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Excitable Boy
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| Excitable Boy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 18, 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Studio | The Sound Factory (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 31:29 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Warren Zevon chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Excitable Boy | ||||
| ||||
Excitable Boy is the third studio album by American musician Warren Zevon. The album was released on January 18, 1978, by Asylum Records. It includes the single "Werewolves of London", which reached No. 21 and remained in the American Top 40 for six weeks. The album brought Zevon to commercial attention and remains the best-selling album of his career, having been certified platinum by the RIAA and reaching the top ten on the US Billboard 200. A remastered and expanded edition was released in 2007.[1]
Music and lyrics
[edit]"Excitable Boy" and "Werewolves of London" were considered macabrely humorous by some critics.[1] The historical "Veracruz" dramatizes the United States occupation of Veracruz. It was the first song Zevon wrote with Jorge Calderón. Likewise, "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" is a fictionalized account of former mercenary David Lindell's experiences in Africa. "Lawyers, Guns and Money" is a tongue-in-cheek tale of a young American man's adventures in Cold War-era Latin America, based on a real-life "day of improbable and grotesque mischief" Zevon experienced in Kauai.[2] In addition, there are two ballads about life and relationships ("Accidentally Like a Martyr" and "Tenderness on the Block"), as well as the funk/disco-inspired "Nighttime in the Switching Yard".
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A−[4] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Music Box | |
| PopMatters | 9/10[1] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[7] |
| Uncut | 9/10[8] |
Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote:
The further these songs get from Ronstadtland, the more I like them. The four that exorcise male psychoses by mock celebration are positively addictive, the two uncomplicated rockers do the job, and two of the purely 'serious' songs get by. But no one has yet been able to explain to me what 'accidentally like a martyr' might mean—answers dependent on the term 'Dylanesque' are not acceptable—and I have no doubt that that's the image Linda will home in on. After all, is she going to cover the one about the headless gunner?[4]
The Globe and Mail panned the album, writing that Zevon's famous friends contributing to "this improbable collection of tunes is a testament to the constant in-breeding among the California types that have so deteriorated the scene out there."[9]
Track listing
[edit]All writing by Warren Zevon. Additional writers as noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Johnny Strikes Up the Band" | 2:49 | |
| 2. | "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" | David Lindell | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Excitable Boy" | LeRoy Marinell | 2:40 |
| 4. | "Werewolves of London" | Marinell, Waddy Wachtel | 3:27 |
| 5. | "Accidentally Like a Martyr" | 3:37 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Nighttime in the Switching Yard" | Jorge Calderón, Lindell, Wachtel | 4:15 |
| 7. | "Veracruz" | Calderón | 3:30 |
| 8. | "Tenderness on the Block" | Jackson Browne | 3:55 |
| 9. | "Lawyers, Guns and Money" | 3:29 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "I Need a Truck" (outtake) | 0:50 | |
| 11. | "Werewolves of London" (alternate version) | Wachtel, Marinell | 3:41 |
| 12. | "Tule's Blues" (solo piano version) | 3:13 | |
| 13. | "Frozen Notes" (strings version) | 1:59 |
Personnel
[edit]- Warren Zevon – lead, harmony and backing vocals, piano, organ, synthesizer
- Jorge Calderón – harmony and backing vocals, Spanish vocals on "Veracruz"
- Danny Kortchmar – guitar, percussion
- Russ Kunkel – drums
Additional personnel
[edit]- Karla Bonoff – harmony vocals on "Accidentally Like a Martyr"
- JD Souther – backing and harmony vocals
- Jennifer Warnes – harmony vocals on "Excitable Boy"
- Linda Ronstadt – backing and harmony vocals on "Excitable Boy"
- Jackson Browne – guitar, harmony and backing vocals
- Waddy Wachtel – guitar, synthesizer, harmony and backing vocals
- Kenny Edwards – bass guitar on "Veracruz", "Tenderness on the Block" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money"
- John McVie – bass on "Werewolves of London"
- Bob Glaub – bass guitar on "Roland the Headless Gunner", "Excitable Boy" and "Nighttime in the Switching Yard"
- Leland Sklar – bass guitar on "Johnny Strikes Up The Band" and "Accidentally Like a Martyr"
- Mick Fleetwood – drums on "Werewolves of London"
- Rick Marotta – drums on "Veracruz" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money"
- Jeff Porcaro – drums and percussion on "Nighttime in the Switching Yard"
- Luis Damian – jarana on "Veracruz"
- Arthur Gerst – Mexican harp
- Jim Horn – recorder on "Veracruz"; saxophone on "Excitable Boy"
- Greg Ladanyi – bells on "Nighttime in the Switching Yard"
- Manuel Vasquez – requinto on "Veracruz"
Technical
[edit]- Jackson Browne, Waddy Wachtel – producers
- Greg Ladanyi, Dennis Kirk – engineers
- George Ybarra, Serge Reyes – assistant engineers
- Jimmy Wachtel – album design, photography
- Crystal Zevon, Lorrie Sullivan – additional photography
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – U.S. | Gold | April 17, 1978 |
| CRIA – Canada | Gold | June 1, 1978 |
| RIAA – U.S. | Platinum | November 7, 1997 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Warren Zevon: Excitable Boy". PopMatters. May 2, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ Rapp, Allison (July 12, 2023). "The Song That Made Warren Zevon Swear Off Vacations for Good". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ^ Mark Deming. "Excitable Boy - Warren Zevon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: Z". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ John Metzger. "Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy (Album Review)". Musicbox-online.com. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ (Posted: Mar 23, 1978) (March 23, 1978). "Warren Zevon: Excitable Boy : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "How to buy Warren Zevon". Uncut. October 2023. p. 71.
- ^ McGrath, Paul (March 1, 1978). "Warren Zevon". The Globe and Mail. p. F2.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 348. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Warren Zevon – Excitable Boy". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "Warren Zevon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1978". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
Excitable Boy
View on GrokipediaBackground and Production
Album Development
Warren Zevon's path to Excitable Boy followed years of professional setbacks and gradual industry support. His debut album, Wanted Dead or Alive, released in 1970 on Imperial Records, achieved minimal commercial success despite showcasing his early songwriting talent, leading to financial struggles and a shift to session work and composing for other artists, including covers by Linda Ronstadt that provided some income. By the mid-1970s, Zevon secured a contract with Asylum Records, facilitated by Jackson Browne, who admired his work and produced Zevon's self-titled 1976 album, which gained modest traction upon re-promotion in 1977, peaking at number 189 on the Billboard 200 after initial underperformance.[6] This period marked Asylum's deeper involvement, with Browne and guitarist Waddy Wachtel contributing to Zevon's creative direction, positioning Excitable Boy as a targeted effort for broader recognition amid the label's roster of singer-songwriters.[7] The songwriting for Excitable Boy drew from Zevon's personal experiences and observations of historical and political turmoil, infusing songs with satirical commentary on violence and human folly. Tracks like "Veracruz" originated from reflections on the 1914 United States occupation of Veracruz, co-written with collaborator Jorge Calderón as Zevon's first such partnership, highlighting his interest in dramatizing real geopolitical events through wry narratives.[2] Other material emerged from casual anecdotes and collaborations, such as the title track conceived during a dinner at co-writer LeRoy Marinell's home, where a bizarre family story sparked its macabre premise, reflecting Zevon's method of transforming everyday absurdities into dark tales.[8] This approach aligned with a broader post-Vietnam cultural cynicism, where Zevon channeled disillusionment with authority and war into eclectic rock compositions, aiming to blend orchestral arrangements with his mordant humor for commercial appeal following the 1976 album's slow buildup.[3]Recording Process
The recording sessions for Excitable Boy primarily took place at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles.[9] [10] Produced by Jackson Browne and Waddy Wachtel, the sessions featured engineering by Greg Ladanyi, with assistance from Dennis Kirk.[9] Principal recording occurred in late 1977 over a period spanning nearly nine months, allowing for iterative development of tracks before mixing was finalized ahead of the album's January 18, 1978 release.[9] [11] Key production choices included cutting basic tracks live to 3M 24-track tape for immediacy, followed by targeted overdubs to enhance texture; these encompassed layered guitar elements, such as Wachtel's harmonized solo recordings, and piano vamps adapted into arrangements that highlighted Zevon's raw vocal and keyboard delivery.[9]Musical Composition and Themes
Musical Style
Excitable Boy employs rock structures rooted in piano-driven foundations, drawing on Zevon's classical piano training to deliver unembellished melodies and rhythmic drive across its tracks.[12] Songs like "Johnny Strikes Up the Band" exemplify this with steady piano lines accented by guitar riffs, creating upbeat rockers that maintain a singer-songwriter intimacy amid fuller band arrangements.[13] The album contrasts these with mid-tempo ballads, such as "Accidentally Like a Martyr," featuring layered harmonies and subdued instrumentation for emotional depth.[14] Rhythmic diversity includes reggae-infused elements, notably in "Nighttime in the Switching Yard," where offbeat grooves and horn swells add propulsion and texture.[13] Synthesizers appear sparingly, as on that track, to enhance atmospheric effects without dominating the organic rock core.[15] Echoes of influences like Bob Dylan's folk-rock phrasing and Randy Newman's piano-centric satire inform the melodic precision, while the era's punk-adjacent energy infuses an edge without adopting raw distortion or minimalism.[16] Produced by Jackson Browne alongside Waddy Wachtel, the album achieves a polished production sheen—balancing radio-friendly clarity with gritty undertones—that distinguishes its accessibility from more abrasive contemporaries.[17] This gloss, evident in bright piano melodies and doo-wop-inspired saxophone flourishes, underscores the rock framework without diluting instrumental dynamics.[18]Lyrical Content and Interpretations
The lyrics on Excitable Boy employ Zevon's signature macabre narrative style, crafting satirical vignettes that depict unchecked human impulses culminating in atrocity, geopolitical upheaval, and self-inflicted peril, often without explicit moral judgment to underscore the stark causality of folly.[2] Drawing from historical events and behavioral observation, tracks like the title song portray a young man's progression from petty disruption to rape, murder, and desecration—building a "playground in the boy's backyard" from his victim's bones—while society dismisses him as merely "excitable," satirizing the denial of violent predispositions as mere quirks rather than precursors to irreversible harm.[8] Similarly, "Veracruz" evokes the 1914 U.S. naval occupation of the Mexican port city under President Woodrow Wilson, triggered by the Tampico Affair amid the Mexican Revolution, through the lens of a local resident hearing "Wilson's guns" and "Maria crying" as the city "dies," emphasizing war's tangible human toll over ideological rationales.[19] "Lawyers, Guns and Money" narrates a protagonist's spiral from naive adventurism in Honduras—chasing "adventure" and romancing a mafia-linked waitress—to entrapment by gambling debts and foreign threats, pleading for bailouts that highlight the absurd, predictable fallout of reckless entitlement in unstable locales.[20] Interpretations of these lyrics often frame them as unflinching causal realism, tracing direct chains from impulsive or ideological triggers to devastation, in contrast to romanticized or excusing narratives that sanitize violence's roots in human nature.[12] For instance, the title track's black humor critiques societal tendencies to pathologize or minimize innate aggression—labeling a cannibalistic killer "excitable" mirrors historical euphemisms for barbarity, urging recognition of behavioral precedents over post-hoc rationalizations.[2] Zevon, who co-wrote the song in 15 minutes with LeRoy Marinell, infused such tales with observed absurdities from real-world travels and news, intending dark comedy to expose folly's consequences without preachiness, as evidenced by his discomfort with the track's "novelty" perception yet defense of its poignant edge.[8] While praised for candidly illuminating denied realities—like war's civilian agony in "Veracruz" or personal hubris in "Lawyers, Guns and Money"—the lyrics have drawn criticism for perceived insensitivity, with some viewing the graphic depictions as gratuitous or potentially glorifying horror rather than dissecting it.[21] Zevon's approach, rooted in first-hand anecdotes and historical candor, prioritizes behavioral truth over consolation, aligning with his broader oeuvre's rejection of sanitized accounts in favor of empirical outcomes from unchecked drives.[22]Release and Commercial Performance
Singles and Promotion
The lead single from Excitable Boy, "Johnny Strikes Up the Band", was issued by Asylum Records in January 1978 to align with the album's release, emphasizing Zevon's rhythmic, band-leader narrative style to generate initial radio interest.[23] This was followed in March 1978 by the single "Werewolves of London", backed with "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" on the B-side, which Asylum targeted for broader FM radio rotation due to its catchy, horror-tinged hook and concise structure suited for airplay.[24] Additional singles such as "Excitable Boy" and "Nighttime in the Switching Yard" received limited promotional singles or radio service, focusing on album-track depth rather than exhaustive extraction.[25] Asylum Records leveraged producer Jackson Browne's industry connections—stemming from his role in discovering and championing Zevon—to amplify promotion, including Browne's habit of performing and sharing "Werewolves of London" in sessions as early as 1975 to build informal buzz among Los Angeles peers like the Eagles and Stevie Nicks, whose backing vocals on the track added star power.[26] The label supported a dedicated Excitable Boy Tour in 1978, featuring live renditions of singles alongside album material to showcase Zevon's piano-driven energy and sardonic delivery, with documented performances capturing audience engagement at venues like The Record Plant.[15] [27] Media efforts included early promotional videos, such as footage of Zevon performing "Werewolves of London" in a dimly lit studio setting, distributed to broadcasters and radio stations to highlight his irreverent, storyteller persona without heavy commercialization.[28] Asylum emphasized radio promos, issuing mono/stereo variants and picture discs for stations to prioritize the singles' hooks, contributing to organic word-of-mouth growth tied to Zevon's reputation for mordant wit rather than aggressive advertising campaigns.[29] This strategy, informed by Browne's network and Zevon's cult following from prior Asylum releases, facilitated the album's breakthrough by positioning it as a sophisticated rock outlier amid 1978's mainstream landscape.[30]Chart Performance
Excitable Boy entered the Billboard 200 following its January 18, 1978 release, debuting at number 89 on the chart dated February 25, 1978, before ascending to a peak of number 8 during the week ending May 13, 1978, after 12 weeks on the chart.[31][32] The album's lead single, "Werewolves of London," debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 dated March 25, 1978, and spent 12 weeks on the chart, reaching a high of number 21 on the May 13 tally.[33] The album concluded 1978 ranked number 54 on the Billboard year-end Top LPs & Tape chart.[34]Sales Certifications
Excitable Boy was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 17, 1978, for 500,000 units shipped in the United States.[35] It achieved Platinum status from the RIAA on November 7, 1997, reflecting shipments exceeding 1,000,000 units domestically, a milestone reached through sustained sales driven by enduring radio play of tracks like "Werewolves of London."[36] In Canada, the album received Gold certification from Music Canada (formerly CRIA) on June 1, 1978, for 50,000 units.[34]| Region | Certification | Accredited Units Sold | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Gold | 50,000 | June 1, 1978 [34] |
| United States | Gold | 500,000 | April 17, 1978 [35] |
| United States | Platinum | 1,000,000 | November 7, 1997 [36] |
