Dio said the lyrics are about a Christ figure on another planet who sacrifices himself to redeem his people. When the people learn that he intends to leave them to save people on other planets, they selfishly ask him to stay
Guitarist Russ Ballard said he wrote "Since You Been Gone" for himself; it featured on his 1975 "Winning" album.
The best-known version though is that recorded by Rainbow for the 1979 Down To Earth album, with Graham Bonnet on vocals. Running to 3 minutes 25 seconds, it was the second track on side two, an obvious single, and the band's biggest hit to date. Produced by bass player Roger Glover and released on the Polydor label, it reached #6 on the UK chart.
The band wrote this as tribute to their lives in Los Angeles, and the hardships of the rock world that they experienced on the Sunset Strip. It was also was a rally song to those who lived life on the "Wild Side."
Written by Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson, the locomotive in this song is running out of control, and is a metaphor for societal problems.
"Old Charlie," who appears in the chorus to this song, represents God. Anderson says that when he "stole the handle," he left the train running out of control. This symbolized everyone facing injustice in life and feeling powerless to do anything about it - you just have to make the best of it.
Steve Vai was one of the few guitarists who could approach the creative energy of Eddie Van Halen. His songwriting skills were key to the album's success: he co-wrote 6 of the 10 tracks with Roth, including the lead single, "Yankee Rose." Vai stayed with Roth for his next album, Skyscraper (1988), before focusing on his own solo career.
Cosmic Wheels reached the top 20 in both the US and UK, enjoying the same chart success as many of Donovan's previous albums. By 1973 the music business had shifted to promoting album-oriented rock, relegating singles to less promotion and fewer sales. An edited form of "I Like You" reached No. 66 in the U.S. and became the last charting single Donovan has had to date.
"Now You're Gone" is a song by the English hard rock band Whitesnake from their 1989 album Slip of the Tongue. It was written by singer David Coverdale and guitarist Adrian Vandenberg. The power ballad follows an alternately slow/fast-paced rhythm, and the lyrics tell about longing for the woman after a break-up.
Notice the rap influence on the verses Elliott sings? He explained to Kaos2000 magazine: "When we did 'Pour Some Sugar On Me,' it was only written because Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith had done 'Walk This Way.' All of the sudden, rock and rap did mix, so we wrote our own."