57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON)

Live 16 Nov 1990 version

I bought a Hollywood house in the bourgeois hills
For a dump truck of hundred thousand dollar bills
Man came by to hook up my cable TV
We settled in for the night my baby and me
We switched 'round and 'round until a-half-past dawn
But there were fifty-seven channels man and nothin' on

Yeah well now home entertainment was my baby's wish
So I hopped into town for a satellite dish
Came home, tied it to my Japanese car
Put it, stuck it in the backyard, aimed it at the stars
A message came back from the great beyond
Son, there's fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Well like a wheel of fortune we were spinnin' that*
Wishing home night to the morning with our eyes gone fishing
Message up, we sat there on that couch 'till just about dawn
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Mmm-hmm yeah!
Yuh! Mmm all right now!
Noow... Oh yeah

Well we might'a made some friends with some billionaires
We might'a got all hot and horny if we'd made it upstairs
All I got was a note that said "Good-bye John
Our love is fifty-seven channels and nothin' on"

Well I bought a .44 magnum, it was solid steel cast
In the blessed name of Elvis well I let it blast
'Til my TV was in pieces there at my feet
And they busted me for disturbin' the almighty peace
Judge said "What you got in your defense son?"
I shouted "Fifty-seven channels
There was fifty-seven channel
There's fifty-seven channels and nothin' on"

Whoa, I keep switchin'
My mind's twitchin'
My finger trigger's itchin'

I can see by your eyes friend you're just about gone
You're fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

The above lyrics refer to the 16 Nov 1990 performance at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, during the first night of the two benefits shows for Christic Institute. This acoustic performance of 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON) is the live debut of the song. Check out from the second night, the live 17 Nov 1990 version. Check also the album's version (more details), the MTV UnPlugged version, the live 05 Jun 1992 version, the live 10 Jul 1992 version, and Teddy Zig Zag's version.

* Note that the third verse, "Well like a wheel of fortune...", was not included on the album's version.

Thanks Timmy Petersson (Terry at Greasy Lake) for the lyrics.

Song intro on 16 Nov 1990 at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA:

Oh yeah. Lord! Like the ???. Well... I think I know how I'm gonna do it. Yeah, this is a song about uh, loneliness, how there can be so much going on and, and nothing happening, how uh...