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.
Takin
The J. Geils Band Lyrics
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My car wit the windows down just think about you, I'm trippin.
From the way I introduced myself, she knew that I was stakin wealth
She wasn't in it for the dollars she had doe herself
I pulled up in my dirty ass Lexo, girl I've been workin hard so what you expect yo
She smiled and laughed and just that fast the way she made me feel had me trippin man
I think I felt this way befo', but see that girl wasn't feelin me so dat don't count yo
The type to make me wear my seat belt and say baby please drive slow,
Her ex man she (pause) she had to let him know
She don't need yo stress now 'cause she know I got dro,
I think Ray J's the one you should
Fall fo' you have no idea how good I'll make ya feel,
Everything will be great and I'll always keep it real,
So hop up in the driver's seat and dip on these chrome wheels
She's takin control, control of, me
She's takin control, control of, me
She's got me open and it's so deep
And I don't know what to do about it baby
She's takin control, control of, me
She's takin control, control of, me (she got me goin crazy)
She's got me doin things I can't believe
And I don't know what to do about it baby
I can't fake it love, 'cause everytime I open my eyes I picture me and you wakin up,
She alway's teasin me doin that sexy stuff, now it's goin up and down and down and up
Sometimes she wears weaves and got a nice round butt,
She like to smoke weed and not talk to much,
She let me be me and not givin a fuck, and maybe one day
I'll get her finger froze up, will see when we get older (older),
But now I'm doin it Prince style
With the mink fox on my shoulders, "Heat" tucked in my tux pushin a VT ?,
She's always on my mind that's why I know she's controlin' me,
She like's kissin and holdin me
And she real cool with my Moms and Brandy,
My Pops and the rest of the family, that's another reason
I thought she was right for me
She's takin control, control of, me
She's takin control, control of, me
She's got me open and it's so deep
And I don't know what to do about it baby
She's takin control, control of, me
She's takin control, control of, me (she got me goin crazy)
She's got me doin things I can't believe
And I don't know what to do about it baby
Ay,a yo yo, If I'm a ? cold you warmin me, and when it get's hot you the wind blowin me
Yeah you know park in the Benz,
Low in the seat, and the way I teach ladies you'll be a pro in a week,
You can be my Mignon and I can be your Filet,
You can be my Janet and I'll be better than Rene,
We can hit crustaceans and eat soufle,
And you know I keep my keys when I park valet, I spark that
A, still got you spoiled that way, it's hard that way
But you know it ain't nothin hard for Ray,
I do it that way and don't care, the crib you can go there,
We can get engaged and take photos (yeah, yeah),
Couple for Willies and ? there (yeah),
Push the blue R+R four doors (yeah),
Like the artist formally known nothing compares,
You gon be my girl 'cause I be there for years.
When I'm up in the club I be thinkin bout you
When I'm rollin on dubs I be thinkin bout you
I think I'm in love 'cause it's all a bout you (baby, baby)
When I'm up in the club I be thinkin bout you
When I'm rollin on dubs I be thinkin bout you
I think I'm in love 'cause it's all a bout you (baby, baby)
It's all about you I thought you knew that
I told all my niggaz about you
She's takin control, control of, me
She's takin control, control of, me
She's got me open and it's so deep
And I don't know what to do about it baby
She's takin control, control of, me
She's takin control, control of, me (she got me goin crazy)
She's got me doin things I can't believe
And I don't know what to do about it baby
She's takin control, control of, me
She's takin control, control of, me
She's got me open and it's so deep
And I don't know what to do about it baby
She's takin control, control of, me
She's takin control, control of, me (she got me goin crazy)
She's got me doin things I can't believe
And I don't know what to do about it baby
The lyrics of Ray J's "Takin' Control" are about a woman who has taken control of his thoughts and actions. The song starts with the singer driving around in his car with the windows down, thinking about this girl he's into. He then talks about how she is not like other girls who are interested in his money but instead knows how to take care of herself. He openly admits he has some attachment to the woman he's singing about, but he doesn't know what to do about it. He's "tripping" because he's so into her.
Throughout the song, Ray J continues to express how much the woman he's singing about is controlling him, both physically and emotionally. She's got him doing things he can't believe and is so deep in his thoughts that she's taken control of him. Despite this, the singer is okay with it and would be okay with spending the rest of his life with her.
Overall, the lyrics are about love and how it can take over one's thoughts and actions. The song's beat is upbeat and catchy, which pairs brilliantly with the lyrics' mellow but passionate tone.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, yo this one's for you boo (yeah), ha ha you know what's up, been drivin around in
My car wit the windows down just think about you, I'm trippin.
I made this song for you, babe, because you're always on my mind. When I drive around with the windows down, I can't stop thinking about you.
From the way I introduced myself, she knew that I was stakin wealth
She wasn't in it for the dollars she had doe herself
When I first met her, she could tell that I was wealthy. But she wasn't interested in my money, because she's got plenty of her own.
I pulled up in my dirty ass Lexo, girl I've been workin hard so what you expect yo
She smiled and laughed and just that fast the way she made me feel had me trippin man
I drove up in my beat up Lexus, but she still made me feel good. Her smile and laugh had me falling for her fast.
I think I felt this way befo', but see that girl wasn't feelin me so dat don't count yo
This mommy that I'm talkin bout she kind of light brown yo,
I've liked girls before, but it never worked out. This time it's different though, because she's amazing. She's a light-skinned girl that I can't stop thinking about.
The type to make me wear my seat belt and say baby please drive slow,
Her ex man she (pause) she had to let him know
She don't need yo stress now 'cause she know I got dro,
She cares about me and wants me to be safe, always reminding me to wear my seat belt and drive slow. She had to tell her ex to back off, but now she's stress-free because she knows I'm there for her.
I think Ray J's the one you should
Fall fo' you have no idea how good I'll make ya feel,
Everything will be great and I'll always keep it real,
I think you should give Ray J a chance because I'll treat you right. Everything will be amazing between us and I'll always be honest with you.
So hop up in the driver's seat and dip on these chrome wheels
She's takin control, control of, me
She's takin control, control of, me
Get in my car and let's go for a ride. You're taking control of me and I love it.
She's got me open and it's so deep
And I don't know what to do about it baby
She's takin control, control of, me (she got me goin crazy)
She's got me doin things I can't believe
She's got me under her spell and I don't know how to handle it. She can make me do anything and I can't believe how crazy she makes me.
I can't fake it love, 'cause everytime I open my eyes I picture me and you wakin up,
She alway's teasin me doin that sexy stuff, now it's goin up and down and down and up
I can't pretend with you, because everytime I wake up I want it to be with you. You're always teasing me with your sexiness, and it's driving me wild.
Sometimes she wears weaves and got a nice round butt,
She like to smoke weed and not talk to much,
She let me be me and not givin a fuck, and maybe one day
I'll get her finger froze up, will see when we get older (older)
She sometimes wears hair extensions and has a great butt. She likes to smoke weed and doesn't talk too much. She lets me be myself and she doesn't judge me. One day we may get married, but we'll see when we're older.
But now I'm doin it Prince style
With the mink fox on my shoulders, "Heat" tucked in my tux pushin a VT ?,
She's always on my mind that's why I know she's controlin' me,
She like's kissin and holdin me
I'm living like a prince with my fur coat and gun tucked in my tuxedo. She's always on my mind and I know she's controlling me. She likes to kiss and hold me.
And she real cool with my Moms and Brandy,
My Pops and the rest of the family, that's another reason
I thought she was right for me
She gets along great with my family and that's another reason why I think she's perfect for me.
Ay,a yo yo, If I'm a ? cold you warmin me, and when it get's hot you the wind blowin me
Yeah you know park in the Benz,
Low in the seat, and the way I teach ladies you'll be a pro in a week,
When I'm feeling down, she lifts me up. When it's hot, she cools me off. She knows how to drive my Benz and she's a quick learner when it comes to love.
You can be my Mignon and I can be your Filet,
You can be my Janet and I'll be better than Rene,
We can hit crustaceans and eat soufle,
And you know I keep my keys when I park valet, I spark that
We can have the perfect romantic dinner together, like the perfect steak pair, or the perfect musical duo. We can dine on fancy seafood and souffle and I always keep my keys when we valet. I'll even light up a joint for us.
A, still got you spoiled that way, it's hard that way
But you know it ain't nothin hard for Ray,
I do it that way and don't care, the crib you can go there,
We can get engaged and take photos (yeah, yeah)
I'll always treat you like a queen, even if it's tough. I'll go to any lengths for you and I don't care what anyone thinks. You can even come over to my house, we can get engaged and take pictures together.
Couple for Willies and ? there (yeah),
Push the blue R+R four doors (yeah),
Like the artist formally known nothing compares,
You gon be my girl 'cause I be there for years.
We can go out and have fun with our friends, and ride around in a blue Rolls Royce. We'll have a love that nothing else can compare to, and I'll be there for you for years to come.
When I'm up in the club I be thinkin bout you
When I'm rollin on dubs I be thinkin bout you
I think I'm in love 'cause it's all a bout you (baby, baby)
It's all about you I thought you knew that
I told all my niggaz about you
Even when I'm out with my friends, I can't stop thinking about you. I'm completely in love with you and everything is all about you. I even tell all my friends about how amazing you are.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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