me.
Dance, dance, feel it all around you
Let yourself be fully immersed in the joy and passion of dancing.
Dance, dance, dance
Keep on dancing to celebrate your love and happiness.
Mississippi mud never touched her fingers
She's never known hardship or poverty like some who have grown up in Mississippi mud.
California sand lies in her hand
She has experienced the beauty and abundance of life in California.
Love her more than life as the daylight lingers
I love her with all my heart and can't bear to be without her, even as the day stretches on.
Early in the morning I'll be her man
I am committed to being a devoted partner to her and starting each day with her by my side.
See the girl dance
Take joy in watching her dance and express herself.
See the girl dance.
No matter what else happens, her dancing brings light and vitality to the world.
Writer(s): Neil Young
Contributed by Noah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.