Brownsville Station is a rock band that started Detroit, Michigan. As a teenager, I believed that they were from Brownsville, Texas, U.S.A. The band started in 1969 with Mike Lutz, Cub Koda, T.J Cronley and Tony Driggins. Though over time it would change a lot until, I believe Mike Lutz would be the soul surviver from the very beginning.
The band was together from 1969 to 1979, then it had a rebirth in 2012 and can still be found rocking somewhere in the U.S.A. today.
Everyone knows the band for their big hit of 1973, “Smokin in the Boys Room”, did you ever listen closely to their song, “Kings of the Party” that came out the following year.
“Kings of the Party” was released in 1974 and was included in the “School Punks” album. This song would get as high as 31 on the charts and was a feature song when Brownsville Station would play on “The Midnight Special” in 1974. The song was written by Cub Koda, Mike Lutz and Henry “H-Bomb” Wreck in 1973.
You might listen to this song and remember the concerts of your youth. Crowded venues with clouds of pot smoke drifting across the concert hall. Police and security always struggling to keep crowds outside of the arena from slipping in. How many times did someone or everyone managed to get themselves on the stage and start gigging with the band before being beaten, carry off the stage or tossed into the crowd.
Now let us look closely at some of the lyrics in this song.
“All right now, get your ears lowered down to the speakers
So you can understand what I’m talking about.”
Remember those massive vibrating speakers that were in the concert halls. Now the first dozen rows could always feel the tremendous bass feedback from those speakers. Having once been a bass player with a Punk Band, I can tell you what the audience feels is nothing compared to what the musicians experience on stage.
“You know it seems like no matter where we go to play a concert at
There’s one thing that remains constant
From the beginning to the very end of the show.”
My personal experiences at concerts in the late 70s and early 80s were always filled with excitement, screaming, dancing and occasionally fights.
“You can always count on about one hundred to five hundred people
Down at the very front row screaming one word
At the top of their lungs…BOOGIE!!!”
I must admit, in my experiences, the word “Boogie!” was not used a lot. Things like “F__ing AH!” “ROCK ON!” and “” AHHHHH!” and other inaudible noises rang out amongst the sound of screaming guitars, drum solos, tambourines and clapping. With all the screaming, cheering, and breathing in clouds of pot smoke, I often could barely speak by the end of the concert and sometimes had sore throats for several days after the concert experience.
“And sometimes, the feeling prevails upon ’em so hard, beloved
But they just have to mount up on the stage
And get to giggin’ with the band
And when they do, uh-oh, here comes the security fuzz.”
For those who never experienced concerts from the late 60s to the early 90s, I am referring to getting up on stage as somewhat easier than today. (Most of the time) I can remember watching people get onto the stage at Eric Clapton, Queen, Tiffany, Ted Nugent, The Clash, The Young Canadians, and other musicians as well. I can also remember the concert security appearing usually embarrassed and dealing very harshly with those they caught on stage. The young man who put his arm on Freddie Mercury’s shoulder during “We Are the Champions” got hit from behind and fell into the audience. The teen male that kissed Tiffany was carried off stage, just to name a couple examples.
“Hey you guys are really good, man. I dig up on you guys.
When you gon’ play ‘Smokin’ In The…’ O.W.! O.W.! O.W.!
Man, you made me drop my bottle of wine on the floor.”
I also remember that people managed to carry in bottles of Baby Duck wine while attending a Ted Nugent concert. Brownsville Station was right on with this part of the song.
“Say, there you go
So we’re gonna dedicate this song to everybody listening
Because the ones that get into it
Are definitely, the KINGS OF THE PARTY!!!
Every Friday night there’s a concert in their town
You know they all get together and they’re ready to party down
An ol’ Brownsville Station really diss ’em, ’cause they get it on.”
Every city had active venues from hockey arenas to small out-of-the-way clubs that would be rocking on Friday and Saturday nights and sometimes other nights in between.
“You see the chicks they all go crazy, oh when the band begins to play
And the guys make so much noise, they scare all the cops away
But together we start to change the show into a rock ’n’ roll holiday.”
We’re the kings of the party, we’re the baddest people alive
We’re the kings of the party, aw come on, and slip me five
Now we’re the kings of the party, ’cause we’re the baddest people alive.”
Girls would expose their chests to the band and security near the stage. Guys would shout and wave closed fists into the air as the guitars screamed out over the crowd. The bands and lead singers often encouraged some of the bad behave of the masses through waves, words, and gestures. Some artists would give and take high fives, others fingered the audience and band members threw garbage at the audience at one venue. (Oh, for the days of Punk Rock!)
“We’re the kings of the party, we’re the baddest people alive
We’re the kings of the party, aw come on, and slip me five
Now we’re the kings of the party, ’cause we’re the baddest people alive.
Ten thousand eyes watching while we leave the floor
Ten thousand tongues screaming more and more
HANG ON! Let me see 10,000 eyes watching Brownsville leave the floor. That would translate into 5,000 people. BUT! 10,000 tongues screaming more and more. Does this mean that 10,000 Cyclopes were watching the show? Did everyone have two tongues? My head hurts at the possibilities here.
What about the fifteen hundred waiting outside of the door? What were they?
“So we’re the kings of the party, the baddest people alive
We’re the kings of the party, c’mon and slip me five
Now we’re the kings of the party, ’cause we’re the baddest people alive.
We’re the kings of the party, the baddest people alive
We’re the kings of the party, come down down on and slip me five
We’re the kings, the kings of the rock ’n’ roll party,
’Cause we get it on.
We’re the kings of the party, we’re the baddest people alive
We’re the kings of the party, aw come on, and slip me five
Now we’re the kings of the party, ’cause we’re the baddest people alive.”
Maybe Brownsville Station was the naughty people because they turned their audiences into two-tongued people or Cyclopes. It is also possible they played their venues to specialist audiences. Therefore, you could see why the police were scared away.
This is a fun song about an era that is gone. No one lights lighters at concerts, anyone. Flash Cube Kodak Cameras are long gone, metal detectors, body searches are standard, tickets are scanned, and life is very different.
Authors Note
As mentioned in this article, the song “kings of the Party” was written by Cub Koda, Mike Lutz and Henry “H-Bomb” Wreck in 1973 for the 1974 Album “Street Punks”.
No copy written infringement is meant and this review is for educational purposes. Parts of this article are similar to article written on “Vocal Media” in November 2021.
This review is dedicated to all the past and current members of Brownsville Station. A special shout out to the brilliance of Cub Koda (1948–2000).
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Catch the “Midnight Special” version of this song on “YouTube”
