Easy rider
Encyclopedia
Easy rider is an arcane United States
slang
expression whose meaning has varied with time.
as found in the old song "We Don't Care What Mr. Crump Don't Allow", based on "We Don't Care What Mama Don't Allow":
To the easily titillated
, the term referred to a woman who had liberal sexual views, had been married more than once, or someone skilled at sex. The term appears in numerous blues
lyrics of the 1920s and many popular early folk-blues tunes such as "See See Rider
" first recorded by Ma Rainey
and 1924 and later recorded by Lightnin' Hopkins
when with Aladdin Records
. Early uses of the term include the 1925 jazz
recording by Johnny Bayersdorffer
's Jazzola Novelty Orchestra entitled "I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Riding Now" (later covered by Mae West
).
a large population of Americans driven by poverty rode the railroad system and the term easy rider (along with hobo
and bum
) found its way into slang vocabulary to mean a slow moving train and the men that, even after the great depression, continued to live and travel along the rails. The majority of these trains, commissioned in the early 1920s, had the letters C.C. (for Colorado Central) or S.C. (for Southern Coastal) stenciled on them in bold white letters. This is most likely where the term C.C. rider originated.
C.C. rider also refers to a Circuit Court judge who served as a traveling justice system and meted out punishment to people who had broken the law. It is usually evident by the context whether the term is being used to describe a hobo or The Man.
era the slang term re-emerged with a modified meaning, where G.I.s on extended deployment in Asia or Europe (unofficially) employed children to perform the daily mundane tasks so common in the military like tending to barracks, shining boots, and the like, so a G.I. who employed a houseboy
coasted through this work and had an "easy ride".
Eventually young native women were hired to tend to individual living quarters and soon became lovers as well as maids.
When these men left and other G.I.s took their place, the women, accustomed to the workload, would remain to perform the same services, sometimes preparing gear or a living area for inspection better than the soldier could.
" cultural era of the 1960s and was first applied to women who practiced free love. A man who lived with this type of woman had a free or easy ride, since the woman still did most of the chores even though Second-wave feminism
began to have a major influence on women at this time.
The term soon acquired a negative connotation however as it became a derogatory way to describe a woman with whom a hippie
could live, then leave abruptly and who would not get angry if he came back later. Soon it was applied to prostitutes whom it was easy to fool or steal from or who simply traded their charms for a small amount of food or drugs.
in 1925. The song and others like it used the loneliness of a rider of the rails or wanderer as a theme in their music.
The 1969 movie Easy Rider
had wandering motorcycle riders as its characters, and due to the notoriety of the movie the term again acquired another meaning to fit into the cultural mores of the time to mean a good, usually Harley-Davidson
motorcycle.
Dennis Hopper
, the director of Easy Rider, said in the making-of documentary Shaking the Cage:
"An easy rider is a person that is not a pimp, but he lives off a woman; he lives off a whore. He's her easy rider. He's the one that she loves and she gives money to. He doesn't pimp her, but he's her easy rider."
Led Zeppelin
, although a rock band, was heavily influenced by early jazz and blues and make reference in numerous songs to an "easy rider." Most notably the song "Out on the Tiles
" makes reference to this free love practice and the cultural impact of it as he is both proud and ashamed to be seen with a woman known to be an "easy rider" while at the same time trying to hitchhike a ride.
After contributing his own music to the motion picture Easy Rider, Jimi Hendrix
was inspired to write a song of the same name on his album The Cry of Love
originally released in 1971. The spelling of the song title was altered to "Ezy Ryder," possibly indicating that the person in the song is named Ezy Ryder.
Hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa
had also called himself "Mr. Easy Rider" in some of his tracks.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
expression whose meaning has varied with time.
1900s
In the early 1900s the term took on the meaning of freeloaderParasitism (social offense)
Social parasitism is a charge that is leveled against a group or class in society which is considered to be detrimental to the whole by analogy with biologic parasitism .-General concept:...
as found in the old song "We Don't Care What Mr. Crump Don't Allow", based on "We Don't Care What Mama Don't Allow":
- Mr. Crump won't 'low no easy riders here,
- Mr. Crump won't 'low no easy riders here,
- We don't care what Mr. Crump don't 'low,
- We goin' to bar'l-house anyhow—
- Mr. Crump can go and catch hisself some air!
To the easily titillated
Sexual addiction
Sexual addiction is a popular model to explain hypersexuality—sexual urges, behaviors, or thoughts that appear extreme in frequency or feel out of one's control...
, the term referred to a woman who had liberal sexual views, had been married more than once, or someone skilled at sex. The term appears in numerous blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
lyrics of the 1920s and many popular early folk-blues tunes such as "See See Rider
See See Rider
The song is generally regarded as being traditional in origin. Ma Rainey's version became popular during 1925, as "See See Rider Blues." It became one of the most famous of all blues songs, with well over 100 versions. It was recorded by Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt, Lead Belly,...
" first recorded by Ma Rainey
Ma Rainey
Ma Rainey was one of the earliest known American professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record. She was billed as The Mother of the Blues....
and 1924 and later recorded by Lightnin' Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins
Sam John Hopkins better known as Lightnin’ Hopkins, was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist, from Houston, Texas...
when with Aladdin Records
Aladdin Records (US)
Aladdin Records was a post-World War II United States record label, with headquarters in Hollywood, California. The label was founded in 1945 by brothers Eddie, Leo, and Ira Mesner and was originally called Philo Records, before changing to its better-known name in April 1946.Aladdin Records...
. Early uses of the term include the 1925 jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
recording by Johnny Bayersdorffer
Johnny Bayersdorffer
Johnny Bayersdorffer was a New Orleans jazz cornetist and bandleader.Bayersdorffer was a popular bandleader at the Spanish Fort resort on Bayou St. John by Lake Pontchartrain. He is best remembered to later generations for his 1920s recordings for Okeh Records...
's Jazzola Novelty Orchestra entitled "I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Riding Now" (later covered by Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
).
Great Depression
During the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
a large population of Americans driven by poverty rode the railroad system and the term easy rider (along with hobo
Hobo
A hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
and bum
Bum
-Slang:* Buttocks* A term which is frequently, but not exclusively, pejorative, referring to a lazy person. By extension, extended to beggar. See also slacker, a generally ironic and humorous variant.-Places:* Bum, Afghanistan, the name of several locales...
) found its way into slang vocabulary to mean a slow moving train and the men that, even after the great depression, continued to live and travel along the rails. The majority of these trains, commissioned in the early 1920s, had the letters C.C. (for Colorado Central) or S.C. (for Southern Coastal) stenciled on them in bold white letters. This is most likely where the term C.C. rider originated.
C.C. rider also refers to a Circuit Court judge who served as a traveling justice system and meted out punishment to people who had broken the law. It is usually evident by the context whether the term is being used to describe a hobo or The Man.
World War II
In the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era the slang term re-emerged with a modified meaning, where G.I.s on extended deployment in Asia or Europe (unofficially) employed children to perform the daily mundane tasks so common in the military like tending to barracks, shining boots, and the like, so a G.I. who employed a houseboy
Houseboy
A Houseboy is typically a male servant or assistant who performs domestic or personal chores. Examples of its usage include:*An American slang term that originated in World War II for a native boy who helped a soldier perform basic responsibilities like cleaning, laundry, ironing, shoe-shining,...
coasted through this work and had an "easy ride".
Eventually young native women were hired to tend to individual living quarters and soon became lovers as well as maids.
When these men left and other G.I.s took their place, the women, accustomed to the workload, would remain to perform the same services, sometimes preparing gear or a living area for inspection better than the soldier could.
1960s
The term had a different meaning in the "free loveFree love
The term free love has been used to describe a social movement that rejects marriage, which is seen as a form of social bondage. The Free Love movement’s initial goal was to separate the state from sexual matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery...
" cultural era of the 1960s and was first applied to women who practiced free love. A man who lived with this type of woman had a free or easy ride, since the woman still did most of the chores even though Second-wave feminism
Second-wave feminism
The Feminist Movement, or the Women's Liberation Movement in the United States refers to a period of feminist activity which began during the early 1960s and lasted through the early 1990s....
began to have a major influence on women at this time.
The term soon acquired a negative connotation however as it became a derogatory way to describe a woman with whom a hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
could live, then leave abruptly and who would not get angry if he came back later. Soon it was applied to prostitutes whom it was easy to fool or steal from or who simply traded their charms for a small amount of food or drugs.
Effects on entertainment
The term appears in the famous "See See Rider Blues" song recorded by Ma RaineyMa Rainey
Ma Rainey was one of the earliest known American professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record. She was billed as The Mother of the Blues....
in 1925. The song and others like it used the loneliness of a rider of the rails or wanderer as a theme in their music.
The 1969 movie Easy Rider
Easy Rider
Easy Rider is a 1969 American road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It tells the story of two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South with the aim of achieving freedom...
had wandering motorcycle riders as its characters, and due to the notoriety of the movie the term again acquired another meaning to fit into the cultural mores of the time to mean a good, usually Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
motorcycle.
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
, the director of Easy Rider, said in the making-of documentary Shaking the Cage:
"An easy rider is a person that is not a pimp, but he lives off a woman; he lives off a whore. He's her easy rider. He's the one that she loves and she gives money to. He doesn't pimp her, but he's her easy rider."
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, although a rock band, was heavily influenced by early jazz and blues and make reference in numerous songs to an "easy rider." Most notably the song "Out on the Tiles
Out on the Tiles
"Out on the Tiles" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from the 1970 album Led Zeppelin III. The title of the song is derived from the British phrase for going out for a night on the town. Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham would talk about going "out on the tiles," meaning to go to bars,...
" makes reference to this free love practice and the cultural impact of it as he is both proud and ashamed to be seen with a woman known to be an "easy rider" while at the same time trying to hitchhike a ride.
After contributing his own music to the motion picture Easy Rider, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
was inspired to write a song of the same name on his album The Cry of Love
The Cry of Love
-Personnel:Band members*Jimi Hendrix – lead vocals, guitars, backing vocals on tracks 3 and 9, piano on track 1, production on all tracks except 5*Billy Cox – bass on all tracks except 5 and 10...
originally released in 1971. The spelling of the song title was altered to "Ezy Ryder," possibly indicating that the person in the song is named Ezy Ryder.
Hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
had also called himself "Mr. Easy Rider" in some of his tracks.