Malick enjoyed a surprising career resurgence early in the 21st century after decades of obscurity, much of them spent outside the music business. His first taste of success came in his teens in the 1960s; he was 16 when his band Listening was signed to Vanguard Records. His youthful talent as a guitarist led to stints backing up such blues legends as John Lee Hooker, Otis Spann, Big Mama Thornton, and Muddy Waters. After serving as guitarist and musical director for the national touring company of the Broadway musical Hair in the early 1970s, he joined the James Montgomery Band and appeared on two of the group's albums, First Time Out (1973) and High Roller (1974).
Then came 20 years outside of music, during which Malick struggled with addiction and earned money primarily as a gambler and in the gaming business. But by 1994, he had cleaned up and returned to music. Based in Boston, he launched the Peter Malick Group and recorded the albums Wrong Side of My Life (1998) and Sons of the Jet Age (2000). In 2001, his work on the final Otis Spann album Last Call won him a W.C. Handy Award for historic album of the year.
Malick began to work with several young, up-and-coming female vocalists whom he heard while touring, writing and recording with them. One of them was Norah Jones, and after she rose to fame in 2002, Malick issued an EP of his recordings with her, New York City, that reached the top half of the Billboard 200. It was followed by a full-length album, Chance & Circumstance, that repeated the Jones' tracks and added work with four other singers, one of them Malick's daughter, Mercy Malick.
Opium
The Peter Malick Group Lyrics
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You make the ladies weak
You are a rocketship
Come from another galaxy
Yeah, you are pure desire
Like a candy bar at a fat camp
If I cannot have you now
I will wither like a weed
You are a glass of fine wine
With a four star dish
You are a little detour
Make me shake like a jellyfish
You could do my laundry
Won't you make me cum?
You are like opium
You look like a centaur
Riding on that bike
Rock star, with your guitar
Play me the soundtrack to my life
And tell me a story, I don't care if it is true
I only wanna see your lips move
If I were a country I'd let you explore me
You could draw a map
Then show me all my peaks
If I were a car I would let you repair me
And jump start my battery
You have the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
I would offer you a permanent position in my dreams
And it's not that I'm easily swept off my feet
But you are like ecstacy
You are a roller coaster
You make the ladies weak
You are a rocketship
Come from another galaxy
You are a hurricane
Walking down that lane
Oh, you make a woman blush, boy
When you look at her that way
Cause you are like opium
Yeah, you are like opium
The lyrics to The Peter Malick Group Feat. Antje Duvekot's song Opium describe the intense attraction and desire the singer feels for another person. The singer uses several metaphors and comparisons to convey the intensity of their emotions. The main metaphor throughout the song is the comparison of the person they desire to opium. Opium is a highly addictive drug that creates feelings of euphoria and pleasure, and the singer suggests that the person they desire has a similar effect on them.
The singer also uses other metaphors and comparisons such as roller coasters, rocket ships, fine wine, and hurricanes to convey the exhilaration and intensity they feel around this person. They describe the physical reactions they have in their presence, such as shaking like a jellyfish and blushing when they look at them. The singer also expresses a willingness to submit to this person's desires, offering to let them explore and repair them like a country or a car.
Overall, the lyrics of Opium convey a sense of intense desire and attraction, using vivid and striking imagery to paint a picture of the singer's emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
You are a rollercoaster
You are full of ups and downs that can be thrilling, yet terrifying
You make the ladies weak
Your charm and charisma has a powerful effect on women
You are a rocketship
You have a boundless, unstoppable energy and ambition
Come from another galaxy
You are so unique and intriguing, it's like you come from another world
Yeah, you are pure desire
You embody pure, raw desire that is impossible to resist
Like a candy bar at a fat camp
Your irresistible nature is like a forbidden temptation in a place of deprivation
If I cannot have you now
If I can't be with you in the present moment
I will wither like a weed
I will feel sad and stagnant, like a plant that hasn't been watered
You are a glass of fine wine
You are a refined, sophisticated pleasure
With a four star dish
You complement and enhance other enjoyable experiences
You are a little detour
Spending time with you is a delightful diversion from the mundane
Make me shake like a jellyfish
You cause a physical and emotional response in me that leaves me feeling vulnerable and alive
You could do my laundry
I trust you and feel comfortable enough around you to share mundane and personal tasks
Won't you make me cum?
Can you please give me the pleasure only you can provide?
You are like opium
You are an addictive substance that provides a blissful escape from reality
You look like a centaur
Your physical appearance is like a fantasy creature, combining elements of strength and grace
Riding on that bike
The way you move and operate machinery is a display of your prowess and skill
Rock star, with your guitar
You have a commanding presence and talent that can captivate and inspire people
Play me the soundtrack to my life
Create music and art that reflects and enhances my experiences and emotions
And tell me a story, I don't care if it is true
Please entertain and interest me with your imaginative and creative storytelling, even if it's not based on reality
I only wanna see your lips move
I am fascinated by you and your every action, even small ones like speaking
If I were a country I'd let you explore me
I would trust and welcome you to fully discover and appreciate every aspect of me
You could draw a map
You have the ability to thoroughly know and understand me
Then show me all my peaks
You could reveal and help me reach my highest potential and happiest moments
If I were a car I would let you repair me
I would trust only you to restore and fix my broken parts and vulnerabilities
And jump start my battery
You have the power to give me a renewed energy and motivation
You have the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
Your eyes possess a kindness and beauty that are incomparable
I would offer you a permanent position in my dreams
You are so special and important to me that I would want to have you in my unconscious thoughts and fantasies forever
And it's not that I'm easily swept off my feet
I am not typically quick to be impressed or moved by someone
But you are like ecstacy
You have such an intense, euphoric effect on me that I am completely hooked and addicted to you
You are a hurricane
You have a powerful, destructive force that can tear apart anything in your path
Walking down that lane
You exercise your strength and influence wherever you go
Oh, you make a woman blush, boy
Your attention and flirtation has the ability to make a woman feel bashful and giddy
When you look at her that way
Your eyes and body language send a clear message of admiration and desire
Cause you are like opium
You provide a rush of pleasure and satisfaction that can be highly addictive and hard to resist
Yeah, you are like opium
You strongly reflect the addictive properties and intense satisfaction of using the drug opium
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: A DUVEKOT, P MALICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind