The Sonics - Psycho (1965)

This band’s beginnings can be traced back to the living room of brothers Larry, Jerry, and Andy Parypas in Tacoma, Washington circa 1960. The brothers had been raised amongst the musical influences of their parents, who proudly supported the rock ‘n’ roll genre. Once the family jam sessions began to transition into the boys forming an actual band- around early 1964- their mother still sometimes sat in on bass if no one else was available.

By late 1964, after the personnel shuffling finally slowed down, the band was picked up by Etiquette Records and released their first single, “The Witch” b/w Little Richard's “Keep A-Knockin’.” But since the subject matter of the A-Side was somewhat taboo, it received little airplay. By the end of 1964, the band’s most memorable lineup had been established, consisting of Gerry Roslie (vocals), Andy Parypa (bass), Larry Parypa (guitar), Rob Lind (sax), and Bob Bennett (drums). This rendition of the band was the one featured on the band’s first two albums, Here Are the Sonics (March 1965) and Boom (February 1966). Although largely successful in the northwestern US, it was after these two albums were released that the band began a slow decline, until their complete dissolution sometime in 1968. From then onward, there has usually been some incarnation of The Sonics performing, but never the same one that matched the original lineup seen during the group’s heyday.

The song below was featured on the band’s first album, Here Are the Sonics, released in March of 1965. Written by lead singer Gerry Roslie, the song was the opening track to the back side of the album. Along with the rest of the album, the song is often cited as one of the influencing pieces to the punk rock and grunge genres popularized decades later.



The Sonics - Psycho (1965)

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Lyrics:

Baby, you're driving me crazy
I said baby, you're driving me crazy
The way you turn me on
Then you shut me down
Oh, well tell me, baby
Am I just your clown?
Psycho

Baby, you're driving me crazy
I said I'm losing my mind
You treat me so unkind
Psycho

Baby, you're driving me crazy
I'm going out of my head
And now I wish I was dead
Psycho

Baby, you're driving me crazy
I'm going out of my head
Now I wish I was dead
Psycho

Psycho
Psycho
Psycho