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Rating: Active in the prolific Los Angeles scene since 1984, Warrant landed an important record deal only five years later, signing with the major label Columbia Records. Despite a rather bizarre title like “Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich,” the debut album of the band led by the blonde singer Jani Lane immediately smashed U.S. box offices, soaring high on the charts and quickly becoming double platinum.
With a sound elegantly suspended between sleazy metal à la Mötley Crüe, the melodic American hard rock of Journey, and the pyrotechnic technicalities of Van Halen school, this combo manages to have a strong impact on the general public, landing three singles in the American top 10: the now-famous “Down Boys,” the beautiful and emotional power ballad “Sometimes She Cries,” and the acoustic “Heaven,” which reached position #2 on the prestigious Billboard chart. With this work, Warrant offers us undeniable gems which are alternated with canonical yet always brilliant pieces like “In the Sticks” or “Ridin’ High”; “Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich” is, overall, a commendable example of melodic rock effectively sprinkled with catchy pop overtones, enhanced by an original and refined riffing. The comparison to the shiny style of Poison (the glam metal band of Bret Michaels, originally from Pittsburgh but transplanted to California) seems almost mandatory to laymen, especially due to the numerous dates Warrant held in their company at the time, but the comparison is entirely misleading: this band's offering is primarily linked to the elegant and bold hard rock found in essential works like “Tooth and Nail” (1984) by Dokken and “Out of The Cellar” (1983) by Ratt, incorporating characteristics decidedly closer to Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet” (1985). The singer and emotional leader Jani Lane, always an excellent songwriter, shows amazing versatility, managing to best highlight the performance of energetic songs while gently settling into the delicate pace of tender and dreamy ballads.
We cannot avoid mentioning the powerful rhythm gallop unfolded in “Big Talk,” one of the most successful songs of the batch, and the dynamic “So Damn Pretty (Should Be Against the Law),” two tracks that seal an album of excellent craftsmanship, which, while not representing the zenith of Warrant's production—identifiable in the later and more mature “Cherry Pie” (1991) and “Dog Eat Dog” (1993)—proves to be one of the best works ever published in the field of melodic hard rock, effectively embodying the last glorious blaze of a musical genre destined to fade in the early nineties under the acid rains unleashed by the depressive clouds of Seattle grunge. (Enrico Rosticci)
01) 32 PENNIES
02) DOWN BOYS
03) BIG TALK
04) SOMETIMES SHE CRIES
05) SO DAMN PRETTY (SHOULD BE AGAINST THE LAW)
06) D.R.F.S.R.
07) IN THE STICKS
08) HEAVEN
09) RIDIN' HIGH
10) COLD SWEAT
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 32 Pennies (03:09)
Spend my time and all my money
On a knob for my brass bed
Climb to the top of the highest mountain
Just to see how far I get
Dancin' with my shadow
But I let my shandow lead
And if I die with a penny in my pocket
then I guess thats all I need
Oooh baby where you going to
I was thinking that maybe I would
Come along with you
I could walk on down the road
Till I found me someone new
But I think I'll stay just one more day
Cuz i'm in love with you
Ohh Ohh
Yeah
Ooh Ooh baby yeah
32 pennies in a Ragu jar
That's all I've got to my name
But I love her and she loves me
To the pennies its all the same
Oooh baby where you going to
I was thinking that maybe I would
Come along with you
I could walk on down the road
Till I found me someone new
But I think I'll stay just one more day
Cuz i'm in love with you
Ohh Ohh
my-my-my-my-my-my baby yeah
32 pennies in a Ragu jar
That's all I've got to my name
But I love her and she loves me
To the pennies it's all the same
ooh ooh
yeah
ooh ooh
Give me love, give me love
Give me love, give me love
Ooh ooh, Whoa yeah!
02 Down Boys (04:04)
Certain things ya do really make me mad I must confess
The way the street light sihlouettes your thighs inside your dress
Wild child in the streets I think I've seen you but I really don't know
One million miles an hour headed out to where the down boys go
(Pre-chorus)
Whoa Can we rewind to where we've been
Ooo i wish you'd take a look and see the shape I'm in.
(Chorus)
Where the down boys go (Repeats)
I wanna go where the down boys go baby.
You comb your hair put on your shades you look real cool.
You're givin' me the runaround making me feel like a fool.
Got a lot of nerve to call me cheap even though it's true.
I don't care where go tonight take me along with you.
(pre-chorus)
(chorus)
(Guitar Solo)
(Sing half of first verse)
(Pre-Chorus)
(Chorus)
Outro
03 Big Talk (03:43)
Street fighting is looking for trouble
If you open your mouth
Your bound to rumble
Johnny looks tought
He's foze in the eyes
He keeps his mouth shut
He don't tell no lies
Johnny went out last night
Got in a bar room fight
Embarassed a jealous man
In front if his cheating wife
The man said "Tonight you won
But I'll tell you son,
This one's far from over"
Johnny said
CHORUS
Big talk is just talk
Unless, unless your backing it up
Big talk is cheap talk is
Only words unless you're backing it up
(We're backin' it up)
I dont know why
Some men lay down and die
Don't they believe in what they're saying
You should get on your feet
Beleive you can't be beat
Remember talk is only playing
CHORUS
I remember what my old man used to say
(We're backin' it up)
Never give up and run
(We're backin' it up)
Don't let the talkin' breeze blow you away
Always remember, stick to your guns
Big talk is looking for trouble
If you open your mouth
You better be ready to rumble
CHORUS (2x's)
We all say
CHORUS
We're backing it up, yeah
04 Sometimes She Cries (04:44)
Mercy don't think she's pretty no more,
Starin at the stars through a backscreen door,
She tries and tries to make it all work out,
No matter what she does,
She's left standin in the middle of doubt,
In a lonely night,
And in the pourin' rain,
You can count on me,
Sometimes she cries,
When she's alone at night,
Sometimes she weeps,
When she's feelin cold and weak,
Sometimes the pain,
It just tears her up inside,
Sometimes she cries,
Ooh, I wonder why
Mercy don't have a lover no more,
Plays with her pillow,
Stares at the bedroom floor,
Used to have a million,
They've come and gone,
No matter what she does,
She can't figure out what she's doin' wrong,
In a lonely night,
And in the pourin rain, you can count on me
Sometimes she cries,
when she's alone at night,
Sometimes she weeps,
When she's feelin cold and weak,
Sometimes the pain,
Oh, it tears her up inside,
Sometimes she cries,
Ooh, yeah!
Livin', lovin', givin' everything you've got,
After all the heartache,
Maybe give it all just one more shot yeah!
In a lonely night,
And in the pourin' rain,
The only thing I really wanna know is why
Sometimes she cries,
When she's alone at night,
Sometimes she weeps,
Ohh, when she's feelin cold and weak,
Sometimes the pain,
Oh, it tears her up inside,
Sometimes she cries.....
oooh yeah yeah! yeah yeah! yeah yeah! oh yeah!
05 So Damn Pretty (Should Be Against the Law) (03:33)
I got my act down got it down tight
Got a feeling tonight'll be a good night
Gonna see a million girls
Gonna grab one pretty
Take her around the world
Come on and spread your wings
Come on and let me in
You know it really ain't dirty
And not a sin
To have to hold
Love to squeeze
Come on and be my baby
Get down on your knees
Oh yeah, pretty, Pretty please
Oh, I need your love
I need it bad
Oh, you're about the best thing
I've ever had
Woah oh oh oh
lets get down to the raw
So damn pretty, should be against the law
Well I was looking at you
From across the room
Hoping that you would see me to
After half an hour of nothing to do
My feet were getting cold inside my shoes
It came to me from outta the blue
Come on you gotta grab her
Take her in the bathroom
By the light of the moon
Comin' through the window
Woah, I need your love
I need it bad
Woah, You're about the best thing I ever had
Woah oh oh oh, yeah
I said hookers
And whores
And a teenage slut
On the bathroom floor
I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love
Oh yeah
06 D.R.F.S.R. (03:17)
Dirty rotten filthy $tinking rich
Italian cars as long as my street
I'm gonna wear exotic animals
On my feet
Pretty rocks on my fingers
Pretty bells on my toes
Lots of caviar for my mouth
Maybe I'll even pierce my nose
BRIDGE
Give me, give me just half a chance
to lead you in this corporate dance
And I'll be dirty rotten filthy $tinking rich
Hu Huu Ha Huu Ho Huu
Sign it all in the palm of my hand
Nothing gonna get in the way
Do you understand
I got a house
I got a jet
I got a Rolls Royce painted blue
The only thing that's left
Is for me to own you too
BRIDGE
I'm gonna have more money than you have ever seen
Baby I just want all the frills
I'm gonna insluate my body in green (mee too)
I'm going to light my cigarettes with $100 bills
BRIDGE
Give me give me just half a chance
To take you on a hopeless romance
And I'll be
Dirty rotten fithy $tinking rich
I told you what I want
I want bank accounts
And I want cd's
I want early term roll overs
I want everything!
08 Heaven (03:57)
I've got a picture of your house
and you're standing by the door.
It's black and white and faded,
and it's looking pretty worn.
See the factory that I worked
silhouetted in the back.
the Memories are gray , but man they're really coming back.
I don't need to be the king of the world
As long as i'm the hero of this little girl
Chorus:
Heaven isn't too far away
Closer to it everyday
No matter what your friends might say
How I love the way you move
and the sparkle in your eyes
There's a color deep inside them
Like blue suburban skys
When i come home late at night
and you're in bed asleep
I wrap my arms around you
so i can feel you breathe
I dont need to be a superman
As long as you will always be my biggest fan
Chorus:
Heaven isnt too far away
Closer to it everyday
(Ah - Ah)
No matter what your friends might say
We'll find our way
Whoa yeahhhhhhhhhh yeah
Now the lights are going out,
along the boulevard
Memories come rushing back and makes it pretty hard
I've got nowhere left to go
And no one really cares
I don't know what to do
But I'm never giving up on you.
Heaven isn't too far away
Closer to it every day
ohhhh ohhh
No matter what your friends say
I know we're gonna find a way
Heaven
Whoaaaaaaa oohh ohhh
Heaven
It's not too far away
Whoaaaaaaaaa ohhh ohhh
Yeah yeah yeah
10 Cold Sweat (03:31)
I've got alligator shoes
And I've beeb makin' news
I've got plenty of women
I've got plenty of booze
(Give me a shot)
Walked into the spot light
At the local bar and grill
Find a down and dirty woman
Well I'm gonna take my fill
Look right into her bloodshot eyes and
Scream my honey, I'm gonna make you mine
I paid the tab
I called a cab
Went back to my place
Had a hell of a time
I get excited
I feel loose
I move to quick and I get
Caught in your noose
CHORUS
(And I sweat)
Every time that we touch
(And I sweat)
I get the chills up and down my spine
(Cold sweat) You bet, You bet
Its a midnight stage freight
Ice cold sweat
Ooh we went home
All alone
Then we turned down the lights
And unpluged the phone
Well I'm a snake
But I'm no liar
Makin' love to me is like
Pouring gasoinline on a fire
I feel loose
I move to quick and I get caught in your noose
CHORUS
All I want is a little action
Ooh a little bit of satisfaction
You beat me down
Then kick me out
So scream and shout
And shout shout
Oh yeah
Then I sweat (4X'S)
Sweat, (Cold sweat)
I get the feeling every time
We fu fu fu fu fu
You bet you bet
Ice Cold
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