Ray Charles – Mess Around

After watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles at Thanksgiving this song has stuck with me yet again. Mess Around was Ray Charles’s first hit for Atlantic Records. The song was written by Atlantic Records president and founder Ahmet Ertegün. The song peaked at #3 in the R&B Charts in 1953.

Ahmet claimed his inspiration for writing “Mess Around” was Pete Johnson.

Ray Charles had 75 songs in the Billboard 100, 3 Number 1’s, and 11 Top Ten Hits.

 

Mess Around

Ah, you can talk about the pit, barbecue
The band was jumpin’, the people too
Ah, mess around
They doin’ the mess around
They doin’ the mess around,
Everybody doin’ the mess around
Ah, everybody was juiced, you can, bet your soul
They did the boogie-woogie, with a sturdy roll (?)
They mess around
They doin’ the mess around
They doin’ the mess around,
Everybody doin’ the mess around
Now, ah, when I say stop don’t you move a peg
When I say go, just ah, shake your leg
And do the mess around
I declare, do the mess around
Yeah do the mess around,
Everybody’s doin’ the mess around
Now let me have it there boy

[Piano Solo]

Now you got it boy

[Sax Solo]

(Yeah, ah, mess around, go on mess around)
(Mess around, boy)
Now this band’s goin’ to play from, 9 to 1
Everybody here’s gonna have some fun
Doin’ the mess around
Ah, doin’ the mess around
They doin’ the mess around,
Everybody doin’ the mess around
Now you see that girl, with that, diamond ring
She knows how to, shake that thing
Mess around
I declare, she can mess around
Ah, mess around,
Everybody do the mess around