For each Swirling Eddies release, band members adopted pseudonyms for the liner notes; "Camarillo Eddy" (Terry Scott Taylor), "Berger Roy Al" (Tim Chandler), "Gene Pool" (Greg Flesch), "Arthur Fhardy" (Rob Watson), "Spot" (Jerry Chamberlain), "Hort Elvison" (David Raven) and, on later albums, "Prickly Disco" (Gene Eugene). These pseudonyms were dropped for their third album, Zoom Daddy.
The band released its debut album on Alarma Records in 1988 entitled Let's Spin!. 1989's Outdoor Elvis featured the band's first two radio hits, "Driving in England" and "Hide the Beer the Pastor's Here!". The title track included classic lines such as: "It's said he croons when the moon's above, singing tenderly 'Hunk of Burning Love.'" The band's documentary video, Spittle and Phlegm was released the following year.
The band's stage shows are rare and unusual, to say the least. Since the band was formed in the late 1980s, they have only performed about six or seven live concerts. In 1990, the band performed at The Cornerstone Festival in drag, belting out covers like "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar", The Animals' "We've Got To Get Out Of This Place", The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World".
In 2004, the band began to work on their first album of original, new material in ten years entitled The midget, the speck and the molecule. The first new song to surface, a rough mix of "Giants in the Land," was made available in March of 2007 exclusively to people that preordered the album before it was finished. The recording sessions ended in May of 2007 and the album was released on July 23, 2007
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Outdoor Elvis
The Swirling Eddies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The redwoods high and the grass is green
People tell me they have seen a giant footprint
Is he fishing and skiing and hunting duck
With a guitar, shotgun and a pickup truck?
Well, with any kind of luck, we'll photograph him
Oh, oh, come again, Outdoor Elvis
Save us, Outdoor Elvis
The world has hope 'cos he's feeling good
Escaped the city
Lives in the woods
This is the spot I think he stood
Here's a giant footprint
A plaster cast where the pilgrims flock
Ticket line's around the block
If we don't have the King, what have we got?
Life don't make no sense
Oh, oh, come again, Outdoor Elvis
Be our friend
Save us, Outdoor Elvis
We have sinned
Forgive us, Outdoor Elvis
We'll build a shrine among the pines to you
We might have to set a trap to bring him back
Dead or alive
If we want to survive, we gotta bring him back
In his fishing vest and silver cape
I bet he's really looking great
You can pretty much tell that he's lost weight from the depth of his footprint
It's said he croons when the moon's above
Singing tenderly "Hunk of Burnin' Love"
It's nice to know he's still got his stuff
Hasn't lost the accent
The Swirling Eddies's song "Outdoor Elvis" is a humorous tribute to the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, who is thought to be living in the woods among the redwoods high and the grass is green. The song is infused with a sense of playful hope and nostalgia, as people seek to bring back to life the legend that is Elvis. The lyrics conceptually play with the idea of a giant footprint which could belong to Elvis as he goes about his daily life hunting ducks, fishing, and skiing with his guitar, shotgun, and pickup truck. The track offers a satirical look at the human tendency to cling to legends and offers an escapist's view that stems from the idea of Elvis being larger than life and his presence having the ability to save.
The song is riddled with interesting tidbits of information, including the idea that Elvis is not only alive but also thriving among nature. There are some other interesting lyrical elements as well, like the fact that the world feels hopeful now that Elvis is back and feeling good. Besides, the line, "We might have to set a trap to bring him back dead or alive" plays with the idea of there being some way to capture a mythical figure like Elvis. Furthermore, the song includes the humorous suggestion that Elvis has lost weight, and he's still got his stuff and hasn't lost his accent, which helps perpetuate the legend's authenticity.
* The song "Outdoor Elvis" was released by the Swirling Eddies in the year 1992.
* The song was part of the band's album Zoom Daddy.
* The band was formed by members of two Christian rock bands: Daniel Amos and the Lost Dogs.
* The album Zoom Daddy is considered one of the best works of the Swirling Eddies.
* It was one of the most requested songs on the radio stations after its release.
* "Outdoor Elvis" provides a lighthearted way to remember Elvis instead of taking its lyrics too seriously.
* The song became very popular in the United States and gained the band an audience in mainstream music as well.
* The track was listed as one of the "50 Track Essential Alt-Rock Songs" by the Alternative Press.
* The song has catchy rhythm and lyrics that have made it one of the most-loved tracks of the 1990s.
* The chords for the song include G, C, D, and Em.
Chords: G, C, D, Em.
Line by Line Meaning
Out there where the air is clean
In the clean and fresh air of the outdoors
The redwoods high and the grass is green
Among the tall redwood trees and green grass
People tell me they have seen a giant footprint
Rumors of a giant footprint have spread among the people
Is he fishing and skiing and hunting duck
Is he enjoying outdoor activities like fishing, skiing and hunting ducks?
With a guitar, shotgun and a pickup truck?
Does he have a guitar, shotgun and a pickup truck?
Well, with any kind of luck, we'll photograph him
If we're lucky, we might be able to take a photograph of him
Oh, oh, come again, Outdoor Elvis
Oh, Outdoor Elvis, please come again
Be our friend
Please be our friend
Save us, Outdoor Elvis
Help us and save us from our troubles, Outdoor Elvis
The world has hope 'cos he's feeling good
The world has hope because he is happy and content
Escaped the city
Got away from the busy city life
Lives in the woods
Lives in the wilderness surrounded by nature
This is the spot I think he stood
I believe this is where he was standing
Here's a giant footprint
Here is the giant footprint that people have been talking about
A plaster cast where the pilgrims flock
A cast of the footprint where people come to visit
Ticket line's around the block
There is a long line of people waiting for tickets to see him
If we don't have the King, what have we got?
If we don't have the King of Rock and Roll, what is the point of anything?
Life don't make no sense
Life doesn't make any sense without the King
We have sinned
We have done wrong
Forgive us, Outdoor Elvis
Please forgive us, Outdoor Elvis
We'll build a shrine among the pines to you
We will build a memorial site among the pine trees for you
We might have to set a trap to bring him back
We might have to trick him to bring him back
Dead or alive
Whether he is alive or dead
If we want to survive, we gotta bring him back
If we want to survive without the King, we have to bring him back
In his fishing vest and silver cape
Wearing a fishing vest and a silver cape
I bet he's really looking great
I'm sure he looks fantastic
You can pretty much tell that he's lost weight from the depth of his footprint
From the depth of the footprint, it seems like he has lost weight
It's said he croons when the moon's above
It is said that he sings romantically when the moon is out
Singing tenderly "Hunk of Burnin' Love"
Singing tenderly the popular Elvis song, "Hunk of Burnin' Love"
It's nice to know he's still got his stuff
It is good to hear he still has his talent and ability
Hasn't lost the accent
He still has his distinct accent
Contributed by Aaron A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
richard prisuta
Great album, all the stuff from da, swirling eddies, and lost dogs is in fact !
Camden Barbour
I love the band and this album in particular.
Steven Jacobson
@Joe Rhodes No! I have John Wayne, but nothing compares to his Swirling Eddie's work for me. Horrendous Disk is also an all-time favorite. Motorcycle is up there too.
Steven Jacobson
@Joe Rhodes love both, but obviously I disagree, otherwise I wouldn't have said what I said...
Steven Jacobson
Their best work as a complete disk IMHO!
Chillin With TenMilL
Groovy!