The… Read Full Bio ↴The Reivers were a pop band from Austin, Texas in the 1980s.
The Reivers' first incarnation, Zeitgeist, originated in Austin, TX with a lineup that included: John Croslin- main songwriter, vocalist, guitars; Kim Longacre- vocals, guitars; Kelly Bell- bass; and Joey Shuffield- drums. Shuffield left the band during rehearsals and was replaced by Garrett Williams. By the time their first self-titled E.P. was released on db Records in 1984, Cindy Toth had replaced Bell as bass player. This new lineup would remain consistent throughout the remainder of the Reivers' existence. Releasing the full-length album "Translate Slowly" the next year, they began to build a sizeable audience. In mid-1987 they were forced to change their name by a new age band which claimed the copyright. Choosing the name "The Reivers" (pronounced Reever, meaning Thieves or Raiders- from the Scottish "Reiffar") from the title of a William Faulkner novel, they continued recording. "Translate Slowly" was later reissued with the new name on cd with additional tracks.
Their second album also came out in 1987. Called "Saturday", it showed a marked maturity in the sound and songwriting. 1989 saw the release "End of the Day". "Pop Beloved", which would prove to be The Reivers' final album, came out in 1991. They played their final show at Austin's Cannibal Club later in the year. The road during the band's career had been a rocky one. In an Austin Chronicle article, Ken Lieck writes:
"The record business troubles that plagued Zeitgeist/The Reivers from day one are legend in themselves.... what is mostly important is that circumstances led the group to an early breakup and Croslin far from the urge to start another band."
Record company troubles always seemed to be a problem for Zeitgeist/The Reivers. From another Ken Lieck Austin Chronicle article (vol. 15, issue 32):
"As Zeitgeist, the quartet had built up a good following through an indie album and touring, but on the eve of releasing their first major label album, Capitol Records did a name search and found that the German word had already been trademarked by a New Age ensemble. Front man John Croslin recalls that the crystal-wearers "weren't flexible at all" and so the band ended up with the new name, leaving their fan base baffled. "We could've changed it to `Zeitghost' or something, but we didn't," says Croslin. "We all regretted the name change later, but it's what we voted on." Keeping in mind that the band was having other problems, including record company apathy, leading to their giving up the ghost (ouch) in 1991, Croslin adds that the name change "wasn't the crushing blow, but at the time it was another bad thing." Considering that when R.E.M. released their hit album Green, a band called Green received a good deal of press by promptly putting out an EP titled R.E.M., one can only wonder how much smoother the transition would have been if the Reivers had simply titled their first album 'Zeitgeist.' "
After the breakup of the band, Croslin turned his hand to producing and engineering projects by other bands. The short lived ABC show "Cupid" (created by previous Austinite Rob Thomas) featured a character named after John called "Crazy Judge Croslin". In 2006, he co-founded a new band called Fire Marshals of Bethlehem, which he left a couple of years later (amicably). The other Reivers have also been involved in various musical projects since the breakup of the group, as well as working day jobs. In 2008, the Reivers reunited for a few shows in their hometown of Austin, TX and by the end of the year had added a keyboard player and rechristened themselves under the new name Right Or Happy, with intentions to record and perform.
In Your Eyes
The Reivers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's something in my stereo
But I can't stop it
Stop it from happening
There's something in my hat
There's something in my stereo
But I can't stop it
Stop it from happening
It's just a little fear
And I see myself in your eyes.
And it looks so nice.
And it looks so nice.
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
It's just a little fear
And I see myself in your eyes.
And it looks so nice.
And it looks so nice.
It could be the lights
You could call it poetry
But I can't hear you
Spin above my record player.
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
It's just a little fear
And I see myself in your eyes.
And it looks so nice.
And it looks so nice.
And I see myself in your eyes.
And it looks so nice.
And it looks so nice.
The Reivers' song In Your Eyes has a feeling of joyful spontaneity and an almost stream-of-consciousness lyricism. The lyrics seem to reference a feeling of being swept up in something beyond one's control, with a "little fear" or uncertainty in the mix. The singer mentions something in their hat and stereo, which seems to speak to the idea that the music itself is driving this feeling. The repeated refrain of "I see myself in your eyes, and it looks so nice" adds to the sense of being transported by the moment.
One interesting aspect of the song is the use of repetition throughout. Not only are phrases like "There's something in my hat" and "It looks so nice" repeated multiple times, but the melody itself is quite repetitive, contributing to the dreamy quality of the song. Additionally, the lyrics have a highly visual quality to them, with references to objects like hats and record players adding to the sense of being in a specific moment.
Line by Line Meaning
There's something in my hat
I feel like there is something hidden or mysterious about myself that I am still uncovering
There's something in my stereo
I feel like there is something special or magical about the music that I am listening to
But I can't stop it
I am unable to prevent or avoid these feelings from happening, it's out of my control
Stop it from happening
I wish I could stop these intense feelings from arising, but I can't
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
An expression of my intense emotions, like a cry of excitement or fear
It's just a little fear
Despite feeling overwhelmed, I recognize that this is just a small amount of fear and it's not something to be too worried about
And I see myself in your eyes.
When I look into your eyes, I see a reflection of who I am and who I want to be
And it looks so nice.
This vision of myself that I see in your eyes looks beautiful and perfect
It could be the lights
It's possible that external factors like the lighting in the room are contributing to the intense emotions that I am feeling
You could call it poetry
This experience is so intense and emotional that it feels like a work of art, like something you could classify as poetry
But I can't hear you
Despite everything else going on around me, I am so focused on these intense feelings that I am unable to fully hear or comprehend what you are saying
Spin above my record player.
As these overwhelming emotions continue to build up inside me, it feels like my entire world is spinning out of control
Contributed by Allison G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SANITIZED, INC.
Man, I freakin' LOVE this song. Thanks for uploading.
Paul Dirac
I saw this band several times in the early to mid 80's in Austin. They were known as Zeitgeist then. Really loved their music and still do. Awesome live band.
Gorpy Egledonkle
I knew them in the early 90's, they were all swell folks, Cindy is incredibly nice and funny
Terry O'Brien
did ya see the show at the beach,... was it 1985?
best show at the club ever.
JONATHAN LOCKE
Around 1986, they played at a college campus in Beaumont, Texas...They were still Zeitgeist, and just had that first album out. The audience was me, and about ten close friends, smacked out of our minds on Ecstasy. And about forty other people, many of whom I vaguely knew, but I knew they were really, really cool, and I assumed most of them were high as well. Most of them were in bands. It was a life-changing experience. After the show, the only person we had the nerve to approach was Cindy. I wanted to tell John how much I liked his songs, but, what, am I gonna go up to Lou Reed and tell him that? Probably not. I always regretted that, because I don't think he would have cared.
Joe Sullivan
I lived in Austin in the summer of ‘89 and watched them live at Liberty Lunch. I bought all their records that summer. 🔥❤️
theodore mozeleski
Zeitgeist, the greatest Indiepop band of all time!
Hound Of Goshen
Still my favorite band of all time
Salguine
As much as I dearly love this band, I would love to have remade this video. Between the weird slow-motion shots, the flashing lights, the smash-cuts, the whirling camera and the crazy zooming, you don't actually see very much.
Festers Uncle
Earlier recordings were very easy on the ears! DB Recs. Early 80's catalogue is worth delving into. Reminds me of simple times with not a care in the world.