Their first wide-release single, "Walk, Don't Run" (1960), brought international fame to the group, and is often cited as one of the top songs ever recorded for guitar. In the 1960s and early 1970s, 38 of the band's albums charted in the US, ranking them as the 6th best album chart performer during the 1960s, and the band had 14 singles in the Billboard Hot 100. With over 100 million records sold, the Ventures are the best-selling instrumental band of all time.
The Ventures have had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. The band was among the first to employ and popularize fuzz and flanging guitar effects, concept albums, and twelve-string guitars in rock music. Their instrumental virtuosity, innovation, and unique sound influenced many musicians and bands, earning the group the moniker "The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands". Their recording of "Walk, Don't Run" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its lasting impact, and in 2008 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Don Wilson and Bob Bogle first met in 1958, when Bogle was looking to buy a car from a used car dealership in Seattle owned by Wilson's father. Finding a common interest in guitars, the two decided to play together, while Wilson joined Bogle performing masonry work. They bought two used guitars in a pawn shop for about $10 each. Initially calling themselves the Versatones, the duo played small clubs, beer bars, and private parties throughout the Pacific Northwest. Wilson played rhythm guitar, Bogle lead. When they went to register the band name, they found that it was already taken. Disappointed, they cast about for an appropriate name. Wilson's mother suggested the name "The Ventures", upon which they eventually agreed in 1959.
During their first years (1958–1961), the Ventures played Fender guitars (a Jazzmaster, a Stratocaster and a Precision Bass) for both their live performances and their recording sessions. These instruments are prominently visible on the covers of two early albums: The Ventures and The Colorful Ventures. From 1962 to 1963 they used two Jazzmasters with a Precision Bass, shown on the album cover of "Bobby Vee meets The Ventures". Then in early 1963, California guitar manufacturer Mosrite re-branded their uniquely styled, futuristic-looking Mark 1 electric guitar model for the Ventures by applying decals that stated "The Ventures Model" on the headstock. The band adopted these guitars (which included a bass model) and first used them on The Ventures in Space (1963), one of their most influential albums because of the unique, otherworldly guitar sounds it contained. From 1963 through 1968, a statement on their album covers announced that the Ventures used Mosrite guitars "exclusively" (the Ventures and designer Semie Moseley were partners in the distribution of these instruments). After the expiration of their contract with Moseley, the Ventures returned to playing mainly Fender guitars. Only rarely have they used Mosrite guitars since that contract ended.
In the mid-1990s, Fender issued a limited edition Ventures Signature Series of guitars consisting of a Jazzmaster, a Stratocaster, and a Fender Jazz Bass, all with specifications determined by the band.
Aria Guitars and Wilson Brothers Guitars have subsequently issued Ventures Signature Model instruments. The Wilson Brothers guitar, in particular, is closely modeled physically on the original Mosrite design.
The Ventures pioneered the use of special effects on such songs as "The 2000 Pound Bee", recorded in late 1962, in which lead guitarist Nokie Edwards employed a fuzz pedal. Edwards' use of "fuzz tone" predated the "King of Fuzz Guitar", Davie Allan of The Arrows, by at least three years. In addition, Edwards was among the first to use the twelve-string guitar in rock. The 1964 The Ventures In Space album was a primer in the use of special guitar effects, and made pioneering use of 'reverse-tracking'. The Ventures In Space, because of its ethereal space-like effects, was deemed an influence on the later 1960s San Francisco psychedelic generation, as well as being cited as a favorite by Keith Moon of the Who.
The band's cover of the Tornados' "Telstar" (released in January 1963) featured one of the first instances of flanging on a pop record. The song "Silver Bells" on The Ventures' Christmas Album, released in November 1965, has one of the first recorded uses of a talk box as a musical effect, voiced by Red Rhodes.
The Ventures have had an influence on many musicians, both professional and amateur. Their instructional album, Play Guitar with the Ventures, was the first such record to chart on the Billboard Top LPs list, peaking at No. 96, and taught thousands of budding guitarists how to play the guitar. George Harrison stated in a Guitar Player interview that he preferred the American guitar sound of the Ventures to British contemporaries. When asked to name the most influential rock guitar solos, Joe Walsh said he would have to include the entire song "Walk, Don't Run" because it changed so many guitar players' lives. John Fogerty, during his introduction of the Ventures at their Hall of Fame induction, said that it "kicked open a whole movement in rock and roll... The sound of it became 'surf music' and the audacity of it empowered guitarists everywhere." Stephen Stills told Ventures guitarist Don Wilson that he learned to play on Ventures records. Jeff Baxter and Gene Simmons were early members of the Ventures Fan Club. Carl Wilson called the Ventures a major influence on his early guitar playing, stating that the Beach Boys had learned to play all of their songs by ear.
Bob Bogle lived in Vancouver, Washington, for years and died there on June 14, 2009, of non-Hodgkin lymphoma; he was 75.
Nokie Edwards died on March 12, 2018, due to complications after hip surgery. He was 82.
Gerry McGee died on October 12, 2019, after having a heart attack and collapsing onstage four days earlier in Japan. He was 81.
Don Wilson continued to record with the band, but retired from touring at the end of 2015. He died of natural causes on January 22, 2022, at the age of 88.
Mel Taylor died on August 11, 1996, of cancer, at the age of 62. He was diagnosed two weeks before his death.
Cry Like A Baby
The Ventures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I cry like a baby
Living without you is driving me crazy
I cry like a baby
Well, I know now, that you're not a plaything
Not a toy, or a puppet on a string
As I look back on a love so sweet
Oh, every road is a lonely street
I cry like a baby
I know now that you're not a plaything
Not a toy, or a puppet on a string
Today we passed on the street, and you just walked on by
how my heart just fell to my feet
and like a fool I began to cry
Oh when I think about the good love you gave me
I cry like a baby
Living without you is driving me crazy
I cry like a baby
I know now,that you're not a plaything
I cry like a baby, cry like a baby
Every road is a lonely street
I cry like a baby, cry like a baby
Living without you is driving me crazy
I cry like a baby, cry like a baby
I cry, I cry, I cry
The Ventures' song "Cry Like A Baby" explores the aftermath of a lost love. The singer remembers the good times with their former partner and is unable to cope with the loss. The song uses the metaphor of crying like a baby to convey the intensity of the emotions and the pain of being alone. The singer realizes that their partner was not just a plaything or a toy, but a real person with whom they shared a deep connection. The memory of the sweetness of the love they once had is contrasted with the loneliness and despair of the present.
The song's structure and melody contribute to its emotional impact. The repetitive chorus of "I cry like a baby" underscores the intensity of the singer's feelings, while the minor key and slow tempo add a sense of sadness and melancholy. The use of the first-person point of view also creates a sense of intimacy and honesty, as if the singer is sharing their personal experience with the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
When I think about the good love you gave me
Reflecting on the love that you gave me, I feel overwhelming emotions and become very emotional.
I cry like a baby
My emotions are so deep that I express them by crying like a baby.
Living without you is driving me crazy
The absence of your love is making me very unhappy and causing me to feel like I am losing my mind.
Well, I know now, that you're not a plaything
I realize that you are not someone to be manipulated or treated like a toy.
Not a toy, or a puppet on a string
You are not an object to be controlled by someone else who pulls the strings like a puppet.
As I look back on a love so sweet
When I reminisce about our sweet love from the past.
Oh, every road is a lonely street
Without you, every path ahead of me feels lonely and desolate.
Today we passed on the street, and you just walked on by
Today we crossed paths on the street, but you ignored me and kept walking.
how my heart just fell to my feet
The encounter made my heart drop and my emotions sink to my feet.
and like a fool I began to cry
I felt foolish as I began to cry out of sadness and despair.
I know now that you're not a plaything
Once again acknowledging that you are not to be controlled or treated like a toy.
Living without you is driving me crazy
My mind is being negatively affected by the absence of your love.
I cry like a baby, cry like a baby
Continuing to express my deep emotions by crying uncontrollably.
Every road is a lonely street
All paths in life feel desolate without you.
I cry like a baby, cry like a baby
Continuing to cry like a baby to express my overwhelming emotions.
Living without you is driving me crazy
Once again acknowledging that the absence of your love is causing emotional distress.
I cry, I cry, I cry
Continuing to cry as a means of expressing my deep emotions.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAN PENN, SPOONER OLDHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind