The Raspberries: Go All The Way, I Wanna Be With You

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Staggering. These take me back 35 years, to childhood, hearing these songs on the AM radio at night, in the dark: Gems of power pop perfection. Cynical exploitation of teen lust? Of course. Stipulated. But that merely? No, sir. No. Love songs, too, in their fashion. Pop hymns of youth and happiness and a world where consequences don’t exist, but only here and now and maybe forever, but not tomorrow, nor next month or next year. The Raspberries are chewing gum and smiling. They know they are being naughty. What a blast it must have been to be a Raspberry, for a few glorious years. Note that these guys seem NOT to be lip-syncing. Can a rock band possibly be this tight?

(I am seeing and raising Dan’s Death Cab for Cutie post.)

6 thoughts on “The Raspberries: Go All The Way, I Wanna Be With You”

  2. Looking forward to it. I have some more up my sleeve.

    This live version really is incredible. It is harder edged, more ROCK than the studio versions.

    I suppose I should have included the lyrics, which are very much pre-safe-sex era:

    Go All the Way

    I never knew how complete love could be
    ‘Til she kissed me and said, baby

    CHORUS
    Please, go all the way
    It feels so right
    Being with you here, tonight
    Please, go all the way
    Just hold me close
    Don’t ever let me go

    I coudn’t say what I wanted to say
    ‘Til she whispered I love you, so

    REPEAT CHORUS

    Before her love, I was cruel and mean
    There was a hole in the place where my heart should have been

    But now I’m changed, and I feel so strange
    I come alive when she says all those things to me

    And she says (come on)
    Come on (come on)
    (come on)
    Come on (come on)
    I need you (come on)
    I love you (come on)
    I need you (come on)
    (come on)

    REPEAT CHORUS

    I Wanna Be With You

    If we were older
    We wouldn’t have to be worried tonight
    Baby oh, (oh) I wanna be with you
    So bad, (yes, I wanna be with you)
    Oh, darlin (oh, I wanna be with you)
    Oh yeah (yeah, I wanna be with you)
    Well tonight’s (tonight) the night
    We always knew it would feel so right
    So come on baby, I just wanna be with you
    Someday’s a long time
    And we’ve been waiting so long to be here
    Hold me tight
    Our love could live forever after tonight
    If you believe that what we’re doing is right
    Close your eyes and be still

  3. It is live, and it is very very good. I really enjoy live music a lot, especially when it is tight like this. I think it enhances the music when it is a true live performance.

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