Joe Ely – Musta Notta Gotta Lotta 

Randy had a post a few days ago about Rock and Roll Revivalists and I started to search a little bit and ran across a live version of this song. I love roots music and this Texan delivers every single time. When I saw the live clip of this one I heard so much of Jerry Lee Lewis in it. The title alone gets my attention really quick.

This song was released in 1981 on an album with the same name…OK, I want to type it again… Musta Notta Gotta Lotta. Now I feel better. You could see something happening in the eighties out of the top 40. You have Joe Ely opening the door along with The Blasters and then Steve Earle came on through along with the alt-country bands like Uncle Tupelo.

Ely has 16 studio albums and 20 singles in his career so far. This album charted at #135 in the Billboard Album Charts. He has charted quite a few in the Country Charts.

Ely’s first album was released in 1977. He met The Clash the year after in London and both liked each other. They both toured together a bit after that. Ely sang backups on the Clash hit Should I Stay or Should I Go.

He also co-wrote a play called Chippy about a Texas prostitute who counted around 6,000 customers. She died in the 1960s and had a quote that I will never forget. “Texas had the bread and I had the butter.” 

The man is known through the music industry. In 1990 he was part of a band for the house party for the premiere of Buddy that played some songs. That band included The E Street band members Max Weinberg and Gary Tallent along with The Crickets, Dave Edmunds, Steve Forbert, and Paul McCartney. Joe and Paul traded vocals on three Holly songs.

Musta Notta Gotta Lotta

Please understand me everything’s all rightI just musta notta gotta lotta sleep last night

I was high flyin’ down the riverside driveRockin’ to the radio man aliveStopped into a joint bought a round of boozeHot dog I got a buzz in my shoe

Please understand me everything’s all rightI just musta notta gotta lotta sleep last night

Writin’ you a letter it’s late in the nightSittin’ in a caffe honey eatin’ a biteI’m telln’ you about where all I’ve beenHot dog I’m gone again

Please understand me everything’s all rightI just musta notta gotta lotta sleep last night

Now there’s two kind of people in this big ‘ol townThere’s the early to rise and the late to go downI guess I better find a better way to stop the clockHot dog I like it a lot

Hot dog I like it a lot

Please understand me everything’s all rightI just musta notta gotta lotta sleep last night, yeah, hot dog

Please understand me everything’s all rightI just musta notta gotta lotta sleep last night

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

35 thoughts on “Joe Ely – Musta Notta Gotta Lotta ”

    1. The live version is what got me. I’m usually a studio guy but the live one is fantastic. I see what you mean with a piano.
      After writing this post…I want to see that Chippy play.

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    1. I love that quote…I’m hoping Phil stops today to see if he knows about Chippy since he is a Texas guy.
      I love the sound in this song and the intensity.

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  3. his live video was energetic. He seems like he’d fit into the category of artists I honestly wouldn’t be listening to at home or in the car, but might enjoy seeing live in a bar, or at least would have back then when I was more into going out to them!

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    1. This music live is what it’s all about. Much of his other stuff though…it’s different…not all in this same vein…he is varied. He wrote some cool country songs that were not the typical charted country.

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      2. Hey it shocked me he played with The Clash and Paul McCartney….the guy is known around…he also is friends with Springsteen.

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  5. Fantastic tune, very revivalist worthy Max and thanks for the Shout Out! We already had a brief exchange about this guy, I have listened to him for a long while. He has certainly evolved into more of a roots and americana artists I think. But man he is rocking out on this tune. Great stuff!

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    1. CB has sent me some of his music and I love it. Your post had me looking for more and this came up and it’s fantastic with the energy. Yea this does not represent his entire work…but it’s a great chapter! Glad you posted that!

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      3. Me my buddies really got into Lovett right from the get go. Not sure which one of us found him as we were not collectively Country Music fans but he was something different. You might want to start with Pontiac, not any hits as I recall but it gives you an good idea of what to expect.

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      3. The Texas Tornados? (No “e” – I wrote it wrong the first time) That was Doug Sahm’s band (he was the Sir Douglas of the Sir Douglas Quintet in the 60s…they gave themselves that name to sound British). Augie Meyers (his Vox organ player from Sir Douglas) joined him, along with Flaco Jimenez and Freddy Fender, to make the Texas Tornados. They wrote some songs in Spanglish.

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      4. Yes sorry about that. I was on my phone walking my dog….I started to type more but a 140lb dog had another idea.
        Doug Sahm I heard of… Wooly Bully I believe. I’ll check them out…Thank you!

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      6. This is not the first time I got them mixed up…why I don’t know. I even covered She’s About a Mover…but it’s been a while. Thanks… I listened to some of the Texas Tornados last night….I like what I’ve heard and the Los Super Seven.

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  7. That is one cool song I didn’t know. When I read “Musta Notta Gotta Lotta”, I automatically tried saying it out loud, and it took a few attempts. I’m not feeling 100% well (finally got my COVID shot yesterday!), so my pronunciation challenges may have had something to do with it. Once I got it, it wasn’t that hard to pronounced.

    For all others out there who may feel a bit challenged as well to pronounce this song title, the key is to stay relaxed and not try to hard – at least, that approach did the trick for me! 🙂

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  8. Joe Ely? Thousands of listens, numerous live gigs, countless collaborations. I wanted to get a JE tattoo. He said with a smile on his face “CB sober up and think about it and give me your keys” I did and got a “Wendy” tattoo instead

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    1. Lol! That’s good.
      I remember the times you sent me his music… I’ve been listening to him and then this one… he doesn’t sound like Jerry Lee… he IS Jerry Lee… in Ely’s style. Great stuff CB

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      1. He saw Jerry singing and ponding the keys. (Bobby Keys is in that video) from a flat deck when he was a kid. He has a great tune called ‘Fingernails’, kinda sums up his Lewis love. He is also a Buddy jukebox. Bottom line Max, all these guys/gals (most anyways) are rockers Joe is a living breathing torch carrier. My type of music. Thanks buddy.

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      2. I just looked up Fingernails…cool song dude. He has him in his drawl…you can hear Jerry Lee when he wants to. Glad you liked it CB.

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      4. I heard a few last night…that is a really cool thing he did there….thats a fan. He is really diverse…not just rockers but everything.
        I had some readers mention Los Super Seven that he was involved with also. That stuff sounds really good. Doug Sahm also got mentioned today…who I remember saying something about…The Texas Tornados.

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      5. Yeah I’m a fan of Joe’s and Buddys. After you hook into more of Ely, The Flatlanders might be a next step. Wherever you ear takes you. So much good music to find.
        Sahm hooked up with Gene Taylor of the Blasters. Cactus Patch Phil will know all about Doug.

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  9. I took a photo but can’t figure how to send it …. you’ll never guess what I found in a 2nd hand store in Glasgow yesterday – and bought! The JOE ELY album before the one you mentioned in the post.

    ‘Down On The Drag,’ from 1979. £6 it cost – not what I’d normally go for, but after reading your post, I thought ‘why not?!’

    I’ve only had time to listen to the first side, but it’s pretty cool. A great buy for what I paid for it.
    Cheers Max.
    🙂

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    1. I’ve been sampling his stuff now going back and he is everywhere on the map…and respected by everyone it seems.
      You got a good deal! Great timing!

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