The Dead Daisies – I’m Gonna Ride

The Dead Daisies are hitting the road. Yeah, the hard-rockin’ Australian-American band is gearing up for a UK/Europe tour this Fall, but they are out the door musically too – leaving it all behind in the new video for their biker anthem, “I’m Gonna Ride.” Harnessing the frustration of our times, The Dead Daisies’ driving new tune makes it clear the only path to freedom is miles of asphalt and the sound of opening up the throttle.

Anchored by founder and rhythm guitarist David Lowy and accelerated by all-star hard rock players, The Dead Daisies are celebrating 12 years of recording and touring behind consistently heavy-hitting tunes. The new release is a reunion of sorts, with lead singer John Corabi, formerly of Mötley Crüe, and drummer Tommy Clufetos, who plays with Ozzy Osbourne and L.A. Rats, returning to the fold along with longtime lead guitarist Doug Alrich (Whitesnake, Dio) and new bassist Michael Devin (Whitesnake).

About “I’m Gonna Ride”

“I’m Gonna Ride” is the second single teasing the head-banging feast that awaits fans in the soon-to-arrive seventh The Dead Daisies studio album, Light ‘Em Up. This time around, the band trades the heavy riffs of the album’s first single, the title track “Light ‘Em Up,” for a locomotive thrust from the rhythm section punctuated by the band’s trademark huge guitar hits and soaring vocals.

As the song propels the listener forward, the singer lays out his impulse to ditch growing discontent – “people getting bolder and it’s getting pretty cold ‘round here” – and head for the timeless freedom of the open road. The bike can be the transport to new territory, but that ride also might represent hope for a larger change ahead: “There’s a new sky waiting.” A howling guitar solo gives voice to breaking out from head-crushing tension to reach those new heights as the miles race by under two wheels.

From the first beat, the video puts a stake in the ground with a pounding rhythm and statements about brotherhood and freedom, including Jack Nicholson’s famous quote from the classic 1969 biker film “Easy Rider”: “Talking about it and being it, that’s two different things.” Rockers and bikers are both brotherhoods dedicated to freedom that won’t be tamed. That swagger gets plenty of play as the video cuts between the band in high gear on stage and the motorcycle gang eating up the road. Wild camera moves take us on the trip, while skulls flash up to remind us that we’ve got to live life unrestrained while it’s rolling out in front of us. As the band punches the final chorus into submission, a fire-eyed skull explodes. Maybe a hard-rocking band and unbridled horsepower can deliver the freedom to conquer death for a while, by taking us on adventures into the unknown.