Wall of Voodoo had its roots in Acme Soundtracks, a film score business started by Stan Ridgway, later the vocalist and synth player for Wall of Voodoo. Acme Soundtracks office was across the street from the Hollywood punk club The Masque and Ridgway was soon drawn into the emerging punk/new wave scene. Marc Moreland, guitarist for The Skulls began jamming with Ridgway at the Acme Soundtracks office and the soundtrack company morphed into a New Wave band. In 1977, with the addition of Skulls members Bruce Moreland (Marc's brother) as bassist and Chas Gray as keyboardist, along with Joe Nanini, who had been the drummer for Black Randy and the Metrosquad, the first lineup of Wall of Voodoo was born.
Wall of Voodoo released a self-titled EP in 1980 which featured a unique, synthesizer-driven cover of the Johnny Cash song, "Ring of Fire". The band's first full-length album, Dark Continent followed in 1981. Bruce Moreland left the band for the first time soon after this, and Chas Gray performed on both bass and keyboard during this time. The band recorded their biggest-selling album, Call of the West in 1982. The track "Mexican Radio" was their only Top 100 hit and the video for the song got a great deal of exposure on the newly-formed MTV. Bill Noland was added as a keyboardist soon after the release of this album.
Stan Ridgway claims that the situation around the band was increasingly chaotic at the time, with a great deal of drug use and out-of-control behavior on the part of the band members, as well as shady behavior by the band's management and record label. Wall of Voodoo appeared at the second US Festival on May 28, 1983 (the largest concert the band had performed), immediately after which Ridgway, Nanini, and Noland all left the band. Stan Ridgway soon went on to a successful solo career, appearing as guest vocalist on a track on the Rumble Fish score and releasing his first solo album in 1986. Joe Nanini soon resurfaced in the country rock band Lonesome Strangers. Joe Nanini passed away in 2000.
The remainder of the band, Marc Moreland, Chas Gray, and a returning Bruce Moreland carried on under the name Wall of Voodoo. Soon after, Andy Prieboy, formerly of the San Francisco New Wave band Eye Protection, joined as singer and Ned Lukhardt was added as drummer. The band continued to record and perform under this lineup until 1988, though their sound was very different from the style of music they played in the earlier Stan Ridgway-fronted lineup. During this period, the entire membership of Wall of Voodoo (with the exception of Andy Prieboy) were also members of Nervous Gender, a lineup that was nicknamed "Wall of Gender". In 1988, Wall of Voodoo split up.
Andy Prieboy went on to a solo career. Marc Moreland formed Pretty and Twisted with Johnette Napolitano and Danny Montgomery from Concrete Blonde and later formed Department of Crooks. Marc Moreland passed away in 2002, a posthumous solo album was issued later as the Marc Moreland Mess.
Their influence has reached an interesting and eclectic range of artists, for example Swiss Death/Thrash Metal Band Celtic Frost covered "Mexican Radio" on their album "Into the Pandemonium"
Do It Again
Wall of Voodoo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I talk to old friends,
The conversations
Turn to girls we knew
When their hair
Was soft and long.
And the beach
Was the place to go.
The sun-tanned bodies
And the waves of sunshine
California girls
And the beautiful coastline...
The warmed up weather,
Let's get together and
Do it again.
Now I've been thinking
About all the places
We surfed and danced,
And all the faces
We missed so
Let's get back together and
Do it again.
With a girl the lonely beach
Looks good at twilight
...Makes your nighttimes warm and outta sight...
The Wall of Voodoo song “Do It Again” from 1987 has enigmatic lyrics that touch upon themes of nostalgia, longing, and memory. One passage in particular suggests how the singer recalls the past with pure fondness. It is evident when he says, “When I talk to old friends, The conversations turn to girls we knew, When their hair was soft and long. And the beach was the place to go.” These lyrics depict how the singer and his old buddies reminisce over past lovers and their collective experiences from the past. The nostalgia and longing present in this song speak to the universal human desire to return to moments in time that are now long gone.
The use of a refrain in “Do It Again” where the singer says, “Let’s get together and do it again” speaks to both the subject of the song – wanting to revisit past times with old friends – and the overall feel of the song. The use of the word “let’s” implies inclusion, encouragement, and togetherness. The repetition of the phrase suggests an unrelenting desire to revisit the past and its memories. The song reaches its crescendo in the final verse when the singer says, “With a girl the lonely beach, looks good at twilight. Makes your nighttimes warm and outta sight…” Here, we see the longing culminate as the singer longs for a person to share the nostalgia and recollection with.
Line by Line Meaning
It's automatic
The act of reminiscing with old friends about past experiences is a habit that happens without conscious thought or effort.
When I talk to old friends,
When conversing with long-time acquaintances, the interaction takes a turn down memory lane.
The conversations
The discussion revolves around recollection of past memories.
Turn to girls we knew
The topic of conversation shifts to women the artist and his friends were acquainted with in the past.
When their hair
A physical attribute of these women is brought up for remembrance.
Was soft and long.
The specific quality noted about the women's hair is its texture and length during the past days.
And the beach
The setting of the memories shared is the beach where the singer and his friends spent numerous days and evenings.
Was the place to go.
Rather than a specific destination, the beach was the locale of choice for leisure time activities.
The sun-tanned bodies
Individuals who spent time in the sun exhibited tanned skin which the artist noted.
And the waves of sunshine
The rays of the sun created wave-like patterns in the reflections off the ocean's surface.
California girls
Specifically discussing young ladies from California, comfortable in beach attire.
And the beautiful coastline...
The physical geography of the coast was picturesque and appealing.
The warmed-up weather,
Describing the mild climate of the location as being pleasurably warm.
Let's get together and
The singer is extending an invitation to reunite with his old friends and acquaintances.
Do it again.
Recreating past experiences and activities of the group is the desired outcome of gathering together.
Now I've been thinking
The artist reflects on past events and interactions he had with his friends at this venue.
About all the places
The memories of various locations and specific destinations the group visited are recalled.
We surfed and danced,
Activities and actions done together in the past are brought to mind, such as surfing and dancing.
And all the faces
People they knew or encountered are remembered with fondness.
We missed so
These individuals had not interacted for some time by this point in the song.
Let's get back together and
The invitation to reunite and reminisce is being extended again.
Do it again.
An emphasis on the desire to recreate fun and memorable past experiences in the present time is stated.
With a girl the lonely beach
The beach, in the company of a romantic interest is significantly more enjoyable.
Looks good at twilight
The transition between sunset and the inky night sky makes the artist appreciate the beauty of the locale deeply.
...Makes your nighttimes warm and outta sight...
The companionship and love experienced make for a memorable and heartwarming night spent at the beach.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: JAMIE PAULIN, JORDAN CHRISTOPHER RAGER, JUSTIN TYLER WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alanburge4798
Great cover version. Great band. Different. Unique. With or without Stan Ridgeway who I love just as much as the group so there. WOV are an awesome band. One of the greats.
@debramelendi8220
YUP!! AGREED!! 😉
@soniabishop7529
Great cover and video. Loved the uniqueness of this band 😍😍😍
@stevonub
First time ever seeing this video and it was amazing. I love the Andy Prieboy years of Wall of Voodoo
@ChristopherHailey
I have this album on Vinyl I bought back in the day - hard to find nowadays!
@missq3989
Wall of Voodoo SUCH AN INTERCOURSING GREAT BAND !!!
@bigguys45s29
Brilliant cover version. Badass. I own the Happy Planet album.
@shayharper8953
I recorded this straight from 120 Minutes on an old VHS tape the summer of 1987. I was 14 and going into high school. Amazing summer for music!
@thelogicaldanger
Yes it was! I hear songs like this, and think the song and group should have had more acclaim, but there was so much competition in the 80's, best decade for music ever.
@b3naqua
The art direction is amazing