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.
A couple of weeks ago we looked at Bonnie Raitt in the late 80s…Here she is in the 70s putting a new bluesy twist on Runaway. It was her breakthrough in the Singles Charts. It would be 12 more years before she broke through big with the album Nick of Time.
Del Shannon and his keyboard player, Max Crook, wrote with this while they were playing a club in their hometown of Battle Creek, Michigan. Crook played a keyboard called a “Musitron” on Del’s version of the song.
The Raitt version of Runaway peaked at #57 in the Billboard 100 and #79 in Canada. It was on the Sweet Forgivness album released in 1977 which peaked at #25 in the Billboard Album Charts.
Runaway
As I walk along I wonder what went wrong With our love, a love that was so strong And as I still walk on I think of the things We’ve done together while our hearts were young I’m a walking in the rain, to the bone I feel the pain Wishing you were here by me to end this misery And I wonder, I w-w-wonder, why, you ran away And I wonder if you will stay, my little runaway, my runaway I’m a walking in the rain, to the bone I feel the pain Wishing you were here by me to end this misery And I wonder, I w-w-wonder baby yeah, you know why, you ran away And I wonder if you will stay, my little runaway, my little runaway Come back baby (Run, run, runaway) You left me standing in the rain (Run, run, runaway) Come back baby (Run, run, runaway) Standing in the rain (Run, run, runaway)
The Babys had a brief career in the spotlight and had some hits. Back On My Feet Again, Isn’t It Time, and this one. They were a good opening act for many bands at that time but although having a few top 40 hits never did breakthrough big.
Internal conflicts led to the founder, guitarist, and keyboard player Michael Corby being removed from the group by Chrysalis Records in 1978. The three remaining members of the Babys…John Waite, Wally Stocker, and Tony Brock completed the album for a January 1979 release. Jonathan Cain would join in 1980 and his membership would be shortlived.
During a performance in Cincinnati on December 9, 1980 (the day after John Lennon had been murdered), John Waite was pulled from the stage by an overzealous fan during an encore and seriously injured his knee. Following a subsequent final performance by the group in Akron, Ohio, the remainder of the tour was canceled, and the group disbanded following the tour.
They broke up in 1981 and John Waite went solo and had a number 1 hit… and Jonathan Cain joined Journey. Wally Stocker and Tony Brock would later play in Rod Stewart’s band.
Every Time I Think Of You was written by Jack Conrad and Ray Kennedy and released in 1979 as the lead single from The Babys’ third studio album Head First.
The song peaked at #13 in the Billboard 100, #8 in Canada, and #41 in New Zealand in 1979.
Every Time I Think Of You
Every time I think of you It always turns out good Every time I’ve held you I thought you understood
People say a love like ours Will surely pass But I know a love like ours Will last and last
But maybe I was wrong not knowing how our love should go (How our love, how our love should go) But I wasn’t wrong in knowing how our love would grow (How our love, how our love would grow)
And every time I think of you (every time) Every time I think of you (every single time) It always turns out good
Seasons come and seasons go But our love will never die Let me hold you, darlin’ So you won’t cry
‘Cause people say that our love affair Will never last But we know a love like ours Will never pass
But maybe I was wrong not knowing how our love should go (How our love, how our love should go) But I wasn’t wrong in knowing how our love would grow (How our love, how our love would grow)
And every time I think of you (every time) Every time I think of you (every single time) It always turns out good
People say a love like ours Will surely pass But I know a love like ours Will last and last
But maybe I was wrong not knowing how our love should go (How our love, how our love should go) But I wasn’t wrong in knowing how our love would grow (How our love, how our love would grow)
And every time I think of you Every time I think of you Every time I think of you It always turns out good
Every time I think of you Every time I think of you Every time I think of you Every time I think of you
Every time I think of you Every time I think of you Every time I think of you Every time I think of you
Every time I think of you Every time I think of you
Rod Stewart has gone through many phases of his career. He started off as a rocker and his voice was one of the best around in an era of great voices in the late 60s and early 70s. I liked the Faces era and his early solo acoustic-based songs a lot. His Mercury albums are for the most part very good.
This song was on the B side of the UK single of The First Cut Is The Deepest in 1977 and it peaked at #1 in the UK…In America, it wasn’t released until 1979 and it peaked at #46 in the Billboard 100 in 1980. I didn’t’ hear the song until I got the Greatest Hits.
Danny Whitten wrote this song while he was in Crazy Horse. Danny was a creative force in the group as their rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist. Whitten was battling a heroin addiction at the time and died a year later when on November 18, 1972 he overdosed and died. Crazy Horse released a self-titled album with this song included.
Rod Stewart recorded this song for his 1975 album Atlantic Crossing, which was produced by Tom Dowd.
One interesting note…
The Sex Pistols topped the charts of most major British music publications with “God Save The Queen,” which mocked the monarchy and the celebrations. The Sex Pistols’ song suspiciously stalled at #2 on the official chart, placing behind Rod Stewart’s version of “I Don’t Want To Talk About It.” There were many accusations that the chart was rigged to avoid embarrassment in the week of the jubilee.
From Songfacts
Nils Lofgren, who was also in Crazy Horse, recalls in the book 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh: “Danny was a very soulful man and a good man and he was the one who got me in Crazy Horse. I loved his song, ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It,’ and I think it is one of the greatest ballads ever. It has a very haunting lyric and put two lines into the song because Danny was so ill when he recorded it. He could still sing and play but he wasn’t bothered with much else. We said, ‘Danny, we’ve got to do this song, it’s a great song’ and he said, ‘It needs a second verse’ and this went on for months. He never could get it together and then we were in the studio and got in an argument, and he said, ‘Okay, well, one of you write it.’ I left the studio and wrote a couple of lines quickly and I said,’What about these” and he said, ‘Fine, let’s do it’. Danny and I sat opposite each other with acoustic guitars and Ry Cooder was playing slide on his lap and it came out beautifully.”
The Crazy Horse album was an assemblage of top-tier musicians and producers. Along with Danny Whitten and Nils Lofgren, Jack Nitzsche, Ry Cooder, Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina played on it, and it was produced by Nitzsche and Bruce Botnick.
It enjoyed just modest sales, but was adored by critics, including John Mendelsohn, who called this song an “unexaggerably lovely ballad” in his Rolling Stone review.
Whitten never got to perform the song with Crazy Horse, as his addiction pushed him out of the group. He was replaced by George Whitsell, who played on the group’s next album, Loose, released in 1972. Whitten picked up again with Neil Young’s band, but again his addiction led to his dismissal.
However, at the Christmas concerts Stewart gave in London that year, he was taken aback when his fans started singing the chorus to “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” along with him – continuing even when he dropped out to watch them. Because of their obvious enthusiasm for this song, Stewart’s label decided to issue it as his next single. Since so many of Rod’s followers already had Atlantic Crossing, a track from Night On The Town, “The First Cut Is The Deepest,” was included on the flip side and issues as a double-A side disc. The single went to #1 for four weeks in the UK.
In 1988 the duo Everything But The Girl recorded a cover version which bought them their first UK Top 10 hit when it climbed to #3.
They recorded the song at a time when they were frustrated with the lack of success from their first three albums and the constant criticism revolving around their change of sound with every record. Ben Watt of the duo explained to Q in 1996 that covering this song was in response to never being able to please everyone, stating: “When we did ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It,’ we were almost trying to say, ‘F–k you then! We’ll do a cover version, that’s what you really meant.'” Watt angrily continued, “And of course it went to #3, and completely backfired again!”
EBTG vocalist Tracey Thorn echoed Watt’s thoughts in 2012 to The Quietus when asked about the annoyance of the song being added to the beginning of their album Idlewild when it became an unexpected success. Said Thorn: “Obviously the trouble with having a hit with something like a cover of a ballad, you attract a whole new set of listeners. Which is great, but on the other hand they start to pigeonhole you a little bit, and there was a period around that time where for a few years after where we did pick up an audience that began to get older and expect certain things from us.”
Stewart sang this song as a duet in his concert One Night Only! Live at Royal Albert Hall, with Amy Belle. Stewart told the audience, “A week ago this girl was busking the streets of Glasgow,” and he felt that it was his right to bring her into the limelight because “I was discovered busking at a train stop.”
Nils Lofgren recorded a new version of this song for his 2015 solo album UK2015 Face the Music Tour.
I Don’t Want To Talk About It
I can tell by your eyes
That you’ve probably been cryin’ forever
And the stars in the sky
Don’t mean nothin’ to you, they’re a mirror
I don’t wanna talk about it
How you broke my heart
If I stay here just a little bit longer
If I stay here, won’t you listen to my heart?
Whoa, heart
If I stand all alone
Will the shadow hide the color of my heart?
Blue for the tears, black for the night’s fear, heart
And the stars don’t mean nothin’ to you, they’re a mirror
I don’t wanna talk about it
How you broke my heart
If I stay here just a little bit longer
If I stay here, won’t you listen to my heart?
Whoa, heart, my heart, whoa, heart
I don’t wanna talk about it
How you broke my heart
If I stay here just a little bit longer
If I stay here, won’t you listen to my heart?
Whoa, heart, my heart, whoa, heart
My heart, whoa, heart, my heart, whoa, heart
What I like about Zeppelin is change. Every album took a step in another direction. It wasn’t just the bombardment of hard guitars like the first album. They stepped into folk, reggae, rockabilly, soul, blues, country, and rock and roll. The fans and critics complained at times especially over Led Zeppelin III.
I’ve always liked this song. John Paul Jones’s bass stands out in this song. His bass in some Zeppelin songs is back in the mix a bit. The lyrics were inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien and similar themes appeared on subsequent Led Zeppelin albums. In this song they did what they did best…light and dark…soft and hard. The dynamics they worked on would later culminate into Stairway to Heaven.
This song was on Led Zeppelin II that they recorded all over in different studios on their first tour. They recorded this song in New York.
The album Led Zeppelin II peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Charts, #1 in Canada, and #1 in the UK.
From Songfacts
Some of Robert Plant’s lyrics in this song were inspired by the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of The Rings. The references are to the adventures of the Hobbit, Frodo Baggins, as he goes to “the darkest depths of Mordor” and encounters “Gollum and the evil one.” Plant later admitted in an audio documentary that he was embarrassed by the Tolkien references, as they don’t make all that much sense – a fair maiden wouldn’t be found in Mordor, and Gollum would want nothing to do with her anyway, since his only concern is the precious ring.
This is one of Led Zeppelin’s most enduring songs, but they never performed it live from start to finish while the band was active. It was in their set when Zeppelin reunited for a one-off concert at the O2 Arena in London on December 10, 2007. John Bonham’s son Jason filled in on drums at that show.
What John Bonham played as percussion to supplement his drums on this song is not clear. It sounds like bongos, but has been reported to be a plastic garbage pail or a guitar case.
The concept of the troubadour “rambling on” – going from place to place and constantly moving forward – is one Robert Plant embraced. In his post-Zeppelin career, he went from one project to the next, refusing to fall back on nostalgia. It was Plant who kiboshed the proposed Led Zep reunion tour in 2007.
The group Train covered this on their 2001 Midnight Moon album. Their lead singer, Pat Monahan, was once in a band that did entire sets of Zeppelin songs. Producer Brendan O’Brien heard Train’s version and agreed to produce their second album.
This was sampled by the Insane Clown Posse for the song “50 Bucks” on their rare album Psychopathics From Outer Space and was also the single that accompanied The Pendulum #7, a 12-comic series of the group done by Chaos! Comics.
Along with “Going To California,” this is one of two Led Zeppelin songs used in the 2019 indie film The Friend. The band agreed to license the songs at a much lower rate than usual after hearing pleas from the filmmakers. The movie tells the true story of Nicole Teague, a woman with terminal cancer. The songs were part of her story and played an important role in the narrative.
Ramble On
Leaves are falling all around It’s time I was on my way Thanks to you I’m much obliged For such a pleasant stay But now it’s time for me to go The autumn moon lights my way For now I smell the rain And with it pain And it’s headed my way
Ah, sometimes I grow so tired But I know I’ve got one thing I got to do
Ramble on And now’s the time, the time is now To sing my song I’m goin’ ’round the world, I got to find my girl On my way I’ve been this way ten years to the day Ramble on Gotta find the queen of all my dreams
Got no time for spreadin’ roots The time has come to be gone And thoough our health we drank a thousand times It’s time to ramble on
Ramble on And now’s the time, the time is now To sing my song I’m going ’round the world, I got to find my girl On my way I’ve been this way ten years to the day I gotta ramble on I gotta find the queen of all my dreams
I ain’t tellin’ no lie Mine’s a tale that can’t be told My freedom I hold dear How years ago in days of old When magic filled the air ‘T was in the darkest depths of Mordor I met a girl so fair But Gollum, and the evil one Crept up and slipped away with her Her, her, yeah Ain’t nothing I can do, no
I guess I keep on rambling I’m gonna, yeah, yeah, yeah Sing my song (I gotta find my baby) I gotta ramble on, sing my song Gotta work my way around the world baby, baby Ramble on, yeah Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, my baby Doo, doo, doo, doo Doodoo doodoo doodoo doodoo doodoo
I gotta keep searching for my baby (Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby) I gotta keep-a-searchin’ for my baby (My, my, my, my, my, my, my baby) Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I can’t find my bluebird I listen to my bluebird sing I can’t find my bluebird I keep rambling, baby I keep rambling, baby
I was watching WKRP and Johnny Fever was playing this song. I heard a few of the lyrics and found it. Although Johnny Fever is a fictional character…he has great taste. This song was released after Otis had died in an airplane crash in1967. Love Man was released in June 1969 and featured songs Redding had recorded in 1967. The album was produced by Steve Cropper, and featured Booker T. and the M.G.’s.It was on the album of the same name.
Matthew Greenwald of Allmusic said that apart from “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”, the album’s title track was “one of Otis Redding’s finest and most commercial sides that he cut at the end of his brief career.”
The song peaked at #72 in the Billboard 100, #17 in the Billboard R&B Charts, and #43 in the UK.
The album peaked at #8 in the Billboard R&B Charts in 1969.
Love Man
I’m a Love Man Call me the Love Man Oooh, baby I’m the Love Man That’s what they call me I’m a Love Man Six feet one weigh two hundred and ten A Long hair… Real fair skin A long legs and I’m-a out-a sight There ain’t no doubt I’m gonna take you out, ‘Cause I’m a love man That’s what they call me I’m the Love Man Make love to you in the mornin’ Make love to you at night now Make love to when you think about it I’ gonna bet you Everything’s alright ‘Cau…’Cau…’Cau…’Cau…’Cause I’m a love man Ooh baby I’m a love man That’s what they call me I’m a Love Man Say there goes a love man Six feet one weigh two hundred and ten Long hair… Real fair skin I’m long legged and I’m-a out-a sight My, my babe I’m gonna take you out ‘Cause I’ a love man Ooh baby I’m a love man Take your hand; let me holler one time…AAWW!
Love man that’s all I am now I’m just a love man Ooh baby call me a love man Yes I am, I’m just a love man Let me tell you somethin’ Which one of you girls want me to hold you? A Which one of you girls want me to kiss you? Which one of your girls wants me to take you out? Go on I got you, gonna knock you all night ‘Cause baby I’m a love man All right, Ooh, baby I’m a love man Let me tell ya! I’m sayin’ I’m just a love man, good ol’ man I’m just a love man, fancy man I’m just a love man, good ol’ man I’m just a…..
This is a powerful song by Neil. This song was the B side of Old Man. It’s gotten a lot of airplay through the years and serves as a cautionary tale for drug use. The lyric “every junkie’s like a settin’ sun” says it all.
Neil Young wrote this one about Danny Whitten, one of the original members of his band Crazy Horse. In 1971, Young went on tour and hired Crazy Horse and Nils Lofgren as backup. During rehearsals, Whitten was so high on heroin that he couldn’t even hold up his guitar. Young fired him, gave Whitten 50 bucks (for rehab) and a plane ticket back to Los Angeles. Upon reaching LA, Whitten overdosed on alcohol and Valium, which killed him.
This wouldn’t be Young’s only loss from heroin. Longtime friend and roadie Bruce Berry would also overdose on heroin just months after Whitten. Berry’s song is “Tonight’s The Night,” on the album of the same name.
The song was on Harvest which peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Charts.
Neil Young on Danny Whitten:“I felt responsible. But really there was nothing I could do. I mean, he was responsible. But I thought I was for a long time. Danny just wasn’t happy. It just all came down on him. He was engulfed by this drug. That was too bad. Because Danny had a lot to give. boy. He was really good.”
From Songfacts Danny Whitten was one of the founding members of Crazy Horse and was very influential on much of Young’s work preceding his heroin addiction. His influence is particularly noticeable on Young’s second album, 1969’s Everybody Knows This is Nowhere. Leading up to Whitten’s dismissal from the band and overdose, Young even attempted daily one-on-one lessons to try and rehabilitate his old friend.
As quoted in Neil Young: Long May You Run: The Illustrated History, Neil Young says of the tragic death of Whitten:
The song’s first line mentions a “cellar door.” Young and Crazy Horse, with Whitten, had played Washington DC’s Cellar Door club in 1969.
Young’s famous version was recorded live at the University Of California in January 1971, a year before it appeared on his Harvest album.
A solo, acoustic performance of this song by Young from Massey Hall in Toronto on January 19, 1971 features on his 2007 Live at Massey Hall 1971 album. He introduces it with a short explanation: “Ever since I left Canada, about five years ago or so and moved down south… found out a lot of things that I didn’t know when I left. Some of ’em are good, and some of ’em are bad. Got to see a lot of great musicians before they happened, before they became famous – y’know, when they were just gigging. Five and six sets a night, things like that. And I got to see a lot of great musicians who nobody ever got to see, for one reason or another. But, strangely enough, the real good ones that you never got to see was… ’cause of, ahhm, heroin. An’ that started happening over an’ over. Then it happened to someone that everyone knew about. So I just wrote a little song.”
This was one of the songs that Young performed at Live Aid in 1985.
Young made this succinct statement about the song in the liner notes to his album Decade: “I am not a preacher, but drugs killed a lot of great men.”
Flea, famed bassist of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, played the song frequently on a 1993 tour following the singer John Frusciante’s temporary departure due to heroin addiction.
The song has struck a long-lived chord with broad range of musicians. Over the years, it’s also been covered by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Dave Matthews, and Jewel.
At Young’s 1995 Bridge School benefit concert, the Pretenders sang this in honor of Blind Melon frontman Shannon Hoon, who died a week earlier from a drug overdose. Blind Melon was scheduled to play the event but canceled after Hoon’s death.
The Needle and the Damage Done
I caught you knockin’ at my cellar door, I love you baby can I have some more? Oh, the damage done.
I hit the city and I lost my band, I watched the needle take another man. Gone, gone, the damage done.
I sing the song because I love the man, I know that some of you don’t understand. Milk blood to keep from runnin’ out.
I’ve seen the needle and the damage done, a little part of it in everyone, but every junkie’s like a settin’ sun.
This was the follow-up to The Ronettes hugely successful debut single “Be My Baby.” Like “Be My Baby,” this was written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, and produced by Phil Spector using his famous “Wall Of Sound” technique. Be My Baby is hard to beat but Ronnie is fantastic in this one also.
The song was released not long after the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy, which put a damper on sales of upbeat singles. The Ronettes were never able to match the success of “Be My Baby.”
The song peaked at #24 in the Billboard 100 in 1964.
From Songfacts
Cher sang backup on The Ronettes version, and later recorded it on her own in a much slower, more dramatic style. Her version was produced by Phil Spector, and was released as the B-side of “A Woman’s Story,” which was Spector’s first production for Warner-Spector Records, his collaboration with Warner Brothers.
Twice, covers of this song peaked at #8 in the UK chart, bettering The Ronettes’ version. The first came in 1973 when the Welsh singer/guitarist Dave Edmunds recorded it as a homage to Phil Spector. Then in 1980, the American rock group the Ramones had their only UK Top 20 hit when their cover, which was produced by Spector, also reached #8. Edmunds’ version was the first single released on the Rockfield label, available through RCA.
Jeff Barry’s protégé Andy Kim took this song to #9 in the US with this 1969 version. Kim, who co-wrote the massive Archies hit “Sugar, Sugar” with Barry, grew up in Montreal and had never heard the song when he stumbled across it in Barry’s office and started playing it. “I see this sheet music and the chords,” Kim said in a Songfacts interview. “I pick up the guitar and I’m playing this song, and I’m singing this song that I had never heard of. Jeff walks in, and he says, ‘Hey man, I heard you through the door. I love what you’re playing, but that’s not how the song goes.'”
“We went in the studio and the idea was for us to make this record together, because it really sounded great in the office,” he continued. “To work with Jeff that way was the magic of it all. We went to A&R Studios – Studio A or 1, whatever they called it at the time. A huge room. Sat in the middle of this huge recording space with a microphone next to the guitar. Jeff went into the booth, and was kind of the metronome. He just clapped and hummed along the way – what he needed from me was to get one guitar down from beginning to end. I was able to do that five more times on separate tracks, and it would bounce back and forth. And if you do that, there are overtones and there is a sound without drums or anything. So that’s how the song was built – one instrument at a time. Drums were played by hand, percussion. Then Chuck Rainey came in to put bass on the song, and everything just glued together.”
Kim’s version was #1 for two weeks in his native Canada and earned him a Juno Award as his country’s Top Male Vocalist.
Baby, I Love You
Woa-oh, woa-oh oh oh Have I ever told you How good it feels to hold you? It isn’t easy to explian And though I’m really trying I think I may start crying My heart can’t wait another day When you kiss me I’ve just got to say
(Baby, I love you) come on, baby (Baby, I love you) ooh-ee baby (Baby, I love only you)
Woa-oh, woa-oh oh oh
I can’t live without you I love everything about you I can’t help it if I feel this way Oh, I’m so glad I found you I want my arms around you I love to hear you call my name Oh, tell me that you feel the same
(Baby, I love you) come on, baby (Baby, I love you) ooh-ee baby (Baby, I love only you)
Woa-oh, woa-oh oh oh
Come on, baby (baby, I love you) come on, baby (Baby, I love you) ooh-ee baby (Baby, I love you) come on, baby (Baby, I love you) ooh-ee baby (Baby, I love you) oh, oh (Baby, I love you) oh, oh (Baby, I love you) oh, oh
This is the first ELO song I remember being really popular on radio. The piano intro hooks me every time.
This song was recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany in 1975. Jeff Lynne wrote the song on a piano in the studio on the last days of recording, writing it very quickly.
The band’s recording for all of the other songs for the Face The Music album had been completed when Jeff needed another song. One morning, while the rest of the band was out, he sat at the piano and played the opening piano riff, which became the basis of the song. Later that same day, the rest of the band came in and recorded the backing track. The lyrics were written and recorded the next day at Musicland.
The line “There’s a hole in my head where the rain comes in,” was inspired by the Beatles song, “Fixing a Hole.”
The song peaked at #10 in the Billboard 100, #6 in Canada, #10 in the UK, and #8 in New Zealand in 1976.
Evil Woman
You made a fool of me But them broken dreams have got to end
Hey, woman, you got the blues ‘Cause you ain’t got no one else to use There’s an open road that leads nowhere So just make some miles between here and there There’s a hole in my head where the rain comes in You took my body and played to win Ha, ha, woman, it’s a cryin’ shame But you ain’t got nobody else to blame
Evil woman Evil woman Evil woman Evil woman
Rolled in from another town Hit some gold, too hard to settle down But a fool and his money soon go separate ways And you found a fool lyin’ in a daze Ha, ha, woman, what you gonna do You destroyed all the virtues that the Lord gave you It’s so good that you’re feelin’ pain But you better get your face on board the very next train
Evil woman, how you done me wrong But now you’re tryin’ to wail a diff’rent song Ha, ha, funny, how you broke me up You made the wine, now you drink a cup I came runnin’ ev’ry time you cried Thought I saw love smilin’ in your eyes Ha, ha, very nice to know That you ain’t got no place left to go
I’ve heard many versions of this song but when I heard Rick Danko sing it with the Band…that was it.
Long Black Veil was written in 1959 by Danny Dill with Marijohn Wilkin. Dill called it an “instant folk song.” One of Dill’s inspirations was a newspaper story about a mysterious woman who, wearing a black veil, repeatedly visited the grave of film star Rudolph Valentino.
Long Black Veil tells a compelling story from an unusual perspective. It is told from the grave by a man who was hanged for a murder he did not commit. He could have saved himself but chose not to because his alibi carried a terrible price: “I’d been in the arms of my best friend’s wife.”
It was originally recorded in Nashville by Lefty Frizzell, produced by Don Law. The peaked #6 on the Country Music Charts.
The Band’s version was on Music from Big Pink. The album peaked at #30 in the Billboard Album Charts and #18 in Canada in 1968.
Now considered a standard, it has been covered by many artists including Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Hornsby, and many other artists.
Long Black Veil
Ten years ago on a cool dark night There was someone killed ‘neath the town hall light There were few at the scene and they all did agree That the man who ran looked a lot like me
The judge said “Son, what is your alibi? If you were somewhere else then you won’t have to die” I spoke not a word although it meant my life I had been in the arms of my best friend’s wife
She walks these hills in a long black veil She visits my grave where the night winds wail Nobody knows, no, and nobody sees Nobody knows but me
The scaffold was high and eternity neared She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear But sometimes at night when the cold wind moans In a long black veil she cries over my bones
If this doesn’t get you going on a Sunday morning nothing will. Dance Little Sister was the B side to “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” released in 1974. Thank goodness for B sides like this.
This is a great album track by the Stones. Keith Richard’s rhythm guitar just drives you in the ground…it is relentless. Dance Little Sister was on the It’s Only Rock and Roll Album and it’s an album that to me…wasn’t up to the previous five albums standards. One reason could be that Jimmy Miller was not the producer. I do like the album though…it has the great title track and some other good songs…including this one.
The album peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Chart, #5 in Canada, and #2 in the UK in 1974,
Tracks like this make the Stones the Stones. Turn it up to 11 and have a great Sunday.
Dance Little Sister
On Thursday night she looked a fright Her pricky hair all curled, oh what a sight Dance, dance, little sister, dance
On Friday night, she all decked out Her high heel shoes, her dress so tight Dance, dance little sister, dance
On Saturday night she bass-a-dee She stepping high on Frederick’s Street Dance, dance, little sister, dance
I said, “Dance, dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance” I said, “Dance, dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance”
It make me hot, I wet with sweat It burn like hell, I’ve four hours left Dance, dance little sister, dance
Get next to me, drive me close Don’t mammaguay, I lose control Dance, dance with fire, dance
I said, “Dance, dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance” I said, “Dance, dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance”
Ah, jump out of Africa With a step that looks so bold Ah, when you’re kickin’ high It make my blood run cold
I said, “Dance, dance little sister, dance Dance little sisters, dance Dance little sister, dance” I said, “Dance, dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance”
I said, “Dance, dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance Dance little sister, dance”
On Saturday night we don’t go home We bacchanal, ain’t no dawn Dance, little sister, dance
I said, “Dance, dance little sister Dance little sister Dance little sister, dance” I said, “Dance, dance little sister Dance little sister Dance little sister, dance”
It should be illegal to hear one of these songs without the other. The songs were off ZZ Top’s album Tres Hombres released in 1973. The album peaked at #8 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1974.
Billy Gibbons got the idea for this song when he was a teenager. He was talking on the phone to a friend who was known as “R&B Jr,” who had lots of strange sayings in his lexicon. One day Billy was talking to him on the phone when he blurted out, “Jesus Just Left Chicago!”
Billy Gibbons: “The two songs [“Waitin’ For The Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago”] were written separately during sessions that were not too far apart. We were in the process of compiling the tracks for the album Tres Hombres, and that segue was a fortunate miscalculation by the engineer. He had been attempting to splice out some blank tape, and the result is that the two come off as a single work. It just seemed to work.”
Billy Gibbons on Tres Hombres:We could tell that we had something special. The record became quite the turning point for us. The success was handwriting on the wall, because from that point we became honorary citizens of Memphis.
From Songfacts
Also alluded to as “Jesus Done Left Chicago,” this track follows on from “Waitin’ for the Bus” on the Tres Hombres album – radio stations often play the songs together.
The Deep South is noted for its Christian roots, and in spite of the hostile reception rock ‘n’ roll received from the Bible Belt when it first reared its head, many contemporary musicians began their musical careers in or around the church. The most famous white rock ‘n’ roller from the Deep South to combine the two was of course Elvis Presley, who recorded the odd religious song.
Although “Jesus Just Left Chicago” isn’t exactly a hymn, it does have a spiritual dimension and is written more in the style of Black Christian music, adhering to a strict blues format. And Gibbons is actually known as Reverend Billy Gibbons!
Talking about this song with Rolling Stone, Gibbons explained: “We took what could have been an easy 12-bar blues and made it more interesting by adding those odd extra measures. It’s the same chords as “La Grange” with the Robert Johnson lick, but weirder. Robert Johnson was country blues – not that shiny hot-rod electric stuff. But there was a magnetic appeal: ‘What can we take and interpret in some way?'”
An early ZZ Top track, this kicks off the album Tres Hombres. For years, radio stations played it along with the following track, “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” keeping the natural segue on the album. This was an early casualty of automated corporate radio, as stations now rarely let one song flow into another like they do on the album.
In a 1985 interview with Spin magazine, ZZ Top bass player Dusty Hill said: “I’ve always liked that song. It’s a working man’s song. It’s been a couple of years, but I went to Austin from Houston and I decided, hell, I’ll ride the bus. I hadn’t done it in a long time. And you can meet some very unique people on a bus and in a bus station. I like to people watch. I love bus stations and train stations. The thing about a bus is who you have to sit beside. If the guy’s got good wine, it’s OK.”
Waitin’ On The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago
Have mercy, been waitin’ for the bus all day Have mercy, been waitin’ for the bus all day I got my brown paper bag and my take-home pay
Have mercy, old bus be packed up tight Have mercy, old bus be packed up tight Well, I’m glad just to get on and home tonight
Right on, that bus done got me back Right on, that bus done got me back Well, I’ll be ridin’ on the bus till I Cadillac
__________________________________________
Jesus just left Chicago And he’s bound for New Orleans Well now, Jesus just left Chicago And he’s bound for New Orleans Yeah, yeah Workin’ from one end to the other and all points in between
Took a jump through Mississippi Well, muddy water turned to wine Took a jump through Mississippi Muddy water turned to wine Yeah, yeah Then out to California through the forests and the pines Ah, take me with you, Jesus
You might not see him in person But he’ll see you just the same You might not see him in person But he’ll see you just the same Yeah, yeah You don’t have to worry ’cause takin’ care of business is his name
Gonna buy a tank and an aeroplane When she catches up with me won’t be no time to explain She thinks I’ve been with another woman and that’s enough To send her half insane
I was just going to post the lyrics for everyone to read…it explains it all…it’s funny and a great song. A favorite of mine from the Who. It’s a John Entwistle song with his brand of humor on display. He was married to his wife Alison at this time. It’s on the great Who’s Next album and was the B side to Baba O’Riley. It was released in 1971.
John wrote some good songs like Boris The Spider, Success Story, and Trick of the Light but he was in a band with Pete Townshend, and that makes it tough to be heard.
John (The Ox, The Quiet One, Thunderfingers) and Keith Moon made… to me, the best rhythm section in rock and roll.
On the studio version from Who’s Next, Entwistle sings and plays bass, in addition to performing the piano part and all of the brass parts…he’d also played the French horn on earlier Who records…
Run John Run!
My Wife
My life’s In jeopardy Murdered in cold blood is what I’m gonna be I haven’t been home since Friday night and now my wife Is comin’ after me
Give me police protection Gonna buy a gun so I can look after number one Give me a bodyguard — A black belt judo expert With a machine gun!
Gonna buy a tank and an aeroplane! When she catches up with me, Won’t be no time to explain She thinks I’ve been with another woman And that’s enough To send her half-insane!
Gonna buy a fast car, put on my lead boots, and take a long, long drive I may end up spendin’ all my money, But I’ll still be alive!
All I did was have a bit too much to drink And picked the wrong precinct Got picked up by the law and now I ain’t got time to think
Gonna buy a tank and an aeroplane! When she catches up with me, Won’t be no time to explain She thinks I’ve been with another woman And that’s enough To send her half-insane!
Gonna buy a fast car, put on my lead boots, and take a long, long drive I may end up spendin’ all my money, But I’ll still be alive!
And I’m oh, so tired of running Gonna lay down on the floor I gotta rest some time So I can get to run some more Yeah!
When Phil Lynott was a kid his mother Philomena ran an illegal drinking den in Manchester, England. Phil was often with his mother in this den. Some of her most frequent returning customers were members of the Quality Street Gang (a group of criminals operating in Manchester, England, in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s).
He would spend his time observing the gang, their mannerisms, the way they talk, and the way they fight. All of this observation eventually inspired him to write a song about them called “The Boys Are Back In Town”.
The song was on the Jailbreak album. The album peaked at #18 in the Billboard Album Charts, #10 in the UK, and #5 in Canada.
The Boys Are Back In Town peaked at #12 in the Billboard 100, #8 in Canada, #8 in the UK, and of course, #1 in Ireland where the band originated in 1976.
A big part of Thin Lizzy’s sound came from Phil Lynott’s vocals and the dual-lead guitar interplay of guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson.
From Songfacts
This gave Thin Lizzy worldwide exposure. They were popular in their native Ireland, but unknown elsewhere until this came out.
This was Thin Lizzy’s only Top 40 hit in the US, but they had several other hits in the UK.
Everclear covered this for the 1999 film Detroit Rock City. Their version was later used in the movie A Knight’s Tale.
This was used in commercials for Wrangler.
Thin Lizzy were surprised when this became their breakthrough hit – because they hadn’t wanted it on their Jailbreak album. Guitarist Scott Gorham recalled to Classic Rock: “We were playing in some club in the US when our manager came in and said, ‘Well, looks like we’ve got a hit.’ We were like, ‘Which song?’ Seriously, we didn’t have any idea at all which song it was that had taken off for us.”
“To tell you the truth, we weren’t initially going to put ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ on the Jailbreak album at all,” he continued. “Back then you picked 10 songs and went with those because of the time restrictions of vinyl.”
“We recorded 15 songs, and of the 10 we picked, that wasn’t one of them,” Gorham added. “But then the management heard it and said, ‘No, there’s something really good about this song.’ Although back then, it didn’t yet have the twin guitar parts on it.”
The Boys Are Back In Town
Guess who just got back today Them wild-eyed boys that had been away Haven’t changed that much to say But man, I still think them cats are crazy
They were askin’ if you were around How you was, where you could be found Told ’em you were livin’ downtown Drivin’ all the old men crazy
The boys are back in town (The boys are back in town)
The boys are back in town (The boys are back in town again)
You know that chick that used to dance a lot Every night she’d be on the floor, shakin’ what she got When I say she was cool she was red hot I mean, she was steamin’
And that time over at Johnny’s place, Well, this chick got up and she slapped Johnny’s face Man, we just fell about the place If that chick don’t want to know, forget her
The boys are back in town (The boys are back in town)
The boys are back in town (The boys are back in town)
The boys are back in town (The boys are back in town) The boys are back in town (The boys are back in town again)
Spread the word around Guess who’s back in town
Just spread the word around
Friday night they’ll be dressed to kill Down at Dino’s Bar ‘n’ Grill The drink will flow and the blood will spill And if the boys want to fight, you better let ’em
That jukebox in the corner blastin’ out my favorite song The nights are getting warmer, it won’t be long Won’t be long till the summer comes Now that the boys are here again
The boys are back in town (The boys are back in town)
The boys are back in town (The boys are back in town)
The boys are back in town (The boys are back in town) Spread the word around The boys are back in town (The boys are back in town again)
The boys are back in town again Been hangin’ down at Dino’s The boys are back in town again
The acoustic guitar part that Paul wrote to this song is iconic now. The first few bars and you know what it is without hearing anything else. This song added to the texture of The White Album. On the same album you had the bone-crunching Helter Skelter, the rock and roll of Back in the USSR, the great pop of Sexy Sadie, the hard blues of Yer Blues, and then you have this song. It was credited to Lennon and McCartney but Paul wrote this one alone. The White Album was released in 1968 and it peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #1 in the UK, and #1 in Canada.
Paul McCartney wrote this about the civil rights struggle for African Americans after reading about race riots in the US. He penned it in his kitchen in Scotland after he heard about an incident in Little Rock when the federal courts forced the racial desegregation of the Arkansas capital’s school system.
Paul McCartney met two of the women who inspired the song in 2016.
Paul McCartney: “I was sitting around with my acoustic guitar and I’d heard about the civil rights troubles that were happening in the ’60s in Alabama, Mississippi, Little Rock in particular,” “I just thought it would be really good if I could write something that if it ever reached any of the people going through those problems, it might give them a little bit of hope. So, I wrote ‘Blackbird.'”
Dave Grohl: “It’s such a beautiful piece of music, perfect in composition and performance, and in its lyrics and in the range of his voice. Just learning that song made me a better guitar player and gave me a better appreciation of songwriting. To me it’s just musical bliss.”
From Songfacts
Only three sounds were recorded: Paul’s voice, his Martin D-28 acoustic guitar, and a tapping that keeps time on the left channel.
This tapping sound is a bit of a mystery, although in the Beatles Anthology video McCartney appears to be making the sound with his foot. Some sources have claimed it is a metronome.
The birds were dubbed in later using sound effects from the collection at Abbey Road, where the song was recorded.
McCartney did not have ornithological intentions when he wrote this song. In England, “bird” is a term meaning “girl,” so the song is a message to a black girl, telling her it’s her time to fly:
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
The guitar accompaniment for this song was inspired by Bach’s Bourrée in E minor for lute. This is often played on classical guitar, an instrument Paul McCartney and George Harrison had tried to learn when they were kids. McCartney told Mojo magazine October 2008: “We had the first four bars (of the Bourrée in E minor) and that was as far as my imagination went. I think George had it down for a few more bars and then he crapped out. So I made up the next few bars, and (sings his four-note variation Bach’s theme) it became the basis of ‘Blackbird.'”
This is one of the songs novice guitar players often try to learn, as it’s one of the most famous finger-style tunes. The singer Donovan claims some credit for teaching The Beatles a technique similar to the one McCartney used here when they were on a retreat to India in early 1968.
The word “bird” had been floating around Paul McCartney’s musical lexicon since 1958 when the Everly Brothers had a hit with “Bird Dog,” a song about a guy trying to steal another dude’s girl. McCartney was a huge fan of the Everly Brothers.
There have been hundreds of covers of this song. Perhaps the most enduring is Brad Mehldau’s instrumental jazz version, released in 1997. The only charting version of the song was by the Cast of Glee, which took it to #37 in 2011. Other notable covers include renditions by José Feliciano, Billy Preston, Sarah Vaughan, Jaco Pastorius, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bobby McFerrin and Dwight Twilley. The Doves did a cover in 2002 for the soundtrack to the TV series Roswell.
The singer-guitarist Kenny Rankin recorded it for his 1974 album Silver Morning. McCartney was a big fan of Rankin’s rendition: when the Songwriters Hall of Fame induced Lennon and McCartney in 1987, McCartney skipped the ceremony but had Rankin accept the award on his behalf and perform “Blackbird.”
The “broken wings” concept had been fluttering about for a while, notably in Kahlil Gibran’s 1912 story The Broken Wings. (The Beatles song “Julia” uses lines from one of Gibran’s poems, but McCartney has never cited him as an influence on “Blackbird.”) In 1985, the American group Mr. Mister released their #1 hit “Broken Wings,” which was directly inspired by The Broken Wings and like “Blackbird,” used the line, “Take these broken wings and learn to fly.”
At the Academy Awards ceremony in 2016, Dave Grohl performed this song to accompany the “in memoriam” segment, recognizing those in the movie industry who died the previous year.
Blackbird Singing is the title of a book of poems McCartney wrote.
This is one of about 12 Beatles songs that McCartney often played in his live shows throughout his career. It lends itself to live performance because it is rather compact (it runs just 2:18) and can be played with just a guitar.
Blackbird
Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these sunken eyes and learn to see All your life You were only waiting for this moment to be free
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly Into the light of a dark black night
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly Into the light of a dark black night
Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise You were only waiting for this moment to arise You were only waiting for this moment to arise
CCR is one band that crosses genres. I haven’t met many people that don’t like them. I can’t say the same for my band The Beatles, or The Stones, The Who, and others. Country fans, Metal fans, Rock fans, and bluegrass fans. It’s something about John Fogerty’s deceptively simple songs that says something to everyone.
John Fogerty did almost all the overdubs for the band until the Pendulum album when other members contributed. Pendulum is the album this song is on. Time was running out on this great band. John said this song was about the impending breakup of the band…Tom Fogerty had told the band he was quitting after the album was finished.
John’s brother Tom Fogerty quit the band after this album and CCR was then a trio. Tom’s voice was close to John’s and he felt restricted in CCR. If you want to hear what Tom sounded like…check out this post by Christian on the forgotten Forgerty brother. Creedence did release one more album after this called Mardi Gras without Tom and it has a few good songs but it’s not up to their standard.
I could tell you my feelings on this song but just listen to it today and it will make your Friday even better.
The song peaked at #8 in the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, #3 in New Zealand and #36 in the UK in 1971.
John Fogerty: “That song is really about the impending breakup of Creedence. The imagery is, you can have a bright, beautiful, sunny day and it can be raining at the same time. The band was breaking up. I was reacting: ‘Geez, this is all getting serious right at the time when we should be having a sunny day.’”
From Songfacts
This song is John Fogerty’s take on the imminent departure of his brother Tom from the band, and the overall tension in the group at a time when they should have been enjoying their success. The line, “I want to know – have you ever seen the rain comin’ down on a sunny day?” refers to Tom leaving while CCR was at its commercial zenith. The flip side of this single, “Hey Tonight,” is John reassuring the band that all would go well despite the adversity.
Tom Fogerty left the group in early 1971, after this album was released. He released three solo albums before dying of tuberculosis in 1990. A fourth album, completed in 1988, was released posthumously.
According to John Fogerty, this song’s meaning changed for him over time. Introducing the song at a 2012 show in Arizona, he said: “This song was originally written about a very sad thing that was going on in my life. But I refuse to be sad now. Because now this song reminds me of my little girl, Kelsy, and every time I sing it, I think about Kelsy and rainbows.”
Fogerty added that this is his all-time favorite song, even though it’s one he wrote himself.
Musically, this song was inspired by the group Booker T. & the MG’s, whose most famous song is “Green Onions.” They opened for Creedence Clearwater Revival before CCR recorded the Pendulum album. John Fogerty loved the sound of Booker T. Jones’ Hammond organ, so he used it on some tracks for the album, including this one.
According to Stu Cook, this song and another track on the album, “Pagan Baby,” were written and rehearsed from scratch during one recording session. “Pagan Baby” was done in one take.”
This was used in the TV show Tour Of Duty, which was set in Vietnam during the war. >>
Bonnie Tyler covered this song for her 1983 blockbuster album Faster Than the Speed of Night. Her version reached #47 in the UK. >>
In 2006, Rod Stewart covered this song on his album Still the Same… Great Rock Classics of Our Time. >>
Allison Moorer covered this for her 2015 Down To Believing album. She explained why to Billboard magazine: “The record label wanted me to do a cover. I said ‘I don’t really think the record needs a cover on it,’ and we certainly have enough songs, but in the spirit of being cooperative, I said ‘OK, if you really want one, I’ll come up with something.'”
“If I was going to do a cover, it was going to be something that I had always wanted to do,” she continued. “I’m a huge Creedence fan, and that song might be my very favorite song of theirs. I’ve always thought it was the perfect country / rock song, and this record to me is a country / rock record, so I thought ‘If I’m ever going to this, this is the perfect time. I think what you hear on the record is actually the second take.”
As part of the CCR50 campaign to honor the 50th anniversary of Creedence Clearwater Revival, a video was commissioned for this song starring Jack Quaid, Sasha Frolova and Erin Moriarty as childhood friends in Montana. Directed by Laurence Jacobs, it takes a nostalgic turn when one of the friends moves away.
Willie Nelson recorded this with his daughter Paula Nelson for his duets album To All the Girls… The veteran country singer’s cover was included in the closing moments of the HBO miniseries Big Little Lies’ season 2 finale on July 21, 2019. The interest generated drove Nelson’s cover to a #36 debut on the Country chart dated August 3, 2019.
Have You Ever Seen The Rain
Someone told me long ago There’s a calm before the storm I know it’s been comin’ for some time When it’s over so they say It’ll rain a sunny day I know shinin’ down like water
I want to know Have you ever seen the rain? I want to know Have you ever seen the rain Comin’ down on a sunny day?
Yesterday and days before Sun is cold and rain is hard I know been that way for all my time ‘Til forever, on it goes Through the circle, fast and slow, I know it can’t stop, I wonder
I want to know Have you ever seen the rain? I want to know Have you ever seen the rain Comin’ down on a sunny day?
Yeah
I want to know Have you ever seen the rain? I want to know Have you ever seen the rain Comin’ down on a sunny day?
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