Stiff Records Week – Ian Dury – Sweet Gene Vincent

Shall I mourn you decline with some thunderbird wineAnd a black hankercheif?I miss your sad Virginia whisperI miss the voice that called my heart

This song serves as a tribute to the American rock ‘n’ roll singer Gene Vincent, whom Dury was a fan from his teenage years. Dury’s love for Vincent began after hearing “Be-Bop-A-Lula” in the 1956 film The Girl Can’t Help It, and he remained a devoted fan throughout his life.

If you had to write a song about a great rock and roll legend…Vincent would be the guy. To get it right…Dury spent six weeks researching Vincent’s life, reading two biographies to write the song’s lyrics. His songwriting partner with this song was Chaz Jankel. Jankel has said he had to cut out a lot of lyrics otherwise it would have lasted 15 minutes. He also had references to some of Vincent’s songs. 

Chaz Jankel was in a former band with Dury called The Kilburns and when they disbanded…he got together with Ian Dury as a co-songwriter. They wrote the band’s most successful single Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart in January 1979 as well as reaching the top three in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

This song was released in 1977 from the album New Boots and Panties!! The song didn’t chart but the album peaked at #5 in the UK, #7 in New Zealand, and #168 on the Billboard Album Chart.

Sweet Gene Vincent

Blue gene babySkinny white sailor, the chances were slenderThe beauties were breifShall I mourn you decline with some thunderbird wineAnd a black hankercheif?I miss your sad Virginia whisperI miss the voice that called my heart

Sweet gene vincentYoung and old and goneSweet gene vincent

Who, who, who slapped john?White face, black shirtWhite socks, black shoesBlack hair, white stratBled white, died black

Sweet gene vincentLet the blue roll tonightAt the sock hop ball in the union hallWhere the bop is there delight

Here come duck-tailed Danny dragging Uncanny AnnieShe’s tehone with the flying feetYou can break the peace daddy sickle greaseThe beat is reet completeAnd you jump back honey in the dungereesTight sweater and a ponny tailWill you guess her age when she comes back stage?The hoodlems bite their nails

Black gloves, white frostBlack crepe, white leadWhite sheet, black knightJet black, dead white

Sweet gene vincentThere’s one in every townAnd the devil drives ’till the hurse arrivesAnd you lay that pistol down

Sweet gene vincentThere’s nowhere left to hideWith lazy skin and ash-tray eyesA perforated pride

So farewell mademoiselle, knicker-bocker hotelFarewell to money owedBut when your leg still hurts and you need more shirtsYou got to get back on the road

…

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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.

32 thoughts on “Stiff Records Week – Ian Dury – Sweet Gene Vincent”

  1. Great song Max! That’s a new one for me but I don’t think I could name an Ian Dury song beyond Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and Hit Me as you mentioned. I am impressed that so much research was done for the song. Gene really did come to a sad end the last few years of his short life. But he was talented and influential and should be remembered for that. I like the fact that the song followed a similar pattern to some of Gene’s with that slow opening before kicking it up.

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    1. I was going to say that…he put a lot of work in this song…and the way it flows kinda followed his music…which is a great thing. It sounds like a labor of love.

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  6. Ian was a character wasn’t he? Good on him for going to such effort to get details about Vincent into the song – I don’t understand half the references but I guess if I read the bio of Gene, I would. Boy the BBC censors must have loved seeing a new Dury record come in for perusal – ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock n Roll’, ‘Spasticus ‘, ‘Hit me with your rhythm Stick’…
    And yes, like Deke said, HAppy Birthday to you! Hope it’s a great day and you get to play hooky… but excuse me if I don’t necessarily hope the Dodgers give you a Japanese phenom as a present today, LOL

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    1. Well I’m here but I do plan to escape work early! Oh you know Dury sent them into a panic…look at the name of this album…I loved it. New Boots and Panties!! lol.
      He did a great job on this one.

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    1. He really researched this song…
      YES I am! I escaped work early….thank you!
      That is awesome about the heat!!! That is really important in January!

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  15. And all of this in broad Estuary English, which hardly anyone understood, especially not the Americans, that’s why “Sweet Gene Vincent” remained a very English success.

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