Sibling blues guitarists Jimmie Vaughan (born in 1951) and Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990) were born and raised in Dallas, TX. Each began playing guitar during childhood, Stevie Ray inspired to take up the instrument by his older brother. Jimmie Vaughan played in various groups in Dallas and Austin before hooking up with singer/harmonica player Kim Wilson and forming the Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1974. The group was signed to Chrysalis Records, for which they made four albums, starting with a self-titled 1979 debut. The second and third of them, What’s the Word (1980) and Butt Rockin’ (1981), made the lower reaches of the charts, but the band was dropped by the label after the commercial failure of T-Bird Rhythm in the fall of 1982.
Meanwhile, Stevie Ray Vaughan had been playing around Texas, at first with Triple Threat featuring singer Lou Ann Barton, and then, after her departure, with drummer Chris Layton and newly recruited bassist Tommy Shannon as Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble. His appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982 led to a recording contract with Epic Records and the release of his debut album, Texas Flood, a Top 40 hit, in 1983. He followed it with the even more successful Couldn’t Stand the Weather (1984) and Soul to Soul (1985), each of which went gold within two years. (All three albums have since gone platinum.)
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s success stimulated Epic’s interest in his brother’s band. The Epic subsidiary CBS Associated signed the Fabulous Thunderbirds and issued Tuff Enuff (1986), which spawned a Top Ten single in the title-track and itself made the Top 20, going gold within six months and eventually platinum. The same year, Stevie Ray Vaughan issued Live Alive, which eventually went platinum.
The careers of both brothers subsided soon after. Stevie Ray Vaughan went into rehab, while the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ follow-ups to Tuff Enuff, Hot Number (1987) and Powerful Stuff (1989), did not match its commercial success. Jimmie Vaughan amicably parted from the band in June 1990. Stevie Ray Vaughan returned after more than two and a half years with In Step (1989), which became his biggest seller yet, eventually going double platinum. The brothers had long planned a duo project, and in 1990 they finally found time for it, recording Family Style. But the month before the album’s scheduled release, Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash on August 27, 1990. The album appeared in September and it soared into the Top Ten, selling over a million copies.
Jimmie Vaughan helped oversee posthumous releases of his brother’s recordings, such as the two-million-selling Top Ten hit The Sky Is Crying (1991). He launched his own solo career in the spring of 1994 with Strange Pleasure, released by Epic.
'Vaughan Brothers' are also on Last.fm here: 'Vaughan Brothers'
Telephone Song
The Vaughan Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was missing you oh so bad
Wish I had you here to hold all I've got is this touch-tone phone
So I guess I'll give you a call
Operator help me please get through to my baby way overseas
Time's a wastin' oh so fast
Hello baby tell me is that you I don't know what we're gonna do
Well it feels so fine knowing you're all right
But you're miles away lord it's not the same
Well I woke up this morning I was all alone saw your picture by the telephone
I've been missing you baby oh so bad
I love you baby with all my might come on home and squeeze me tight
Long distance loving is gonna drive me out of my mind
The Vaughan Brothers' "The Telephone Song" tells a story of a man who wakes up alone, missing his significant other who is overseas. He sees a picture of his loved one by the telephone and wishes he had them there to hold. He decides to call them using a touch-tone phone he has, hoping the operator can connect him to his love. While on the phone with them, he expresses how much he's been missing them and how much he loves them. He feels some relief for being able to talk with them but still longs for their physical presence.
The song captures themes of love and distance, and how long-distance relationships can be challenging to maintain. The touch-tone phone seems to be a symbol of their relationship, as it is the only way they can communicate while physically apart. The man's yearning for his significant other can be felt throughout the song as he expresses his love for them but recognizes that long-distance loving is driving him out of his mind.
Overall, "The Telephone Song" is a classic blues song that tells a relatable story of love and longing through the lens of long-distance relationships. It highlights the importance of communication in relationships and how challenging it can be to maintain love while being physically apart.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up this morning I was all alone saw your picture by the telephone
I woke up feeling lonely and saw your photo next to the phone, reminding me of how much I miss you.
I was missing you oh so bad
My longing for you is incredibly strong and painful.
Wish I had you here to hold all I've got is this touch-tone phone
I yearn for your physical presence, but all I have is this device to connect us from afar.
So I guess I'll give you a call
I'll use this phone to reach out to you and make a connection since I can't be with you.
Operator help me please get through to my baby way overseas
I need assistance to connect with my faraway love who is overseas.
Time's a wastin' oh so fast
I am running out of time to talk to you and express my love before we have to hang up.
Hello baby tell me is that you I don't know what we're gonna do
I'm unsure about the future and our relationship, but for now, I need to hear your voice.
But for now I'm glad I got you on the line
Although we are far apart, I am grateful to have established a connection with you through the phone.
Well it feels so fine knowing you're all right
It's a relief to know that you are safe and well, and hearing your voice brings me joy.
But you're miles away lord it's not the same
Despite the comfort of our conversation, the physical distance between us is difficult and makes the experience incomplete.
I love you baby with all my might come on home and squeeze me tight
I love you with all my heart and wish for nothing more than to have you in my arms, holding me.
Long distance loving is gonna drive me out of my mind
The pain of loving from afar is becoming more and more unbearable.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: DOYLE BRAMHALL, STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind