Story Behind The Song

The band had only been together for a year and already it had released a single called "Keep on Dancing" with "Microphone Fiend" as a B-side. We had played only 3 gigs, all 3 of them at large venues, including a music festival in the Bahamas. But pride on one band member's part who thought he could make a name for himself put an end to the band. A few years later, the style we had discovered (the mixture of rock and rap right after hearing Run DMC and Aerosmith do "Walk this Way") absolutely exploded on the radio, frustrating the remaining band members to no end. The band never found another lead man, but yours truly (guitarist/vocalist) embarked on a solo acoustic career and has been happily gigging part time ever since, refusing to let go of the dream of one day supporting himself solely through music.

Song Description

The song is an auto-biographical anthem of my determination to never stop pursuing my dreams of making it in music. The verses describe the fateful day of one particular band's demise while the choruses declare my resolve to never let the music die. The band's name was D.V.S., and the drummer/bassist was my good friend John Portuondo, nicknamed "Bullet" and "Wam Bam", found in the song.

Lyrics

There I stood with my guitar in my hands
staring at a couple of microphone stands
with no one behind them - that's when I knew
the boys in the band had better things to do

Well, I've been told by many people, people and they all say
When it comes to rock 'n' roll don't let it slip away...

I took back my mic and put away my guitar,
I turned off my amp and threw it back in the car.
Driving back home, man, it started to seem
it was time to wake up from this rock 'n' roll dream...

Well, I've been told by many people, people and they all say
When it comes to rock 'n' roll don't let it slip away...

Wam Bam was doing Ice-9 and I copied the Boss
until I got shot with the Bullet and a cross
We serenaded surfers and the eskimos
from Cali to Alaska with a two-man show

and then Wam Bam found the jam, DVS
It was something with the rock, it was better than the rest
But "Keep On Dancing / Microphone Fiend" is still on the shelf.
If you want it done right, you do it yourself

Well, I've been told by many people, people and they all say
When it comes to rock 'n' roll don't let it slip away...

Don't let it slip away...
Don't let it slip away...

If you don't believe in that kind of talk
then tell me why you took that walk
'cause I heard a nasty rumor from a friend of mine
you were leaving it all behind

Well, I've been told by many people, people and they all say
When it comes to rock 'n' roll don't let it slip away...

Don't let it slip away
I won't let it slip away
No no no no, no no no no, no no
I won't let it slip away
No no no no, no no no no, no...

I won't let it slip away!