In 1978, A&M Records released Tim Curry's debut solo album. Entitled Read My Lips, the album featured an eclectic range of songs (mostly covers) performed in diverse genre. Highlights of the album are a reggae version of the Beatles song "I Will", a rendition of "Wake Nicodemus" with full bagpipe backing, and an original bar-room ballad, "Alan".
The following year, Curry's second and most successful album was released. Titled Fearless, the LP was more rock-oriented than Read My Lips and mostly featured original songs rather than cover versions. The record included Tim Curry's only US charting songs: "I Do the Rock" and "Paradise Garage".
Curry's third and final album, Simplicity, was released in 1981, again by A&M Records. This record did not sell as well as the previous offerings, due in part to a less appealing, more maudlin sound. This record combined both original songs and cover versions, and is commonly held to be the weakest of the three albums.
In 1989, A&M released The Best of Tim Curry on CD and cassette, featuring songs from his albums (including a live version of "Alan") and a previously-unreleased song, a live cover version of "Simple Twist of Fate".
Curry toured America with his band through the late 1970s and the first half of the 1980s.
Curry's first full-time role was as part of the original London cast of the musical Hair in 1968. Here he first met Richard O'Brien, who went on to create his next full-time and perhaps still most famous role, that of Frank N. Furter in the Rocky Horror Show.
Originally Curry rehearsed the character with a German accent and peroxide blonde hair, but the character evolved into the sly, very upper-class English (He says 'dine' instead of down, 'brine' instead of brown etc) drag-wearing mad scientist incarnation that carried over to the movie version and made Curry both a star and a cult figure. He continued to play the character in London, Los Angeles and New York until 1975.
For many years, Curry was reluctant to talk about Rocky Horror, feeling that it was a trend that had gone too far and had distracted attention away from his later roles. However, in recent years he has been much more open about discussing the show and now recognises it as a "rite of passage" for many young people.
Wild and Untamed Thing
Tim Curry Lyrics
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My my my, my my my my my, my my my my...
I'm a wild and untamed thing
I'm a bee with a deadly sting
You get a hit and your mind goes ping
Your heart will thump and your blood will sing
So let the party and the sounds rock on
We're gonna shake it til the life has gone
All (Fran-N-Furter, Brad, Janet, Rocky and Columbia):
We are wild and untamed things
We're a bee with a deadly sting
You get a hit and your mind goes ping
Your heart will thump and your blood will sing
So let the party and the sound rock on
We're gonna shake it til the life has gone
Rose tints my world keeps me safe from my trouble and pain.
Riff Raff:
Franknfurter its all over
your misson is a failure
Your lifestyles too extreme
I'm your new commander
You now are my prisoner
We return to Transylvania
Prepare the Transit beam
The lyrics to Tim Curry's "Wild and Untamed Thing" convey the wild and hedonistic lifestyle of the characters in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Frank-N-Furter, the main character sings about being untamed, dangerous, and living life to the fullest, with the support of his companions, Brad, Janet, Rocky, and Columbia. The lines, "You get a hit and your mind goes ping, your heart will thump and your blood will sing" suggest a sense of euphoria and liberation, perhaps referencing the use of drugs or the act of losing oneself to pleasure. The phrase "Rose tints my world keeps me safe from my trouble and pain" may allude to the rose-tinted glasses that many partygoers wear to escape reality and forget their problems, with the cautionary implication that such escapism can only be temporary.
In the next verse, Riff Raff abruptly interrupts the music, declaring that Frank-N-Furter's mission is a failure, and that his lifestyle is too extreme. He becomes the new commander, taking Frank-N-Furter as his prisoner, and the group prepares to return to Transylvania via the transit beam. The song portrays a world of sexual and social liberation, juxtaposed with the harsh reality that such liberation can be temporary and fleeting. It suggests that the pursuit of pleasure comes with a price, in this case, a punitive consequence.
Line by Line Meaning
My my my, my my my my my, my my my my...
I am immensely excited and thrilled.
I'm a wild and untamed thing
I am free-spirited and not bound by convention.
I'm a bee with a deadly sting
I am dangerous and can be harmful.
You get a hit and your mind goes ping
My presence can have intoxicating effects on you.
Your heart will thump and your blood will sing
You will feel a rush of excitement and joy upon seeing me.
So let the party and the sounds rock on
Let's continue to have a good time and enjoy the music.
We're gonna shake it til the life has gone
We'll dance until we drop and exhaust ourselves.
Rose tints my world keeps me safe from my trouble and pain.
My optimistic outlook keeps me from being affected by negative experiences.
We are wild and untamed things
All of us here are free-spirited and unconventional.
So let the party and the sound rock on
Let's continue to enjoy the music and festivities.
We're gonna shake it til the life has gone
We'll dance until we drop and exhaust ourselves.
Franknfurter its all over
Frank-N-Furter, your mission has failed.
your misson is a failure
You were not successful in your pursuit.
Your lifestyles too extreme
Your way of living is too unconventional and radical.
I'm your new commander
I am now in charge and you must follow my orders.
You now are my prisoner
You are now under my custody and control.
We return to Transylvania
We are going back to our homeland.
Prepare the Transit beam
Get ready for transportation using the beam.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RICHARD O BRIEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind