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.
Truck Drivin' Man
The J. Geils Band Lyrics
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Somebody help me now
Somebody help me now
Somebody help me
Find my baby
Somebody help me
Find my baby right now
[Chorus]
I'm looking for a love
I'm looking for a love
I'm looking here and there
I'm searching everywhere
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
Gonna get up in the morning
And rub my head
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
Fix my breakfast
And bring it to my bed
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
Do my love
Do it all the time
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
With lots of love and kisses
But people until then
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
[Chorus]
Stay in my corner
All the way, yeah
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
Stick by me, baby
No matter what they say
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
I'll give my love
To her all the time
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
Loving, kissing
People on the way
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
[Chorus]
Somebody help me
To find my baby
I said I've got to find
My baby right now
I'm looking in the morning
I'm looking at night
Got to find my baby
But she's nowhere in sight
Somebody help me
To find my baby
I said I've got to find
My baby right now
I'm looking in the morning
I'm looking at night
Got to find my baby
She's nowhere in sight
I'm looking, I'm looking
I'm looking, I'm looking
The J. Geils Band's "Hard Drivin' Man" is a song about a search for the perfect love. The lyrics express the artist's desperate search for a worthy partner. The singer is looking for someone to love and claim as their own. The chorus repeats the phrase "I'm looking for a love to call my own" to emphasize the importance of finding true love. The verses paint a vivid picture of the artist's search - from waking up in the morning with the hope of finding love, to searching for a partner everywhere they go.
Line by Line Meaning
Somebody help me
The singer is calling for assistance.
Somebody help me now
The singer is calling for immediate assistance.
Somebody help me now
The singer reiterates their call for immediate assistance.
Somebody help me
Find my baby
The artist needs help finding their partner.
Somebody help me
Find my baby right now
The artist needs immediate help finding their partner.
I'm looking for a love
I'm looking for a love
I'm looking here and there
I'm searching everywhere
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
The singer is on a quest to find a partner.
Gonna get up in the morning
And rub my head
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
The singer is waking up and thinking about finding a partner.
Fix my breakfast
And bring it to my bed
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
The artist wants a partner who will take care of them.
Do my love
Do it all the time
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
The artist is looking for someone who they can be intimate with all the time.
With lots of love and kisses
But people until then
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
The artist is looking for someone to give them love and affection.
Stay in my corner
All the way, yeah
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
The singer wants a partner who will support them fully.
Stick by me, baby
No matter what they say
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
The artist wants a partner who will stand by them through anything.
I'll give my love
To her all the time
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
The singer is committed to giving their partner love all the time.
Loving, kissing
People on the way
I'm looking for a love
To call my own
The singer is seeking love and affection from other people while they search for their partner.
Somebody help me
To find my baby
I said I've got to find
My baby right now
The singer is urgently seeking help to find their partner.
I'm looking in the morning
I'm looking at night
Got to find my baby
But she's nowhere in sight
The artist is constantly searching for their partner but has not found them yet.
Somebody help me
To find my baby
I said I've got to find
My baby right now
The artist reiterates their call for immediate assistance in finding their partner.
I'm looking in the morning
I'm looking at night
Got to find my baby
She's nowhere in sight
The singer continues to search for their partner but has not found them yet.
I'm looking, I'm looking
I'm looking, I'm looking
The singer is continuously searching for their partner.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALEXANDER BENEDICT CHUAQUI, JOHN DONNELLY, KEVIN LYLE FYHN, JEFFREY GERMAIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind