This song has been played a bunch on the radio but Joe Walsh’s intro doesn’t get old to me. The song peaked at #59 in the Billboard 100 in 1971.
The James Gang is best known for their guitarist, Joe Walsh, whose playing on this track helped establish him as a superstar guitarist. Walsh joined the Cleveland-based group in 1969 after making a name for himself as one of the top guitarists in Ohio. He replaced Glenn Schwartz in the band, who Walsh considers a mentor. They were a 5-piece when Walsh joined but was down to three when they released their second album James Gang Rides Again.
From Songfacts
With just three members, it meant Walsh had to play both rhythm and lead guitar parts, and also sing (he got a lot more help when he joined the Eagles in 1975). It was quite a learning experience for Walsh, who left the James Gang in 1971 after recording three studio albums with the group.
It was the producer Bill Szymczyk who signed the James Gang to ABC Records after seeing them perform at a show in Ohio. Szymczyk produced the band and began a long association with Joe Walsh, producing his solo albums and most of the Eagles output in the ’70s.
Walsh wrote this song with his bandmates, drummer Jim Fox and bass player Dale Peters. The song is about a girlfriend whose wild ways the singer just can’t tame (the female equivalent of Joe Walsh’s character in his solo hit “Life’s Been Good”). There isn’t much in the way of lyrics, as the song is mostly a showcase for Walsh’s guitar work. He explained in the book The Guitar Greats, “I came up with the basic guitar lick, and the words never really impressed me intellectually, but they seemed to fit somehow. It was a really good example of how we put things together, bearing in mind that it was a three-piece group, and I don’t think that there was any overdubbing. The only thing we really added was the percussion middle part, which the three of us actually played, putting some parts on top of the drums, but that’s the three-piece James Gang, and that’s the energy and kind of the symmetry we were all about.”
The first James Gang album (Yer’ Album, 1969) contained the track “Funk #48,” which according to producer Bill Szymczyk, got its title “out of thin air.” When they came up with what would become “Funk #49,” they were once again faced with no logical title based on the lyrics, and followed the sequence. There was a “Funk 50,” but not until Joe Walsh released it on his 2012 album Analog Man after being asked to rework “Funk #49” for the ESPN show Sunday NFL Countdown.
“Funk #49” became a staple of Album Oriented Rock and Classic Rock radio, but it wasn’t the biggest chart hit for the James Gang – that would be “Walk Away,” which made #51 in 1971 and was later reworked for Walsh’s 1976 solo album You Can’t Argue with a Sick Mind. “Funk #49” is one of Joe Walsh’s most popular songs, and by the mid-’70s he admitted that he couldn’t stand playing it anymore, but did so because fans loved it.
Funk #49
Uh, sleep all day, out all night, I know where you’re going. I don’t that’s a-acting right, You don’t think it’s showing. A-jumpin’ up, fallin’ down, Don’t misunderstand me. You don’t think that I know your plan, What you try’n to hand me?
Out all night, sleep all day, I know what you’re doing. If you’re gonna a-act that way, Think there’s trouble brewing.
After posting about Blinded By The Light yesterday…I was commenting with jeremyjames (Jeremy in Hong Kong) and he mentioned this song which was on the Greetings From Asbury Park debut album by Bruce Springsteen. I started to listen to this album in the 80s and it has remained one of my favorite albums by Springsteen.
I wrote this about the album last summer and started to listen to the album again Saturday afternoon. This was one of the many songs off the album that I liked at first listen and was surprised that I remembered most of the words to the song right off the bat.
“Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?” is a journey through an enjoyable play of words. It was written about a bus journey to a girlfriend’s house. Here is a sample of a verse
“Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps Interstellar mongrel nymphs Rex said that lady left him limp Love’s like that (sure it is) Queen of diamonds, ace of spades Newly discovered lovers of the Everglades They take out a full-page ad in the trades To announce their arrival And Mary Lou, she found out how to cope She rides to heaven on a gyroscope The Daily News asks her for the dope She said, “Man, the dope’s that there’s still hope”
From Songfacts
This song is based on people and places Springsteen met in his early years as a songwriter. His father was a bus driver for a time, which helped inspire the song.
The barrage of images in the lyrics helped earn Springsteen the tag “The New Dylan,” a comparison he played down. He moved away from the Dylan style by writing less introspective, harder rocking songs on his next album, The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle.
This song started with the lyrics, something Springsteen did from time to time when he started out as a songwriter. Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. was his first album, and it marked a turning point in his songwriting: Instead of keeping the lyrics as simple and repetitive as possible to accommodate the bars he was playing with his bands, he started using elaborate wordplay to tell different stories, often within the same song – something you could do in a recording studio but not in a noisy club. This song makes passing reference to a number of characters but leaves the listener to decide their fates. Just what becomes of Mary Lou, the mongrel nymphs and the lucky, young matador who catches the rose is in the ear of the beholder.
Joan Fontaine pops up in the lyrics for no apparent reason:
Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine
advertiser on a downtown train
She was an actress who starred in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rebecca.
Does This Bus Stop At 52nd Street?
Hey bus driver, keep the change Bless your children, give them names Don’t trust men who walk with canes Drink this and you’ll grow wings on your feet Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine Advertiser on a downtown train Christmas crier bustin’ cane He’s in love again
Where dock worker’s dreams mix with panther’s schemes To someday own the rodeo Tainted women in VistaVision Perform for out-of-state kids at the late show
Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps Interstellar mongrel nymphs Rex said that lady left him limp Love’s like that (sure it is) Queen of diamonds, ace of spades Newly discovered lovers of the Everglades They take out a full-page ad in the trades To announce their arrival And Mary Lou, she found out how to cope She rides to heaven on a gyroscope The Daily News asks her for the dope She said, “Man, the dope’s that there’s still hope”
Senorita, Spanish rose Wipes her eyes and blows her nose Uptown in Harlem she throws a rose To some lucky young matador
Shaft peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100 in 1971. In the beginning, the high hat starts and then that cool seventies wah wah pedal kicks in..a coolness just washes all over you.
Isaac Hayes was a songwriter for Stax records before he became a successful recording artist. He wrote some hits for Sam & Dave, including “Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Coming.” Hayes explained Shaft: “The character Shaft was explained to me: a relentless character always on the prowl, always on the move. I had to create something to denote that. Otis Redding’s ‘Try A Little Tenderness,’ I had a hand in arranging that. At the end, Al Jackson was doing some stuff on a hi-hat, and I thought if I sustained that kind of thing on a hi-hat, it would give a relentless, dramatic effect, and it worked.”
The instruments were played by Memphis funk group The Bar-Kays. For a while, they were Otis Redding’s backup band… Can you dig it? “Shaft”
From Songfacts
This was featured in the 1971 movie of the same name starring Richard Roundtree. It was remade in 2000 starring Samuel L. Jackson as Shaft. Hayes made an uncredited appearance in the remake, but that wasn’t what he had in mind. According to Q magazine, Hayes agreed to write the Shaft theme after being promised the lead role but the promise wasn’t kept – he didn’t even get an audition.
This won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement and an Oscar for Best Original Score. The Oscar win made Hayes the first African-American to win an Academy Award in a composer category.
Future actress (she was on the TV shows Bosom Buddies and Family Matters) Telma Hopkins was one of the backup singers. That’s her saying “Shut Your Mouth!”, which became a bit of a catchphrase for Hopkins, whose character would often say it on her shows. Joyce Wilson was the other backup singer; she and Hopkins performed as Tony Orlando’s backup group Dawn.
The distinctive funk guitar and hi-hat cymbals make this a very recognizable song. It is often used in commercials and TV promos, sometimes with the product name put in place of the word “Shaft.”
Hayes was the voice of “Chef” on the TV show South Park. Despite being a cartoon, Chef usually found an opportunity to sing on each show.
There was also a TV version of Shaft, which lasted one season on CBS in 1973. Hayes contributed music to the series.
When Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, he opened the ceremonies with this song.
Bart and Lisa sing this on The Simpsons episode “One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish.”
Theme From Shaft
Shaft Who’s the black private dick That’s a sex machine to all the chicks? (Shaft!) You’re damn right Who is the man That would risk his neck for his brother man? (Shaft!) Can ya dig it? Who’s the cat that won’t cop out When there’s danger all about (Shaft!) Right on You see this cat Shaft is a bad mother (Shut your mouth) But I’m talkin’ about Shaft (Then we can dig it) He’s a complicated man But no one understands him but his woman (John Shaft)
I know that the Manfred Mann version is more popular but I always listen to Bruce’s version of the song he wrote. It’s not as slick whatsoever…maybe that is the reason I like it so much. It’s raw and Bruce just pelts you with words over and over.
This song was the first cut of his album “Greetings From Ashbury Park” which is a very underrated album. The album peaked at #60 in the Billboard Album Charts.
This was Springsteen’s first single. It was released only in the US, where it flopped. It was, however, a #1 hit for Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in February 1977, becoming the only #1 Hot 100 hit Springsteen ever wrote. The Manfred Mann version was much more elaborately produced, and Springsteen hated it at first. It ended up earning him a very nice payout.
From Songfacts
Springsteen talked about this song in detail on an episode of VH1 Storytellers.A lot of the references are personal, to include people he knew or had met on the Boardwalks, or had grown up around, or were just direct personal references to himself:
“Madman drummers bummers” – Vinnie “Mad dog” Lopez, the first drummer in the E Street Band.
“Indians in the summer” – Bruce’s little league baseball team as a kid.
“In the dumps with the mumps” – being sick with the mumps.
“Boulder on my shoulder” – a “chip” on his shoulder.
“Some all hot, half-shot, heading for a hot spot, snapping fingers clapping his hands” – Being a “know it all kid growing up, who doesn’t really know anything.”
“Silicone Sister” – Bruce mentions that this is arguably the first mention of breast implants in popular music – a dancer at one of the local strip joints in Asbury Park.
He wrote this song in his bedroom, primarily using a rhyming dictionary. Or as Bruce put it, “the rhyming dictionary was on fire.”
Manfred Mann’s version replaces the line “Cut loose like a deuce” with “Revved up like a deuce.” In their version, “Deuce” was commonly misheard as “Douche.” Springsteen’s original line makes a lot more sense – a deuce is a 1932 Ford hotrod. On his Storytellers special, Springsteen said (in a jesting manner): “I have a feeling that is why the song skyrocketed to #1.”
Talking about the barrage of images he used in his early songs, Springsteen told ZigZag: “I see these situations happening when I sing them and I know the characters well. I use them in different songs and see them in shadows – they’re probably based on people I know or else they’re flashes, that just appear there. There’s a lot of activity, a whole mess of people… it’s like if you’re walking down the street, my songs are what you see, only distorted. A lot of songs were written without any music at all, it’s just that I do like to sing the words.”
After eight years playing in bars where audiences usually didn’t listen to or couldn’t hear the words, Springsteen used his first album to unload a ton of lyrics. All these lyrics helped earn Springsteen the tag “The New Dylan.” Singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Kris Kristofferson also shared the comparison, and Bruce went out of his way to shed the tag by making his next album a true rock record.
This was the first song on Springsteen’s first album. Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. featured a postcard on the cover that fans would look for any time they were near the town.
Along with “Spirit In The Night,” this was one of two songs on the album featuring Clarence Clemons on saxophone. The E Street Band became a much bigger part of Springsteen’s songs on his next album.
Springsteen wrote the lyrics first and filled in the music later. The only time he wrote this way was on his first album.
The working title was “Madman’s Bummers,” taken from words in the first line.
This was one of the songs that prompted Columbia Records to market the album by claiming “This man puts more thoughts, more ideas and images into one song than most people put into an album.”
Manfred Mann’s cover is the only Bruce Springsteen song to top the Hot 100. Near misses for Bruce have been “Dancing In The Dark” (#2 in 1984) and The Pointer Sisters version of “Fire” (#2 in 1979).
Springsteen wrote this after Columbia Records rejected his first attempt at an album, telling him to make some songs that could be played on the radio. He came up with this song and “Spirit In The Night.”
Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin’ kinda older, I tripped the merry-go-round With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing, the calliope crashed to the ground Some all-hot half-shot was headin’ for the hot spot, snappin’ his fingers, clappin’ his hands And some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover’s knot with a whatnot in her hand And now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand And some bloodshot forget-me-not whispers, daddy’s within earshot, save the buckshot, turn up the band
And she was blinded by the light Oh cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night Blinded by the light She got down but she never got tight, but she’ll make it alright
Some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the East He says, dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funny bone, that’s where they expect it least And some new-mown chaperone was standin’ in the corner all alone, watchin’ the young girls dance And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin’ with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance
Yeah, he was blinded by the light Oh, cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night Blinded by the light He got down but he never got tight, but he’s gonna make it tonight
Some silicone sister with her manager’s mister told me I got what it takes She said, I’ll turn you on, sonny, to something strong if you play that song with the funky break And Go-Cart Mozart was checkin’ out the weather chart to see if it was safe to go outside And little Early-Pearly came by in her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer, playin’ backyard bombardier Yes, and Scotland Yard was trying hard, they sent some dude with a calling card, he said, do what you like, but don’t do it here Well, I jumped up, turned around, spit in the air, fell on the ground and asked him which was the way back home He said, take a right at the light, keep goin’ straight until night, and then, boy, you’re on your own And now in Zanzibar, a shootin’ star was ridin’ in a side car, hummin’ a lunar tune Yes, and the avatar said, blow the bar but first remove the cookie jar, we’re gonna teach those boys to laugh too soon And some kidnapped handicap was complainin’ that he caught the clap from some mousetrap he bought last night Well, I unsnapped his skull cap and between his ears I saw a gap but figured he’d be all right
He was just blinded by the light Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night Blinded by the light Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun Oh, but Mama, that’s where the fun is Ooh yeah I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded
I was a kid in the seventies and I would stay up and watch Saturday Night Live… Mr. Bill got my attention right away. The hapless Mr. Bill would live in fear of Mr. Hands and Sluggo.
The poor guy and his dog Spot were kicked, punched, buried, burned, stabbed, stepped on, and dropped from the Empire State Building. At school, there was a lot of Ohhhh Nooooo…when someone fell or got hurt.
Walter Williams invented Mr. Bill in 1973 and after SNL had a contest for anyone to submit home movies…Walter and Vance DeGeneres made the first film with an 8mm camera. Lorne liked Mr. Bill and it premiered in the first season…Walter wasn’t paid anything for them for a while but he kept sending them in and Lorne Michaels kept airing them.
Walter eventually was hired as a staff writer in the 4th and 5th season and wrote skits and for the Weekend Update. After the 5th season, he left the show with the original cast but did make a couple of more Mr. Bill’s for SNL that aired in 1981 to bring the total number to 24 Mr Bill Shows.
Mr. Bill’s popularity never completely waned and Walter Williams has made episodes for Fox TV and commercials for different products.
Vance DeGeneres originated “Mr Hands” and helped William film a few of the first films and later sued Williams for part ownership. The judge awarded DeGeneres some money but ruled that the basic idea was Willaims.
From Wiki…SNL Appearances
February 28, 1976 (The Mr. Bill Holiday Special)
October 16, 1976 (Mr. Bill Goes To A Party)
January 22, 1977 (Mr. Bill Goes To A Magic Show)
March 25, 1978 (Mr. Bill Goes To The Circus)
April 8, 1978 (Mr. Bill Pays His Taxes)
October 14, 1978 (Mr. Bill Goes To New York)
October 21, 1978 (Mr. Bill Moves In)
November 18, 1978 (Mr. Bill Goes Fishing)
December 2, 1978 (Mr. Bill Is Late)
January 27, 1979 (Mr. Bill Goes To Court)
February 24, 1979 (Mr. Bill Shapes Up)
March 17, 1979 (Mr. Bill Is Hiding)
May 12, 1979 (Mr. Bill Runs Away)
May 19, 1979 (Mr. Bill Goes To The Movies)
May 26, 1979 (Mr. Bill Visits Saturday Night Live; cold open)
October 13, 1979 (The All-New Mr. Bill Show)
November 3, 1979 (Mr. Bill Stays Home)
November 17, 1979 (Mr. Bill Builds A House)
January 26, 1980 (Mr. Bill Gets Help)
April 5, 1980 (Mr. Bill Strikes Back)
May 10, 1980 (Mr. Bill Gets 20 Years In Sing Sing)
December 20, 1980 (Mr. Bill’s Christmas Special)
April 11, 1981 (cold open with Chevy Chase)
October 17, 1981 (Mr. Bill Goes To L.A.; final appearance)
I never get tired of 70’s soul music. This one and Ooh Girl by the Chi-Lites stay on my playlist. This song peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100 and #3 in the UK in 1971.
The Chi-Lites label Brunswick Records didn’t think much of this song and released three other songs as singles from the album. When R&B radio stations started playing “Have You Seen Her” off of the album, the label finally saw the hit potential and issued it as a single. It became the group’s first #1 on the R&B chart and their first Top 10 on the Hot 100.
From Songfacts
This was written by Barbara Acklin and Eugene Record (who was the frontman for The Chi-Lites). The spoken parts were inspired by the opening monologues on Isaac Hayes’ 1969 Hot Buttered Soul album, where Hayes would tell an often heartbreaking tale using his speaking voice before singing.
On “Have You Seen Her,” Record speaks the verses, explaining that ever since his girl left him, he hasn’t been able to enjoy the simple pleasures in life like going to the movies or playing with the neighborhood children. That’s because he can’t stop thinking about his girl, and he envisions her everywhere he goes, even though she’s not really there. He tell himself she’ll be back, but he knows deep down it’s a lie. Still, he asks anyone who will listen, “Have you seen her?”
Eugene Record had the “doo doo doo” intro for this song and the line, “Have you seen her? Tell me have you seen her?,” but didn’t know where to go with it until he sang it for Acklin, who helped complete the song.
Barbara Acklin and Eugene Record had dual careers as artists and songwriters. Acklin was a solo artist who had her biggest hit in 1968 with “Love Makes A Woman” (#15 US), which Record co-wrote. Record fronted The Chi-Lites and wrote most of their hits, including “(For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People” and “Oh Girl.” As a team, Acklin and Record’s compositions include “Two Little Kids” for Peaches & Herb and several other Chi-Lites tracks, including “Stoned Out Of My Mind” and “We Are Neighbors.”
They wrote the first version of the song years earlier but thought it was too long to record. When Isaac Hayes released Hot Buttered Soul, which included an 18-minute song, they saw the song’s potential and decided to record it for The Chi-Lites third album, since they had some room. The track clocks in at 5:08 and was the last song recorded for the set.
The Chi-Lites followed this template of lovelorn spoken verses on a number of other songs, including their #33 hit in 1973, “A Letter To Myself.”
MC Hammer covered this song on his 1990 10-million-selling album, Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em. It was released as the second single from the album, following “U Can’t Touch This,” and it reached #4 in the US.
Have You Seen Her
Ah…ah…ah…ah…ah…ah… Ooh…ooh…ooh…ooh…ooh…ooh…ooh…ooh… Ah…ah…ah…ah…ah…ah… Ooh…ooh…ooh…ooh…ooh…ooh…ooh…ooh… One month ago today I was happy as a lark But now I go for walks To the movies, maybe to the park I have a seat on the same old bench To watch the children play, huh You know tomorrow is their future But for me just another day They all gather ’round me, huh They seem to know my name We laugh, tell a few jokes But it still doesn’t ease my pain I know I can’t hide from a memory Though day after day I’ve tried I keep sayin’ she’ll be back But today again I’ve lied Oh, I see her face everywhere I go On the street and even at the picture show Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her Oh, I hear her voice as the cold winds blow In the sweet music on my radio Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her Why, oh, why Did she have to leave and go away? Oh…oh…oh…oh…oh… I’ve been used to havin’ someone to lean on And I’m lost, baby, I’m lost Oh, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her [Tell me have you seen her] Oh, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her [Tell me have you seen her] Oh, she left her kiss upon my lips But left that break within my heart Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her Oh, I see her hand reaching out to me Only she can set me free Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her Why, oh, why Did she have to leave and go away Oh…oh…oh…oh…oh… I’ve been used to havin’ someone to lean on And I’m lost, baby, I’m lost Oh, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her [Tell me have you seen her] As another day comes to an end I’m lookin’ for a letter or somethin’ Anything that she would send With all the people I know, hmm I’m still a lonely man You know it’s funny I thought I had her in the palm of my hand Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her [Tell me have you seen her] Oh (Oh, yeah…eah…eah…), doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo Have you seen her (Have you seen her) Tell me have you seen her (Have you seen her) Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her [Tell me have you seen her] Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her [Tell me have you seen her] Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her [Tell me have you seen her] Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her [Tell me have you seen her] Have you seen her Tell me have you seen her [Tell me have you seen her]
I’m on the second Peter Guralnick book about Elvis and I’m in the year of 1972…the jumpsuit, karate, Vegas Elvis. Though it had obvious hit potential, Elvis had just separated from his wife, Priscilla, and was not in the mood for a Rock n Roll number, so he wasn’t excited to record it. Elvis’ producer Felton Jarvis had to persuade him that the song was worth trying, and after 6 attempts, he recorded a suitable take. The song is great and Elvis’s performance is on the mark.
This song would peak at #2 in the Billboard 100 in 1972. Burning Love would his last top ten Billboard hit. The song was also released on an album titled Burning Love and Hits from his Movies: Volume 2… an album with this song and the rest very forgettable movie songs. This was another Colonel Tom Parker special. It was released on RCA’s budget label.
Album Covers… Elvis’s album packaging in the 1970s was just bland to me. Elvis…on stage…in the jumpsuit…in a karate pose and holding a mic. Since the sixties, album covers had been an important part of representing the artist. His covers were unmemorable and were put out cheaply to make a quick buck…very shortsighted and very Colonel Parker. The only one I remember well was the Aloha from Hawaii album with the satellite but it still didn’t compete with Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and every other major act at the time. His album covers were interchangeable with each other for the most part. I’m not downing Elvis’s music but I just wish more thought would have been put into designing and marketing.
I’m not saying they had to be all works of art but a little more distinguishable.
When you see Abbey Road, Led Zeppelin II, Who’s Next, Dark Side of the Moon you know what songs are on them by just looking at them…Elvis albums?
From Songfacts
This was Elvis’ biggest hit single Stateside since “Suspicious Minds” in 1969 and his last Top 10 hit in the American Hot 100 or pop charts.
This song about the breakdown of a relationship had already featured on the self-titled 1972 album by Country-Soul pioneer Arthur Alexander.
In addition to making the original commercial recording of a song later covered by Elvis, Arthur Alexander has the claim of being the only songwriter in history to have his songs sung by The Beatles (“Anna (Go to Him))”), the Rolling Stones (“You’d Better Move On”) and Bob Dylan (“Sally Sue Brown”).
Dennis Linde, who wrote this song and also provided the guitar intro, was reclusive by nature and was at one time tagged “Nashville’s best-kept songwriting secret.” Apart from “Burning Love,” most of the successful songs he wrote were for Country stars, including,Roger Miller (“Tom Green County Fair” – 1970), Garth Brooks (“Callin’ Baton Rouge” – 1993) and The Dixie Chicks (“Goodbye Earl” – 1999.) In Britain, Welsh Rock and Roll revivalist Shakin’ Stevens recorded a #10 hit with his version of Linde’s “A Letter to You” in 1984.
In 2005, an Australian woman, who was evidently not a fan of this song, stabbed her partner in the back, thigh, and shoulder with a pair of scissors because “he played the song too many times.”
As part of a series of re-releases of Elvis songs in the UK in 2007 this re-entered the UK chart at #13.
Burning Love
Lord Almighty, I feel my temperature rising Higher higher It’s burning through to my soul
Girl, girl, girl You gonna set me on fire My brain is flaming I don’t know which way to go
Your kisses lift me higher Like the sweet song of a choir You light my morning sky With burning love
Ooh, ooh, ooh, I feel my temperature rising Help me, I’m flaming I must be a hundred and nine Burning, burning, burning And nothing can cool me I just might turn into smoke But I feel fine
‘Cause your kisses lift me higher Like a sweet song of a choir And you light my morning sky With burning love
It’s coming closer The flames are reaching my body Please won’t you help me I feel like I’m slipping away It’s hard to breath And my chest is a-heaving
Lord have mercy, I’m burning a hole where I lay ‘Cause your kisses lift me higher Like the sweet song of a choir You light my morning sky With burning love With burning love Ah, ah, burning love I’m just a hunk, a hunk of burning love Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love
I’ve heard this song so much that I know every nuance of it. The song was on the album of the same name. This song would be in my top 5 of Van Morrison. It’s a beautiful epic song. I’ve always noticed the lyrics are not Morrison’s best by any means. The melody is not complicated, in fact, it is reminiscent of The Weight…same chord pattern. Van’s voice and phrasing lift this song into a great song. Well, there is Connie Kay’s drumming also.
The song peaked at #47 in the Billboard 100 in 1972. The album peaked at #27 in 1971.
From Songfacts
“Tupelo Honey” is an unreserved typically mystic take on the domestic happiness Morrison had found since he’d married his wife Janet. They’d met during his time with the Irish R&B band Them. She’d already been his muse for several of Morrison’s earlier songs.
Tupelo honey is honey made from the sweet flowers of the tupelo tree, which grows abundantly in swampy areas of the Southern United States.
There are allusions to early America and the Boston Tea Party in this song:
You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea
And
You can’t stop us on the road to freedom
You can’t stop us ’cause our eyes can see
The Irish Troubles were still raging when this song was written, and it’s important to view it as the song of an artist who was a product of that situation. Freedom was surely heavy on Van’s mind.
This song plays at the conclusion of the 1997 film Ulee’s Gold, which stars Peter Fonda as a beekeeper who makes Tupelo Honey.
Tupelo Honey
You can take all the tea in China Put it in a big brown bag for me Sail right around all the seven oceans Drop it straight into the deep blue sea She’s as sweet as Tupelo honey She’s an angel of the first degree She’s as sweet as Tupelo honey Just like honey from the bee
You can’t stop us on the road to freedom You can’t keep us ’cause our eyes can see Men with insight, men in granite Knights in armor bent on chivalry She’s as sweet as Tupelo honey She’s an angel of the first degree She’s as sweet as Tupelo honey Just like honey, baby, from the bee
You can’t stop us on the road to freedom You can’t stop us ’cause our eyes can see Men with insight, men in granite Knights in armor intent on chivalry She’s as sweet as Tupelo honey She’s an angel of the first degree She’s as sweet as Tupelo honey Just like honey, baby, from the bee
You know she’s alright, oh she’s alright with me You know, you know, you know she’s alright, she alright with me You know, you know, you know you know You know she’s alright, alright with me She’s alright, she’s alright She’s alright with me She’s alright She’s alright with me She’s alright She’s alright with me
She’s al, she’s alright, she’s alright She’s alright with me She’s alright, she’s alright, she’s alright, she’s alright
You can take all the tea in China Put it in a big brown bag for me Sail it right around all these seven oceans Drop it smack dab in the middle of the deep blue sea Because, she’s as sweet as Tupelo honey, yes she is She’s an angel of the first degree She’s as sweet as Tupelo honey Just like honey, baby, from the bee
She’s as sweet as Tupelo honey She’s an angel of the first degree She’s as sweet as Tupelo honey Just like the honey, from the bee She’s alright, she’s alright with me She’s my baby, you know she’s alright She’s my baby, she’s my baby, she’s alright She’s my baby
Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Miles Davis, and jazz drummer Tony Williams.
This one would have been interesting. Jimi had sent a telegram to Paul in 1969. The telegram said:
“We are recording and LP together this weekend in NewYork [sic],” “How about coming in to play bass stop call Alvan Douglas 212-5812212. Peace Jimi Hendrix Miles Davis Tony Williams.”
Beatles aide Peter Brown responded the next day say that McCartney was on Holiday and was not expected back until 2 weeks.
Of the ones on this post…this would have been the most musically interesting to me.
Elvis Presley album produced by David Bowie
Dwight Yokum said in an interview that David Bowie told him that in 1977 Elvis heard “Golden Years” on the radio and he called Bowie and asked him to produce his next album. This is a “he said he said” but it would have been a unique combination…but Bowie was no stranger to that.
A Bob Dylan/Beatles/Rolling Stones Super Album
In 1969 Producer Glyn Johns met Bob Dylan and Dylan told Johns that he would like to make an album with the Beatles and Stones. Glyn went back to England very excited and told Keith Richards and George Harrison and they were all for it. Ringo, Charlie, and Bill said they would do it. John didn’t say no but Mick and Paul said absolutely not…leaves you to wonder what it would have sounded like…
Glyn also said “I had it all figured out. We would pool the best material from Mick and Keith, Paul and John, Bob and George, and then select the best rhythm section from the two bands to suit whichever songs we were cutting. Paul and Mick were probably, right, however, I would have given anything to have given it a go.”
XYZ Band
It would have been comprised of ex-Yes bassist and drummer, Chris Squire and Alan White, along with Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. XYZ was said to have stood for eX–Yes-&-Zeppelin. They had rehearsals and Robert Plant came to one to give it a try in 1981 but found the music too complex for his liking…he was also getting over the death of their drummer and his friend John Bonham.
This one didn’t excite me as much…now Chris Squire and Page does sound interesting and with Robert’s comment it looks like it was going to be a more Yes progressive path.
I admit that the part when the dog “up and died” it hits me.”Mr. Bojangles,” written by country music artist Jerry Jeff Walker.
It was based on a homeless man Jerry Walker met in a New Orleans jail. The man referred to himself as “Mr. Bojangles” and regaled Walker with various stories about his life and then created a depressing mood in the cell when he talked about his dog, who had died. When one of the other men requested for someone to cheer everyone up, “Mr. Bojangles” hopped up and performed a tap dance.
“Mr. Bojangles” was the nickname used by Bill Robinson, a black tap dancer who appeared in many movies in the 1930s, including with Shirley Temple in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. After Robinson’s success, many black street dancers became known as “Bojangles.”
The song peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100 and #2 in Canada in 1971.
Some of the many artists to record this song include Bob Dylan, Harry Nilsson, John Denver, Nina Simone, Sammy Davis Jr., and Neil Diamond.
From Songfacts
This was written and originally released by the singer/songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, who wrote the song in the mid-’60s and recorded it in 1968. Walker left his home in upstate New York and traveled the country playing music. He spent some time in New Orleans, where one day he was a bit tipsy and made a public display trying to convince a young lady that love, at first sight, was real. This landed him in jail, where his cellmate was an older black man who made a living as a street dancer and told Walker all about his life.
In his book Gypsy Songman, Walker tells the story: “One of the guys in the cell jumped up and said, ‘Come on, Bojangles. Give us a little dance.’ ‘Bojangles’ wasn’t so much a name as a category of itinerant street entertainer known back as far as the previous century. The old man said, ‘Yes, Hell yes.’ He jumped up and started clapping a rhythm, and he began to dance. I spent much of that long holiday weekend talking to the old man, hearing about the tough blows life had dealt him, telling him my own dreams.”
Walker moved on to Texas, where he sat down to write: “And here it came, just sort of tumbling out, one straight shot down the length of that yellow pad. On a night when the rest of the country was listening to The Beatles, I was writing a 6/8 waltz about an old man and hope. It was a love song. In a lot of ways, Mr. Bojangles is a composite. He’s a little bit of several people I met for only moments of a passing life. He’s all those I met once and will never see again and will never forget.”
Walker wrote another verse to the song but didn’t perform it because he couldn’t fit it all in. This verse was about the three wives the man in jail told him about.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band version starts with a spoken intro called “Uncle Charlie And His Dog Teddy.”
Jerry Jeff Walker told American Songwriter Magazine May/June 1988 that the success of this showed that songs needn’t conform to rules. He explained: “‘Bojangles’ broke all the rules. It was too long, was 6/9 time, about an old drunk and a dead dog. They had so many reasons why it didn’t fit anything. It would have never been a song if I had been living in Nashville and tried to take it through there. I recorded it in New York. I’ve always had my record deals through New York or L.A.”
According to Jerry Jeff Walker’s confrere Todd Snider, Jerry Jeff was known for a time as “Mr. Blowjangles” because of his raging cocaine habit. Todd quotes Jerry Jeff as saying: “A line of cocaine will make a new man out of you – and he’ll want some too.”
Mr. Bojangles
I knew a man, Bojangles and he danced for you In worn out shoes Silver hair, a ragged shirt and baggy pants The old soft shoe He jumped so high He jumped so high Then he’d lightly touch down I met him in a cell in New Orleans, I was Down and out He looked to me to be the eyes of age As he spoke right out He talked of life He talked of life He laughed, clicked his heels and stepped He said his name, Bojangles and he danced a lick Across the cell He grabbed his pants, a better stance Oh, he jumped so high Then he clicked his heels He let go a laugh He let go a laugh Pushed back his clothes all around Mr. Bojangles Mr. Bojangles Mr. Bojangles Dance He danced for those in minstrel shows and county fairs Throughout the south He spoke with tears of fifteen years how his dog and him Traveled about The dog up and died He up and died After twenty years he still grieves He said I dance now at every chance in honky tonks For drinks and tips But most the time I spend behind these county bars He said I drinks a bit He shook his head And as he shook his head I heard someone ask him please Please Mr. Bojangles Mr. Bojangles Mr. Bojangles Dance
Alex Chilton’s songwriting partner in power-pop legend Big Star, Chris Bell was an overlooked member of an overlooked band. In London, he teamed up with longtime Beatles’ engineer Geoff Emerick at AIR Studios, where the final touches and mix were completed. Bell would spend the next two years engaged in a frustrating attempt to get a record deal in the U.S. and Europe. With those prospects dimming, he eventually abandoned his career and took a job with his family’s fast-food chain back home.
Just another sad story that came from Big Star. In 1978, amid when Big Star started to get a cult following, “Cosmos” was released as a single by fan and fellow musician Chris Stamey, on his tiny North Carolina-based Car label. The song (backed with the “You and Your Sister”) would be the only solo work released during Bell’s life. Just a few months after the record was pressed, Bell would die in a late-night single-car accident near his home in East Memphis on December 27, 1978. He was 27.
The B side…You and Your Sister
I Am The Cosmos
Every night I tell myself, “I am the cosmos, I am the wind” But that don’t get you back again Just when I was starting to feel okay You’re on the phone I never wanna be alone Never wanna be alone I hate to have to take you home Wanted too much to say no, no, Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah Never wanna be alone I hate to have to take you home Want you too much to say no, no Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah My feeling’s always happening Something I couldn’t hide I can’t confide Don’t know what’s going on inside So every night I tell myself “I am the cosmos, I am the wind” But that don’t get you back again I’d really like to see you again I really wanna see you again I’d really like to see you again I really wanna see you again I’d really like to see you again I really wanna see you again I never wanna see you again Really wanna see you again
Ric Ocasek wrote this in a basement at a commune in Newton, Massachusetts where he lived. Benjamin Orr the bass player sang it. The 2-track demo recorded by the band became the most-requested song by a local band in the history of WBCN, a popular rock station in Boston.
The song peaked at #27 in the Billboard 100, #17 in the UK, and #35 in Canada in 1978. The song was on their self-titled debut album that peaked at #18 in the Billboard Album charts in 1979. The Cars set the bar high with their debut album with two songs (My Best Friends Girl, Just What I Needed) in the top 40 and one song (Let The Good Times Roll) just missing it at #41. At least 6 out of the 9 songs on the album is still being played on classic radio.
From Songfacts
This established The Cars as one of New Wave’s leading hitmakers and helped get them a deal with Elektra Records.
Lead vocals were by bass player Ben Orr, but it was written by lead singer/guitarist Ric Ocasek. Orr died of Pancreatic cancer in 2000.
This was the group’s first single. The Cars evolved from a trio called Milkwood.
The group’s manager took the Cars’ demo tape to two Boston radio stations and got it regular airplay before the group re-recorded it and released this as a single.
Seven years after it was first released, this made its second appearance on a single – this time as the B-side of the Cars’ last Top 10 hit, “Tonight She Comes.” >>
This song was used in the opening credits of the Oscar-winning film Boys Don’t Cry starring Hillary Swank.
This was used in Circuit City ads when the electronics store used the slogan, “Just What I Needed.”
Just What I Needed
I don’t mind you coming here And wasting all my time ’cause when you’re standing oh so near I kinda lose my mind It’s not the perfume that you wear It’s not the ribbons in your hair I don’t mind you coming here And wasting all my time I don’t mind you hanging out And talking in your sleep It doesn’t matter where you’ve been As long as it was deep You always knew to wear it well You look so fancy I can tell I don’t mind you hanging out And talking in your sleep I guess you’re just what I needed I needed someone to feed I guess you’re just what I needed I needed someone to bleed
Whenever I start reading about someone (In this case Elvis Presley) I usually dive deep into them. I’ve watched a few documentaries on youtube and the Comeback Special.
Last week Slightly Charming (I highly recommend checking out her blog) recommended this documentary on Elvis and it is the best one I’ve watched about him. It’s an HBO production with commentary by Priscilla Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Robbie Robertson, and many others.
It is a two-part documentary around 3 hours long both combined. Much like the Peter Guralnick books I’ve been reading it is very even-handed but it doesn’t pull any punches.
Elvis was an interesting person. A poor southern boy who gained fame and fortune quickly and handled it well considering what he was going through until his mother passed away. After that came the Army stint in Germany and from there while his fortune and fame grew his artistic credibility went down. In the mid-sixties, while The Beatles, Dylan, and the Stones dominated the charts…Elvis, a big influence to all three was stuck in a cycle of bad movies and bad soundtracks that he didn’t want to do.
The documentary goes over Colonel Tom Parker his manager, The infamous Memphis Mafia, Las Vegas, and the failed marriage to Priscilla.
The one thing this film does is concentrate on his music and not the parody he turned into at the end of his life. I found myself rooting for him during the 1968 Comeback Special. He had the spark back again and his voice was the Elvis we heard in the fifties. After the dismal movie soundtracks, he made this great comeback special but then it slowly started to go down. There was still good music to come but the end was in sight.
This great documentary is worth the time to check out.
Just a beautiful song and it’s close to perfect. The song was obviously inspired by Vincent Van Gogh. Underneath the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, there is a time capsule that contains the sheet music to this song along with some of Van Gogh’s brushes. This song is often played at the museum.
The song peaked at #12 in the Billboard 100, #1 in the UK, and #3 in Canada. It was on the album American Pie.
Don McLean: “In the autumn of 1970 I had a job singing in the school system, playing my guitar in classrooms. I was sitting on the veranda one morning, reading a biography of Van Gogh, and suddenly I knew I had to write a song arguing that he wasn’t crazy. He had an illness and so did his brother Theo. This makes it different, in my mind, to the garden variety of ‘crazy’ – because he was rejected by a woman as was commonly thought. So I sat down with a print of Starry Night and wrote the lyrics out on a paper bag.”
McLean was going through a dark period when he wrote this song “I was in a bad marriage that was torturing me. I was tortured. I wasn’t as badly off as Vincent was, but I wasn’t thrilled, let’s put it that way.”
From Songfacts
The words and imagery of this song represent the life, work, and death of Vincent Van Gogh. A Starry Night is one of the Dutch impressionist’s most famous paintings.
The lyrics, “Paint your palette blue and gray” reflect the prominent colors of the painting, and are probably a reference to Vincent’s habit of sucking on or biting his paintbrushes while he worked. The “ragged men in ragged clothes” and “how you tried to set them free” refer to Van Gogh’s humanitarian activities and love of the socially outcast as also reflected in his paintings and drawings. “They would not listen/They did not know how” refers to Van Gogh’s family and some associates who were critical of his kindness to “the wretched.”
“How you suffered for your sanity” refers to the schizophrenic disorder from which Van Gogh suffered.
This song and Van Gogh’s painting reflect what it’s like to be misunderstood. Van Gogh painted “Starry Night” after committing himself to an asylum in 1889. He wrote that night was “more richly colored than the day,” but he couldn’t go outside to see the stars when he was committed, so he painted the night sky from memory.
Talking about the song on the UK show Songbook, McLean said: “It was inspired by a book. And it said that it was written by Vincent’s brother, Theo. And Theo also had this illness, the same one Van Gogh had. So what caused the idea to percolate in my head was, first of all, what a beautiful idea for a piece of music. Secondly, I could set the record straight, basically, he wasn’t crazy. But then I thought, well, how do you do this? Again, I wanted to have each thing be different.
I’m looking through the book and fiddling around and I saw the painting. I said, Wow, just tell the story using the color, the imagery, the movement, everything that’s in the painting. Because that’s him more than he is him.
One thing I want to say is that music is like poetry in so many ways. You have wit and drama and humor and pathos and anger and all of these things create the subtle tools that an artist, a stage artist, a good one, uses. Sadly, this has really gone out of music completely. So it makes someone like me a relic because I am doing things and people like me are doing things that utilize all the classic means of emotional expression.”
There could be some religious meaning in this song. McLean is a practicing Catholic and has written songs like “Jerusalem” and “Sister Fatima” that deal with his faith. The “Starry Night” could mean creation, with many of the other lyrics referring to Jesus. McLean has said that several of the songs on the American Pie album has a religious aspect to them, notably the closing track “Babylon.”
Josh Groban recorded the song for his self-titled debut album, which was released in 2001 when he was just 20 years old.
The British electronic artist Vincent Frank aka Frankmusik (check out “Better Off as Two”) was named after this song.
Irish singer Brian Kennedy sang this song at footballer George Best’s funeral.
According to the movie Tupac, the Resurrection, Gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur was influenced by Don McLean, and this was his favorite song. When he was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting in 1996, his girlfriend put this tune into a player next to his hospital bed to ensure it was the last thing he heard.
This soundtracked the moment on the “‘Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky” episode of The Simpsons when Lisa becomes interested in astronomy.
Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)
Starry, starry night Paint your palette blue and gray Look out on a summer’s day With eyes that know the darkness in my soul Shadows on the hills Sketch the trees and the daffodils Catch the breeze and the winter chills In colors on the snowy linen land
Now I understand what you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity How you tried to set them free They would not listen, they did not know how Perhaps they’ll listen now
Starry, starry night Flaming flowers that brightly blaze Swirling clouds in violet haze Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue Colors changing hue Morning fields of amber grain Weathered faces lined in pain Are soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand
Now I understand what you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity And how you tried to set them free They would not listen, they did not know how Perhaps they’ll listen now
For they could not love you But still your love was true And when no hope was left inside On that starry, starry night You took your life as lovers often do But I could have told you, Vincent This world was never meant For one as beautiful as you
Starry, starry night Portraits hung in empty halls Frameless heads on nameless walls With eyes that watch the world and can’t forget Like the strangers that you’ve met The ragged men in ragged clothes A silver thorn, a bloody rose Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow
Now I think I know what you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity And how you tried to set them free They would not listen, they’re not listening still Perhaps they never will
The guitar riff is worth it even if Bowie wouldn’t have sung on it. When I learned this on guitar…though not hard but it sounded great. When I’ve been in bands that played it live it never fails to get a good reaction. The song peaked at #64 in the Billboard 100, #5 in the UK, and #30 in Canada in 1974.
Bowie’s guitarist, Mick Ronson, quit in 1973 in order to pursue a solo career, so Bowie played guitar on this song… Bowie said this: “When I was high school, that was the riff by which all of us young guitarists would prove ourselves in the local music store. It’s a real air guitar thing, isn’t it? I can tell you a very funny story about that. One night, I was in London in a hotel trying to get some sleep. It was quite late, like eleven or twelve at night, and I had some big deal thing on the next day, a TV show or something, and I heard this riff being played really badly from upstairs. I thought, ‘Who the hell is doing this at this time of night?’ On an electric guitar, over and over [sings riff to ‘Rebel Rebel’ in a very hesitant, stop and start way]. So I went upstairs to show the person how to play the thing (laughs). So I bang on the door. The door opens, and I say, ‘Listen if you’re going to play…’ and it was John McEnroe! I kid you not (laughs). It was McEnroe, who saw himself as some sort of rock guitar player at the time. That could only happen in a movie, couldn’t it? McEnroe trying to struggle his way through the ‘Rebel Rebel’ riff.”
From Songfacts
This song is about a boy who rebels against his parents by wearing makeup and tacky women’s clothes. It was a defining song of the “Glam Rock” era. Characterized by feminine clothes and outrageous stage shows, Glam was big in England in the early ’70s. Bowie had the most mainstream success of the glam rockers.
Three years before this was released, Bowie admitted he was bisexual. The announcement seemed to help his career, as he gained more fans and wrote more adventurous songs.
Bowie did an episode of VH1 Storytellers in 1999 where he introduced this song with this yarn:
I can tell you about the time that I first met Marc Bolan who became a very, very good friend of mine. We actually met very early on in the ’60s before either of us were even a tad pole known. We were nothing; we were just two nothing kids with huge ambitions, and we both had the same manager at the time. And we met each other firstly painting the wall of our then manager’s office.
“Hello, who are you?”
“I’m Marc, man.”
“Hello, what do you do?”
“I’m a singer.”
“Oh, yeah, so am I. Are you a Mod?”
“Yeah, I’m King Mod. Your shoes are crap.”
“Well, you’re short.”
So we became really close friends. Marc took me dustbin shopping. At that time Carnaby Street, the fashion district, was going through a period of incredible wealth and rather than replace buttons on their shirts or zippers on their trousers, at the end of the day they’d just throw it all away in the dustbin. So, we used to go up and down Carnaby Street, this is prior to Kings Road, and go through all the dustbins around nine/ten o’clock at night and get our wardrobes together. That’s how life was, you see.
I could also tell you that when we used to play the working men’s clubs up north – very rough district – and I first went out as Ziggy Stardust, I was in the dressing room in one club and I said to the manager: “Could you show me where the lavatory is, please?”
And he said: “Aye, look up that corridor and you see the sink attached to the wall at the end? There you go.”
So, I tottered briefly on my stack-heeled boots and said: “My dear man, I’m not pissing in a sink.”
“He said: “Look son, if it’s good enough for Shirley Bassey, it’s good enough for you.”
Them were the days, I guess.
In 1972, Bowie produced “Walk On The Wild Side” for Lou Reed, which is another song celebrating transgender individuals.
An alternate version appears on Bowie’s compilation album Sound And Vision. On this version, Bowie plays all the instruments, bar the congas, which are played by Geoff MacCormack.
The Diamond Dogs tour was an enormous production. It featured moving bridges, catapults, and a huge diamond that Bowie emerged from.
The album cover was painted by Dutch artist Guy Peellaert. It shows Bowie as a dog in front of a banner that says “The Strangest Living Curiosities.” The cover caused some controversy because the Bowie dog had clearly not been neutered. An alternate cover was released with the appendages airbrushed out. Mick Jagger had shown Bowie artwork that Peellaert had done for the not yet released Rolling Stones album It’s Only Rock And Roll. Bowie quickly got a hold of Peelaert and had him design the cover for Diamond Dogs, which was unleashed to the public prior to the album by The Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger was none too happy about this. David Bowie has this to say about the incident: “Mick was silly. I mean, he should never have shown me anything new. I went over to his house and he had all these Guy Peellaert pictures around and said, ‘What do you think of this guy?’ I told him I thought he was incredible. So I immediately phoned him up. Mick’s learned now, as I’ve said. He will never do that again. You’ve got to be a bastard in this business.”
The lyric, “We like dancing and we look divine,” is a reference to the famous drag queen known as Divine, who starred in many John Waters films, including Pink Flamingos and Hairspray.
The transgender musician Jayne County claims Bowie based this on her song, “Queen Age Baby,” which was recorded a month before “Rebel Rebel.” County told Seconds magazine: “After one of his shows, me and Bowie were chatting. I had just signed to MainMan at the time and had all these great ideas kicking around, and I told David I had the best idea in the world. I told him I wanted to do a whole album of all British Invasion hits. Six months later he comes out with Pin-Ups [Bowie’s cover album]. I was flabbergasted! When I would say anything to anyone, they would just laugh and say I was paranoid. I said, ‘Something’s up here.’ They took me into the studio to record. I recorded ‘Wonder Woman,’ ‘Mexican City,’ ‘Are You Boy Or Are You A Girl?,’ ‘Queen Age Baby,’ all these incredible lyrics I had come up with. So I sent him all of my tapes and not long after that, Sherry is sitting at the house in Connecticut. Bowie called her up and said that he wrote this great song called ‘Rebel Rebel’ and plays her this demo. She listened to it and said, ‘This sounds like one of Wayne’s songs.’ Basically, ‘Queen Age Baby’ is the mother of ‘Rebel Rebel.’ If he had never heard ‘Queen Age Baby,’ he would have never written ‘Rebel Rebel.'”
This song was created in a spate of spontaneous inception. Alan Parker, the guitarist on “1984,” recalled to Uncut magazine: “He (Bowie) said, ‘I’ve got this list and it’s a bit Rolling Stonesy – I just want to piss Mick off a bit.'”
“I spent about three-quarters of an hour to an hour with him working on the guitar riff – he had it almost there, but not quite,” Parker continued. “We got it there, and he said, ‘Oh, we’d better do the middle…’ So he wrote something for the middle, put that in. Then he went off and sorted some lyrics. And that was us done.”
You’ve got your mother in a whirl She’s not sure if you’re a boy or a girl Hey babe, your hair’s alright Hey babe, let’s go out tonight You like me, and I like it all We like dancing and we look divine You love bands when they’re playing hard You want more and you want it fast They put you down, they say I’m wrong You tacky thing, you put them on
Rebel Rebel, you’ve torn your dress Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess Rebel Rebel, how could they know? Hot tramp, I love you so!
Don’t ya? Doo doo doo-doo doo doo doo doo
You’ve got your mother in a whirl ’cause she’s Not sure if you’re a boy or a girl Hey babe, your hair’s alright Hey babe, let’s stay out tonight You like me, and I like it all We like dancing and we look divine You love bands when they’re playing hard You want more and you want it fast They put you down, they say I’m wrong You tacky thing, you put them on
Rebel Rebel, you’ve torn your dress Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess Rebel Rebel, how could they know? Hot tramp, I love you so!
Rebel Rebel, you’ve torn your dress Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess Rebel Rebel, how could they know? Hot tramp, I love you so!
You’ve torn your dress, your face is a mess You can’t get enough, but enough ain’t the test You’ve got your transmission and your live wire You got your cue line and a handful of ludes You wanna be there when they count up the dudes And I love your dress You’re a juvenile success Because your face is a mess So how could they know? I said, how could they know?
So what you wanna know Calamity’s child, chi-chile, chi-chile Where’d you wanna go? What can I do for you? Looks like you’ve been there too ‘Cause you’ve torn your dress And your face is a mess Ooo, your face is a mess Ooo, ooo, so how could they know? Eh, eh, how could they know? Eh, eh
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PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 