More sixties rock with my favorite sixties garage band…The Troggs. This song peaked at #29 in the Billboard 100 in 1966. In the UK most people would think that their most well known hit Wild Thing would have hit number 1…nope it stalled at #2 but this song rose to #1 hit in the UK…their only #1 hit there.
The lead singer, Reg Presley wrote this song. The band combined a pop touch with a garage band style for two top ten songs and four songs in the Billboard 100.
From Songfacts
Reg Presley says of this in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh: “I wrote that song while I was still a bricklayer. We recorded it at the same time as Wild Thing and either of them could have been released first. I liked the way The Beach Boys were going ‘Ba-ba-ba-Barbara Ann’ and it was lovely to do something like that in With A Girl Like You. We nearly had a trumpet playing it, but it sounded better when we sang it.”
This appears in the film Shine in a scene set in London in which David Helfgott has a night out on the town.
This song was used in the film Flirting in which it was played by the students at a boys’ school as a way of welcoming students from a girls’ school (who included characters played by Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts and Thandie Newton) to a dance.
With A Girl Like You
I want to spend my life with a girl like you
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
And do all the things that you want me to
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
‘Till that time has come that we might live as one
Can I dance with you
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
I can tell by the way you dress that you’re so refined
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
And by the way you talk that you’re just my kind
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
Girl why should it be that you don’t notice me
Can I dance with you
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
Baby baby, is there no chance
I can take you for the last dance
All night long, yeah, I’ve been waiting
Now there’ll be no hesitating
So before this dance has reached the end
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
To you across the floor my love I’ll send
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
I just hope and pray that I’ll find a way to say
Can I dance with you
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba bah ba ba ba ba
I love this song. I first heard it as a cover by Alex Chilton, which got me interested to hear the original, which blew my mind.
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I bought a single of the Troggs in he 80s and this was the B side on a reissue… The Troggs didn’t have a lot of hits but what they did I liked
I need to lookup the cover by Chilton I didn’t know he did it.
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The Troglodytes had a string of hit records and Wild Thing was covered by a lot of groups, coming in just behind the Beatles Yesterday.
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I’ve listened to the “Trogg Tapes”… very fun but full of obscenity… that was one of the inspirations for Spinal Tap…
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First time hearing this. It’s a catchy tune. I like the way they used ba ba ba ba ba
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It will stick with you….I bought Wild Thing…I think…or Love Is All Around and this was the B Side…have liked it ever since.
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Such expressive eyebrows!
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Catchy yep but the singers voice grates just a little…..love to switch him out with Alex Chilton…he would nail this vocal. though he may not have the same level of neck flexibility
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It’s pure garage style no doubt. lol… I need to check out Chilton’s version.
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