With the band Rainbow, Carey appeared on the studio album Rainbow Rising (1976) and on the live albums On Stage (1977) and Live in Germany (1994). Carey performed the keyboard introduction to "Tarot Woman", the first track on the Rainbow Rising album and the keyboard solo on "A Light in the Black", the last cut on the album.
He had a minor hit in the early 1980s with "I Won't Be Home Tonight", and then a bigger hit in 1984 with "A Fine, Fine Day", which reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. A follow-up single, "The First Day of Summer", reached #33 on the Hot 100 in July 1984. Both songs are featured on the album, Some Tough City, which hit #60 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Carey opened for Night Ranger on many dates of their 1984 tour in support of this album. His 1985 follow-up album, Blue Highway, did not score a hit.
He also fronted the science-fiction-themed group Planet P Project (initially called just Planet P), which he used as a vehicle for his solo work. Planet P Project released two albums, Planet P (on Geffen Records) in 1983 and Pink World (on MCA Records) in 1984, for which he wrote the lyrics and music, sang the lead vocals, and played most of the instruments. Session performers on lead guitar, saxophones, programming, and drums on some tracks made up the rest of the group. The first album was released on CD in 1992, retitled Planet P Project.
Dust
Tony Carey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It said in big bright red letters there's work in California
There's an honest job waiting for every good man
Nobody goes hungry you pick the peaches with your hand
'Cause the cotton don't grow here if it never rains
And the wind starts to blow here and it blows right through your brain
And carry away what the locust don't get
Fight with the land till it hurts and you don't know what for
You might call me the salt of the earth but I call me dirt poor
And the dust coming over the plains doesn't care about me
See it fill up the sky that's all the convincing I need
When all I'll be leaving behind me is ashes and rust
Mama pack up the truck, California or bust
Say goodbye to the dust
And my granddad he came out here in 1881
My father he was born here and all of his sons
And he built this whole house with his two strong hands
When he died he had faith in hard work and good land
And then came the Great War and the army needed cloth
My dad said get in on the boom son, no time to be lost
And he took a new mortgage the American way
Then the wind came out of nowhere and it wouldn't go away
Fight with the land till it hurts and you don't know what for
You may call me the salt of the earth but I call me dirt poor
And the dust coming over the plains doesn't care about me
See it fill up the sky that's all the convincing I need
When all I'll be leaving behind me is ashes and rust
Mama pack up the truck California or bust
Say goodbye to the dust
And the dust keeps on coming
And the dust keeps on coming
And the dust keeps on coming
The song "Dust" by Tony Carey tells the story of a family who has been struggling to survive on their farm in the midst of a dust bowl. They are faced with poverty, debt, and starvation due to the unforgiving conditions of the land. In the first verse, the song talks about a sign that advertises job opportunities in California where there's honest work to be done and food is plentiful. This motivates the singer to leave his old life behind and head towards a new beginning in search of a better life.
The second verse depicts the family's history and connection to the land. The singer's father and grandfather were born there and so were all of his siblings. They are hardworking folks, but their efforts seem futile as they are met with crop failure and soil erosion. The events that follow, such as the Great War and taking out a new mortgage to stay afloat, only pile on more challenges. The endless onslaught of dust and wind leads the singer to realize that it's time to move on and try something new, hence the decision to head to California.
Overall, "Dust" is a poignant and emotional song that paints a vivid picture of the harsh realities faced by farming families during the dust bowl era of the 1930s. It's a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the lengths people will go to in order to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
On a sign I saw hanging in the store today
The singer saw a sign in a store.
It said in big bright red letters there's work in California
The sign said there are job opportunities available in California.
There's an honest job waiting for every good man
There are jobs for good, hard-working individuals.
Nobody goes hungry you pick the peaches with your hand
The jobs involve manual labor, specifically picking peaches, but it guarantees no one goes hungry.
'Cause the cotton don't grow here if it never rains
Cotton can only grow if it rains, and there is a drought.
And the wind starts to blow here and it blows right through your brain
The wind is strong and seems to affect the singer's mental state.
And carry away what the locust don't get
The wind seems to blow away things that even the locusts don't.
And the bills don't get paid and the bank takes the rest
Money is tight and the bank takes what little the artist has left.
Fight with the land till it hurts and you don't know what for
The artist has worked hard on the land without knowing what it's all for.
You might call me the salt of the earth but I call me dirt poor
Others may see the artist as hardworking, but the artist sees themselves as poor.
And the dust coming over the plains doesn't care about me
The dust doesn't discriminate and affects everyone, including the singer.
See it fill up the sky that's all the convincing I need
The artist is convinced to leave when they see the dust filling up the sky.
When all I'll be leaving behind me is ashes and rust
The singer is leaving behind a life of hard work and little to show for it.
Mama pack up the truck, California or bust
The singer is determined to start a new life in California.
Say goodbye to the dust
The singer is leaving their old life behind.
And my granddad he came out here in 1881
The artist's grandfather came to this area in 1881.
My father he was born here and all of his sons
The artist's father and sons were born in this area.
And he built this whole house with his two strong hands
The singer's father built their current house with his own hands.
When he died he had faith in hard work and good land
The singer's father believed in the value of hard work and owning good land.
And then came the Great War and the army needed cloth
During the Great War, the army needed cloth.
My dad said get in on the boom son, no time to be lost
The artist's father encouraged them to get involved with the opportunity.
And he took a new mortgage the American way
The artist's father took out a new mortgage.
Then the wind came out of nowhere and it wouldn't go away
The wind appeared suddenly and didn't stop blowing.
And the dust keeps on coming
The dust is an ongoing problem.
And the dust keeps on coming
The dust continues to affect the singer's life.
And the dust keeps on coming
The dust is an unending issue.
Contributed by Mia A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.