You know you’ve written an evocative song when people try to tie it into some real-life occurrence. Folks have certainly done that with “Ride Captain Ride”, the massive 1970 hit single by Blues Image.
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In fact, the band conjured the song wholly from their imagination, with a little help from an instrument in the studio. Blues Image only managed that one hit single, but “Ride Captain Ride” stands as one of those oldies with a ton of staying power.
“Ride” Share
Blues Image was certainly doing something right. After all, you don’t end up with a club named after you if you’re not bringing something special to the table every time you play. That’s exactly how it turned out for this Florida band when a Miami club renamed itself Thee Image after the house band.
The club soon started drawing in the cream of the crop of rock bands in the late 60s. Blues Image held their own with the best of them by playing an inventive fusion of rock and Latin music at a time when such a hybrid was only just starting to attract attention.
Unfortunately, the Florida scene began to stagnate. Blues Image headed for the West Coast and signed a record deal. They released their first album, a self-titled affair, in 1969. A year later came Open, which would contain the song that made the band famous.
Blues Image, a five-piece band at the time, were recording Open when keyboardist Frank Conte started fooling around with a little lick on his electric piano. Lead singer Mike Pinera latched onto it. He started conjuring up a story about a mystical boat ride that carries the passengers off to some idyllic place.
The opening lines (“73 men sailed up / From the San Francisco Bay”) have long sent music fans into the history books looking for some sort of famous journey that included that number of passengers. In truth, Pinera, needing a random amount, simply went with the number of keys found on the keyboard. There was no actual event on which the song was based.
Not only did “Ride Captain Ride” benefit from the clever story, but it also soared instrumentally. It’s a bit more folk-rock than what Blues Image normally produced. But session player Kent Henry lent it some lyricism with his guitar fills. The song rose to no. 4 on the US pop charts upon its release. For the first time in their career, Blues Image had cultivated more than a regional following.
Behind the Lyrics of “Ride Captain Ride”
Pinera showed smarts in including those details at the beginning of the song. It immediately pulls you into the story, which ends up detailing a metaphorical trip to bliss.
“We’re callin’ everyone to ride along to another shore / We can laugh our lives away and be free once more.”
Sadly, the public at large can’t open their minds to the possibility. “’Cause they were too busy watchin’ those old raindrops fall.”
The chorus explains what’s ahead of them. “Ride, captain ride upon your mystery trip,” Pinera sings. “Be amazed at the friends you have here on your trip.” Where are they headed? “On your way to a world that others might have missed.”
Blues Image didn’t last long enough to bask in their success. Just after the album was recorded, Mike Pinera headed off to join Iron Butterfly. The rest of Blues Image shut it down after just one more album. But they secured their place in history with “Ride Captain Ride”, a fetching tale about a fantastic voyage.
Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
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