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.
The Letter
The Rascals Lyrics
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I got time to take a past train
Lonely days are gone, I been goin' home
My baby she wrote me a letter.
I don't care how much money I got to spend
I got to get back home to see my baby again
I told you long lonely days are gone, I'm a-going home
Well she wrote me a letter
She said she couldn't live without me no more
Got a message, Mister can't you see ?
I got to get back to my baby once more
Anyway that I can't.
I don't care how much money I got to spend
I got to get back to see my baby once again
Lonely lonely days are gone, I'm a-going home
To my baby she wrote me a letter.
Oh she wrote me a letter
She said that she couldn't live without me no more, no no, no no
Got a message, Mister can't you see ?
I got to get back home to my baby once more
Anyway I can't make it.
Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane
I got to get back home to see my baby once again
Lonely lonely days are gone, I been goin' home
To my baby, she wrote me a letter
She wrote it.
"The Letter" by The Rascals is a song about a man who is traveling back home to see his lover after receiving a letter from her. The singer is desperate to return home to be with his love and does not care about how much money he needs to spend to get there. The lyrics express the singer's happiness that his lonely days are gone.
The song is structured in such a way that it emphasizes the importance of communication between lovers, as the letter sent by the singer's lover is what brings him back to her. The lyrics suggest the strong bond between the couple and how much they mean to each other. The repetition of the phrase "Lonely days are gone, I been goin' home" emphasizes the relief and comfort the singer feels knowing he will soon be reunited with his lover.
Line by Line Meaning
Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane
I need a ticket to board a plane
I got time to take a past train
I have enough time to catch an earlier train
Lonely days are gone, I been goin' home
I am no longer alone, I am returning home
My baby she wrote me a letter.
My girlfriend sent me a letter
I don't care how much money I got to spend
I am willing to spend any amount of money
I got to get back home to see my baby again
I must return home to see my girlfriend once more
I told you long lonely days are gone, I'm a-going home
I already said I am headed home, and the loneliness will be gone
Well she wrote me a letter
She definitely sent me a letter
She said she couldn't live without me no more
She said that she cannot live without me anymore
Got a message, Mister can't you see ?
I received a message, don't you see?
I got to get back to my baby once more
I have to go back to my girlfriend again
Anyway that I can't.
I will do so in any way I can
I don't care how much money I got to spend
I am still willing to spend any amount of money
I got to get back to see my baby once again
I must return to my girlfriend once more
Lonely lonely days are gone, I'm a-going home
The loneliness I felt is gone as I am going home
To my baby she wrote me a letter.
My girlfriend sent me the letter
Oh she wrote me a letter
She definitely wrote me a letter
She said that she couldn't live without me no more, no no, no no
She told me again that she cannot live without me anymore, repeatedly
Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane
I still need a plane ticket
I got to get back home to see my baby once again
I must return home to see my girlfriend again
Lonely lonely days are gone, I been goin' home
I will no longer be lonely as I am going home
To my baby, she wrote me a letter
The letter was from my girlfriend, addressed to me
She wrote it.
She was the one who wrote the letter.
Contributed by Declan E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.