TURN ME LOOSE
Mike Reno - Paul Dean
The lead single from the album LOVERBOY. Chart: #35. Time - 5:35.
Flip Side: "Prissy, Prissy". Released in U.S.A. December 1980.
Recorded at Little Mountain Sound, Vancouver, Canada. Produced by Bruce Fairbairn. Engineered by Bob Rock and Michael Fraser.
Paul Dean was fired from his first successful band Streetheart over management problems. He then found himself running into the same problems with his new band, with them trying to meddle with his craft. This gave initial inspiration to the first hit, with the stand out line...."I gotta do It my way, Or no way at all". The song evolved into a fictional relationship song, about a put down to a girl. Some have suggested it is sadomasochistic because of some of the lyrics ('I'm even on knees', 'Tried to tie me down') but the band has denied this. People read whatever they want to in a song. - Larry -
Mike Reno - lead vocals |
PAUL DEAN - 1983"When it comes down to writing, we do everything together. For instance, he wrote the bass line to "Turn Me Loose," as well as some of the lyrics. Nothing really gets written down. We just memorize everything. If I'm writing a song, I need to have the tape recorder on. That's the way I construct all of my stuff. " "The way we learn new tunes is by having me run through by myself in the studio. I'll kind of sing to myself and get the feel so that all of the parts go with the same foot tap. Then everybody comes in and plays along. Our drummer matt just reads my mind; he knows exactly the feel I want. But when we record, we put the whole band down at once. First we concentrate on getting the drums perfect, then go back and do the bass. If Scott makes a couple of blunders, we go back and touch that up. The solos are left live, but I'll go back and work on the rhythm tracks. Usually I don't like to work on the sound at the session because I'll burn everybody out. For instance, "Turn Me Loose" took hours to get right. We were having problems because there was a lot of hum in the studio. I found that the only way to get rid of it was play while standing on a four foot stool; the hum disappeared when I was in that position. It must have been quite a picture." |
MIKE RENO - 1985
"In the back alley, Paul and I happened to come together. I was on my way to Los Angeles and he was just in a state of shock from leaving a band he didn't really want to leave. Both of us were pretty disgusted in the music business. That kindled the flame to write some songs."
PAUL DEAN - 1985
"I was fired! Let's say it. (Laughs) 'Turn Me Loose' really epitomizes what we're talking about. "I got to do it my way, or no way at all." That's how we really felt. We weren't going to take any guff from any record company or management or any agent."
PAUL DEAN - 2017:Ultimate Classic Rock
"I was in 13 bands before I met Mike, with countless singers and every band had a singer in it. Most of them had a manager and I was so fed up with all of the BS, I went, ‘This time, I’m going to do it my way or no way at all.’ I’m not even going to bother -- if I can’t do this the way I think it should be done, screw it.
I remember looking Lou right in the eye when that line popped into my head and I went, 'I’m going to do it my way or no way at all' and he didn’t flinch. We went back to ‘68, Lou and me, so we’d already known each other for 10 years, and we’d been through a lot of bands together and we’d been on the road together. That was a very heartfelt and meaningful, at least to me, line. I’m sure that Mike agreed with it too, you know? It’s about a relationship -- it’s totally a kiss-off song. It’s like, I’m out of here -- you’re so lame, I’m out of here. That was kind of the drive behind that song."
PAUL DEAN - MTV Ruled the World book
"We had just signed with Columbia, and we were all on holiday. We had been working hard, and we had the week off. We were all down in Mexico - Mike, Matt, and me, with our girls. I think we got a call from out manager saying, 'We're shooting a video for 'Turn Me Loose' at a club in New York City, the Ritz.' So that was our first foray into that. The director thought the song was a parody. He didn't take the lyrics serious. We wrote the lyrics serious - it was a put-down to this girl. It's all fiction... that's why they call it 'creative writing' you know? So anyway, the director, his take was 'This should be a comedy.' Who are we to argue? We were a fledgling thing... We were just thrilled to be asked, because we knew the marketing value of MTV."
MIKE RENO - Classic Rock Revisited - 1985
"'Turn Me Loose' was a lick that I was playing on the bass that drove Paul Dean crazy and I played it for a month every time I either picked up a guitar or a bass. Paul and I were writing these songs on different instruments, we’d just write and pick up different instruments and try to figure out parts. "
YOU TUBE STUDIO TRACK OFFICIAL VIDEO YOU TUBE LYRIC VIDEO YOU TUBE LIVE, 1983, Pacific Coliseum Vancouver, B.C. I was born to run, I was born to dream, The craziest boy you ever seen, I gotta do It my way, Or no way at all. And I was here to please, I'm even on knees Makin love to whoever I please, I gotta do it my way, Or no way at all. And then you came around, Tried to tie me down, I was such a clown, You had to have it your way, Or no way at all. Well I've had all I can take, I can't take it no more, I'm gonna pack my bags and fly......baby, Or no way at all. So why don't you turn me lose, Turn me lose, Turn me lose, I gotta do it my way, Or no way at all. Why don't you turn me lose, Turn me lose, Turn me lose, I gotta do it my way, I wanna fly. I'm here to please, I'm even on my knees, Makin love to whoever I please, I gotta do it my way, I gotta do it my way, And when you came around, You Tried to tie me down, I was such a clown, You had to have it your way, Well I'm sayin no way, So why don't you turn me lose, Turn me lose, Turn me lose, I gotta do it my way, Or no way at all. Why don't you turn me lose, Turn me lose, Turn me lose, I gotta do it my way, I wanna fly. Repeat Turn me lose, Repeat.