In 1989 I began DJ-ing on a college radio station at The University of New Hampshire - 91.3 FM W.U.N.H. I did this for many years, into the 1990's. It was during my radio station days that I became acquainted with Concrete Blonde. I used to play them often on my shows. Although they were from California, their sound was not light and airy, and bright. They were a dark-sounding band, and a band that totally rocked! I liked them a lot, especially this song. It was always very disheartening to me that their biggest and most-known hit became "Joey" (their hit song about alcoholism) because it was so mellow. I think many people got to know them as a mellow band, and really they had a lot more power under their belt.
I really like, and find it zany that in the middle of this video the band members start showcasing their other talents like karate and sign language. For a dark video, that really made me laugh! I used to take sign language class in high school, so I always love a video with sign language in it - ha-ha!!! Just wasn't expecting it to be in this video!
The band was a part of the Los Angeles music scene and played all over the club circuit there.
In 1986 the band’s music appeared in the movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. When the character L.G. drives into the radio station, he is listening to Concrete Blonde on the radio and when walking to the stairs he sings their song ""Haunted Head". Their music was also in the 1987 movie, The Hidden. The character Lt. John Masterson is listening to them after he is taken over by an alien.
In 1987 they signed to independent record label I.R.S. Michael Stipe, the lead singer of R.E.M, was also on I.R.S. Records. It was him who suggested they change their name to Concrete Blonde because he felt it described the intersection of their hard rock style and introspective song lyrics. In 1986 they released a self-titled album under their new name, Concrete Blonde. Their second album was released in 1989, and was called Free. It contained today’s 80’s Quest song; "God is a Bullet". Roxy Music’s drummer, Paul Thompson, replaced Rushakoff at this time because Rushakoff was getting treatment for drug addiction.
Their most successful album was 1990’s Bloodletting which featured the above-mentioned U.S. Top 20 hit song "Joey". In 1991 their song "I Want You" (which was the b-side to "Joey") was featured in the surfing bankrobber film "Point Break" when Lori Petty’s character changes out of her bikini at the beginning of the film. Rushakoff rejoined the band for 1991’s Walking in London album, and both he and Thompson drummed on 1993’s Mexican Moon.
By 1994 Napolitano decided to leave Concrete Blonde and the band announced their official retirement.
In 1995 she teamed up with punk singer Holly Vincent to record an album called Vowel Movement. Both women played all of the instruments and did all of the vocals on this album. In 1995 Napolitano also formed a new band called Pretty & Twisted with former members of the band Wall of Voodoo, Marc Moreland (guitar) and Danny Montgomery (drums). She produced their self-titled album. In 1996 she provided vocals for the 3 remaining members of the band Talking Heads album Heads and toured with them. She sang the parts that David Byrne formerly sang on their older songs.
In 1997 Napolitano and Mankey got together and worked on an album with and East L.A. band called Los Illegals. That same year Napolitano produced an album for an L.A. Chicano band called Maria Fatal. The band opened up for her on some of her various solo club dates. In 1998 she recorded a solo album called The Sound of a Woman on Island Records, but she was dropped from the label when the label founder departed, and the album was never released. In 1999 she turned her focus to the study of Mexican art and began showing her own artwork at galleries and performing itinerant live shows.
In the 2000’s Concrete Blonde regrouped to put out another couple of albums: Group Therapy (2002) and Mojave (2004). Rushakoff rejoined the band to record Group Therapy, but unfortunately had to be kicked out of the band for not showing up for shows. Gabriel Ramirez replaced him.
In 2007 Napolitano sang on the soundtrack for an Australian film called West that premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. She sang on the soundtracks for other Australian films and did a solo album called Scarred, which includes some acoustic versions of old Concrete Blonde songs.
Lyrics:
There's a green plaid jacket on the back of the chair
It's like a moment frozen forever there
Mom and dad had a lot of big plans for their little man
So proud!
Mama's gone crazy 'cause her baby's shot down
By some teenage car chase war out of bounds
It was the wrong place wrong time wrong end of a gun.
Sad!
Shoot straight from the hip, yeah.
Gone forever in a trigger slip
Well, it could have been
It could have been your brother.
Shoot straight shoot to kill, yeah.
Blame each other, well, blame yourselves, you know
God is a bullet have mercy on us everyone
They're gonna call me sir they'll all stop picking on me
Well I'm a high school grad I'm over 5 foot 3
I'll get a badge and a gun and I'll join the P.D.
They'll see
He didn't have to use the gun they put in his hand
But when the guy came at him, well he panicked and ran
And it's a thirty long years 'fore they're givin' him another chance
And it's sad, sad, it's sad
Shoot straight from the hip, yeah.
Gone forever in a trigger slip
Well, it could have been
It could have been your mother.
Shoot straight shoot to kill, yeah.
Blame each other, well, blame yourselves, you know
God is a bullet have mercy on us everyone
Shoot straight from the hip, yeah.
Gone forever in a trigger slip
Well, it could have been
It could have been your mother.
John Lennon, Doctor King, Harvey Milk
all for goddamn nothing
God is a bullet have mercy on us everyone
God is a bullet have mercy on us everyone
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