Wet Willie – Street Corner Serenade

This song is a burst of street music with a saxophone leading the way and a great groove. It has a sprawling feel like some Springsteen, Van Morrison, and Thin Lizzy had. I heard this band a lot growing up with songs like Weekend and Keep On Smiling, probably their biggest hit. Their lead singer, Jimmy Hall, has a hell of a voice as well. 

When I posted about them before…I’ll say the same thing. First, let’s get this out of the way… wet–willy. Noun. (plural wet willies) (slang) A prank whereby a saliva-moistened finger is inserted into an unsuspecting person’s ear, often with a slight twisting motion… Oh yes…I’ve given them and have been on the receiving end. When you are 12, given wet willies were/are a lot of fun….oh wait…that was yesterday!

Wet Willie began as a blues-rock band during the  Summer of 1969 in Mobile, Alabama. The original nucleus of the group that eventually became known as Wet Willie was called Fox. Wet Willie eventually moved to Macon, Georgia, and signed to Capricorn Records, sharing the label with The Allman Brothers and The Marshall Tucker Band. Still, they really didn’t have a Southern rock sound.

The song was written by Jimmy Hall, the band’s lead singer and harmonica player. He built it around something simple, a street musician playing for spare change, trying to get through the day. Hall’s vocal carries that idea. There’s a sense of distance in it, but also some understanding of the situation.

The track connected on the radio, which helped push their 1977 album Mannorisms up a bit. It also gave the band a song that defined them for a lot of listeners. Over time, it’s held up as a snapshot of that moment when Southern rock still had room for R&B, gospel, and bar band roots all at once. The song peaked at #30 on the Billboard 100 and #30 in Canada in 1977. 

Street Corner Serenade

Down on the corner back in my home townMe and the fellows used to gather roundWe sang a song with a happy beatI can still hear that harmony

When we sang de de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoaDe de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoaYeah, yeahDe de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoaDe de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa

Guido, he’s the one that sang down lowCrazy Johnny was a baritoneI’m the one who took the leadAnd Little Jackie made our song complete

When he sang de de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Make me feel all right)De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoaDe de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(I can sing all night)De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa

When a pretty girl would come strolling byWe’d try so hard to catch her eyeWhen she stopped to check us outThat’s when we really sing it out loud

Like this:De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Make me feel all right)De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Oh, yeah, yeah)De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Come on, sing it now)De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa

I still think about those happy daysAnd our street corner serenadeMaybe someday we’ll get together againDown on the corner, me and my old friends

We’ll sing de de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Make me feel all right)

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(We could sing all night)

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Come on, sing it with me)

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Come on and feel all right)

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Come on people, now)

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(just sing it with me)De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Come on and feel all right)

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoaYeah yeah

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoaI can sing all night

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoaYeah

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa

De de de de deetWhoa, whoa, whoa

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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.

23 thoughts on “Wet Willie – Street Corner Serenade”

  1. Pingback: Wet Willie – Street Corner Serenade – MobsterTiger

  4. Jimmy Hall has a great voice. Loved his 80s solo hit “I’m Happy That Love Has Found You”. Have looked into a little of his other solo stuff, but I need to hear more. Only know the big stuff from Wet Willie too. Nice one.

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  7. I don’t remember this one at all, but it’s likable enough. Kind of an instant toe-tapper. All I remember from them is ‘Weekend’ . This would go well in a mix with maybe upbeat Doobie Bros. and maybe The Sweet (who come to mind I suppose due to their song ‘Little Willie’)

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      1. No, it’s odd, that one seemed to have passed Toronto by. ‘Weekend’ did well though. Yep, the sax and the perkiness would not have me guessing they were Macon Capricorn lads.

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