Lola Montez

Album: Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song details the life of Irish born Lola Montez, (1821 – 1861) who became famous as an erotic dancer. Her infamous "Spider Dance" ensnared King Ludwig I of Bavaria and she became his mistress. "She's very interesting if you look into all the details around her; she was definitely shady," Volbeat frontman Michael Poulsen told BraveWords.com. "I just thought, how the hell? If you read about her, there's so many things that come up. She's been all around, flirting with a lot of royal men. At that time, having the kind of act that she had with her Spider Dance… people were coming to her show, the miners were throwing their gold in front of her because she would be lifting up her skirt so they could see everything. She was very controversial, but at the same time she was very beautiful and all the men were totally drawn to her. It's a very interesting character."
  • Volbeat debuted the song during the band's appearance in June 2013 at Germany's Rock Am Ring Festival.
  • Singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom also tells the story of Lola Montez in her 11-minute epic "Have One On Me."
  • Poulsen told Classic Rock magazine about his writing for the Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies album: "I wanted to bring in some characters that people weren't so familiar with or maybe had heard a little about," he said. "Lola Montez is not a typical character, the same with Pearl Hart. I wanted to find characters who were a little bit deranged."

    "Mostly the inspiration came from books as I read a lot," he continued. "The same with Black Bart who is one of my favourite characters. Of those three names they are all real characters who were alive."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")Songwriter Interviews

Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.