Here’s one you probably don’t know from an artist you’ve probably never heard of, but it’s so good it warrants being featured as a classic song of the day. The song is “Starry Eyes” and it’s by a cat named Roky Erickson; he released it on Mars Records in 1975 to absolutely no acclaim whatsoever.
Roky Erickson was a singer/songwriter/guitarist who hailed from the great state of Texas. In the mid-60s he co-founded the 13th Floor Elevators, a band widely credited with pioneering psychedelic rock. He left that group in 1969 and embarked on a more-or-less solo career. His career got derailed a bit later in 1969 when he was arrested for marijuana possession; to avoid prison time, he pleaded insanity and was committed to Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Texas. While he was interred there he was subjected to heavy medication and electroconvulsive therapy, emerging deeply scarred and struggling with schizophrenia and increasingly erratic behavior. He still continued to write and perform, however, until his death in 2019 at age 71.
“Starry Eyes” is one of Roky Erickson’s best and best-known solo tracks. It was first released as a single in 1975 (credited to “R. Ericson and Bliebalien”) and again as a track on his 1980 album, Roky Erickson and the Aliens (also known as The Evil One). The song is a nice piece of Americanized pub rock with hints of fellow Texan Buddy Holly, a tender little love song built on top of a garage-rock pulse. It’s relatively simple musically, with the chorus using a basic I – vi – IV – V progression and the verses not that much different. I find it irresistible and am betting you will, too.
If this track intrigues you, you can learn more about the late Mr. Erickson and listen to some of his music at the Roky Erickson website. He deserved more recognition that he received while he was alive.
