Rock Creek Park: The meaning behind the hit song

In 1975, Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds had a hit record Rock Creek Park which rose to number 37 on the Billboard charts. The song was based on a location within the city limits of Washington DC. where the group was formed.

Rock Creek Park is 1,754 acres and the third US park to be designated by the federal government. In the above image, you can see where the park got its name.

The song has a great dance beat and has since been sampled by numerous artists, including Eric B, Rakim, Ice Cube, De La Soul, Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five, and Nas.

In 1973, jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd and some of his students from Howard University had their first hit, Walking in Rhythm which has a beautiful melody and harmony.

The original Black Byrds consisted of Keith Killgo (drums and vocals), Kevin Toney (keyboards), Joe Hall (bass guitar), Allan Barnes (saxophone, clarinet), and Barney Perry (guitar), Orville Saunders (guitar), and Jay Jones (flute, saxophone) joined the group later.

Merry Clayton lent her vocals to "Rock Creek Park" and "Happy Music." The group signed to the Fantasy Records label, and "Walking in Rhythm won a Grammy nomination and sold over one million copies. The song later won a gold disc.

The members of The Blackbyrds knew Rock Creek Park well. They spent much time there playing sports, fishing, and just getting away from urban life. The song's lyrics are quite simple and repeated over and over.

Doing it in the dark,

doing it in the park,

Ooh yeah Rock Creek Park,

Ooh Yeah Rock Creek Park

Rock Creek Park begins with a groove the band members came up with when they were in New Jersey opening for the Commodores. While they were working on the music in the studio, drummer Keith Killgo came up with the line "In Rock Creek Park".

The rest of the band joined in, and Killgo told The Washington Post. "That rhythm made you feel the park." "The sound feels like the park." The female vocalist whose voice is heard saying, "do it!" is Merry Clayton, who can also be heard on the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter."

You may have an opinion about what the song is saying to do after dark, but it's not what most people might assume. When asked about the meaning of "Doing it" the band members replied that it was having fun after dark in the park.

They did not specify, but if you grew up in the 1970s, you can recall fun in the parks. This could be just hanging out, drinking, getting high, or romance. Back in the day many people would hang out at parks to smoke marijuana. The song is interpretive to whatever someone wants to do in the dark in the park.

At the time it was written, some people probably went to the park just to listen to music or sit and relax. If the area was well-lit and there was a basketball court, there would have been guys playing basketball until the lights went out. In the 1970s, it was also common to have concerts in various parks.

Rock Creek Park was from the Album City Life, which was number 3 on the Soul Charts and number 4 on the Jazz charts. Today, "doing it in the dark" is not recommended as there are safety concerns at the DC park.

Key hazards include traffic, high water pollution levels, and the need for situational awareness.

Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, the founder of the group, passed away on February 4, 2013, but the Blackbyrds continue to perform for their fans.