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)
The Long Way Down
The Hillbilly Moon Explosion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was the talk of the town
He used to laugh at me
He didn't want me around
You are a hero
Could have had me a love
If you wanna make it
Make it on your own
long way ----------- around
It's a long way down
A long way down
Graduation Day
You were right to fly
You were going places
You didn't say goodbye
Just wait I told you
I'm gonna do my face
I said you're gonna love me
And treat me like a queen
Nothing I did seems the same as yesterday
It's a long way from here to the top
You wont love, I wont get in your way
Long way --------- around
It's a long way down
A long way down
Like when it began
I stuck at the top
You are ------ him
A long way down
Nothing has been the same as yesterday
Long way from here to the top
You wont let love get in your way
Long way --------- around
A long way down
A long way down
A long way down
The Hillbilly Moon Explosion's song "The Long Way Down" is a ballad about unrequited love and the challenges of making it in life. The song begins with the singer recalling a time when she was young and had feelings for someone who didn't reciprocate them. He was the "talk of the town," but he "used to laugh" at her and "didn't want [her] around." Despite this, she still considers him a hero and thinks that she could have had love with him if she tried harder. However, she realizes that the only way to truly succeed in life is to "make it on [her] own" and not depend on anyone else.
The second verse is set on graduation day when the person the singer had feelings for is leaving to pursue his dreams. He didn't say goodbye, but the singer tells him to wait because she's going to make something of herself. She vows to become the best version of herself and be treated like a queen. However, she acknowledges that it's a long road to the top and that she may never be with the person she likes.
The chorus is a repetition of the phrase "It's a long way down," suggesting that it's easy to fall from grace and lose everything. However, the singer is determined to keep trying and not let her feelings get in the way of her goals.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was young
Reflecting back to my younger days
He was the talk of the town
He was the center of attention for everyone in the town
He used to laugh at me
He used to mock me
He didn't want me around
He didn't like having me nearby
You are a hero
You are admirable and brave
Could have had me a love
I could have been in love
If you wanna make it
If you want success
Make it on your own
Achieve success independently
Nothing I did seems the same as yesterday
My past actions feel distant and disconnected from my present
long way ----------- around
A difficult and winding path to travel
It's a long way down
The fall from grace is steep
A long way down
The fall from grace is deep and difficult to recover from
Graduation Day
The day of finishing school
You were right to fly
You made the right decision to leave
You were going places
You had potential for success
You didn't say goodbye
You left without any farewell or notice
Just wait I told you
I promised that I would succeed
I'm gonna do my face
I will present myself well and improve my appearance
I said you're gonna love me
I expected you to fall in love with me
And treat me like a queen
I wanted to be treated with respect and dignity
It's a long way from here to the top
It's a difficult and challenging road to success
You wont love, I wont get in your way
If you don't love me, I won't obstruct your path
Long way --------- around
A convoluted and challenging route
A long way down
The aftermath of failure is deep and painful
A long way down
The repercussions of losing one's success are severe
Like when it began
Similar to the beginning
I stuck at the top
I remained at the peak of my success
You are ------ him
You are similar to him
A long way down
The road to recovery is steep and challenging
Nothing has been the same as yesterday
Everything has changed since my past success
Long way from here to the top
The path to success is challenging and difficult
You wont let love get in your way
You will not allow love to interfere with your success
Long way --------- around
A long and winding path
A long way down
The fall from success is long and difficult
A long way down
The aftermath of losing one's success is deep and challenging
A long way down
The path to recovery is steep and difficult
Contributed by Kayla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.