What About Me

Annotation

Written by Dino Valente, aka Jesse Oris Farrow, the track "What About Me" (Capitol Records # 3046), released as a single in February 1971, dealt with wider political and social issues, and included a reference to violence at demonstrations. It featured on the album What About Me (Capitol Records # ST-630) - released in December 1970, it charted at # 26 in Billboard magazine.1 The psychedelic rock group, based in San Francisco, California, formed in 1965, and had a revolving membership throughout its history. In 1970, for this album, the line-up featured Dino Valente (vocals, guitar), Gary Duncan (vocals, guitar), John Cipollina (guitar), David Freiberg (bass), Greg Elmore (drums), and Nicky Hopkins (piano). The lyrics criticised media coverage: "your newspapers...never tell the whole story", and the treatment of youth culture: "put your young ideas down...fill your penitentiaries and your military too". It contained several anti-war messages, such as "I smoke marijuana, but I cant get behind your wars" and the line "if you stand up...be prepared to be shot down" - largely interpreted as a reference to the Kent and Jackson state killings.Sources1Bay Area Bands: Quicksilver Messenger Service (Record Collector article)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Kent / Jackson State Songs

Written by Dino Valente, aka Jesse Oris Farrow, the track "What About Me" (Capitol Records # 3046), released as a single in February 1971, dealt with wider political and social issues, and included a reference to violence at demonstrations. It featured on the album What About Me (Capitol Records # ST-630) - released in December 1970, it charted at # 26 in Billboard magazine.1 The psychedelic rock group, based in San Francisco, California, formed in 1965, and had a revolving membership throughout its history. In 1970, for this album, the line-up featured Dino Valente (vocals, guitar), Gary Duncan (vocals, guitar), John Cipollina (guitar), David Freiberg (bass), Greg Elmore (drums), and Nicky Hopkins (piano). The lyrics criticised media coverage: "your newspapers...never tell the whole story", and the treatment of youth culture: "put your young ideas down...fill your penitentiaries and your military too". It contained several anti-war messages, such as "I smoke marijuana, but I cant get behind your wars" and the line "if you stand up...be prepared to be shot down" - largely interpreted as a reference to the Kent and Jackson state killings. Sources1Bay Area Bands: Quicksilver Messenger Service (Record Collector article)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Your newspapers, they just put you on, they never tell you the whole story / They just put your young ideas down / I was wonderin' could this be the end of your pride and glory? / Oh, oh, what you gonna do about me? / I work in your factory, I study in your schools, I fill your penitentiaries and your military too / And I feel the future trembling as the word is passed around / If you stand up for what you do believe be prepared to be shot down... / And I feel like a stranger in the land where I was born / And I live like an outlaw and I'm always on the run / And I'm always getting busted and I got to take a stand / I believe the revolution must be mighty close at hand... / I smoke marijuana, but I can't get behind your wars / And most of what I do believe is against most of your laws / I'm a fugitive from injustice but I'm goin' to be free / Cause your rules and regulations they don't do the thing for me / Oh, oh, what you gonna do about me? / And I feel like a stranger in the land where I was born and I live just like an outlaw

Notes

Capitol 3046 (S45-76109), stereo, red and orange target label, mfd. by Capitol Records, Inc., a subsidiary of Capitol Industries, Inc.; "What About Me" (Jesse Oris Farrow), 2:59, Quicksilver Music, Pending; produced by Quicksilver Messenger Service. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

American psychedelic rock band formed 1965 in San Francisco, California. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Anti-War · Kent State · Jackson State

In collections

Kent / Jackson State Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]