1) The Rascals (initially … Read Full Bio ↴There are two bands called 'The Rascals'.
1) The Rascals (initially known as The Young Rascals) were an American soul and rock group of the 1960s. Eddie Brigati (vocals), Felix Cavaliere (keyboard, vocals), Gene Cornish (guitar) and Dino Danelli (drums) started the band in Brigati and Danelli's native state New Jersey. Their first public performance took place at the Choo Choo Club in Garfield on Saturday, February 27th, 1965. Three-quarters of the group - Brigati, Cavaliere and Cornish - had previously been members of Joey Dee and the Starliters. Eddie's brother, David Brigati, an original Starliter, helped arrange the vocal harmonies and sang backgrounds on many of the group's recordings (informally earning the designation as the Fifth Rascal). When Atlantic Records signed them, they discovered that another group (Borrah Minevitch's and Johnny Puleo's Harmonica Rascals) objected to the release of records under the name Rascals. To avoid conflict, manager Sid Bernstein decided to rename the group the Young Rascals.
The Young Rascals had a minor hit with "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" (1965), followed by the #1 single "Good Lovin'" (1966, originally by The Olympics). Then the band's songwriting team of Brigati and Cavaliere began providing most of their songs, and the hits kept coming for the next two years, including "I've Been Lonely Too Long", "You Better Run", "Groovin'" (#1, 1967), "It's Wonderful", "A Girl Like You", "How Can I Be Sure?" (which David Cassidy would record in 1972 for a #1 hit in the United Kingdom) and "A Beautiful Morning" (1968).
Guitarist Gene Cornish provided several songs of his own, such as "I'm Gonna Love You" and "No Love To Give."
In early 1968, the group dropped the "Young" from their name.
The Rascals' best work arguably came from their 1968 album Once Upon A Dream, which featured several leads each from Brigati and Cavaliere. Though the only success for a single on the album was "It's Wonderful" (#20 on the US charts), the album utilized frequent instrumentals, and peaked at #9 on the album charts. The album was praised by some critics for such songs as "Rainy Day", "My World" and the title track. Understandably, the song "My Hawaii" became a top of the charts hit in Hawaii.
Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits, released in mid-1968, topped the album chart and became the group's best-selling album. The same year, "People Got to Be Free", a horn-punctuated plea for racial tolerance (the band was known for refusing to tour on segregated bills) and their third U.S. #1 single, was also their final Top Ten hit.
Later singles and albums were not as popular, with only two top-40 releases in 1969, and none afterward.
In 1970, Brigati left the group, followed by Cornish in 1971. The last album with them as active members was Search & Nearness (hitting #198 in the U.S.), which featured Brigati's last performances as a member singing lead on the Cornish-penned "You Don't Know" and their cover of The Box Tops hit "The Letter". The only single release from the album was the spiritually-themed "Glory, Glory" (#58 in the US), with backing vocals by The Sweet Inspirations.
Cavaliere shifted toward more jazz and gospel influenced writing; he and Danelli released two more albums on Columbia Records as The Rascals, Peaceful World (U.S. #122) and The Island Of Real (U.S. #180), using other musicians and singers. These albums didn't sell as well as their earlier work and the group finally disbanded in 1972.
Cavaliere released several solo albums throughout the 1970s. Brigati, with his brother David, released Lost in the Wilderness in 1976. Cornish and Danelli worked together in other groups, including Bulldog and Fotomaker. In 1982, Cavaliere and Danelli joined Steve Van Zandt in Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul for the group's first two albums.
2) The Rascals were a three-piece indie rock band made of Miles Kane (guitar/vocals), Joe Edwards (bass), and Greg Mighall (drums). Hailing from the Wirral, on Merseyside, these three 21 year olds spent years learning their craft as part of The Little Flames, touring with bands like The Coral, The Zutons, and, most notably, the Arctic Monkeys. It was during this time supporting the Arctic Monkeys, inspired by their maverick, DIY spirit and refusal to comprise, the three youngest Flames decided it was time to trust their hearts and their instincts and go it alone.
In September 2006, they began jamming and writing new material as a three piece, and there was born The Rascals. Impressed by the raw energy and virtuosity of Miles’ playing, singer-songwriter Alex Turner approached him and suggested that he play lead guitar on a new Arctic Monkeys’ tune called "505". The Rascals were immediately signed to Deltasonic Records and played their first gig supporting Turner's band at Cardiff International Arena in June 2007.
August 2009, frontman Miles Kane confirmed that he left the band to pursue a solo career. The band was discontinued. Although receiving some commercial success by himself, fans of the group have kept the flame burning for reunions.
Almost Home
The Rascals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tonight I'll bet she's got her hair down
Sighpost flyin' by me with the time oh my
I'm almost home, I'm almost home, mm.
Moonlight shone on broken glass
That night, he should've never touched her
Long years I had to pay the price for love
Yeah I guess she's just too busy to write me
My mind was almost torn been runnin' to her bedside nightly.
Just one more mile, I gonna see her sweet smile
Oh I'm almost home, I'm almost home where I belong.
I wonder if she'll be happy to see me
Can't wait to see my baby now
I been through hell and back
There's gonna be some lovin' this evenin' yeah.
Next right, hey that's a parking site
Oh no I was almost home, looks like my home had gone, oh oh oh.
The Rascals' Almost Home tells the story of a man who is traveling back to his lover after being away for a long time. As he drives on the highways, he imagines his lover with her hair down and realizes that he is almost home. He reflects on his past mistakes and how he had paid the price for love. Despite the challenges he faced, he is eager to see his lover and imagines her welcoming him with open arms. However, as he approaches his home, he realizes that it is no longer there, leaving him feeling lost and defeated.
The first few lines of the song describe how the man is traveling on the highways, and he imagines his lover with her hair down. The use of highways serves as a metaphor for a journey, with the destination being his lover. The broken glass in the moonlight could symbolize the broken relationship between the couple. The next few lines describe how the man is longing to see his lover and is imagining her welcoming him. However, as he approaches his home, he realizes that it is no longer there, leaving him feeling lost and defeated. This could represent the ultimate failure of his relationship, with the loss of his home symbolizing the loss of his lover.
Overall, the song Almost Home encapsulates the feeling of longing and desperation that comes with being away from someone you love. It also highlights the challenges and failures that come with relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Highways lead from town to town
There are several roads that connect different places and regions
Tonight I'll bet she's got her hair down
She probably let her hair down for the night and is not keeping a tight-up appearance
Signpost flyin' by me with the time oh my
I'm driving so fast that signposts appear to be rushing past me
I'm almost home, I'm almost home, mm
I'm getting closer to my destination and I'm excited to be almost home
Moonlight shone on broken glass
The broken glass was illuminated by the moonlight
That night, he should've never touched her
Someone made a mistake of touching her that resulted in unfortunate circumstances
Long years I had to pay the price for love
I suffered for a long time as a consequence of love
Anyway I'm almost home, almost home
Despite all the struggles, I'm nearly home after all this time
Yeah I guess she's just too busy to write me
She probably did not have time to send me a letter or message
My mind was almost torn been runnin' to her bedside nightly
I've been really anxious about her and visiting her bedside every night
Just one more mile, I gonna see her sweet smile
I'm so close to seeing her, and I know that her smile will be worth the wait
Oh I'm almost home, I'm almost home where I belong
I'm nearly back to where I belong and it feels really good
I wonder if she'll be happy to see me
I'm curious about whether or not she'll be happy to see me
Can't wait to see my baby now
I'm really looking forward to seeing my loved one
I been through hell and back
I've gone through a really difficult time and come out the other side
There's gonna be some lovin' this evenin' yeah
I'm planning on making up for lost time and showing my love tonight
Next right, hey that's a parking site
There's a parking lot to the right
Oh no I was almost home, looks like my home had gone, oh oh oh
Unfortunately, it seems like my home is no longer there, even though I was almost home
Contributed by Gianna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.