In 2009 The Primitives reformed, releasing their first album for 21 years, Echoes and Rhymes, in May 2012. The album features covers by lesser-known female fronted bands from the 1960s.
There are other bands called The Primitives:
2. A band from the United States with Lou Reed and John Cale
3. A garage rock band from the United Kingdom
4. An alternative country band from the United States
2. The Primitives were a band from New York formed in 1964, they released one 7" that year; "The Ostrich/Sneaky Pete. The band was fronted by Lou Reed and featuring John Cale, both later of the Velvet Underground. Ostrich guitar tuning, the all-D tuning particularly credited to the Velvet Underground, originated from the Primitives single the Ostrich. They disbanded in 1965.
The ostrich guitar or ostrich tuning is a type of trivial tuning. It assigns one note to all strings, e.g. E-E-e-e-e'-e' or D-D-D-D-d'-d'.
The term "ostrich guitar" was coined by Lou Reed in 1965 after the song "The Ostrich" by Lou Reed and the Primitives, on which he first used this tuning. John Cale, a collaborator with avant-garde composer La Monte Young, recognised the similarity between Reed's guitar tuning and Young's work involving drone music when he was hired to play Reed's song 'The Ostrich' as part of a fabricated touring group.
Reed and Cale (who would play viola, keyboards and bass) began to collaborate and investigate the connections between ostrich tuning and drone music, as the band introduced new members (such as guitarist Sterling Morrison and percussionist Angus MacLise, another student of La Monte Young) and became known as The Velvet Underground. Cale had composed and recorded 'Loop' in 1964, but which became the first EP released under this band name, composed of drones played on an electric viola, and the combination of both Cale's viola and Reed's guitar tunings would be an early hallmark of their work. Reed used ostrich tunings on the 1967 album The Velvet Underground & Nico on the songs "Venus in Furs" (appearing at the end of the song) and "All Tomorrow's Parties", which also included Cale playing drones on viola.
According to an interview with drummer Maureen Tucker in What Goes On? No. 4, Reed's ostrich guitar was a guitar that had its frets removed, and was stolen shortly after the album sessions.
3. The Primitives, from Northampton UK, were also known as Mal & the Primitives. They released their debut (Help Me) in November 1964. They released a couple more 45's before relocating to Italy where they released 3 more albums.
4. The Primitives were an alternative country group formed in 1987. Upon discovering the existence of the British band of the same name, they changed their name to Uncle Tupelo.
Dreamwalk Baby
The Primitives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
dreamwalk baby where will you go today
you gave it away.
makes no sense at all
makes no sense to me
you don't have to crawl
if you don't want to.
dreamwalk baby you're so easy today
you gave it away.
makes no sense at all
makes no sense to me
you don't have to crawl
if you don't want to.
The lyrics to this song by The Primitives offer a somewhat cryptic and dreamlike exploration of emotions and relationships. The first line, "Guardian angel, broken halo," sets a tone of contradiction and conflict. It suggests a protective force that has become damaged or flawed in some way. The term "dreamwalk baby" seems to refer to a person who is adrift and uncertain in their own life, perhaps prone to daydreams or introspection. The question "where will you go today" underscores this aimlessness, suggesting a lack of direction or purpose.
The repetition of "you gave it away" creates a sense of frustration or disappointment, as if the dreamwalk baby has let go of something important, or perhaps given up too easily. However, the lines "makes no sense at all" and "makes no sense to me" suggest that the singer may not fully understand what has happened, or may be struggling to find meaning or coherence in the situation. The final lines, "you don't have to crawl / if you don't want to," offer a note of encouragement or empowerment. It suggests that the dreamwalk baby has agency and choice, and need not submit to any expectations or pressures.
Overall, this song offers a poetic reflection on the complexities and uncertainties of human emotion and behavior. It creates a dreamlike mood with its unusual imagery and repetition, and invites listeners to contemplate their own experiences of love, loss, and self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
guardian angel, broken halo
You had someone looking out for you, but something has caused them to let you down.
dreamwalk baby where will you go today
You're someone who has a lot of freedom to choose your path.
you gave it away.
You lost something that was important to you.
makes no sense at all
You're feeling confused and lost, like there's no rhyme or reason to what's happening.
makes no sense to me
Even others who know you well can't understand everything you're going through.
you don't have to crawl
You don't have to act in a submissive or weak way.
if you don't want to.
You have the ability to choose how you present yourself to others.
tight rope walker, feeling dizzy
You're someone who is trying to navigate a difficult situation and it's making you feel uneasy.
dreamwalk baby you're so easy today
Right now, it feels like you're able to move through life with little resistance.
you gave it away.
You lost something that was important to you.
makes no sense at all
You're feeling confused and lost, like there's no rhyme or reason to what's happening.
makes no sense to me
Even others who know you well can't understand everything you're going through.
you don't have to crawl
You don't have to act in a submissive or weak way.
if you don't want to.
You have the ability to choose how you present yourself to others.
Contributed by Natalie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.