Among the hundreds of artists he's worked with include Phil Ochs, Tim Buckley, Haruomi Hosono, The Byrds, Rufus Wainwright, Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, U2, Joanna Newsom, Inara George, Keith Moon, Frank Zappa, Harpers Bizarre, Little Feat, Ringo Starr, Silverchair, and Skrillex.
In addition to producing, Parks has released seven studio albums of his own recordings: Song Cycle, Discover America, Clang of the Yankee Reaper, Jump!, Tokyo Rose, Songs Cycled, and with Brian Wilson, Orange Crate Art. He has also released a live album, Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove. His first official release was the 1966 single Number Nine, a modernized version of Beethoven's 9th backed with Do What You Wanta.
Parks has also established himself in film scores, and over the years has directed, arranged, produced, and composed soundtracks for a great number of motion pictures and television shows.
During his childhood, Parks became extremely fond of old-style American music, most notably the sounds of Tin Pan Alley. This interest in Depression-era songwriting would correlate heavily with his artistic goals and interests during the 1960s and beyond. He was also deeply affected by musicians Spike Jones and Les Paul, which led him to develop an interest with studio experimentation in the form of pop music.
Iron Man
Van Dyke Parks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No lie, no lie
Last carnival I was beatin' iron
In an all star band
When I meet up a nice big young woman
And hse come and she tell me
That she want me to beat my iron for she
If you hear she
Give me the eye, eye
Give me thy eye, eye
I tell she I am the man
And I am the champion
I come down from Iron Land
If you hear she
Give me the eye, eye
Give me the eye, eye
If you see me sittin' in the band
With an iron in my hand
Sock it to me, rock it to me, man
She tell me in the midst of a good jam session
I remend she of an iron man
That took I and tried
She said that is the man
And I'm kind of late for she
She'd be surprised
Give me the eye, eye
Give me they eye, eye
I tell she I am the man
And I am the champion
I come down from Iron Land
If you hear she
Give me the eye, eye
Give me the eye, eye
If you see me sittin' in the band
With an iron in my hand
Sock it to me, rock it to me, man
No lie, no lie
No lie, no lie
No lie, no lie
No lie, no lie
Downtown the woman get drunk and fall down
And she raise up her dress and she run
And she wind up in front of policeman
Sayin' how can you work
With a man beatin' pan
So she grab on to the same man
Give me the eye, eye
Give me theyeye, eye
I tell she I am the man
And I am the champion
I come down from Iron Land
If you hear she
Give me the eye, eye
Give me the eye, eye
If you see me sittin' in the band
With an iron in my hand
Sock it to me, rock it to me, man
No lie, no lie
Now is midnight, still beatin' I
And forget that woman
If you hear a tune in a steel band
Well now she gone crazy
She said how can you beat I
And still...
Hear she callin'
Give me the eye, eye
Give me they eye, eye
I tell she I am the man
And I am the champion
I come down from I ron Land
If you hear she
Give me the eye, eye
Give me the eye, eye
If you see me sittin' in the band
With an iron in my hand
Sock it to me, rock it to me, man
The song "Iron Man" by Van Dyke Parks tells the story of a man who falls for a young woman and impresses her with his skills as a steel drummer. The song begins at a carnival, where the man is playing in an all-star band, and he meets the woman who asks him to play his instrument for her. She is impressed by his skills and wants to be with him, but the man is worried about the police and their reaction to his drumming. Later in the song, she comes back to him after getting drunk and falling down in front of the police. The drums continue to beat and the woman has become obsessed with the sound of the steel drum.
The lyrics in "Iron Man" paint a vivid picture of the Caribbean carnival culture, where drums and percussions are a common sight. The man in the song is proud of his skills and is willing to show them off to impress the woman. The woman becomes obsessed with the sound, leading to her drunken state and eventual return to the man. The song highlights the power of music, the beauty of Caribbean culture, and the connection between humans and music.
Line by Line Meaning
No lie, no lie
I am not lying, it is the truth
Last carnival I was beatin' iron
At the most recent carnival, I was playing the steelpan (a percussion instrument)
In an all star band
I was part of a highly skilled and popular musical group
When I meet up a nice big young woman
During the performance, I encountered a beautiful, curvaceous young lady
And hse come and she tell me
She approached me and told me
That she want me to beat my iron for she
She requested that I play the steelpan specifically for her
And she windin' up she body
She began to dance provocatively
Give me the eye, eye
She gave me seductive, flirtatious looks
Give me thy eye, eye
She begged for my attention with her captivating gaze
I tell she I am the man
I informed her that I was highly skilled and capable
And I am the champion
I emphasized that I was a champion in my craft
I come down from Iron Land
I boasted that I hail from a place renowned for steelpan music
If you hear she
If you listen to her
If you see me sittin' in the band
If you witness me playing with the musical group
With an iron in my hand
Holding the steelpan instrument
Sock it to me, rock it to me, man
I requested the band to play an upbeat and lively tune
She tell me in the midst of a good jam session
During an enjoyable and lively musical performance, she confided in me
I remend she of an iron man
I reminded her of a skilled musician who played the steelpan
That took I and tried
Who attempted to challenge me and my abilities
She said that is the man
She acknowledged that the other musician was impressive
And I'm kind of late for she
I am a new discovery and have arrived too late to impress her
She'd be surprised
She would be amazed if she knew of my capabilities
Downtown the woman get drunk and fall down
Later in the night, the woman got drunk and fell to the ground
And she raise up her dress and she run
She lifted up her dress and ran away
And she wind up in front of policeman
She eventually ended up in front of a police officer
Sayin' how can you work
She asked how the policeman could work
So she grab on to the same man
She grabbed on to the same man (me) whom she had requested to play the steelpan
Now is midnight, still beatin' I
It is now midnight, and I am still playing the steelpan
And forget that woman
I have dismissed the woman from earlier in the night from my thoughts
If you hear a tune in a steel band
If you listen to steelpan music being played by a group
Well now she gone crazy
The woman became insane (possibly due to my rejection of her or my exceptional musical skills)
She said how can you beat I
She challenged my abilities in playing the steelpan
Hear she callin'
She can be heard calling out (possibly for me to return to her or for someone to help her)
No lie, no lie
Again, I am not lying, my previous statements were truthful
No lie, no lie
Once more emphasizing that he is telling the truth
No lie, no lie
And another repetition of the truthfulness of his statements
No lie, no lie
The final repetition of the truthfulness of his words
Contributed by Caroline G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.