Paradise Theatre became Styx's only US #1 album. It was the band's fourth consecutive triple-platinum album, and (as of 2015) the last multi-platinum album by the band.
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1) A.D. 1928/Rockin' the Paradise - These two separate tracks are normally played together since the first segueways into the next. The first uses a theme that is used throughout the album, with the lyrics describing opening night:
Tonight's the night we'll make history, as sure as dogs can fly
And I'll take any risk to tie back the hands of time
And stay with you here tonight
So take your seats and don't be late, we need your spirits high
To turn on these theatre lights and brighten the darkest skies
Here at the Paradise....
From Dennis's website he explains that the lyrics for "Rockin' the Paradise" describe his feelings about the worst recession America had faced since the great depression, and the general malaise in the country:
So whatcha doin' tonight?
Have you heard that the world's gone crazy?
Young Americans listen when I say there's people puttin' us down
I know they're sayin' that we've gone lazy
To tell you the truth we've all seen better days
Don't need no fast buck lame duck profits for fun
Quick trick plans, take the money and run
We need long term, slow burn, getting it done
And some straight talking, hard working son of a gun.
Whatcha doin' tonight, I got faith in our generation
Let's stick together and futurize our attitudes
I ain't lookin' to fight, but I know with determination
We can challenge the schemers who cheat all the rules
Come on take pride, be wise, spottin' the fools
No more big shots, crackpots bending the rules
A fair shot here for me and for you
Knowing that we can't lose
And we'll be rockin' in Paradise
Rockin' the Paradise tonight
Rockin' in Paradise
Rockin' the Paradise tonight
Tonight, tonight...
(Go Sparky go!)
Come on take pride, be wise, spottin' the fools
No more big shots, crackpots bending the rules
A fair shot here for me and for you
Knowing that we can't lose
And we'll be rockin' in Paradise
Rockin' the Paradise tonight
This was the fourth single released from the album and reached #8 on the Top Rock Track Chart (whatever that is). It was also the tenth video played by MTV on it debut day in 1981 (you know, back when the "M" stood for music).
Side note: Some people are confused over the "dogs can fly" and "go Sparky go" lyrics. On the back side of the album under a marquee is a poster with a picture of a dog that reads "Appearing Thru July 7, Sparky The Flying Dog".
DeYoung explains "To me, Sparky was symbolic of many metaphors for the underdog, no pun intended. For instance, "The Little Train Who Could," "The Tortoise and the Hare," "Dumbo" etc. Those of whom little was expected but much was accomplished.
So Sparky represents that spark in all of us that refuses to take no for an answer. Here's to all the the Sparky's of the world, the ones who have flown and those about to."
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3) Too Much Time on My Hands - And then Tommy hits us with this one. I literally wore out the needle on my first stereo listening to the intro for this time and time again. It was the second single released from the album and reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #2 on that Top Rock Track Chart thing. Whatever, it kicks ass. Classic.
Sitting on this barstool talking like a damn fool
Got the twelve o'clock news blues
And I've given up hope on the afternoon soaps
And a bottle of cold brew
Is it any wonder I'm not crazy? Is it any wonder I'm sane at all?
Well I'm so tired of losing- I got nothing to do and all day to do it
I go out cruisin' but I've no place to go and all night to get there
Is it any wonder I'm not a criminal? Is it any wonder I'm not in jail?
Is it any wonder I've got too much time on my hands
It's ticking away with my sanity
I've got too much time on my hands
It's hard to believe such a calamity
I've got too much time on my hands and it's ticking away from me
Too much time on my hands, too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands
Well, I'm a jet fuel genius - I can solve the world's problems without even trying
I have dozens of friends and the fun never ends that is, as long as I'm buying
Is it any wonder I'm not the president? Is it any wonder I'm null and void?
Is it any wonder I've got too much time on my hands
It's ticking away with my sanity
I've got too much time on my hands
It's hard to believe such a calamity
I've got too much time on my hands and it's ticking away from me
Too much time on my hands, too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands
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4) Nothing Ever Goes As Planned - Another DDY song and the third single released from the album. It only reached #54 on the U.S. pop charts. The song is obviously about disappointments and things not going according to the way you planned. I think it has double meaning as to how the theater itself didn't "last forever" even though it was supposedly built that way.
What'cha going to do when the sun goes down tonight?
You'll hit the same old clubs, rap that same old trash that's right
You've got them real silk shirts and them baggy pants
Dago shoes in the colors that match
But the girls are acting bored and you're feeling like you're going to lose
You've got the G.Q. Blues
You get up every morning and you go to work each day
(you go to work, you go to work, you go to work)
Been doing the same damn job for ten long years this May
(you've got to work, you've got to work, you've got to work)
You've been working and saving for your Jamaican dream
Paradise is waiting across the sea
But when your plane lands Montego turns to Monsoon
You've got the Island Blues
'Cause, nothing ever goes as planned
It's a hell of a notion
Even Pharaohs turn to sand like a drop in the ocean
You're so together and you act so civilized
But every time that things go wrong you're still surprised
You've done your duty, you've paid a fortune in dues
Still got those Mother Nature's Blues
I strut around the stage like a little king tonight
They'll scream for every word and every note, that's right
But when the show is over and I'm all alone
Can't reach my baby on the telephone
And everywhere I look Mr. Loneliness is in the news
I've got the Big Star Blues
Boy, nothing ever goes as planned
It's a hell of a notion
Even Pharaohs turn to sand like a drop in the ocean
I'm so together and I act so civilized
But every time that things go wrong I'm still surprised
I've done my duty and paid a fortune in dues
Still got them Mother Nature's Blues
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5) The Best of Times - Dennis really nailed it with this one. It's the looking back and realizing you were in the best times and didn't even know it. I have listened to this song intently preparing for this blog post and it hit me that this was Styx at their pinnacle. This song at this moment in time is the best they would ever be. That everything after, no matter how good, would never be this good.
This was the first single released and hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It continues with the melody that was first used on "A.D. 1928" earlier on the album.
Tonight's the night we'll make history, honey, you and I
And I'll take any risk to tie back the hands of time
And stay with you here tonight
I know you feel these are the worst of times
I do believe it's true
When people lock their doors and hide inside
Rumor has it it's the end of Paradise
But I know, if the world just passed us by
Baby I know, you wouldn't have to cry
The best of times are when I'm alone with you
Some rain some shine, we'll make this a world for two
Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime
We'll take the best, forget the rest
And someday we'll find these are the best of times
These are the best of times
The headlines read 'these are the worst of times'
I do believe it's true
I feel so helpless like a boat against the tide
I wish the summer winds could bring back Paradise
But I know, if the world turned upside down
Baby, I know you'd always be around
The best of times are when I'm alone with you
Some rain some shine, we'll make this a world for two
The best of times are when I'm alone with you
(When I'm alone with you everything's alright)
Some rain some shine, we'll make this a world for two
(When I'm alone with you, you brighten up the night)
The best of times...
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Act One told the story of the opening of the theater and the "best of times" it had in its glory days. Act Two tells of its decline and eventual demolition.
The back side of the album cover shows the Paradise (now spelled "theater") closed and in disrepair. You can barely make out the banner for Sparky the Flying Dog which states he was appearing until July 7th, 1958. That was the exact date that workmen finished the demolition of the theater.
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6) Lonely People - Sung by DDY, this is actually one of my favorite tracks on the album. It starts to the sound of rain and then a saxophone playing in the distance. Then you hear a banging on the walls and complaining: "Hey , Hey out there knock it off will ya?Hey give it a rest will ya? I'm tryin' to get some sleep! Want me to call the cops? I tell ya Erma I can't wait till next week when they start to tear that damn old theatre down."
The rain was hot, the streets were empty
As downtown closed her eyes
The movie house stood in silence as I said my last good-byes
Her silver screen was stained with memories
As Cagney shot them down
And as I watched I was that hero
In dreamlands lost and found
Oh my God, well we both are empty Paradise and me
Do you believe I'm still chasing rainbows
When everywhere I see
Lonely People, Lonely People
Up above these ghetto streets
In penthouse suites they sit and stare
Lonely People, Lonely People
They smile and say they're fine
But behind their eyes they just don't care
Lonely People
They just don't care
Lonely People, Lonely People
Lonely People, Lonely People
Beneath these neon streets in subway seats they crowd for air
Lonely People, Lonely People
So close and yet so far they share the secrets of despair
Lonely People, Lonely People
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7) She Cares - The second of only two songs (gasp!) that Tommy gets on the album, and as always it's a gem. This is like Tommy's "Best of Times" for this side, because when things go bad he knows his woman still cares.
I tried to be the perfect soldier
I tried to be what everyone said was expected
Somehow I was selected
Well, my hands were steady, my aim was true
But deep inside of my heart I knew
That I lacked the will
I just couldn't shoot to kill
And still she treats me like a human
She says she'll still be there
I may not be a hero, but I'll be there
Because I know she cares
I worked hard to be the greatest lover
I wanted to be sure that I was her only one
That's how I thought it was done
But I went too far, assumed too much
The need to feel a younger one's touch
Seemed important then
Oh what a fool I've been
And still she treats me like a human (like a human)
She says she'll still be there (that she'll be there)
I don't quite understand it, she's been too fair
'Cause somehow she cares
I guess that's the way it goes, the way that it goes
And nobody knows what compels her
She's seen my highs and lows and never let go
Oh yes she treats me like a human (like a human)
She says she'll still be there (that she'll be there)
I don't quite understand it, she's been too fair
'Cause somehow she cares
I guess that's the way it goes, the way that it goes
And nobody knows what compels her
She's seen my highs and lows and never let go
And when the world has turned its back on me
I won't have to feel alone
'Cause I know she cares
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8) Snowblind - Definitely the darkest and most controversial song on the album. Sung by JY, the song is about the helplessness of cocaine addiction, alternating between slow, brooding verses and a faster, harder-edged chorus, representing the addict's cycle of highs and lows.
Claims were made by anti-rock-music activists during the early 1980s that the song's lyrics were "Satanistic" and contained backwards messages. The line "I try so hard to make it so" when played in reverse was said to be "Satan move through our voice". Aural inspection suggests that any resemblance the line's reversed phonemes had to this phrase was slight, and likely coincidental. The protesters used "Snowblind" as one of several examples of rock songs that they claimed contained hidden Satanic phrases, and they lobbied for laws to require warning labels on records containing such messages.
Styx repeatedly and angrily dismissed these claims as baseless. Dennis DeYoung told a US radio show that "Anyone who plays their records backwards is the Anti-Christ. We have enough trouble making these records sound right forward. People have nothing better to do. It's the name Styx. Can you imagine attacking the guys who made 'Babe', I mean please".
Styx repeatedly and angrily dismissed these claims as baseless. Dennis DeYoung told a US radio show that "Anyone who plays their records backwards is the Anti-Christ. We have enough trouble making these records sound right forward. People have nothing better to do. It's the name Styx. Can you imagine attacking the guys who made 'Babe', I mean please".
Styx's next project would be deeply affected because of these attacks, and the California ruling that followed (more on that later).
Mirror, mirror on the wall
The face you've shown me scares me so
I thought that I could call your bluff
But now the lines are clear enough
Life's not pretty even though
I've tried so hard to make it so
Mornings are such cold distress
How did I ever get into this mess
I'm snowblind, can't live without you
So fine I just can't get away
Now I'm snowblind, snowblind, snowblind
Harmless and innocent you devil in white
You stole my will without a fight
You filled me with confidence, but you blinded my eyes
You tricked me with visions of Paradise
Now I realize I'm
Snowblind, can't live without you
So fine I just can't get away
Now I'm snowblind, snowblind, snowblind
Mirror, mirror I confess
I can't escape this emptiness
No more reason to pretend
Here comes that same old feeling again
Snowblind, can't live without you
So fine I just can't get away
Won't you throw me a lifeline
I'm going down for the third time
I'm snowblind, and I can't get away
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9-10) Half Penny, Two Penny/A.D. 1958 - Just like the opening two tracks of the album, the final two tracks also flow into one another as one piece. This first part is a rocker by JY which is a commentary on the rich and poor. There is an interlude in the middle (around the 1:51 mark) where you can hear the demolition happening with a dialogue between two workers.
Half penny, two penny, gold Krugerrand
He was exceedingly rich for such a young man
Sad story, old story -
Bring out the band
Another divorce just a few hundred grand
Half penny, two penny, back of the queue
Yes mister poor man this means you
Justice for money what can you say
We all know it's the American Way
Yes, I'm gonna shake myself loose
Back home across the sea
Where I know that I will be free
Half penny, two penny, back in the States
You just couldn't take that African pace
Yes, Mrs. Cleaver your son's home to stay
We all know it's the American Way
Yes, I'm gonna shake myself loose
Back home across the sea
Where I know that I will be free
(interlude with demolition sounds)
"Come here - hey Angelo... what's happenin'?"
"Hey, Stosh, good to see ya"
"What the hell you doin'?"
"We're tearing this old building down here"
"Oh you're kiddin' me.
Remember when we were kids, and we used to come here every Saturday afternoon to see a cartoon?"
"Yeah, I remember"
"Well what's she lost to?"
"Who knows- politicians, taxes...it's a disgrace"
"I'm not surprised, they make me sick. They don't make theaters like this any more."
Half penny, two penny, ashes to dust
The almighty dollar says "In God we trust"
Justice for money how much more can I pay
We all know it's the American Way
Yes, I'm gonna shake myself loose
Back home across the sea
Where I know that I will be free
(I want to be free)
Yes, I'm gonna shake myself loose
Back home across the sea
Where I know that I will be free
(We all want to be free)
The song then sequeways back into the theme heard in "A.D. 1928" and "The Best of Times". DDY sings on piano that the theater can always last as long as you hold onto the memories.
And so, my friends, we'll say goodnight,
For time has claimed his prize,
But tonight can always last,
as long as we keep alive,
the memories of Paradise
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11) State Street Sadie - This is a ghostly little piece that plays off the album like echoes of the past. It is named after a 1928 silent film that would have debuted at a theater like the Paradise.
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One of the reasons I love this album so much was the packaging. My copy was a gatefold cover, but the inside was to be looked at vertically, instead of horizontally and showed the playbill of the album with Act One, Act Two, the "players" and lyrics.
And also on the album itself, the A-side has the listings for both sides of the album. The B-side has a laser etched image with the Styx logo:
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Paradise Theatre became Styx's only US #1 album. It was the band's fourth consecutive triple-platinum album, and (as of 2015) the last multi-platinum album by the band.
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