She can make cold chills run up ‘n’ down my spine
Make me feel warm in the wintertime
This song is for Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams’s blog. This week, the theme is to find a song that mentions Cold.
I could listen to that 50s reverb all day long. Vincent gets overlooked by many who only know Be Bob A-Lula. His voice goes with that slapback echo better than any other singer. The more I listen to him, the bigger a fan I become. He could go from ballad to rocker in a split second.
This is one of those cuts that lives in that sweet spot between early rockabilly and straight-up teen rock ’n’ roll. After Be-Bop-A-Lula hit big in 1956, Gene’s life sped up fast, touring, TV spots, label pressure, and the constant push to follow up on that song. By the time he was recording this, he wasn’t just an up-and-coming artist anymore; he was a well-known performer.
In the bigger picture, this song shows Gene doing what he did best in the studio, grabbing a basic idea and turning it into something that feels alive for two minutes. The song was on the album Gene Vincent and the Blue Capsreleased in 1957. The song was written by Jack Rhodes and Bill “Tex” Davis.
If you’re building a Gene Vincent playlist beyond the big hits, this one earns its spot. It’s not a history-changing single; it’s a solid piece of teenage rock ’n’ roll that shows how good Gene could be
Red Blue Jeans and a Pony Tail
Got a crazy little cat that works down town
Cuts an awful lot of capers when I come around
She’s got the westbound Diesel with the evening mail
And a ooh-wee, red blue jeans and a pony tail
She can do more tricks to this heart of mine
Than ten little monkeys on a long grapevine
I know when she holds me, why I get so weak and pale
Ooh-wee, red blue jeans and a pony tail
(Rock!)
Yeah, she’s got more rhythm than a ten piece band
She can rock ‘n’ roll to the clapping of your hand
I know why they watch her like a train does a rail
It’s a ooh-wee, red blue jeans and a pony tail
She can make cold chills run up ‘n’ down my spine
Make me feel warm in the wintertime
She packs a lot of wallop, can be so small and frail
It’s ooh-wee, red blue jeans and a pony tail
(Rock again now!)

Indeed, straight up frantic rock ‘n’ bluegrass.
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I love this stuff obbverse. Something primal and catchy.
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Yes, when you hear this you can see why the parents of the first baby boomers thought it was the Devils music. It has a frenetic, rebellious and, as you say primal feel to it. And an unsaid sexuality. Very unsettling for Mom and Pop, seeing their little princes and princesses uninhibitedly gyrating away to this kind of mad music.
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Cool pick, Max! I cut my teeth on this music.
Stay safe out there, my friend.
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Thank you Nancy…my dad introduced me to this music…right now we have no electricity…waiting for the power to come on again.
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You had a cool dad!
Oh, damn! I hope you can stay warm, Max. Our house is all electric; we’re crossing all our fingers and toes. Good luck!
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Ours keep going off and then it will pop back on for a few minutes…stay warm Nancy!
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What a great nostalgic track 😀
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It’s a Jitterbug kinda morning ova here! This was a fun choice.
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Yes it is! Thanks for dropping by… We need some kind of happiness with this weather we are having…no electricity and around 10 outside.
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I’m an Alaskan and we were below -15 usually hovering around -30 for a full month. Our coldest winter since 1976 so you have my sympathy. We did not have the power outages either.
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Oh wow…my uncle moved there in the 60s and had a singing career and he found a gold mine there. I always wanted to go.
Yea whenever it sleets here we have power outages…
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Nice choice, Max. Cliff Gallup was the lead guitarist for Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps in the 1950s. Gene Vincent’s backing band played with the Beatles at their Shea stadium concert, but Vincent himself did not.
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He was probably still over in the UK… the guy made a career over there in the 60s before he passed…I love his music.
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Gene Vincent is almost hot enough to bring the temperature up to zero this morning!
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I agree with that! Vincent is always great to listen to.
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Ooh! And it’s now up to 1º! First time above zero since Thursday afternoon.
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You make me feel guilty bitching at all! Stay warm!
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Great song and I agree with everything you say about it and Gene. Just a shame his career ended the way it did and he’s not remembered as much as others from that time.
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I know…and I don’t understand it. There are some documentaries with him in the UK that are really good.
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Yes he did well with his move there. Kinda wish he had not missed when he tried to shoot Gary Glitter. Guy is a pariah.
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A name that gets lost in the shuffle at times when thinking of rock’s early days
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And he shouldn’t at all…a great rocker.
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Certain people always get my attention. Gene is one of them.
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Yea man…I always liked him but your enthusiasm for him got me to take a deeper look…the man had some great songs that should have been know but wasn’t.
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Very coolMax. Yurear has guided you. I have Gene at the top of that original bunch of rockers and there where a lot of good ones. Jerry Lee is right up there. Something just a little more uncensored about Gene plus the band was great. Cliff had the sound.
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Rawness and danger comes from hims… the only one that I think of that is Jerry Lee.
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The Catman!
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Nothing short of classic. I need to really go deeper with his stuff. Not only has music brought us all together, but with this mega storm, the weather as well.
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Yes it has! I just love Gene Vincent…one of the great rockers but doesn’t get the attention that the others get.
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Great song! Coincidentally, Gene Vincent had been on my short list for my post today. In the end, I decided to go with fellow rockabilly artist Carl Perkins.
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You can’t lose either way Christian…I’ll be over soon…I’m working off of my hot spot on my phone.
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Oh, jeez, did you guys lose power?
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Yes we did…mutilple times…at midnight last night…then it came on at 3 or so and went off again at 8…and then came on again at 9 and it just went off again but came back on…I would rather have this than completely out! At least our house is still warm.
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Yeah, for sure. Luckily, we haven’t lost power – yet. But the worst of the winter storm seems to be behind us. One thing I will say is I take Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound on “Let It Be” any day over the Wall of Snow the plough leaves in front of my driveway every time they clear the road!😆
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A tree fell over all the &^%$ powerlines on our road…we are screwed…at least until tomorrow. This sucks!
YES…that is ONE time I’ll take the Spector way LOL
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Oh, dang it, I’m sorry! This happened to us back in December, the day prior to my departure to Germany to visit my dad for Christmas. Hope they will fix it soon.
I never understood why in this country there are so many overhead electric powerlines. They are accidents waiting to happen!
I was concerned we’d lose power because of the winter storm. But luckily nothing bad has happened thus far, and I think the worst is over.
Yesterday, we bought a generator at the last minute, so we would have been prepared. Obviously, I much prefer we didn’t have to use it. Plus, the next severe weather will probably be here before we know it!
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Thanks Christian… yea I have no clue why they are not underground. Now THAT I would gladly pay extra for that. Some cities here do have that.
We are cold and miserable right now. We tested the fireplace today and it worked and smoke came out but… no way to test carbon dioxide… it hasn’t been used in 20 years… or inspected… I couldn’t use it and sleep well… I’d be worried what it is letting off or if it’s not cleaned enough and catch fire…
What sucks is it’s right up the street… everyone in front of the tree has power.
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I’m sorry and keep fingers crossed for you guys!
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I liked this one!
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