The band started as an acoustic blues trio in the mid 1960s with singer and guitarist J. Geils (born February 20, 1946; died April 10, 2017), bassist Danny Klein (Dr. Funk) and harpist Richard Salwitz (stage name Magic Dick). The band formed under the name Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels while Geils was attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute for a couple of semesters. In 1967 the band switched focus, starting to play electric guitar and bass and recruiting drummer Stephen Jo Bladd and fast-talking ex-disc jockey singer Peter Wolf, born Peter Blankenfeld, both from Boston. The following year Seth Justman joined as an organist, and the group signed to Atlantic Records in 1970.
The J. Geils Band first received FM radio airplay with the live single "First I Look at the Purse", then had several hit singles in the 1970s, the most successful of which was "Must Of Got Lost" (1974). Later in the 1970s, the band signed with EMI America Records.
The band had good success covering soul singles. Besides the well-known aforementioned "First I Look at the Purse" from The Contours, they covered the more obscure "I Do" from The Marvelows and "Ain't Nothing But a House Party" from The Showstoppers.
The group's commercial fortunes improved in the early 1980s, first with the humorous "Love Stinks", then with their great success with the Freeze Frame album which included "Centerfold" (#1 for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100) and then the title cut (#4). Wolf left the group in 1983 for a solo career not long after, over disagreements about whether to continue to take the band in more of a popular direction, or continue with the purist tradition.
The band went on to record one more album of new material, You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd, after Wolf left. He was not replaced, and Seth Justman took over most of the vocal duties. The album produced only one single - "Concealed Weapons", a song about breasts - and was not a success. The band toured in support of the album, but never again recorded anything new. The group then disbanded in 1985 after contributing the title song to the 1985 horror film Fright Night.
The group was not reunited with Wolf until 1999, and subsequently broke up again when ticket sales proved extremely disappointing. Wolf continues to tour with his own backup band, and the rest of the Geils band makes occasional appearances. Since the semi-retirement of the band, Geils has been restoring sports cars in Massachusetts.
On 22 May 2006, the six original members had a surprise reunion, the first time they had all played together in over 20 years, at bassist Danny Klein's 60th birthday party at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston.
Since 2009 they are reunited once more.
The band disbanded in 2017 after the death of bandleader J. Geils.
Freeze Frame 1981
The J. Geils Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Slow-motion weekdays stare me down
Her lipstick reflex got me wound
There were no defects to be found
Snapshot image froze without a sound
Thursday morning was a hot flash-factor
Her face still focused in my mind
Friday night we'll dance the spotlight grind
Stop-time heart for me if she's not mine
Freeze-frame! (Freeze-frame!) [Repeat x2]
Freeze-frame! Now Freeze!
Now I'm lookin' at a flashback Sunday
Zoom lens feelings just won't disappear
Close-up darkroom sweet-talk in my ear
Her hot-spot love for me is strong
This freeze-frame moment can't be wrong
Freeze frame
The J. Geils Band's song "Freeze Frame" was released in 1981 and discusses a relationship that the singer has with a woman. The song begins by describing the day that the singer met the woman, a "rough-cut Tuesday." The lyrics go on to talk about how he is mesmerized by her and how her "lipstick reflex" has him wound up. The singer notes that he can't find any flaws in her appearance, and that everything seems to be perfect in that moment. The chorus then comes in with the phrase "Freeze-frame," and the singer exclaims this command. This phrase is repeated several times throughout the song and is used to describe the moment of perfection that he experiences.
In the second verse, the singer is looking back on the relationship and is "now lookin' at a flashback Sunday." He notes that his feelings for her still linger and that he can't seem to let go of the memories. The singer uses photography references throughout the song to describe his feelings for this woman, noting that it is a "close-up, darkroom sweet-talk in [his] ear." He believes that this moment will never be wrong, and that he will always be able to hold onto this perfect memory of her.
Overall, the song is about freezing a perfect moment in time and never letting it go. The singer believes that he has found perfection in this woman and wants to hold onto it forever. The catchy chorus and upbeat melody make it a popular song that speaks to the desire to hold onto that perfect moment in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I could see it was a rough-cut Tuesday
I could tell that it was a difficult, unrefined Tuesday
Slow-motion weekdays stare me down
The days of the week seem to pass by slowly and uneventfully
Her lipstick reflex got me wound
The way she reacted to his advances ignited his desire
There were no defects to be found
She was perfect in every way
Snapshot image froze without a sound
The memory of her beauty was captured in his mind instantaneously
Thursday morning was a hot flash-factor
Thursday was particularly exciting and memorable
Her face still focused in my mind
He couldn't stop thinking about her
Test-strip proof-sheet love is hard to find
Real, lasting love is difficult to come by
Friday night we'll dance the spotlight grind
They'll dance together under the disco ball on Friday night
Stop-time heart for me if she's not mine
His heart feels like it's stopped beating if she's not with him
Freeze-frame! (Freeze-frame!) [Repeat x2]
The moment is so perfect, they want to freeze it in time
Freeze-frame! Now Freeze!
They want to capture the moment forever
Now I'm lookin' at a flashback Sunday
He's thinking about a past Sunday, as if it happened yesterday
Zoom lens feelings just won't disappear
His intense feelings for her are as strong as ever
Close-up darkroom sweet-talk in my ear
He can still hear her whispering sweet nothings in his ear
Her hot-spot love for me is strong
Her passionate love for him is still burning bright
This freeze-frame moment can't be wrong
The moment they shared was too perfect to be a mistake
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: PETER WOLF, SETH JUSTMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jerryhaider1625
I watched this video for the first time, although I have heard the song many times. The song seems to view a woman being a centerfold as something negative. I don’t. Only pretty women get to be centerfolds.
I’ve never seen nor heard of an extra fat or an ugly woman who is selected to be a centerfold.
Being a centerfold is an honor similar to being selected to be Miss America, although there are more hoops to jump through to be Miss America than just looking pretty.
I think that his blood runs “cold” simply because it rhymed with other words : that he his memory has just been “told” that is angel was a center ”fold”.
Maybe his memory should have just been told that she’s still not too “old” to be a very pretty center ”fold”. ... and to be valued like a special coin of “gold”. etc.
“gold”. When my awareness had been told in a local news story that my angel would be a future centerfold, my blood certainly did not run cold.
The song has a catchy tune with rhyming words but it’s description of a fake event and a fake reaction are ridiculous.
When I heard that my angel would be a centerfold, I was pleasantly surprised. Not too many guys can say that they had a female playmate as a kid who later became the playmate of the month in July 1987!
@smokinjz
I could see it was a rough cut Tuesday
Slow motion weekdays stare me down
Her lipstick reflex got me wound
There were no defects to be found
Snap shot and it froze without a sound
Thursday morning was a hot flash factor
Her face still focused in my mind
Test strip proof sheet love is hard to find
Friday night we danced the spotlight grind
Stop time heart for me if she's not mine
Freeze frame, freeze frame
Freeze frame, freeze frame
Freeze frame, freeze frame
Freeze frame, I freeze, yeah
Now I'm looking at a flashback Sunday
Zoom lens feeling just won't disappear
Close up, dark room, sweet talk in my ear
Her hot spot love for me is strong
This freeze frame moment can't be wrong
Freeze frame, freeze frame
Freeze frame, freeze frame
Freeze frame, freeze frame
Freeze frame, I freeze, yeah
Can't be wrong
Freeze frame, freeze frame
Freeze frame, freeze frame
Freeze frame, freeze frame
Freeze frame, I freeze, yeah
Freeze frame, oh yeah
Freeze frame, yeah
I freeze, you freeze
Freeze frame, yeah
Freeze frame, yeah
Freeze frame, yeah
I freeze, you freeze
Freeze frame, yeah
Freeze frame
@NevilleRollerDrome
J. Geils signed to play for $20,000 at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown before Freeze Frame hit big. The album hit and they kept their commitment to our small campus of 2,000 students. It was a great show and they played like there were 20,000 of us. A class act and a great band!
@rayjohnson2387
I saw the freeze frame tour at the convention center in Indianapolis...U2 was the opening band...I don't think there was more than 2,000 people there
@terrycarthy4433
@@rayjohnson2387 ; great memory ! I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan in Melbourne, Australia, in October '84...not many there. He didn't seem to care, God bless him.
@rayjohnson2387
@terrycarthy4433 yea ..and concerts didn't cost a fortune back then...saw the rock n roll marathon in 80...it was...Mother's Finest...Angel...Humble Pie and Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush....was $6.00 lol
@terrycarthy4433
@@rayjohnson2387 ; I saw James Brown in 1996 for $36 ! Was in seriously good form, the joint was just movin'.
@sabrinasetzler689
❤❤❤
@PureJoyful
Who's still here 2024? Another great classic 💯
@camzinke5028
Me
@oscarl.ramirez7355
word.
@rhalld
one of my favorite bands from the 80's still listening in 2024