On Sundays, I am going to start posting a good album cut.
When I think of forgotten great album cuts…this one is one of the first songs that come to mind. If you haven’t heard it give it a try. The song has a good riff starting out and the arrangement of the melody is a little different than some of their previous songs. I credit that to new guitarist Steve Gaines… Gaines and Van Zant wrote this song.
Give this song a try…The song takes a while to get going but the melody, guitar work, and the bass are great in this one.
Steve joined the band as a guitarist in 1976. Gaines had an immediate impact, writing or co-writing four of the eight songs on Street Survivors, which was released three days before the group’s plane crashed in Mississippi, killing Gaines, his sister Cassie (a backup singer with the group) and Van Zant.
It is my favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd song hands down. The band never played this live…the original or the new edition.
Street Survivors peaked at #5 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1977.
I Never Dreamed
My daddy told me always be strong son Don’t you ever cry You find the pretty girls, and then you love them And then you say goodbye I never dreamed that you would leave me But now you’re gone I never dreamed that I would miss you Woman won’t you come back home
I never dreamed that you could hurt me And leave me blue I’ve had a thousand, maybe more But never one like you I never dreamed I could feel so empty But now I’m down I never dreamed that I would beg you But woman I need you now
It seems to me, I took your love for granted It feels to me, this time I was wrong, so wrong Oh Lord, how I feel so lonely I said woman, won’t you come back home
I tried to do what my daddy taught me, But I think he knew Someday I would find One woman like you I never dreamed it could feel so good Lord That two could be one I never knew about sweet love So woman won’t you come back home Oh baby won’t you come back home
I don’t really consider The Allman Brothers “southern rock” but they are classified that way. They were cut above their southern brethren at the time. One hearing of At Fillmore East and any doubts go out the window.
I don’t feature many instrumentals but this one is worth it. It was used really well in the movie Field Of Dreams. This song is a great song for traveling.
Jessica is the name of Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts’ daughter. He was working on this song when she crawled into the room and inspired him. Jessica Betts was born May 14, 1972 – she was one year old when her dad wrote the song.
Dickie Betts was trying to compose a song that could be played on the guitar with two fingers in the style of Django Reinhardt, a 1930s Jazz musician Betts admired who lost two fingers in a fire.
Chuck Leavell played piano on this. He was brought in after Duane Allman died to provide another lead instrument. It created a different sound, as the Allmans now had 1 piano and 1 guitar rather than 2 guitars.
Jessica was on the album Brothers and Sisters released in 1973.
The song peaked at #65 in the Billboard 100 and #35 in Canada in 1973.
From Songfacts
Betts had Jessica with Sandy Bluesky, who also inspired one of his famous Allman Borthers songs: he wrote “Blue Sky” for her. The couple were married in 1973.
This is an instrumental song that had little chart success but has endured as a staple of classic rock radio and a favorite among fans.
This is the theme song to the UK TV show Top Gear.
The Allman Brothers performed this on The Late Show with David Letterman on February 29, 1996.
A live recording was included on the album An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set in 1995. This version won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
When we spoke with Devon Allman, he offered some insight on why songs like this don’t need lyrics. “‘Flor D’Luna’ by Santana, ‘Jessica’ by the Allman Brothers – these songs don’t need words because that lead guitar is doing the talking and the singing. It’s a strong enough melody to stand on its own. Words over that wouldn’t make sense because it’s already doing the speaking.”
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there
This morning there will be 3 southern rock songs. Two well-known and one of my favorite album cuts. I live in the south…so I don’t know if it is a self-conscious thing with me but I don’t feature much southern rock. When some of my classmates were listening to Lynyrd Skynrd, Marshall Tucker, and The Allman Brothers…my feet were stuck firmly in the UK in the 1960’s…and really they never left…I just expanded some.
Now, I see music fans that really get into this music in Germany, UK, and all over the world. It’s made me appreciate what was in my own backyard.
This song sounds older than what it is…The chorus is catchy and is southern as you can get. Since I live in the south I have been bombarded with Southern Rock but I’ve been listening to it recently and have started to enjoy more of it.
This country-rock ballad was written by George McCorkle, guitarist for the Marshall Tucker Band. Set during the California gold rush, it tells the story of a family that sets out from their home in Carolina looking to strike it rich.
The song peaked at #38 in the Billboard 100 and #81 in Canada in 1975.
Many say that Toy Caldwell was the soul of that band. He was a Marine in the 60s and served in Vietnam. After getting injured he was able to go home and started to play music with his high school friends. Toy and his brother helped start Marshall Tucker.
Toy Caldwell played steel guitar on this track, but according to McCorkle, he played it out of tune because he had just recently bought the instrument and didn’t know how to tune it properly.
Toy stayed with Marshall Tucker until he left in 1984. Contributing to him leaving was the fact that his brother… co-founder of the band and bass guitarist Tommy Caldwell, was killed at age 30 in an automobile accident on April 28, 1980. Toy’s other brother Tim Caldwell, who on March 28, 1980, one month prior to Tommy’s death, was killed at age 25 in a collision in South Carolina.
Gregg Allman: When we wanted to get away from our old ladies, we’d head on down to Grant’s Lounge, which was a great place to hang out. We saw a lot of bands, including Marshall Tucker, or Mother Tucker, as we called them. Toy Caldwell was a good friend of mine, but I wouldn’t give you a nickel for the rest of them. Toy Caldwell was Marshall Tucker—he made that band what it was.
This was The Marshall Tucker Band’s second-highest hit, the highest being “Heard It In A Love Song.” It was also one of their only two Top 40 hits.
Fire On The Mountains
Took my family away from our Carolina home Had dreams about the west and started to roam Six long months on a dust covered trail They say heaven’s at the end But so far it’s been hell
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there
We were digging and shifting from five to five Selling everything we found just to stay alive Gold flowed free like the whiskey in the bars Sinning was the big thin Lord And Satan was the star
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there
Dance hall girls were the evening treat Empty cartridges and blood lined the gutters of the street Men were shot down for the sake of fun Or just to hear the noise of their 44 guns
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there
Now my widow, she weeps by my grave Tears flow free for her man she couldn’t save Shot down in cold blood by a gun that carried fame All for a useless and no good worthless claim
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there
Fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there Waiting for me there
I felt like a pickled priest Who was being flambed
No one writes like Pete Townshend…bless him. I’ve come to really like Eminence Front but when this album came out, this is the song that I drawn to at first.
The song was written about actress Theresa Russell who Pete had a crush on that the time. He did a demo at the time called “Teresa for the Face Dances Album. She was then going with Nic Roeg. By the time The Who came to record the song for It’s Hard, Teresa Russell had wed Nic Roeg. The guitarist was nervous about publicly naming his crush so he renamed it “Athena.” What Pete’s then-wife Karen Astley felt about this we don’t know.
The song reached #28 in the Billboard 100, #5 in Canada, and #40 in the UK in 1982.
Roger Daltrey felt that concealing the subject of the song’s true identity was a mistake. “Pete was talking to me about Nick Roeg’s girlfriend and how he fancied her, and that song was written about her – but then it changed into ‘She’s a bomb’.
Roger Daltrey: I’ve got a psychological problem with it,” “It’s a great record; there’s so much energy on that thing, but I still don’t think there’s a center to that song. The fact that he changed the title in that and didn’t stick to what it was supposed to be lost its center to me.”
Pete Townshend:The song was written after I had been to see The Wall with my friend Bill Minkin and the actress Theresa Russell who was about to marry the film director Nic Roeg with whom I hoped to work on a new version of Lifehouse. I got drunk as usual, but I had taken my first line of cocaine that very evening before meeting her and decided I was in love. When I came to do the vocal on the following day I was really out of my mind with frustration and grief because she didn’t reciprocate
From Songfacts
Pete Townshend wrote this song the day after he was knocked back by American actress Theresa Russell.
The guitarist told TheWho.net how he went to see The Wall with his friend Bill Minkin and Russell. (The actress was engaged to the film director Nic Roeg with whom he was planning to work on a new version of Lifehouse.) “I got drunk as usual, but I had taken my first line of cocaine that very evening before meeting her and decided I was in love,” Townshend explained. “When I came to do the vocal on the following day [February 15, 1980] I was really out of my mind with frustration and grief because she didn’t reciprocate.”
Teresa Demo
Athena
I had no idea how much I need her In peaceful times I hold her close and I feed her My heart starts palpitating When I think my guess was wrong But I think I’ll get alone She’s just a girl She’s a bomb
Athena All I ever want to do is please her My life has been so settled And she’s the reason Just one word from her And my troubles are long gone But I think I’ll get along She’s just a girl She’s a bomb She’s a bomb Just a girl, just a girl Just a girl, just a girl Just a girl, just a girl She’s just a girl
Athena My heart felt like a shattered glass in an acid bath I felt like one of those flattened ants You find on a crazy path I’d have stopped myself to give her time She didn’t need to ask Was I a suicidal psychopath She’s just a girl She’s a bomb She’s just a girl She’s a bomb Consumed There was a beautiful white horse I saw on a dream stage He had a snake the size of a sewer pipe Livin’ in his rib cage
I felt like a pickled priest Who was being flambed You’ve got me requisitioned blondie She’s just a girl She’s a bomb I’m happy She’s a bomb I’m ecstatic Just a girl, just a girl Just a girl, just a girl Just a girl, just a girl Just a girl
Look into the face of a child Measure how long you smiled Before the mem’ry claimed How long would children remain How long could children remain
Athena You picked me up by my lapels And screamed “leave her” I felt like waking up in heaven On an empty meter And now you’re stuck With a castrated leader And I hate the creep I didn’t mean that She’s a bomb I just said it She’s a bomb Please She’s a bomb
Athena I had no idea how much I need her My life has been so settled And she’s the reason Just one word from her And my troubles are long gone Ooh but I get along She’s just a girl She’s a bomb She’s just a girl She’s a bomb
Well, this rock and roll has got to stop Junior’s head is hard as rock Now junior, behave yourself
This song was written and originally recorded by Larry Williams, a black rock singer admired by John Lennon. The song is about a rebellious kid who loves rock and roll. The Beatles chose cover songs that fit them very well.
I really like Larry’s version of this also. His version is rooted in the fifties with rhythm and blues… With Lennon’s voice, the Beatles version makes it sound like an early garage rock/punk record.
This Larry Williams song didn’t get much traction in the charts when it was released in 1959 but the British bands were listening and covering this song. The Beatles covered three of his songs on albums… Slow Down, Bad Boy, and Dizzy Miss Lizzy.
One of the very good covers The Beatles did early on. Nice guitar and Lennon’s voice comes right at you. The song was included on the American Beatles album The Beatles VI. In the UK it wasn’t on an album until the release of A Collection of Beatles Oldies in 1966. It was released in December just as the Beatles were starting on Sgt Peppers. Having an Oldies album released only 4 years after you start recording is odd but it was perfect timing because they would never sound the same again.
Bad Boy
A bad little kid moved into my neighborhood
He won’t do nothing right just sitting down and look so good
He don’t want to go to school and learn to read and write
Just sits around the house and plays the rock and roll music all night
Well, he put some tacks on teachers chair
Puts chewing gum in little girl’s hair
Man, junior, behave yourself
Buy every rock and roll book on the magazine stand
Every dime that he get is lost to the jukebox man
Well, he worries his teacher till at night she’s ready to poop
From rocking and a-rolling spinning in a hula hoop
Well, this rock and roll has got to stop
Junior’s head is hard as rock
Now junior, behave yourself
Going tell your mama you better do what she said
Get to the barber shop and get that hair cut off your head
He took your canary and he fed it to the neighbors cat
He gave the cocker spaniel a bath in mother’s laundromat
Well, mama’s head has got to stop
Junior’s head is hard as rock
Now junior, behave yourself
This winds up Money week here at channel Powerpop! I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for tuning in! There were many songs that were left off because there are so many that reference money. I’ve covered some already like Cyndi Lauper’s Money Changes Every Thing and Warren Zevon’s Lawyers, Guns and Money.
Thanks for playing along this week. Occasionally I’ll work off of a theme…but most of the time I like staying random.
I was going to close out with Money For Nothing but…
Deke was commenting this week and brought up this song by this great Canadian Power Pop band Sloan. Between Dave and Deke I’m learning more about Canadian music. Before them, all I knew was Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, Rush, and The Guess Who.
The more I listen to this band the more I like them. They have hooks galore, great bass lines, and cool pop singing…to go along with a crunchy hard guitar. The song was released in 1998 and peaked at #7 in Canada.
It was on the album Navy Blues which peaked at #5 in Canada.
In a 2000 poll conducted by the music magazine Chart, the song was voted the 12th greatest Canadian song of all time.
Turn it up loud…and have a GREAT FRIDAY
Money City Maniacs
All you’ve found is another back door That no one sees a reason for At the heart of the travelling band You have to understand There’s a driving need to hit the yellow line
And the joke is when he awoke his Body was covered in coke fizz And the joke is when he awoke his Body was covered in coke fizz
Hey you You¹ve been around for a while If you’ll admit that you were wrong Then we¹ll admit that we¹re right Hey you Come on along for the ride We¹ll hit the money city if it takes us all night
And the joke is when he awoke his Body was covered in coke fizz And the joke is when he awoke his Body was covered in coke fizz
Hey you You¹ve been around for a while If you¹ll admit that you were wrong Then we¹ll admit that we¹re right Take the heart of the travelling band You¹ll never understand that All they know is the yellow line, yeah
And the joke is when he awoke his Body was covered in coke fizz And the joke is when he awoke his Body was covered in coke, yeah yeah yeah Joke is when he awoke his Body was covered in coke, yeah yeah yeah Joke is when he awoke his Body was covered in coke fizz
This was the first video played on MTV Europe. The network went on the air on August 1, 1987, six years after MTV in the US… This was back when MTV (Music Television) actually played music but now has questionable shows.
The clipped guitar sound won me over the first time I heard this.
In the US, this stayed at #1 for three weeks. It also won a Grammy in 1986 for best Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
Dire Straits recorded this in Montserrat. Sting was on vacation there and came by help. Sting sings on this and helped write it…Sting and Knophler were credited as songwriters. Sting did not want a songwriting credit, but his record company did because they would have earned royalties from it. It’s been said that the line “I Want My MTV” sounded very similar to a song Sting wrote for The Police: “Don’t Stand So Close To Me.”…well the same amount of syllables anyway.
The song was banned in Canada in 2011.
One offended listener complained to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council in 2010 about the song’s inclusion of a homosexual slur, and the CBSC ruled that the use of the gay slur breaches the national broadcast authority’s code of ethics. The CBSC ruled that the song can be played on the radio in an edited form without the slur.
The CBSC ruling panel said that even though the song has been accepted for the past 25 years it does not mean that its lyrics are acceptable today. At least two stations, CIRK FM in Edmonton and CFRQ-FM in Halifax, played the unedited version of “Money for Nothing” repeatedly for one hour out of protest.
Later in the year, the CBSC left it up to the stations to decide and the ban was lifted.
Mark has said he was writing it to show how narrow-minded people could be. He was a journalist at one time.
Mark Knopfler: “I was reporting, verbatim, what a particular guy thought about music,” he said. “I transcribed his words there and then. He was a meathead. To him being a rock star was easy, hence ‘that ain’t working.'”
“Weird Al” Yankovic parodied this for his movie UHF. The parody is called “Beverly Hillbillies (Money For Nothing).” Strait’s frontman, Mark Knopfler, OK’d the parody under one condition: Knopfler would play guitar on the song.
The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, #4 in the UK, and #4 in New Zealand.
From Songfacts
This song is about rock star excess and the easy life it brings compared with real work. Mark Knopfler wrote it after overhearing delivery men in a New York department store complain about their jobs while watching MTV. He wrote the song in the store sitting at a kitchen display they had set up. Many of the lyrics were things they actually said.
The innovative video was one of the first to feature computer generated animation, which was done using an early program called Paintbox. The characters were supposed to have more detail, like buttons on their shirts, but they used up the budget and had to leave it as is. It won Best Video at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.
The video was directed by Steve Barron, who also directed the famous a-ha video for “Take On Me” and Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me With Science.”
Mark Knopfler took the directive to write an “MTVable song” quite literally, using the network’s tagline in the lyrics. The song ended up sounding like an indictment of MTV, but Les Garland, who ran the network, made it clear that they loved the song and were flattered by it – hearing “I Want My MTV” on the radio was fantastic publicity even if there were some unfavorable implications in the lyrics.In the book I Want My MTV, various people who worked at the network explain that Dire Straits’ manager asked the network what they could do to get on the network and break through in America. Their answer was: write a hit song and let one of the top directors make a video.
Steve Barron was dispatched to do the video, and charged with the task of convincing Mark Knopfler, who hated videos, to do one that was groundbreaking. Barron says that Knopfler wasn’t into the idea, but his girlfriend – an American – was at the pitch and loved the idea. Knopfler agreed (in part because he didn’t have to appear in it), and Barron hired a UK production company called Rushes to work on it. Said Barron: “The song is damning to MTV in a way. That was an ironic video. The characters we created were made of televisions, and they were slagging off television. Videos were getting a bit boring, they needed some waking up. And MTV went nuts for it. It was like a big advertisement for them.”
The line “I want my MTV” was the basis of the cable network’s promotional campaign. They played clips of musicians saying, and often times, screaming the line between videos.
The album version runs 8:26 with an extended outro. The single was cut down to 4:38.
Mark Knopfler played a Les Paul Junior plugged into a Laney amp on this track. Producer Neil Dorfsman recalled in Sound On Sound magazine May 2006: “We were going for a ZZ Top sound, but what we ended up getting was kind of an accident.”
Twenty-five years after the song’s release it was banned from public broadcast in Canada after one person complained about it being homophobic. The original version included a description of a singer as “that little faggot with the earring and the make-up” plus two other uses of the word “faggot,” although a cleaned-up edition was made available, Oz-FM in Newfoundland played the first edition in February 2010 at 9:15 at night. The result was a single complaint and the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruled that the unedited version of the song was unacceptable for air play on Canadian radio stations because it “refers to sexual orientation in a derogatory way.”
Knopfler has pointed out the song was written from the viewpoint of a stupid character who thinks musicians make their “money for nothing” and his stupidity is what leads him to make ignorant statements. Speaking in late 1985 to Rolling Stone the Dire Straits songwriter expressed his feelings about people who react angrily to the song. He said: “Apart from the fact that there are stupid gay people as well as stupid other people, it suggests that maybe you have to be direct. I’m in two minds as to whether it’s a good idea to take on characters and write songs that aren’t in the first person.”
Common sense finally prevailed on August 31, 2011 when the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council put an end to the ban and allowed individual radio stations to once again decide for themselves whether to play the classic rock tune.
In 2005, the duo Deep Dish sampled this on their song “Flashing For Money,” which was based on their song “Flashdance” (not the Irene Cara song). It was the first time Dire Straits allowed one of their songs to be sampled. “Flashing For Money” was released on the B-side of Deep Dish’s single “Say Hello.”
Reel Big Fish released an album in 2007 called Monkeys For Nothin’ And The Chimps For Free. The title is a takeoff on this song.
Money For Nothing
(I want my, I want my MTV) (I want my, I want my MTV) (I want my, I want my MTV) (I want my, I want my MTV)
Now look at them yo-yo’s, that’s the way you do it You play the guitar on the MTV That ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do it Money for nothin’ and your chicks for free
Now that ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do it Lemme tell ya, them guys ain’t dumb Maybe get a blister on your little finger Maybe get a blister on your thumb
We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries We got to move these refrigerators, we gotta move these color TV’s
See the little faggot with the earring and the make up Yeah buddy that’s his own hair That little faggot got his own jet airplane That little faggot he’s a millionaire
We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries We got to move these refrigerators, we gotta move these color TV’s
We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries We got to move these refrigerators, we gotta move these color TV’s
I shoulda learned to play the guitar I shoulda learned to play them drums Look at that mama she got it stickin’ in the camera man We could have some-
And he’s up there, what’s that? Hawaiian noises? Bangin’ on the bongos like a chimpanzee That ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do it Get your money for nothin’, get your chicks for free
We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries We got to move these refrigerators, we gotta move these color TV’s
Listen here Now that ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do it You play the guitar on the MTV That ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it Money for nothin’ and chicks for free Money for nothin’ chicks for free Money for nothin’ chicks for free Money for nothin’ chicks for free Money for nothin’ chicks for free Money for nothin’ chicks for free Money for nothin’ get your chicks for free Money for nothin’ and the chicks for free Money for nothin’ and the chicks for free
Look at that, look at that Money for nothin’ chicks for free (I want my, I want my MTV) Money for nothin’ chicks for free (I want my, I want my MTV) Money for nothin’ chicks for free (I want my, I want my MTV) Money for nothin’ chicks for free (I want my, I want my MTV) Easy, easy money for nothin’ (I want my, I want my MTV) Easy, easy chicks for free (I want my, I want my MTV) Easy, easy money for nothin’ (I want my, I want my MTV) Chicks for free (I want my, I want my MTV) That ain’t workin’
Money for nothing, chicks for free Money for nothing, chicks for free
This song came to mind first when I thought about doing songs containing songs that reference money. I couldn’t for the life of me think who did it until John told me Monday. Thanks, John. I’ve heard this used on countless shows and documentaries.
The songwriting/production duo of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff co-wrote this song with Anthony Jackson, who also played bass on the track. Gamble and Huff wrote many songs that helped define the Philadelphia Soul sound.
The song peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100, and #29 in Canada in 1974.
For The Love Of Money has become the modern anthem for anyone who’s hustling to make the all mighty dollar. The bass in this song is filtered with a reverse echo…that is what drew me into it. The phrase “For the Love of Money” comes from a well-known Bible verse, 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
From Songfacts
A key contributor to the song was Joe Tarsia, who was the engineer at Sigma. He had just installed an Eventide phaser in the control room, and when Jackson started playing, Tarsia tried recording the bass (with a wah-wah pedal) through the phaser. Gamble loved the effect, which provided a unique sound that made the song stand out on the airwaves.
Tarsia added effects to the background vocals as well, creating a reverse echo where the echo precedes the vocal, something Jimmy Page did on a few Led Zeppelin tracks, including “Whole Lotta Love.”
Often misinterpreted as a song celebrating the accumulation of money, it’s actually one of the more unadorned warnings about the sordid side of the mighty dollar, pointing out the things people will do for it: cheat, lie, even steal from their mother. The song was written at a time when the songwriters Gamble and Huff were reaping the financial rewards of their success, but also reconciling it with their spiritual beliefs (Gamble had recently converted to Islam). The duo often wrote messages into their songs gleaned from their everyday conversations. On this track, they are very clear: “Don’t let money change you.”
With the chorus of “Money, money, money, money,” this has been used in many promos, TV shows and movies where greed or the pursuit of the almighty dollar are concerned.
TV shows to use the song include:
Scandal (“The Other Woman” – 2012) Hawaii Five-0 (“Kuka’awale” – 2015) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (“Man Up” – 2011) Friends (“The One in Vegas: Part 1” – 1999) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (“Winner Takes Off” – 1993) Moonlighting (“Brother, Can You Spare a Blonde?” – 1985)
Movies include:
Deepwater Horizon (2016) Think Like a Man Too (2014) The Honeymooners (2005) All About the Benjamins (2002) Driven (2001) For Richer or Poorer (1997) Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) Strictly Business (1991) New Jack City (1991) Action Jackson (1988)
There is also a 2012 film called For The Love Of Money that uses the song.
Some people got to have it Some people really need it Listen to me y’all, do things, do things, do bad things with it You want to do things, do things, do things, good things with it Talk about cash money, money Talk about cash money- dollar bills, y’all
For the love of money People will steal from their mother For the love of money People will rob their own brother For the love of money People can’t even walk the street Because they never know who in the world they’re gonna beat For that lean, mean, mean green Almighty dollar, money
For the love of money People will lie, Lord, they will cheat For the love of money People don’t care who they hurt or beat For the love of money A woman will sell her precious body For a small piece of paper it carries a lot of weight Call it lean, mean, mean green
Almighty dollar
I know money is the root of all evil Do funny things to some people Give me a nickel, brother can you spare a dime Money can drive some people out of their minds
Got to have it, I really need it How many things have I heard you say Some people really need it How many things have I heard you say Got to have it, I really need it How many things have I heard you say Lay down, lay down, a woman will lay down For the love of money All for the love of money Don’t let, don’t let, don’t let money rule you For the love of money Money can change people sometimes Don’t let, don’t let, don’t let money fool you Money can fool people sometimes People! Don’t let money, don’t let money change you It will keep on changing, changing up your mind
This was part of the famous Abbey Road medley that featured parts of songs by the Beatles.
John Lennon usually wrote about what he knew best…himself and and his personal views. Paul would many times write about fantasy…he would write about his significant other at any given time also but this is one of the few songs that he was living through. Unlike John he usually would mask things more.
Allen Klein’s time as manager built-up tensions within the band. Paul wanted Lee Eastman his in-law at the helm but John, George, and Ringo wanted the notrious Allen Klein. Klein managed the Stones for years and at the end Mick and company found out that they inadvertently signed away their songs up until 1969 to him. Paul was right in this case…they should have never gone with Klein but Paul should have picked someone else but his in-laws as a choice. No way were the others going to go with that decision.
The song was about Klein and his attitude. Always telling them how much they were worth but never handing over cash…just money figures on “funny paper.”
This song was the first song in the medley. It is actually 3 short songs into one. “You Never Give Me Your Money, ” “Out of College section,” and the “One Sweet Dream section”
I’ve been asked, what’s so special about the Beatles? The medley on side 2 of Abbey Road is just one of many things.
Paul McCartney: “This was me directly lambasting Allen Klein’s attitude to us,” “no money, just funny paper, all promises and it never works out. It’s basically a song about no faith in the person, that found its way into the medley on ‘Abbey Road.’ John saw the humor in it.”
George Harrison: “We get bits of paper, saying how much is earned and what this and that is, but we never actually get it in pounds, shillings and pence. We’ve all got a big house and a car and an office, but to actually get the money we’ve earned seems impossible.”
From Songfacts
This song is about The Beatles’ business problems. When their manager Brian Epstein died in 1967, they were burdened with handling their own finances, which became a source of tension in the band.
This is the first of a medley of songs on Abbey Road, which goes another 15 minutes to “The End.”
By 1969, members of The Beatles had a lot of unfinished song ideas, which they sometimes combined. This contains fragments of four songs put into one.
Regarding the lines, “You never give me your money, you only give me your funny paper,” “Funny Paper” is how The Beatles felt they were paid. They got frustrated when their accountants would tell them how much they were worth “on paper,” without actually telling them how much money they had.
Paul McCartney played this combined with “Carry That Weight” on his 2002 “Back In The US” tour.
You Never Give Me Your Money
You never give me your money You only give me your funny paper And in the middle of negotiations You break down
I never give you my number I only give you my situation And in the middle of investigation I break down
Out of college, money spent See no future, pay no rent All the money’s gone, nowhere to go Any jobber got the sack Monday morning, turning back Yellow lorry slow, nowhere to go But oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go Oh, that magic feeling Nowhere to go, nowhere to go
One sweet dream Pick up the bags and get in the limousine Soon we’ll be away from here Step on the gas and wipe that tear away One sweet dream came true today Came true today Came true today (yes, it did)
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven All good children go to Heaven
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven All good children go to Heaven
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven All good children go to Heaven
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven All good children go to Heaven
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven All good children go to Heaven
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven All good children go to Heaven
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven All good children go to Heaven
This is the band’s highest-charting single to date in the United States. During their subsequent world tour, thousands of “Angus Bucks” were dropped on the audience during the song.
If you have one of those dollar bills…don’t’ quit your day job…they are worth around 3 bucks….of real money.
This was somewhat of a comeback for AC/DC when they recorded The Razors Edge album, it outsold their previous three by a wide margin. On this album, Angus and Malcolm Young wrote not only the music but also the lyrics, a task that fell to lead singer Brian Johnson in the past. Johnson didn’t have a problem with it…he said he was out of ideas at the time.
Thunderstruck was popular but they never did release that as a single.
Moneytalks peaked at #23 in 1991 in the Billboard 100,
The Razor’s Edge peaked at #2 in the Billboard Album Charts, #4 in the UK, and #1 in Canada.
From Songfacts
Money talks, bulls–t walks. But AC/DC has little regard for what Angus Young called “the rich and the faceless,” the guys in suits smoking cigars and enjoying their luxury lifestyles. The big chorus on its own sounds like a salute to money, but a listen to the verses reveals the opposite: it’s a takedown of those who flaunt their wealth, and commentary on how money divides us. AC/DC got very rich, but they stayed grounded.
“Thunderstruck” was the lead track on The Razors Edge and the most enduring song from the album, but it wasn’t sold as a single in America. “Moneytalks” was, reaching a very respectable #23 in the States.
Also, Malcolm Young got sober after a bout with alcoholism, and drummer Chris Slade joined the band, replacing Simon Wright. They also used a new producer, Bruce Fairbairn, a Canadian who helmed hit albums for Aerosmith, Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi.
AC/DC printed their own dollar bills to promote this song, putting Angus Young on the front in place of George Washington. On the Razors Edge tour, these “Angus Bucks” would blow onto the crowd; the music video opens with one set on fire.
AC/DC took some liberties with the title, turning the phrase “money talks” into one word. They also played fast and loose with the grammar on the album title, leaving out the apostrophe in The Razors Edge.
Around the same time, there was a song with a similar title on the charts: “Dirty Cash (Money Talks)” by The Adventures Of Stevie V. That one has a similar sentiment but is an R&B tune.
Moneytalks
Tailored suits, chauffeured cars Fine hotels and big cigars Up for grabs, up for a price Where the red hot girls keep on dancing through the night The claim is on you The sights are on me So what do you do That’s guaranteed Hey little girl, you want it all The furs, the diamonds, the painting on the wall
Come on, come on, love me for the money Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalk Come on, come on, love me for the money Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalk
A French maid, foreign chef A big house with king size bed You’ve had enough, you ship them out The dollar’s up, down, you’d better buy the pound The claim is on you The sights are on me So what do you do That’s guaranteed Hey little girl, you broke the laws You hustle, you deal, you steal from us all
Come on, come on, love me for the money Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalk Come on, come on, love me for the money Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalk
Moneytalks, yeah, yeah
Money talks, B.S. walks Money talks, come on, come on
Come on, come on, love me for the money Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalk Come on, come on, love me for the money Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalk
Come on, come on, love me for the money (moneytalks) Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalk (moneytalks) Come on, come on, love me for the money (I hear it talk) Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalk (yeah, yeah) Moneytalk
WordPress decided not to place this in the reader…so I’ll try reposting it. Sorry if you have already seen this one.
This week I’m going to feature songs that cover that certain thing we all need to survive…money…John Lennon might disagree.
As a bass player, it’s nice to hear songs like this where bass plays the main riff. I’m not a huge Pink Floyd fan but I do like some of their songs. Their 60s songs I like best but I grew up with this one.
Roger Waters put together the cash register tape loop that plays throughout the song. It also contains the sounds of tearing paper and bags of coins being thrown into an industrial food-mixing bowl. The intro was recorded by capturing the sounds of an old cash register on tape, and meticulously splicing and cutting the tape in a rhythmic pattern to make the “cash register loop” effect.
Like many of their songs, this was not released as a single in the UK, where singles were perceived as a sellout…but it was released as a single in Anerica in 1973.. It peaked at #13 in the Billboard 100 and #18 in Canada.
The lyrics contain a “no-no” word. “Bulls–t” was left in the original release, but their record company quickly put out a version with the word removed, which became known as the “Bull Blank” version.
From Songfacts
This song is about the bad things money can bring. Ironically, it made Pink Floyd lots of cash, as the album sold over 34 million copies.
This is often misinterpreted as a tribute to money. Many people thought the line “Money, it’s a gas,” meant they considered money a very good thing.
The song begins in an unusual 7/8 time signature, then during the guitar solo the song changes to 4/4, then returns to 7/8 and ends in 4/4 again. When Guitar World February 1993 asked Dave Gilmour where the famous time signature for “Money” came from, the Pink Floyd guitarist replied: “It’s Roger’s riff. Roger came in with the verses and lyrics for ‘Money’ more or less completed. And we just made up middle sections, guitar solos and all that stuff. We also invented some new riffs – we created a 4/4 progression for the guitar solo and made the poor saxophone player play in 7/4. It was my idea to break down and become dry and empty for the second chorus of the solo.”
Roger Waters is the only songwriter credited on this, but the lead vocal is by David Gilmour. Waters provided the basic music and lyrics, while the whole band created the instrumental jam of the song. Gilmour was the one overseeing time change and responsible the acclaimed guitar solo. Rick Wright and Nick Mason.
Many studio effects were used on this song. They were using a new 16-track recorder, which allowed them to layer sounds much easier, but complex studio techniques like this still took a long time to do in 1973, as there weren’t digital recorders and samplers available like we have today. If you wanted to copy and paste something, you had to do it the hard way – with a razor blade and splicing tape.
Bands like The Beatles had used tape loops, but never like this. The tape loop used on this was about 20 feet long, and if you’ve ever seen a reel-to-reel tape machine, you can imagine how hard it was to keep it playing. In order to get the right tension and continuously feed the machine, they set up the loop in a big circle using microphone stands to hold it up. It was fed through the tape machine and played throughout the song.
The album was engineered by famed British producer and studio genius Alan Parsons at Abbey Road Studios, where he also worked with The Beatles. Parsons later started his own band called The Alan Parsons Project and scored a hit in the ’80s with “Eye In The Sky.”
Speaking with Songfacts about the studio habits of The Beatles and Pink Floyd, Parsons said: “They both liked to use the studio to its fullest, and they were always looking for new effects and new sounds. That was the beauty of working with those guys: There were always new horizons to discover in sound.” >>
Along with “Us And Them,” this is one of two songs on the album to use a saxophone, which was played by Dick Parry. The band wanted to experiment with new sounds on these sessions.
As happens throughout Dark Side of the Moon, random voices come in at the end. Waters drew up flashcards with deep philosophical questions on them, then showed them to people around the studio and taped their answers. The ones they liked made the album. Among the people questioned: a doorman, a roadie, and Paul McCartney. Most contributions were not used, but McCartney’s guitarist at the time, Henry McCullough, made the final cut with his answer, “I don’t know; I was really drunk at the time.”
Due to a record company dispute, they had to re-record this for their 1981 greatest hits album, A Collection Of Great Dance Songs (the title is a joke. You can’t dance to Floyd). There are very subtle differences between this version and the original.
If you start the CD on the third roar of the MGM lion, this begins just as the film goes to color in The Wizard Of Oz.
A cultural difference in the song: the reference to the “football team.” In America, the sport is known as soccer.
There is a scene in The Wall where the main character (Pink) is a student in school, and the teacher catches him writing a poem instead of doing the work he was supposed to be doing. The teacher reads the poem out loud, and it is this song. He makes the student look like a fool and everyone in the classroom laughs at him. The teacher then tells him “It’s rubbish laddy, now get back to work!” It probably symbolizes the way that we are raised almost uniform-like throughout our entire lives, starting in school. This is a theme of the movie.
The line, “Money, so they say, is a root of all evil today” is a paraphrase from the New Testament – 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
In 2002, a group called The Easy Star All-Stars recorded a reggae version of the album called Dub Side Of The Moon. On this song, the sounds of money were replaced by sounds of someone smoking from a water-based marijuana delivery device (OK, a bong).
A group called Reloaded, made up of former Guns N’ Roses members with Scott Weiland from The Stone Temple Pilots as lead singer, recorded this for the 2003 movie The Italian Job.
This was the first project for the group, which eventually changed its name to Velvet Revolver.
The cash register loop and bass line at the introduction to this song are used in a radio show that plays in the US, The Dave Ramsey Show. The show offers financial advice to struggling people, so the song ties in well. >>
In the documentary The Making of Dark Side of the Moon, it was revealed that Roger Waters wrote this in his garden, and the original demo version was described by him as being “Prissy and very English.” >>
In Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 film Reservoir Dogs, this song was originally intended to be used in a specific opening sequence. However, after hearing the song “Little Green Bag” by the George Baker Selection, Tarantino decided to use it instead because he it gave him an extreme sense of nostalgia. >>
Guitar World asked Gilmour if he was purposely trying to get away from just playing a 12 bar blues on guitar. He replied: “No, I just wanted to make a dramatic effect with the three solos. The first solo is ADT’d – Artificially Double Tracked. I think I did the first two solos on a Fender Stratocaster, but the last one was done on a different guitar – a Lewis, which was made by some guy in Vancouver. It had a whole two octaves on the neck, which meant I could get up to notes that I couldn’t play on a Stratocaster.”
Asked by Uncut in 2015 if there’s a song that reminds him of Roger Waters, David Gilmour replied: “‘Money.’ I’m not talking about the lyric. Just the quirky 7/8 time reminds me of Roger. It’s not a song I would have written. It points itself at Roger.”
Money
Money, get away Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay Money, it’s a gas Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash New car, caviar, four star daydream Think I’ll buy me a football team
Money, get back I’m all right Jack keep your hands off of my stack Money, it’s a hit Don’t give me that do goody good bullshit I’m in the high-fidelity first class traveling set And I think I need a Lear jet
Money, it’s a crime Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie Money, so they say Is the root of all evil today But if you ask for a raise it’s no surprise that they’re Giving none away, away, away
Great hard bluesy song on one of my favorite Beatle albums…The White Album. This is one reason I like the White Album so much. The variety it gives you is off the charts…but there is no mistaking who the band is in every song. The Beatles kept their style through the lush soft songs to the hard ones.
What I like about it is the rawness. This song and Helter Skelter have enough to spare.
The room they recorded this in was called Room 2A, which was next to the control room of EMI Studio Two and was a mere 8 ft. by 15.5 ft. The room had been used for storing four-track machines before it was emptied. It was very tight quarters for The Beatles once they set everything up. That added to the sound. They jammed together from 7pm to 5am and after 14 takes produced this song.
John Lennon wrote this in India while The Beatles were on a retreat learning meditation with the Maharishi.
Lennon was self-conscious about singing the blues.
John Lennon: “There was a self-consciousness about suddenly singing blues,” John continues. “Like everybody else, we were all listening to Sleepy John Estes and all that in art school (in the late ’50’s). But to sing it, was something else. I was self-conscious about doing it.”
Ringo Starr: “We were just in an 8 foot room, with no separation, just doing what we do best: playing.”
A 9 minute version with Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell was performed on the Rolling Stones’ Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus. They called themselves the Dirty Mac.
Yer Blues
Yes, I’m lonely Want to die Yes, I’m lonely Want to die If I ain’t dead already Oh, girl, you know the reason why
In the morning Want to die In the evening Want to die If I ain’t dead already Oh, girl, you know the reason why
My mother was of the sky My father was of the earth But I am of the universe And you know what it’s worth
I’m lonely Want to die If I ain’t dead already Oh, girl, you know the reason why
The eagle picks my eye The worm he licks my bone I feel so suicidal Just like Dylan’s Mr. Jones
Lonely Want to die If I ain’t dead already Oh, girl, you know the reason why
Black cloud crossed my mind Blue mist round my soul Feel so suicidal Even hate my rock and roll
Want to die Yeah, want to die If I ain’t dead already Oh, girl, you know the reason why
Happy Father’s Day! I hope everyone has a great day.
I do miss my dad…this is Christmas 1975…yea I’m the dork beside him.
James Brown = The MAN
James Brown recorded this song in one take…the released version was supposed to be a run-through, but sounded so good it was kept anyway.
Brown, who still hadn’t memorized the song’s lyrics, read from a sheet in front of him at the beginning of the original take, he can be heard saying “There’s a lot of words here, man.” He also can be heard exclaiming “This is a hit!” just before the band kicks in.
The song peaked at #8 in the Billboard 100 and #1 in the R&B Charts in 1965.
This song was followed by “I Got You (I Feel Good),” which quickly became Brown’s biggest hit (until “Living in America” was released in 1985) as it went to #3 on the Hot 100.
This won a Grammy for Best R&B Recording of 1965. It was also inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1999.
From Songfacts
A “bag” is slang for a way of doing something or a kind of lifestyle. It was a popular saying in the ’60s, especially among musicians, who wouldn’t describe songs as being “in an R&B bag” or “in a doo-wop bag.”
In this song, James Brown sings about coming up with a new “bag,” meaning a completely different way of approaching music. Inspired by what he heard in church, he punctuated the music on the downbeat, creating his “brand new bag.”
In March 1965, after a legal battle with King Records, Brown agreed to a new contract with a higher royalty rate than their previous agreement, plus Brown’s own publishing company and complete artistic control. Brown promptly went into a Charlotte, North Carolina, studio and cut “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag.”
King Records executive Syd Nathan gave a copy of this to New York DJ Frankie Cocker, who hated the new James Brown style but was impressed with the response when he put it on the air anyway. When King Records released the track as a single, Smash Records, the label Brown had leased some of his songs to that prompted the lawsuit, released an instrumental version of the song. As part of the ruling, Smash Records could release only instrumental versions of Brown’s songs.
Brown had recorded the very similar sounding “Out Of Sight” for Smash earlier that year, violating his King contract. James retooled the song, using a riff his band had been playing live, as a peace offering to King.
The original song was about seven minutes long, moved at a slower pace, and featured a more elaborate intro. After the song was cut, Brown sliced off most of the intro, sped the song up to get it played on pop radio, and broke it up into three parts (the second of which can be heard on the flipside of the original single).
The vocal version reached #8 in the US. It was the first Top 10 hit for the Godfather of Soul, and marked a departure from his early music toward the definition of his signature sound. Horns are used for percussive effect, and Brown’s vocals are tightly attached to the overall instrumental mix.
Dancing was a big part of James Brown’s stage show, and he often referred to dances in the lyrics to his songs. The dance crazes mentioned in this one are: The Jerk, The Fly, The Monkey, The Mashed Potatoes, The Alligator, The Twist, and the Boomerang.
Artists to record this song include Pat Boone, Freddy Cannon, Georgie Fame, Quincy Jones, L.A. Guns, Willie Mitchell, Pigbag, Otis Redding, Roger, Jimmy Smith, The Ventures, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.
Brown’s longtime sax player Maceo Parker played baritone sax on this track, and Maceo’s older brother Melvin was the drummer. The guitar, which is most prominent when it answers Brown’s chorus line, came courtesy of Jimmy Nolen.
This was performed in Beat the Devil, one of a series of BMW films (see it at YouTube). Faced with the problem of viewers skipping past commercials or simply ignoring them, BMW decided to make short films starring their products that people would choose to watch. James Brown stars in this one.
This was used in the 1993 Robin Williams film Mrs. Doubtfire.
Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag
Come here sister, Papa’s in the swing He ain’t too hip, about that new breed babe He ain’t no drag Papa’s got a brand new bag
Come here mama, and dig this crazy scene He’s not too fancy, but his line is pretty clean He ain’t no drag Papa’s got a brand new bag
He’s doing the Jerk He’s doing the Fly Don’t play him cheap ’cause you know he ain’t shy He’s doing the Monkey, the Mashed Potatoes Jump back Jack, See you later alligator
Come here sister Papa’s in the swing He ain’t too hip now But I can dig that new breed babe He ain’t no drag He’s got a brand new bag
Oh papa! He’s doing the Jerk Papa, he’s doing the Jerk He’s doing the twist, just like this He’s doing the Fly every day and every night The thing’s, like the Boomerang Hey, come on Hey! Hey, come on Hey! Hey, he’s put tight, out of sight Come on. Hey! Hey!
Sorry if you are seeing this twice…I can’t blame WordPress for this…I scheduled it for yesterday…this morning. I’m posting it again.
Who are all of those shadows on the cover? That would be the one-man band of John Fogerty who played everything on the album. It was released in 1973.
John wanted to pay tribute to the country artists he admired so he released this album right after CCR broke up. Instead of going about it the traditional country-music way…with a bunch of musicians sitting together in a room and performing the music live as the tapes roll – Fogerty played every single instrument on The Blue Ridge Rangers himself.
Jambalaya is a song written and recorded by country music singer Hank Williams that was first released in 1952. Named for a Creole and Cajun dish, jambalaya, it spawned numerous cover versions.
Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
Goodbye, Joe, me gotta go, me oh my oh. Me gotta go, pole the pirogue down the bayou. My Yvonne, sweetest one, me oh my oh. Son of a gun, gonna have big fun on the bayou.
[CHORUS:] Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo ‘Cause tonight I’m gonna see my ma cher amio. Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gayo, Son of a gun, gonna have big fun on the bayou.
Thibodeaux, Fontaineaux, the place is buzzin’, Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen. Dress in style, go hog wild, and be gayo. Son of a gun, gonna have big fun on the bayou.
[CHORUS:] Oh, guitar!
[CHORUS]
Oh, Lord! Hang tight, ooh Lord! Ah, take it out. He’s comin’, ah!
I always liked this song by Seger. This song is a staple on classic radio and I still listen to it when it comes on. Seger has great imagery in this song.
It took Seger around six months to write this song. Along with “Turn The Page,” this was one of just two songs Seger ever wrote on the road.
Night Moves was a breakthrough hit for Seger, introducing the heartland rocker to a much wider audience. He had been very popular in Michigan ever since his first album in 1969… which had the hit Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man. That song went to #17 on the Hot 100, but over the next few years, he struggled to make a national impact.
A big break came in April 1976 when his label, Capitol, seeing the success of Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive, issued a Seger live album, Live Bullet, recorded at two of his Detroit concerts in 1975. It quickly found a following and outsold every other Seger album.
Bob was born in Detroit. His father was a bandleader and musician who worked in an auto plant to support his wife and two children. He was the younger of two sons and got less attention from his father.
Bob Seger was inspired by the movie American Graffiti, which was released in 1973 but set in 1962. He said, “I came out of the theater thinking, Hey, I have a story to tell too. Nobody has ever told about how it was to grow up in my neck of the woods.”
Night Moves peaked at #4 in the Billboard 100, #5 in Canada, and #39 in New Zealand.
From Songfacts
This song is about a young couple losing their virginity in the back seat of a Chevy. Seger says the song is autobiographical, but he took some liberties, as their tryst was after high school. The girl he was with had a boyfriend away in the military, and when he came back, she married him, breaking Seger’s heart. Seger says the song represents the freedom and possibility of the high school years.
The phrase “night moves” has a number of meanings, which made it an intriguing song title. It could mean “putting the moves on” a girl in the back seat of a car, but Seger says it also relates to the impromptu parties he and has buddies threw in the fields of Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they would turn on the headlights and dance their “night moves.” They called these gatherings “grassers.”
Four songs on the Night Moves album were recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, and another four at Pampa Studios in Detroit with Seger’s Silver Bullet Band. They needed one more for the album, so Seger’s manager booked three days at Nimbus Nine Studios in Toronto with producer Jack Richardson. They quickly recorded three songs that weren’t that memorable. Seger’s guitarist and sax player returned to Detroit, but the rest of the crew kept working on a very stubborn song Seger had been toiling over: “Night Moves.” When it started to come together, Richardson brought in the local guitarist Joe Miquelon and organist Doug Riley to play on the track along with Seger and two members of his band: bass player Chris Campbell and drummer Charlie Allen Martin.
It’s also the only track on Night Moves with female backing vocals, which were provided by Laurel Ward, Rhonda Silver and Sharon Dee Williams, a trio from Montreal that happened to be in town.
The famous bridge in this song, where Seger strips it down and sings “I woke last night to the sound of thunder,” is something he and producer Jack Richardson came up with on the fly in the studio.
Night Moves was released in October 1976, with the title track issued as the lead single. When the Night Moves album entered the chart at #84 on November 13, Live Bullet was hanging around at #159. For the rest of the year and most of 1977, both albums were on the chart. Each ended up selling 5 million copies.
As for the “Night Moves” single, it rose to #4 in March 1977, making the heartland rocker a national name.
On the album, this runs 5:25. The single version was cut down to 3:23, taking out the bridge section where Seger wonders about the thunder and hums a song from 1962.
This reflective track was a change of pace for Seger, whose songs tended to be rockers with lot of live energy. It wasn’t his first slower song though: “Turn The Page” was released in 1972 but got little attention. After “Night Moves” and the next single, “Mainstreet,” took off, many radio stations added “Turn The Page” to their playlists.
According to Seger, he knew he had a hit after he recorded the song. Folks at his record company were also sure of it; Seger recalls the esteemed promotions man at Capitol, Bruce Wendell, telling him, “You’re going to be singing this song for your entire career.”
Like many of Seger’s songs, there is a touch of nostalgia in the lyrics. When he sings, “And it was summertime, sweet summertime, summertime,” he’s not only referring to the time of the year, but to that season of his life as well. In the last verse of the song, when he is reminiscing, he says, “With autumn closing in” and is referring to the autumn of his life, getting older. >>
Rolling Stone magazine named this Single of the Year for 1977.
The tempo changes were inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s “Jungleland.” Seger wrote the song in pieces; he had the first two verses written but was having trouble finishing the song. After hearing “Jungleland,” he realized he could connect the song with two distinct bridges.
When Seger sings the line about how he dressed in high school, “Tight pants, points, hardly renowned,” “Points” refers to small metal objects some teenagers wore on their shoes in the ’60s.
“Night Moves” didn’t get a video when it was first released (it was five years before MTV), but when Seger’s Greatest Hits album was released in 1994, a video was made to promote it. The video borrows heavily from American Graffiti, showing young people at a ’60s drive-in, intercut with shots of Seger singing the song in the projection room. It was directed by Wayne Isham and stared some soon-to-be famous actors, notably Matt LeBlanc, who would later appear on the TV series Friends. His love interest is played by Daphne Zuniga, who was already starring in Melrose Place. Johnny Galecki, who later found fame on Roseanne and The Big Bang Theory, also appears. The video version of the song runs 4:30, splitting the difference between the album version and the single edit.
In the UK, the song charted for the first time (at #45) when it was released as a single along with Seger’s Greatest Hits package.
According to Seger, he and the girl really made it in the backseat of a ’62 Chevy, but it didn’t fit lyrically, so he changed the line to “my ’60 Chevy.” >>
“Night Moves” is also the name of a 1975 movie starring Gene Hackman that is unrelated to the song. Another movie called Night Moves, this one starring Jesse Eisenberg and also unrelated to the song, hit theaters in 2013.
Since this is such a personal song, it has garnered few covers, although Garth Brooks and The Killers have performed it live.
Seger revealed in a radio interview that in the line, “Started humming a song from 1962,” the song he had in mind was “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes (which was actually released in 1963).
Seger credits the Kris Kristofferson-written song “Me And Bobby McGee” for inspiring the narrative songwriting style he employed on this track.
Night Moves
I was a little too tall, could’ve used a few pounds Tight pants points hardly renown She was a black-haired beauty with big dark eyes And points all her own sitting way up high Way up firm and high
Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy Out in the back seat of my sixty Chevy Workin’ on mysteries without any clues Workin’ on our night moves Trying’ to make some front page drive-in news Workin’ on our night moves In the summertime In the sweet summertime
We weren’t in love, oh no, far from it We weren’t searching for some pie in the sky summit We were just young and restless and bored Living by the sword And we’d steal away every chance we could To the backroom, the alley, the trusty woods I used her she used me, but neither one cared We were getting our share
Workin’ on our night moves Trying to lose the awkward teenage blues Workin’ on out night moves And it was summertime Sweet summertime, summertime
And oh, the wonder Felt the lightning Yeah, and we waited on the thunder Waited on the thunder
I woke last night to the sound of thunder How far-off, I sat and wondered Started humming a song from nineteen-sixty-two Ain’t it funny how the night moves? When you just don’t seem to have as much to lose Strange how the night moves With autumn closing in
Hmm, night moves (Night moves) night moves (Night moves) yeah (Night moves) night moves (Night moves) I remember the night moves (Night moves) ain’t it funny how you remember? (Night moves) funny how you remember (Night moves) I remember, I remember, I remember, I remember (Night moves) oh (Night moves) move away (Night moves) we’re gonna practice, love (Night moves) night moves (Night moves) oh, I remember (Night moves) yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember (Night moves) oh, I remember (Night moves) god, I remember (Night moves) lord, I remember
Oh, woman, oh, yeah, yeah, uh-huh, I remember, I remember
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