However, while the band felt they weren't making any progress on their musical path and had moved on, their English manager took the demo to a small Yorkshire record label, Making Waves, who liked the material and released the demos as the "Keep The Faith" EP in 1985 (Kerrang #113). The press response to the EP was positive and prompted the band to reform in the US. Baird had been playing with the Woodpeckers in NC, while Richards remained in Atlanta with the Hell Hounds, who included both Mauro Magellon (drums) and Rick Price (bass). With Baird essentially joining the Hell Hounds the Satellites were reborn and American record labels started taking notice of the band.
By 1986 only Elektra Records were willing to sign the band, who then reunited with Glixman to record their debut full-length album at Axis Sound Studios in Atlanta. Their album, Georgia Satellites, was their most successful album to date, featuring the track "Keep Your Hands To Yourself". That song went all the way to #2 on the Billboard chart, topped only by Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer". It went into extremely heavy MTV rotation at the time. Other hits included "Battleship Chains" (#86) and "Can't Stand The Pain".
In 1988, the band recorded a cover of The Swinging Blue Jean's 1964 hit, "Hippy Hippy Shake" to the Tom Cruise movie soundtrack Cocktail. Released as a single the song made it to #45 on the Billboard chart. During the year the band released their second album "Open All Night," which infamously included a cover of the Ringo Starr song "Don't Pass Me By," though the album wouldn't build on the success of the debut. A single, "Open All Night" backed with "Dunk 'N' dine" failed to chart. A third studio album, "In The Land Of Salvation And Sin," was released in 1989, which included re-recordings of "Six Years Gone" and "Crazy" from the 1985 EP. Baird left the band in 1990 for a solo career when the album failed to find any commercial success.
Let It Rock
The Georgia Satellites Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm workin' on the railroad with a steel drivin' hammer
I gotta get some money buy some brand new shoes
Gotta find somebody take away my blues
Well she don't love me when I'm singin' in the sun
Payday's comin' when the work is all done
Well now late here in the evening when the sun is sinkin' low
Sitting in a teepee built right on here on the tracks
Rolling them bones until the foreman comes back
Pick up your belongings boys and scattere about
We've got an off schedule train comin' two miles out
Everybody's scrambling and a running around
Picking up their money tearing the teepee down
Foreman wants to panic, bout to go insane
Trying to get the workers out the way of the train
Engineer blows the whistle loud and long
Can't stop the train gotta let it roll on
Bye bye johnny
Well now she drew out all of the money of southern trust
And put her little johnny on a greyhound bus
Leavin' Louisiana for the golden west
Drowned in the tears from her happiness
Her own little son named johnny be goode
Gonna make some motion pictures out in Hollywood
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
Bye bye johnny, goodbye johnny be goode
Well she remembers taking money after gathering crops
And buying johnny's guitar at the brokers shop
As long as he would play it by the railroad site
He wouldn't get in trouble she was satisfied
Well she never knew there would come a day like this
When she'd have to give johnny a good bye kiss
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
Bye bye johnny, goodbye johnny be goode
Well now she finally got the letter she'd been dreaming of
When johnny wrote and told her he had done fell in love
As soon as he was married he'd bring her back
And build a mansion for her by the railroad track
And every time you heard that locomotive roar
She'd be standing there waiting at the kitchen door
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
Bye bye johnny, goodbye johnny be goode
The Georgia Satellites' Let It Rock is a raucous rock and roll song that tells a story of work, love, and dreams. The lyrics describe the life of a worker in Mobile, Alabama, who works all day, waits for the payday, and tries to find someone to take away his blues. He spends his evenings rolling dice in a teepee and waiting for the off-schedule train to come. When the train does come, chaos ensues, and the workers tear down the teepee, trying to get out of the way. The train finally comes and takes the worker's girlfriend, who had saved up all her money to buy him a guitar which he used to play near the railroad site. The song concludes with the promise of a reunion between Johnny and his girlfriend, who would be waiting for him at the kitchen door when he returns.
Line by Line Meaning
Well in the heat of day down in mobile, Alabama
I am working hard under the hot sun in Mobile, Alabama
I'm workin' on the railroad with a steel drivin' hammer
I am working on the railroad, using a heavy-duty steel hammer to do my job
I gotta get some money buy some brand new shoes
I need to earn some money so I can buy myself some new shoes
Gotta find somebody take away my blues
I need to find someone who can help me forget my problems and feel happier
Well she don't love me when I'm singin' in the sun
The girl I love doesn't care about me, even when I am singing happily in the sunshine
Payday's comin' when the work is all done
I will get paid once I finish all my work
Well now late here in the evening when the sun is sinkin' low
As the evening draws to a close and the sun sets, shadows are growing longer
All day I've been waitin' for that whistle to blow
I have been waiting all day for a signal, possibly to signal the end of work
Sitting in a teepee built right on here on the tracks
I'm sitting inside a makeshift shelter that I built right on the train tracks
Rolling them bones until the foreman comes back
I am gambling with dice until the supervisor comes back
Pick up your belongings boys and scatter about
Everyone should gather their things and leave the area in all directions
We've got an off schedule train comin' two miles out
There's a train coming off schedule, two miles away from here
Everybody's scrambling and a running around
Everyone is hurrying and running around
Picking up their money tearing the teepee down
People are taking their money and tearing down the makeshift shelter
Foreman wants to panic, bout to go insane
The supervisor is about to panic and lose his mind
Trying to get the workers out the way of the train
The supervisor is trying to get the workers out of the way of the oncoming train
Engineer blows the whistle loud and long
The train engineer sounds the whistle loudly and for a long time
Can't stop the train gotta let it roll on
We cannot stop the train, we must let it continue moving
Bye bye johnny
Goodbye, Johnny
Well now she drew out all of the money of southern trust
She withdrew all of her money from the Southern Trust bank
And put her little johnny on a greyhound bus
She put her son Johnny on a Greyhound bus, likely to go somewhere far away
Leavin' Louisiana for the golden west
She and Johnny are leaving Louisiana, hoping to find a better life in the western part of the country
Drowned in the tears from her happiness
She is crying tears of joy, overwhelmed with emotions
Her own little son named johnny be goode
Her son, Johnny, is a talented musician and is going to do great things
Gonna make some motion pictures out in Hollywood
Johnny is going to make movies in Hollywood
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
I said goodbye multiple times
Bye bye johnny, goodbye johnny be goode
Goodbye, Johnny, goodbye to your great potential
Well she remembers taking money after gathering crops
She remembers gathering crops and then using the money to buy Johnny a guitar
And buying johnny's guitar at the brokers shop
She bought Johnny's guitar from a broker
As long as he would play it by the railroad site
As long as Johnny played the guitar near the railroad, he wouldn't get into trouble
He wouldn't get in trouble she was satisfied
The mother was happy knowing Johnny was staying out of trouble by playing his guitar near the railroad
Well she never knew there would come a day like this
She never imagined there would be a day where she had to say goodbye to Johnny
When she'd have to give johnny a good bye kiss
She had to give Johnny a goodbye kiss
Well now she finally got the letter she'd been dreaming of
She finally received the letter she had been hoping for
When johnny wrote and told her he had done fell in love
Johnny wrote to tell her he had fallen in love
As soon as he was married he'd bring her back
As soon as Johnny got married, he would bring her back home
And build a mansion for her by the railroad track
Johnny would build a mansion for his mother near the railroad tracks
And every time you heard that locomotive roar
Every time she heard a train engine rumble, she would wait for Johnny to come home
She'd be standing there waiting at the kitchen door
She would wait for Johnny to come home at the kitchen door
Lyrics © ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP
Written by: Chuck Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hugo Alejandro Pinilla Calderón
When I listen to this kind of rock, I feel I wanna drink a beer.
Paul Asmussen
Spark....one up.
.
MrManc55
Me to and I gave up drinking years ago
Brian Bednarek
If one beer is good, imagine a dozen!!!
eddiebrown192
Hugo Alejandro Pinilla Calderón Greatest bar band ever !
Army Master
Georgia Satellites is literally the best Band ever
Rock and Roll
No, that's Status Quo.
ebban jenkins
Just found this band.....I feel like taking myself outside and kicking my own ass for taking so long! EXCELLENT
Leinie
I kinda just rediscovered them and feel the same way
Tony Wilson
HAHAHAHAAA