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.
One
The Ventures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I wanted to
I could do what you did to me too
Don’t go around acting
Like I’m a fool for you
Cause i won’t forget
What u put me through
Cause I have tried
(Ba-ba-da, Ba-ba-da-di-di)
And I have cried
Enough my tears have dried
(Ba-ba-di, Ba-ba-da-di-di)
You had me like
One time one time
You got me back
Two times two times
We would go on and on
Until the day is gone
You had me like
One time one time
You got me back
Two times two times
We would go on and on
Until the day is gone
No time to talk about
The times that I fed you
If I wanted to I’d call you out
On the fact that I made you
Who you are today
Who were before me
Was no one special
Cause I have tried
One too many times
(Ba-ba-da, Ba-ba-da-di-di)
And I have cried
Enough my tears have dried
(Ba-ba-di, Ba-ba-da-di-di)
You had me like
One time one time
You got me back
Two times two times
We would go on and on
Until the day is gone
You had me like
One time one time
You got me back
Two times two times
We would go on and on
Until the day is gone
You had me like
One time one time
(Na-na-na-na)
Two times two times
(Whoa-oo-Whoa)
One time one time
On and On and On
You go on and on and on
I have enough on my plate
So why you keep calling my phone
You didn’t want me around
But now you won’t leave me alone
I guess thats what happens
When you lose someone
You thought you owned
Now you’re sprung off of me
But your love is overthrown
Cause I have tried
One too many times
(Ba-ba-di, Ba-ba-da-di-di)
Cause I have cried
Enough my tears have dried
(Ba-ba-di, Ba-ba-da-di-di)
You had me like
One time one time
You had me like
Two times two times
One time one time
On and On and On
You go on and on and on
The lyrics to The Ventures' "One" are about a past relationship that ended poorly. The singer states that they will not turn their back on their former partner, even though they could easily do so. The singer is hurt and feels like they were played for a fool by their former partner. They will not forget what they went through, and they have tried and cried too many times. The chorus discusses how the former partner had the singer once, then got them back twice. The relationship went on and on until the day was gone. The singer believes that they made their former partner who they are today, but they were no one special before them. The bridge talks about how the former partner keeps calling and trying to come back to them, but their love is overthrown.
The lyrics to "One" are very relatable to many people who have gone through a bad breakup. It talks about the feeling of being played for a fool, and the hurt that comes with it. The line "you had me like one time, one time, you got me back two times, two times" is an interesting way to describe the relationship dynamics. It shows how the partner had control at first, but the singer has since become less willing to be in that same position again. The "ba-ba-da" and "ba-ba-di-di" throughout the song serve as a catchy hook and help to emphasize the emotions in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I will never turn my back on you
I will always stay loyal to you
If I wanted to
If I chose to
I could do what you did to me too
I am capable of treating you how you treated me
Don’t go around acting
Don't pretend
Like I’m a fool for you
Like I am easily deceived by you
Cause i won’t forget
I will always remember
What u put me through
The pain you caused me
Cause I have tried
Because I have attempted
One too many times
More than I should have
(Ba-ba-da, Ba-ba-da-di-di)
And I have cried
And I have wept
Enough my tears have dried
My tears have ceased
(Ba-ba-di, Ba-ba-da-di-di)
You had me like
You had me under your spell
One time one time
Once, just once
You got me back
You returned my love
Two times two times
Twice, even
We would go on and on
We would continue
Until the day is gone
Until the end of the day
No time to talk about
No time to discuss
The times that I fed you
The times that I took care of you
If I wanted to I’d call you out
If I chose to, I would expose you
On the fact that I made you
On the reality that I am responsible for your success
Who you are today
The person you have become
Who were before me
The person you were before we met
Was no one special
Was not extraordinary
Now you’re sprung off of me
Now you are crazy about me
But your love is overthrown
But your love is no longer dominant
I have enough on my plate
I have enough to deal with
So why you keep calling my phone
So why do you keep contacting me
You didn’t want me around
You did not want me to be present
But now you won’t leave me alone
But now you won't stop bothering me
I guess thats what happens
I suppose that is what occurs
When you lose someone
When you lose a person you care about
You thought you owned
You believed you possessed
One time one time
Once, just once
On and On and On
Continuously
You go on and on and on
You keep going without stopping
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Miranda Cabral
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CeeOlleab388
2024 and I'm 75 still listening to these tunes - they keep me young <3
@fredlibby8518
xactly!!!! @75
@jacquelinedavis6607
67 but these songs make me so happy and I am gonna dance. Wow!
@steveperreira5850
64-year-old surfer boy in the year 2024, my favorite instrumental of all time, and these guys do it right!
@taffyddu
born 1946, still loving it. I thought I'd have joined my parents by now, but still here ! It must be the music.
@BotYoutubevertification
Boomers hehee im only 11 and this was in my game when i was inside vehicle
@donyonta5023
I’m only 83 yrs old and I still love this fantastic music
@divdevilliers6234
Im 70 years young and l've been a rocker from my childhood years and I still love to listen to old time rock n roll. I also have a great love for guitar groups. Of course the Ventures my favourite. I have a selection of records of them.
@jasonjones6125
Music......the ultimate time machine (:
@divdevilliers6234
They were one of the best if not the best ever.