For My Sunday Song #359, we are talking about the song “Monkey On Your Back” off Aldo Nova’s 2nd album, 1983’s ‘Subject…Aldo Nova’. The song was the first single off the album and although it didn’t make the Top 100, it did rise to #12 on the Mainstream Rock Chart which helped send the album to Gold status in the U.S. and Platinum in his home country of Canada. Not a bad start, however, the promotion was lacking and the album didn’t hit the level it probably should have as this is my favorite Aldo Nova album.

Before there was Bon Jovi’s Tommy & Gina, we get the sad stories of Timmy and Sally. “Monkey On Your Back” is about the monkey on your back and in their case that monkey is drugs. Tommy got addicted to Heroin and it took all his money and ruined his life. Sally had it worst, she met a guy name Willy and Willy was a pimp. He was kind enough to turn her into a prostitute and got her addicted to heroin. What a swell guy. Both tragic stories with no happy ending. The song is Aldo’s commentary on the drug problem in this world and how easily it is to get addicted and take over you life. It is a dark, disturbing world and something needs to be done.

The song opens with some pounding drums, a killer guitar riff by Aldo accompanied by some solo work by Aldo as well. The keyboards are massive adding to the whole sci-fi vibe of the album giving it more texture and color. Aldo’s vocals are aggressive and at times he even uses the talk box for more dramatic effect and this was before Bon Jovi did it. But the hero of this story is the guitars as Aldo is so underrated in this area. His mixture of the keyboards and the guitar are always great together. The song was probably ahead of its time but does sound a little dated, but when that solo kicks in with the robotic like growl, you don’t care one bit. You just want to rock out.

Give the song a listen and let me know what you think. Could this song still be appropriate in today’s environment as well? I think so. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful and Happy Sunday.

“Monkey On Your Back”

Let me tell you a story
About two kids in the city
See they both have a problem with life
And it isn’t very pretty

There’s a kid called Timmy
He used to be pretty witty
But then too many rides on the horse
Got him hooked and it’s a pity

Cause now he’s got a monkey
He’s got a monkey can’t fight it
Monkey
On his back he can’t deny it
Monkey
He found a dragon that bites
A hole in his arm at night
Where all the money goes

Monkey, monkey on his back
Monkey, monkey on his back
A dirty monkey

Well there’s a girl called Sally
She walks the streets in the city
She works down on the corner every night
Gives her money up to Willy

You see her man’s Big Willy
And when he met her she was pretty
But he gave her a habit that she didn’t want
Now that’s a pity

Cause now she’s got a monkey
She’s got a monkey can’t fight it
Monkey
She’s gotta walk the streets to buy it
Monkey
She found a dragon that bites
A hole in her arm at night
Where all the money goes

Monkey, monkey on his back
Monkey, monkey on his back
A dirty monkey

Well now listen everybody
Cause there’s a moral to the story
Clean up your act
Get the monkey off your back
Or you’ll be sorry

Keep yourself clean
Cause the monkey plays mean
He’ll put a knife in your back
Then the man in the black
Will show you a dragon that bites
And you’ll wind up with a

Monkey, monkey on your back
Monkey, monkey on your back
Monkey, monkey on your back
Monkey, monkey on your back

Written by Aldo Nova