Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known musicians, including Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. His best-known compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Johnny Strikes Up The Band," all of which are featured on his third album, Excitable Boy (1978). Other well-known songs written by Zevon have been recorded by other artists, including "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (a top 40 hit by Linda Ronstadt), "Accidentally Like a Martyr," "Mohammed's Radio", "Carmelita", and "Hasten Down the Wind".
Along with his own compositions, Zevon recorded or performed occasional covers, including Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan". He was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman later performed guest vocals on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)" with Paul Shaffer and members of the CBS Orchestra.
He was born to a Russian Jewish father and a Mormon mother and soon moved to California. At the age of 12/13, Warren Zevon was a regular visitor to the home of Igor Stravinsky where he, along with Robert Craft, would study music.
He turned to a musical career early, including a stretch as part of a Sonny and Cher-type male/female duo called Lyme and Cybelle, and spent time as a session musician (notably as piano player for the Everly Brothers) and jingle composer. He wrote several songs for his White Whale label-mates the Turtles, though his participation in their recording is unknown. Another early composition ("She Quit Me") was included in the soundtrack for Midnight Cowboy, released in 1969. His first attempt at a solo album, Wanted Dead or Alive (1969), did not fare well, and his second effort, Leaf in the Wind, was scrapped (though release was considered just prior to his death). In the early 70s he toured regularly with the Everly Brothers as keyboard player and band leader/musical coordinator. His dissatisfaction with his career and the opportunities for a song-writer led him to move to Spain briefly, where he played in a small bar owned by a former mercenary. Together, they penned Zevon's classic "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
In the mid-70s he moved to Los Angeles, and became associated with the then-burgeoning West coast music scene, including collaborations with Jackson Browne, who would produce and promote Zevon's self-titled major-label debut in 1976, The Eagles, who appeared on that first album, and Linda Ronstadt, who would record several early Zevon songs including a hit version of "Poor Poor Pitiful Me". Zevon's first tour in 1977 included guest appearances in the middle of Jackson Browne concerts.
In 1978 Zevon released his breakthrough album, Excitable Boy, to critical acclaim and popular success. Several tracks from this album received heavy FM airplay and the single release "Werewolves of London", which featured a relatively lighthearted version of Zevon's signature macabre outlook, was a top-ten hit.
For the next 20 years Zevon would continue to record and release albums sporadically and with varying levels of success, while fighting personal demons including an acknowledged battle with alcoholism and drugs. (His fourth album, Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School is dedicated to novelist Ross Macdonald, who crucially assisted Zevon during a particularly difficult episode in 1979.) Apparently success did not treat Zevon well, as evidenced by his movements (living on Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square, etc.), well-documented stints in rehab, and withdrawal from the spotlight. After the release of The Envoy in 1982, Zevon effectively quit his career as a full-time occupation, appearing rarely and usually solo, without a band. He also collaborated with several members of R.E.M. to record as the Hindu Love Gods in 1990, though initial collaboration occurred during his "lost period" in 1984.
In 1987 Zevon made a comeback with a modest hit album Sentimental Hygiene, which featured collaborations with Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and members of R.E.M., among others including long-time collaborators Jorge Calderone and Waddy Wachtel. The follow-up album, Transverse City in 1989 also featured guests, including Jerry Garcia and David Gilmour. The tradition of collaborations with more famous musical talents was consistent throughout his career, from the appearance of Jackson Browne and The Eagles on his first album, to Bruce Springsteen on his last.
Zevon toured the US regularly during the 90s, often alone, with minimal accompaniment. He did conduct a tour with Odds, a band from Vancouver, Canada. Many tours started in Colorado to allow Warren an opportunity to visit with his long-time friend, Hunter S. Thompson. Warren was close to several prominent writers who also collaborated on song-writing, including Carl Hiassen. He also served as musical coordinator for an ad-hoc group called the Rock Bottom Remainders, a collection of writers performing rock and roll standards at book fairs and other events. This group included Stephen King, Dave Barry, and other popular writers.
In interviews, Zevon described a lifelong phobia of doctors and seldom received medical assessment. In 2002, after a long period of untreated illness and pain, Zevon was encouraged by his dentist to see a doctor; when he did so he was diagnosed with inoperable mesothelioma (a form of lung cancer associated with exposure to asbestos rather than smoking). He then began recording his final album, The Wind, with guest appearances from close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty and others.
On October 30, 2002, Zevon was featured on the Late Show with David Letterman as the only guest for the entire hour. Zevon performed several songs and spoke at length about his illness. Zevon was a frequent guest and occasional substitute bandleader on Letterman's television shows since Late Night first aired in 1982. It was this show where Zevon offered his insight on facing death: "enjoy every sandwich."
Zevon previously stated that his illness was expected to be terminal within months after the diagnosis in the Fall of 2002; however he lived to see the birth of twin grandsons in June of 2003 and the release of The Wind on August 28, 2003. When his diagnosis became public, he told the media that he just hoped to live long enough to see the next James Bond movie, a goal he also accomplished. Appropriately, the film was called Die Another Day.
Zevon died at his home in Los Angeles, California, on September 7, 2003. The Wind was certified gold by the RIAA in December of 2003 and Zevon received 5 posthumous Grammy nominations, including Song Of The Year for "Keep Me In Your Heart".
A tribute album titled Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon was released October 19, 2004. His son, Jordan Zevon, did a large part of the work on the album and performed "Studebaker," a previously unreleased composition. A second tribute album, titled Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon (the lyrics "hurry home early" are from the song "Boom Boom Mancini," on Sentimental Hygiene) was released by Wampus Multimedia on July 8, 2005.
On February 14, 2006, VH1 Classic premiered a video from a new compilation, "Reconsider Me: The Love Songs of Warren Zevon." The video, titled "She's Too Good For Me," aired every hour on the hour throughout the day. The video was not well received among many of Zevon's fans, as evidenced by their responses on the official Bulletin Board.
Detox Mansion
Warren Zevon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Way down on Last Breath Farm
I've been rakin' leaves with Liza
Me and Liz clean up the yard
Hey!
Left my home in Music City
In the back of a limosine
And I'm gettin' those clothes clean
Mmm
Growin' fond of Detox Mansion
And this quiet life I lead
But I'm dying to tell my story
For all my friends to read
It's tough to be somebody
It's hard to keep from fallin' apart
Here on Rehab Mountain
We gonna learn these things by heart
Hey!
Well, I'm gone to Detox Mansion
Way down on Last Breath Farm
I've been rakin' leaves with Liza
Me and Liz clean up the yard
Hot dog!
What goes on in Detox Mansion
Outside the rubber room
We get therapy and lectures
We play golf in the afternoon
Hey!
Yeah!
Well, it's tough to be somebody
And it's hard not to fall apart
Way up on Rehab Mountain
We learn these things by heart
Woo!
Ah!
The song "Detox Mansion" by Warren Zevon is about his experience at a rehabilitation center. He sings about leaving his home in Music City and heading to Detox Mansion, which he describes as being way down on Last Breath Farm. He talks about how he has been raking leaves with Liza and cleaning up the yard with Liz. He seems to be enjoying the quiet life that he leads at Detox Mansion, but he is also dying to tell his story to all of his friends.
The chorus of the song talks about how it's tough to be somebody and how hard it is to keep from falling apart. Warren Zevon also sings about Rehab Mountain, where they learn these things by heart. He seems to be embracing the challenges of rehabilitation, and he talks about the therapy, lectures, and golf that they play in the afternoon. He seems to be enjoying his time at Detox Mansion, but he is also struggling with the difficulties of being somebody in the public eye.
Overall, "Detox Mansion" is a powerful song that explores the challenges of rehabilitation and the difficulties of being somebody. Warren Zevon's lyrics are insightful and honest, and they provide a glimpse into the world of addiction and recovery.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gone to Detox Mansion
I am checking myself into a rehabilitation center
Way down on Last Breath Farm
The name of the drug rehab center is Detox Mansion and it is located on Last Breath Farm
I've been rakin' leaves with Liza
As part of my rehab, I am doing manual labor like raking leaves with a person named Liza
Me and Liz clean up the yard
Liza's nickname is Liz, and both of us do yard work together during rehab
Left my home in Music City
I left my hometown which is known as Music City, meaning Nashville, Tennessee
In the back of a limosine
I left my home in style, riding in the back of a luxury car called a limousine
Now I'm doin' my own laundry
At the rehab center, I am doing my own chores like laundry
And I'm gettin' those clothes clean
I am finally taking care of myself and my belongings
Growin' fond of Detox Mansion
I am starting to like the rehab facility
And this quiet life I lead
I am enjoying the peacefulness of rehab life
But I'm dying to tell my story
I want to share my struggles with addiction with others
For all my friends to read
I want my friends to know what I have been through and learn from my experience
It's tough to be somebody
It is hard to live up to expectations and be successful
It's hard to keep from fallin' apart
It is difficult to maintain one's mental health and stability
Here on Rehab Mountain
Referring to the rehabilitation center as a mountain where one goes to climb and overcome obstacles
We gonna learn these things by heart
We will commit these lessons and coping mechanisms to memory
What goes on in Detox Mansion
Wondering what happens behind closed doors in the rehab center
Outside the rubber room
Differentiating what happens out in the open from what happens in the isolation rooms
We get therapy and lectures
We receive counseling sessions and educational lectures during rehab
We play golf in the afternoon
We participate in leisure activities like golfing in the afternoon
Well, it's tough to be somebody
Reiterating the difficulty of feeling important and successful
And it's hard not to fall apart
It is easy to lose oneself and succumb to one's problems
Way up on Rehab Mountain
The rehab center is often compared to a mountain where one climbs to reach the top and overcome obstacles
We learn these things by heart
We are taught valuable skills and coping mechanisms to remember and apply in the future
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Warren William Zevon, Jorge Calderon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind