Emerging from the rockabilly scene in their home base of Zurich, they recently turned down an invitation to be the Swiss Eurovision entry. Known to some for their mini-hit ‘Johnny Are You Gay?’, a recent retrospective has propelled them gigging across Europe, including TV shows and a tour supporting Jeff Beck climaxing at the legendary Paris Olympia. A viral Cinéma vérité video from that album has attracted over 50,000 views: http://youtu.be/bANSizYxh-w
A single ‘My Love For Evermore’ precedes the album, on 7” and download. It’s a dark duet by Emanuela and guest Spark Phillips of infamous, wayward psychobilly band Demented Are Go, assisted by Geraint Watkins on organ, and backed with a rockabilly guitar cover of ‘Enola Gay’. A new ‘Bonnie & Clyde style’ video was filmed over 3 days and will be launched on the single release date. Stills from the shoot can be seen here: http://on.fb.me/ia21CJ
The album is produced by Greg Townson of US band The Hi-Risers, and recorded in London at Gold Top Studio, Camden, last year. (Gold Top Studio has now relocated to Gravity Shack, Tooting.)
TRACKS: - Buy Beg or Steal, Broken Heart, She Kicked Me To The Curb, Natascia, Trouble & Strife, My Love For Evermore (with Sparky), Night of the Living Ted, Imagine A World, Goin’ To Milano, Touch Me, Rock’n’Roll Girl, Chalk Farm Breakdown, Enola Gay. 13 tracks.
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"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work up a plausible old-school sound these days—a few twangy guitars, a pile of echo, a sneering lead vocal on top, and presto, you're ready to rumble. There's a difference, however, between a true vintage-tinged update and another in a series of Eddie Cochran copycats. Which brings us to Hillbilly Moon Explosion, Zurich-based rock revivalists who've spent the past few years touring Europe, issuing a pair of acclaimed releases (2002's Introducing The Hillbilly Moon Explosion, 2004's Bourgeois Baby) while watching their fan base grow by leaps and bounds. Mind you, this is no quaint Sun Records send-up; at their best, HME— bassist/vocalist Oliver Baroni; rhythm guitarist/vocalist Emanuela Hutter; guitarist Duncan James and drummer Luke Weyermann—come across like a Sam Phillips-produced soundtrack to a Sam Raimi shock flick, a furious bed of slap bass and pounding snare underpinning layers of menacing guitar lines, wailing background vocals, and eerie keyboard flourishes, with front-woman Hutter providing the perfect aural/visual focal point, fishnet stockings and all.
When it came time to lay tracks for a third independent effort, head Hillbillies Baroni and Hutter eventually headed for the US and wound up at the door of producer-engineer Mark Neill, owner of San Diego's Soil of the South Studios, where it’s all-analog, all the time. One could not imagine a better match-up: Neill, a rockabilly bred Southerner whose client list includes The Paladins, Los Straitjackets and Old 97s, is a rock archeologist of the highest order and vast collector of choice old-school audio tools, who knows how to nail it down in just a few takes using as few tracks possible (the way it was before we all had too much time and tracks on our hands). In order to provide Baroni and Hutter with the proper instrumental framework, Neill enlisted the support of cohorts like guitarist Eddie Angel (of Los Straitjackets fame), sax man Archie Thompson and drummer Craig 'Flash' Packham, with Neill himself overlaying lead and rhythm guitars. The result is All Grown Up, a faithfully prepared (and mainly mono-mixed) amalgam of unbridled rock tracks that clock in at a Ramones-like two-and-a-half minutes apiece, featuring Baroni's saxes-with-axes classic "Live the Life," Hutter’s sensually exotic take on "House of Bamboo," not to mention a tour-de-force rendering of Mel Larson’s "Little Lil," with Baroni's lead vocals authentically distorting like a Little Richard 45. And in case anyone's forgotten what real country is supposed to sound like, there's the Baroni-penned "Brown Eyed Boy," a lilting Loretta Lynn pastiche that belies the murderous intent described within.
How good is this stuff? "To think that these guys came over to San Diego from Europe with a bunch of songs on acoustic guitar and absolutely nailed the vintage rock'n'roll sound—and made it contemporary," remarks the normally reserved Neill. "I've never seen that happen before."
Dave Simons, Rolling Stone Magazine.
Discography
Introducing The Hillbilly Moon Explosion (2002, Crazy Love Records)
Bourgeois Baby (2004)
By Popular Demand: The Basement Tapes (1999-2005) (2005, Crazy Love Records)
All Grown Up (2006)
Raw Deal (2010, The Freed)
Buy, Beg or Steal (2011, The Freed; Jungle Records)
Damn Right Honey! (2013, Goldtop Recordings/Jungle Records)
French Kiss avec Arielle Dombasle (2015, Mercury Records/Universal Music France)
With Monsters and Gods (2016, Jungle Records; The Freed; Cloud Hill)
The Sparky Sessions feat. Mark “Sparky” Phillips (2019, Freedonia; Jungle Records)
Johnny Are You Gay?
The Hillbilly Moon Explosion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I dunno! Hey, there she is. Let's go ask her! Hey Gina! Is that Johnny's ring you're wearing?
Uh-huh!
Are you guys, like, hanging out?
Uh-huh!
I mean are you like, serious, I mean, doin' stuff?
Uh-uh.
Has he ever tried?
What's his problem!?
Johnny, are you gay?
You're so good looking
But something's in the way
When I look in your eyes
Oh, Johnny you mean so much to me
I've waited so long for you to set me free
And so I ask myself each day
Johnny, are you gay?
You've got a real cool shirt, yeah
It's tight black satin
Not like the other guys, no
They all wear plaid and corduroy
I really like your style
Need you to be my boy
So I ask myself each day,
Johnny, are you gay?
Shopping malls and station wagons
Ain't a lot for a girl like me
My ma was a naggy parent,
So Johnny, won't you set me free
Take a look into my eyes, there's lots of love for you
Tell me now, is it wrong
To want to get more from you?
Johnny, are you gay?
I didn't see you at the ballgame
I heard you gone shopping
Just you and Jasper Morgan
All I want is to be close to you
C'mon, give it a try, I know you'll like it too
And so I ask myself each day...
Johnny, are you gay?
I saw you dancin' techno
The way you move to the beat
It just ain't natural
Oh, Johnny, you mean so much to me
I've waited so long for you to set me free
And so I ask myself each day,
Johnny, are you gay?
The Hillbilly Moon Explosion's song "Johnny Are You Gay?" is a playful yet contemplative take on unrequited love. It starts with a group of friends discussing Johnny's sexuality as they see him regularly hanging out with Gina but not making any advances. Gina admits that they are not doing anything romantic, and Johnny has never tried making a move. The singer then questions Johnny's sexual orientation, saying that he is "so good looking," but "something's in the way" whenever she looks into his eyes.
The singer continues to express her feelings towards Johnny and her desire for him to reciprocate her feelings. She likes Johnny's unique style, and she wants him to be her boy. She shares that she doesn't like the traditional things that teenagers usually do, like shopping malls and station wagons, and she wants more from Johnny. She questions Johnny's sexuality again, this time citing his dancing style to techno and stating that the way he moves is not natural. She ends with the same question she starts the song with, asking if Johnny is gay.
The lyrics and the music video of the song showcase the band's retro aesthetic, mixing the rockabilly sound from the 50s with modern pop and punk rock elements. The song takes on the subject of sexuality, but the band has clarified that the song's intent was never to offend anyone. Instead, it's a playful take on teenage love and the confusion that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Is she really going out with him?
I see Gina wearing Johnny's ring, are they a couple?
Uh-huh!
Yes, they are hanging out together.
Uh-huh!
Yes, they are serious and seeing each other regularly.
Uh-uh.
No, they are not doing any intimate activities.
Uh-uh.
No, Johnny hasn't tried anything physical with Gina.
What's his problem!?
Why isn't Johnny taking advantage of being with such a beautiful girl?
Johnny, are you gay?
I have feelings for Johnny, but I wonder if he might be gay.
You're so good looking
Johnny is an attractive person.
But something's in the way
There seems to be an obstacle in the way of our relationship.
When I look in your eyes
Looking into Johnny's eyes makes me wonder if there's something holding him back.
Oh, Johnny you mean so much to me
Johnny is important to me and I think we could be happy together.
I've waited so long for you to set me free
I have been waiting for Johnny to take the initiative to make a move on me.
You've got a real cool shirt, yeah
I like Johnny's cool sense of fashion.
It's tight black satin
Johnny's shirt is made of tight black satin material.
Not like the other guys, no
Johnny doesn't dress like the other guys I know.
They all wear plaid and corduroy
Other guys dress in plaid and corduroy clothing.
I really like your style
I find Johnny's sense of style really attractive.
Need you to be my boy
I want Johnny to be my romantic partner.
Shopping malls and station wagons
Typical boring suburban activities aren't enough for me.
Ain't a lot for a girl like me
As a girl with adventurous spirit, these suburban activities don't appeal to me much.
My ma was a naggy parent,
My mother used to be a nagging parent who had control over my actions.
So Johnny, won't you set me free
Johnny, I want to be with you instead of being tied to my past life.
Take a look into my eyes, there's lots of love for you
I have a lot of love for Johnny and want him to know that.
Tell me now, is it wrong
I want to know if it would be wrong to pursue a relationship with Johnny.
To want to get more from you?
Is it wrong to desire intimacy with Johnny?
I didn't see you at the ballgame
Johnny, I didn't see you at the sports game.
I heard you gone shopping
I heard that Johnny has gone shopping recently.
Just you and Jasper Morgan
Johnny was seen with just Jasper Morgan while shopping.
All I want is to be close to you
I really want to be close to Johnny and share an intimate relationship.
C'mon, give it a try, I know you'll like it too
I want Johnny to try pursuing a romantic relationship with me and believe he will enjoy it too.
I saw you dancin' techno
I saw Johnny dancing to techno music.
The way you move to the beat
I find it attractive how Johnny moves his body to the music.
It just ain't natural
I'm starting to suspect that Johnny's dancing might not be completely natural.
Contributed by Layla E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gourgandise
il y a qq chose d'envoûtant chez Arielle. toujours souriante, feminine, intelligente, un poil fofolle, elle se fout de ce que les gens peuvent bien penser du coup elle fait ce qu'elle veut, ce qui lui fait plaisir. Chapeau pour ça. on l'a tous en nous mais elle, elle en fait qq chose
Thibaut L.
et le pire dans tout ça c'est qu'il s'agit de quelqu'un de très intelligent, elle s'amuse à laisser les gens la prendre pour une idiote... en attendant j'aime ses albums :)
YounaPeachum
Bravo Arielle !!!!
Anita Rasmussen
Best song ever 😂
Rebekah basketball Patterson
Classic!!!
Johnny Gonzales
BABY, I COULD'NT BE GAY IN YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE 👍 !!!
Simone Rozieres
Merci pour votre interprétation de JOHNNY Hallyday ➕🎼🌹🐈🎶🎵🎵🎼
Aushra
Universal music ...ačiū už muzikinį perliuką.Ačiū.
Anita Rasmussen
My new favorite song,lol
Colette m
J'adore. Arielle je t'adore.