The group scored British and American hits in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two further singles—"Tell Her No" in 1965 and "Time of the Season" in 1968—were also successful. Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle is ranked number 100 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Zombies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
The Zombies signed to Decca and recorded their first hit, "She's Not There" after winning a beat-group competition sponsored by the London Evening News. "She's Not There" was released in mid-1964 and peaked at number twelve in the U.K., where it would be their only top-forty hit. It was first aired in the United States in early August 1964, on New York City rock station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted the song on his daily noontime "Hot Spot" segment during which new songs were played. The tune began to catch on in early Autumn and eventually climbed to number two.
In early 1965, "Tell Her No" became another big seller in the United States but had failed to make the Top 40 in the band's native U.K Subsequent recordings such as "I Love You" (which became a hit for People! in 1968), "Indication", "Whenever You're Ready", and "Is This the Dream" failed to achieve the success of the previous two singles.
Their first LP, Begin Here (1965), was a collection of early singles, half a dozen original songs combined with several R&B covers. The Zombies signed to CBS Records for one final LP in 1967. The resulting album, Odessey and Oracle, was one of the very first to utilise a Mellotron keyboard, as the band's budget did not allow for the hiring of session musicians. The band discovered too late that "odyssey" had been misspelled by the cover designers and were reportedly deeply embarrassed.
By the time Odessey and Oracle was released in April 1968, the band had broken up. The album sold little, and was only released in the U.S. because musician Al Kooper vouched for it. It has since gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest albums of all time, with Rolling Stone ranking it eightieth on its 500 Greatest Albums list. An album track called "Time of the Season" was released as a single. and eventually (1969) it became a huge nationwide hit (Billboard number three) after a radio DJ discovered it and put it on heavy rotation.
After The Zombies disbanded, Rod Argent formed a band called Argent; Colin Blunstone started a solo career. In1991 Blunstone, Grundy, and White briefly reunited as The Zombies with guitarist Sebastian Santa Maria, and recorded the album New World.
Iconic British psychedelic pop legends The Zombies have returned to celebrate the release of their latest Billboard-charting album, Still Got That Hunger, lead by founding and current members, vocalist Colin Blunstone and keyboardist Rod Argent, alongside bassist Jim Rodford (formerly of ARGENT and The Kinks), Rodford’s son Steve Rodford on drums, and renowned session guitarist Tom Toomey.
The band’s live performances, described by Rolling Stone as “absolutely triumphant”, take fans on a journey through time, from their early hits…their 1968 masterpiece Odessey & Oracle…post-Zombies solo favorites…right to today with Still Got That Hunger.
The second U.K. band following the Beatles to score a #1 hit in America, The Zombies infiltrated the airwaves with the sophisticated melodies, breathy vocals, choral back-up harmonies and jazzy keyboard riffs of their 1960’s hit singles “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” Ironically, the group broke-up just prior to achieving their greatest success – the worldwide chart-topping single “Time of the Season,” from their swan-song album Odessey & Oracle, ranked #100 in Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time.’ To this day, generations of new bands have cited The Zombies’ work as pop touchstones, and the band continues to be embraced by new generations of fans.
Following the break-up of the original band, lead vocalist Colin Blunstone went on to develop an acclaimed solo career (with hits including "Say You Don't Mind," "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", and “Old & Wise” with Alan Parsons Project) and keyboardist/songwriter Rod Argent rocked ‘70’s arenas with his eponymous band ARGENT (“Hold Your Head Up,” “God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll To You”), but the legend of The Zombies continued to take on a life of its own. By the start of the new Millennium, Blunstone and Argent were inspired to resurrect The Zombies.
The explosive release of Still Got That Hunger proved that Zombies fever is stronger than ever, with premieres at Rolling Stone, Mojo, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian Speakeasy, and Spin, alongside special broadcast performances, including Later…With Jools Holland, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and AOL Sessions. Moreover, it marked a historical moment on the Billboard charts, as The Zombies’ critically acclaimed album Odessey And Oracle re-entered the Billboard 100 forty-eight years later at the same time as Still Got That Hunger!
The Zombies look forward to an even busier 2017, with a major world tour, table-top book release and other exciting projects to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the recording of Odessey And Oracle.
What More Can I Do
The Zombies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I'd gladly
Lose myself to you
But something always
Holds me back
I wish I knew
What it is that stops me
From loving you
Oh ! oh! oh! oh!
what I more can I do
I'm trying hard
I know I could believe in you
But something always keeps a hold on me
And just won't let me go
Such a burning bully inside
While I'm trying to hide
That I want you to own me, own me
Own me, oh yeah
what more can I say
I said it all now
Got such a lovely losing price to pay
If you ignore me
What more can I do'
What more can I do'
What more can I do'
The lyrics to The Zombies' "What More Can I Do" express the singer's frustration with himself for being unable to love the addressee fully despite his desire to do so. The opening lines declare the singer's willingness to "lose" himself to the addressee, suggesting complete submission and devotion. However, the subsequent lines reveal a sense of ambivalence or fear that prevents him from fully surrendering to love. The singer expresses confusion about what specifically is holding him back from loving the addressee the way he feels he ought to, leading to a repetitive refrain of "What more can I do?"
This inner turmoil culminates in the final verse, where the singer pleads with the addressee to give him a chance to prove his love, with the implication that failure to do so would result in regret and a "losing price to pay." Despite this, the refrain remains unanswered, leaving a sense of open-endedness and unfulfilled desire.
Overall, the lyrics suggest a deep underlying emotional conflict within the singer's psyche that prevents him from fully committing to love, despite his conscious desires. It is ultimately left to the listener to interpret the specific reasons for this struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
What more can I do
Expressing a sense of helplessness and frustration about the inability to express love fully.
You know I'd gladly
Acknowledging the desire to express love fully.
Lose myself to you
Willingness to fully surrender and commit to the relationship.
But something always
Expressing the presence of an obstacle in the way of expressing love fully.
Holds me back
Referring to the obstacle that makes it hard to express full feelings of love.
I wish I knew
Expressing the desire to understand this obstacle better.
What it is that stops me
Seeking an understanding of what precisely the obstacle is.
From loving you
Referring to the inability to love fully due to the obstacle in the way.
The way it should be
Acknowledging that there is an ideal way that the expression of love should be, but the obstacle hinders it.
Oh ! oh! oh! oh!
An emotional exclamation indicating the depth of this struggle.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: CHRIS WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on She's Not There
An excellent song by The Zombies.