History
The Spotnicks originated from "Rock-Teddy and The Blue Caps", a group formed in 1957 in Gothenburg by guitarist Bo Winberg (born 27 March 1939), with Bo Starander (born 11 March 1942) (rhythm guitar), and Björn Thelin (born 27 June 1942) (bass guitar). In 1958 they added Ove Johansson (drums), changed their name to "The Frazers", and began playing regularly in local clubs. They signed a recording contract in 1961, and changed their name to "The Spotnicks", a play on the Russian satellite Sputnik as suggested by their manager, Roland Ferneborg. Starander was later known as Bob Lander.
They soon became the first Swedish group to have significant international success, in a similar style to The Shadows and The Ventures. They toured Europe, and one of their early records, "Orange Blossom Special", became their first big international hit, making the Top 30 in the UK Singles Chart in 1962 on the Oriole label, and reaching # 1 in Australia. Around this time they began wearing their trademark "space suits" on stage. They recorded their first album, The Spotnicks in London - Out-a-Space, in 1962. Further hits included "Rocket Man" (no relation to the Elton John song), and "Hava Nagila" (their biggest UK hit, where it made # 13). Winberg also recorded solo, credited as "The Shy Ones".
In 1963, "Amapola" became one of their most successful singles in their home country, staying at # 1 in Sweden for eight weeks. They appeared in the movie Just For Fun, continued to tour widely, and recorded their second album, The Spotnicks in Paris. That year, drummer Ove Johansson left and was replaced by an Englishman, Derek Skinner. Two years later, Skinner was replaced briefly by Jimmy Nicol, who had previously toured with The Beatles while Ringo Starr recovered from having his tonsils removed.
In 1964 and 1965, The Spotnicks expanded their popularity in Germany and Japan, reaching # 1 in Japan in 1966 with "Karelia". Elsewhere, however, they became less successful as popular music tastes changed. The group—having undergone many personnel changes—split up in 1970 after releasing their fifteenth album, The Spotnicks Back in The Race. Yet the band was still popular in Japan and it soon reformed under Winberg's control in 1971 at the request of a Japanese record label.[2]
Winberg has continued to lead versions of The Spotnicks, occasionally including Lander and/or Thelin, on tour and in recordings since then.
Ghostriders in the sky
The Spotnicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way,
When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw,
A ploughin' through the ragged skies
And up a cloudy draw.
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
The ghost herd in the sky.
Their horns wuz black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel,
A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky,
For he saw the riders comin' hard
And he heard their mournful cry.
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
Ghost riders in the sky.
Their faces gaunt their eyes were blurred and shirts all soaked
With sweat,
They're ridin' hard to catch that herd but they ain't caught them yet
'Cause they've got to ride forever on that range up in the sky,
On horses snortin' fire
As they ride on, hear their cry.
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
Ghost riders in the sky.
As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name,
"If you want to save your soul from hell a-riding on our range,
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
A-try'ng to catch the devil's herd
Across these endless skies."
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
The ghost herd in the sky.
Ghost riders in the sky.
The song "Ghost Riders in the Sky" is a classic country-western song about a cowpoke who takes a ride on a dark, windy day and comes across a herd of red-eyed cows that are ploughing through the ragged skies. The cowpoke is filled with fear when he sees that the cows' brands are still on fire and their hooves are made of steel. He also sees the riders coming hard and hears their mournful cry. As they race by, one of the riders calls the cowpoke's name and warns him to change his ways or he will ride with them, trying to catch the devil's herd across the endless skies.
The song is filled with vivid imagery and metaphorical language. The ghost riders represent the sins of the cowpoke that he must confront in order to save his soul from hell. The cowpoke is warned to change his ways, to live a better life, and to free himself from the guilt and fear of his past actions. The song speaks to the universal theme of redemption and the struggle with one's own conscience.
Line by Line Meaning
An old cowpoke went riding out one dark and windy day,
One day, a weather-beaten cowboy went for a ride in the dark and windy weather.
Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way,
While on his journey, the cowboy decided to stop and rest on a ridge.
When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw,
Suddenly, he saw a powerful herd of cows with red eyes.
A ploughin' through the ragged skies
The cows were flying through the rough skies.
And up a cloudy draw.
They went up a cloudy pathway.
Yippee-yi-ay, yippee-yi-o,
This is an interjection to express enthusiasm and excitement.
The ghost herd in the sky.
These were ghostly cows floating in the sky.
Their brands were still on fire and their hooves was made of steel,
The brands on the cows' skin were still burning and their hooves were made of steel.
Their horns wuz black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel,
The horns of the cows were black and reflective, and the cowboy could feel their hot breath.
A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky,
He became terrified as the cows thundered through the sky.
For he saw the riders comin' hard
He saw that the riders were coming fast.
And he heard their mournful cry.
Their cry was one of sorrow or grief.
Their faces gaunt their eyes were blurred and shirts all soaked
The riders appeared thin, with blurry eyes and sweat-soaked shirts.
With sweat,
They were sweating profusely.
They're ridin' hard to catch that herd but they ain't caught them yet
They were working hard to capture the herd but had not yet succeeded.
'Cause they've got to ride forever on that range up in the sky,
They had to continue riding forever in the sky's range.
On horses snortin' fire
Their horses were breathing fire.
As they ride on, hear their cry.
As they continued to ride, their sorrowful cry grew louder.
As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name,
One of the riders called his name as they rode past him.
"If you want to save your soul from hell a-riding on our range,
The rider warned that he could save his soul from eternal damnation.
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
Unless he changed his ways, he would ride with the riders and cattle forever.
A-try'ng to catch the devil's herd
They were attempting to capture the devil's herd.
Across these endless skies."
The chase was taking place across the infinite sky.
Ghost riders in the sky.
This phrase is repeated to emphasize the eerie cowboys and cattle in the sky.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Stanley Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@edmatzenik9858
The Spotnicks, a great band to play Ghost Riders, they were always as mysterious as the song and the legend. This kind of band needs mystery and the Spotnicks had and kept all the mysterious image that the Shadows started out with but somehow lost.
@williamrobe7409
William robe bravo pour ce groupe bravo milles fois bravos ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@thierry1103
Bo Winberg who was an electronics engineer had built his own amp. What gave the sound Spotnicks! Bo had experimented with the wireless guitar-to-amp transmitter in Paris in 1963, but the power of the transmitter caused interference on the Police frequency. If you want the Spotnicks sound, you need the same amp. Bo had also built Björn Thelin's Bass
@peteraustin370
Brilliant!! Sadly Bo Winberg and Bob Lander have left us now people and times are drifting away from us never to come back!! At least the music stays there for us!! Great Band!! Best wishes from Plymouth UK!
@i18nde
Eine der besten und rasantesten Versionen dieses Titels, die originale Version der Shadows wurde weit übertroffen!
@1959oldies20
R.I.P. Bo Winberg, the mastermind of Spotnics sound. He died early in 2020 at 80.
@stennorl5809
Sadness.
@user-bl7sq8gt4g
Superb ❤
@gordonmorris6359
This song is from before Jimmy Nicol joined as drummer in '64 after having replaced sick Ringo on The Beatles world tour. Cool to see the photo of Jimmy in the Spotnicks !
@birneymontcalm228
I love it when the reverb is turned up. My 1957 Buick came with an aftermarket reverb unit installed in the trunk.