The Doobie Brothers - Nobody (1971)

John Hartman, a drummer from Virginia, went to California in 1969 hoping to convince Skip Spence to reform Moby Grape with him in the band. Although it didn’t pan out, Spence introduced Hartman to Tom Johnston, a guitarist and vocalist who had been playing in bands around San Jose while finishing college. Together, known as Pud, the duo played around San Jose with rotating members playing with them and, by 1970, a band with a new name had started to solidify. Their biggest fans at the time were local members of the Hells Angels which led to the group performing regularly at the Angels’ preferred bar, the Chateau Liberté. The band’s music, mimicking their surroundings, was hard rock accentuated with leather jackets and motorcycles. But when the group released their debut album in 1971, their hard rock, biker sound had been replaced with acoustic guitars and country influences.

The group’s first album, self-titled and released in April of 1971, failed to chart. The band’s first ever single release, heard below, also failed to chart upon its initial release. Written by Tom Johnston, the song was re-released in 1974 after the group had become nationally successful, and then reached number fifty-eight. In 2010, the latest incarnation of the band re-recorded the song for their latest album, World Gone Crazy. This song, as well as the rest of their debut album, was produced by Ted Templeman, the former guitarist and vocalist for Harpers Bizarre.



The Doobie Brothers - Nobody (1971)

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Lyrics:

Evil ways of practice may surround you
Callin’ on your inner core of life
But your father was just a complex man of business
And your mother merely portioned out your fright

But run the risk of a sudden loss
You got no mama to bear your cross beside you
As midnight angels shine their wings
And time begins just to build a wall all around you

(Nobody)
Nobody gonna take my love away from me
(Nobody)
Nobody gonna take my love away from me

Setting out on a voyage down to Jenner
I've given all I've got to help the cause
Need a place just to settle out my pressures
A place where you and I can sit and pause

So I can see the sky at night
Without a fear of hidden light to blind me
And so you see the path is clear
And changes will be swayed around me

(Nobody)
Nobody gonna take my love away from me
(Nobody)
Nobody gonna take my love away from me