These Sun records by Elvis are untouchable. Many artists have tried to get the same sound that Sam Phillips achieved with his small studio in Memphis Tennessee. This title makes you want to listen to the song.
This was written by Bill Taylor and Stan Kesler, who were part of a group called the Snearly Ranch Boys, which recorded for Elvis’ label, Sun Records. The melody for the song was lifted by a jingle for Campbell’s soup.
The head of Sun, Sam Phillips, arranged for Elvis to record the tune, and brought in a drummer named Jimmie Lott to play on it, augmenting Elvis’ regulars: guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black.
In February of 1955, Elvis Presley records this as the “B” side to “Baby, Let’s Play House” to be released on Sun Records. This is the record that convinced RCA-Victor to drop $35,000 to buy Elvis from Sam Phillips…plus 5,000 Phillips owed Elvis.
I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone
Well, you’re right, I’m left, she’s gone You’re right, and I’m left all alone Well, you tried to tell me so But how was I to know That she was not the one for me?
You told me all along You’re right, our love was so wrong But now I changed my mind Because she broke the ties that bind And I know that she never cared for me
Well, I thought I knew just what she’d do I guess I’m not so smart Oh, you tried to tell me all along she’d only break my heart I’m left, you’re right, she’s gone You’re right, and I’m left all alone
Well, she’s gone I know not where But now I just don’t care For now I’m falling for you
If you’ll forgive me now I’ll make it up somehow So happy we will be In a home just for three And I’ll soon forget her now I know
Well, I thought I knew just what she’d do I guess I’m not so smart You tried to tell me all along She’d only break my heart
Well, you’re right, I’m left, she’s gone You’re right, and I’m left all alone Well, she’s gone, I know not where But now I just don’t care For now I’ve fallen for you
I love the Clavinet in this song and it is what plays the opening riff. This song has been played a lot but it still sounds just as fresh as the day it was released.
This was recorded at Electric Lady Studios, which is where Jimi Hendrix recorded. The studios stayed active after Hendrix’s death, with artists like Miles Davis and Deep Purple also recording there.
Superstition was written for Jeff Beck, as part of an agreement between Beck and Wonder. The deal was for Jeff Beck to play on the recording sessions of his upcoming album Talking Book in return for Wonder writing him a song. Beck came up with the opening drum beat which inspired Wonder to improvise along with it, resulting in Superstition. After the recording of the album, Wonder went ahead and allowed Beck to record his own version of the song and release it
Berry Gordy released Stevie Wonder’s version of the song months ahead of Jeff Beck’s version and resulted in one of his best selling singles.
The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #6 in Canada, and #11 in the UK in 1973
This was Wonder’s second #1 hit in the US. His first was with “Fingertips (Part 2)” in 1963, which he recorded as “Little” Stevie Wonder.
From Songfacts
Wonder wrote this about the dangers of believing in superstitions. Some of the bad luck superstitions he alludes to include walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror (said to bring seven years of bad luck), and the number 13.
This was intended for Jeff Beck, who was brought in to play some guitar parts on the album in exchange for a song. At one of the sessions, Stevie came up with the riff and wrote some lyrics, and they recorded a rough version of the song that day for Beck. It took Beck a while to record the song, and by the time he released it, Wonder’s version had been out for a month and was a huge hit. Beck felt shortchanged, and made some statements in the press that Wonder didn’t appreciate. In 1975, Beck released an instrumental version of Wonder’s “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” on his album Blow By Blow. The album was a hit and helped solidify Beck’s reputation as an elite guitarist.
When Wonder turned 21, he was no longer obligated to Motown Records, and used his clout to sign a deal with the label giving him unprecedented control of his music. He got a large share of royalties and publishing rights, and Motown was not allowed to alter the albums once they were delivered. One thing Motown did control, however, were what songs they released as singles. Knowing Jeff Beck was about to record his version, Motown head Berry Gordy made sure this was the first single and released it before Beck could get his out.
Taking a cue from Marvin Gaye, who put musician credits on his album What’s Going On, Wonder included credits on Talking Book. On this track, Stevie played Hohner clavinet, drums, and Moog bass. Two of his band members also contributed: Steve Madaio played trumpet and Trevor Lawrence played tenor saxophone.
Jeff Beck finally recorded his own version of this song in December 1972 with bass player Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice. They recorded as Beck, Bogert and Appice, and while their album did well, their version of this song was hardly noticed.
At the time, Wonder would keep the studio booked so he could record when inspiration hit. Stevie’s bass player at the time, Scott Edwards, told Songfacts this was not always convenient for his band. “Because he does not have sight, he’s not controlled by daylight,” said Edwards. “So he may begin his night at midnight. Which is bad, because if they want you to come do an overdub or something, he may call you at 4 a.m. and say, ‘Come on in.'”
Several artists besides Jeff Beck have covered this. None made much of an impact until Stevie Ray Vaughan released a live version as a single in 1986 on his album Live Alive. His version is still played on Classic Rock radio, and has grown even more popular since Vaughan’s death in 1990.
This song incorporates many elements of rock music, which helped Wonder extend his appeal to a white audience. Before Talking Book was released, Stevie went on tour with The Rolling Stones, which boosted his credibility in the world of rock. When “Superstition” was released, it was warmly welcomed on the same radio stations that played The Stones, earning Wonder many new fans. It also helped Wonder move past his image as a child star.
Wonder performed this song on Sesame Street in 1973 during the show’s fourth season. It was recorded at the show’s New York studios at a time when Wonder and his band were playing lots of gigs, and they treated the Sesame Street performance just like any other, extending it to nearly 7 minutes, complete with intricate musical shifts directed by Wonder. Video of the performance shows kids and puppets having a blast on the set, but the band remained focused, since getting distracted by a monster would not be a valid excuse for missing a change.
Wonder was the biggest musical act to appear on the show to this point, and other top talent followed: Johnny Cash appeared the next year and Paul Simon showed up in Season 8. In later years, just about anyone who grew up watching the show was thrilled to appear, so they had no trouble attracting musical guests. Rather than straight performances, the songs were typically re-written to fit the theme of the show or teach a lesson: R.E.M. did “Shiny Happy People” as “Furry Happy Monsters”; The Goo Goo Dolls turned “Slide” into “Pride.”
The album was called Talking Book because wonder considered the songs akin to chapters in a book that tell a whole story. On the cover is a rare photo of Wonder without his sunglasses on.
Raven-Symoné of The Cosby Show and Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven fame, recorded this for the 2003 Disney movie The Haunted Mansion, starring Eddie Murphy. >>
Wonder appeared in Bud Light commercials that debuted during the Super Bowl in 2013 as part of the “it’s only weird if it doesn’t work” campaign, which showed superstitious fans acting compulsively in an effort to steer their teams to victory. Wonder appeared as some kind of witch doctor in New Orleans (where the game took place), asking, “are you looking for a little mojo?” He then transports our hero to the big game, where he has a voodoo doll to help his cause. The song “Superstition” plays throughout.
The song also appears in the 2018 “Trick. Treat. Win!” campaign for McDonald’s, which sell the idea that you don’t need luck to win.
Superstition
Very superstitious, writings on the wall Very superstitious, ladders bout’ to fall Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin’ glass Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past
When you believe in things that you don’t understand Then you suffer Superstition ain’t the way
Very superstitious, wash your face and hands Rid me of the problem, do all that you can Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin’ strong You don’t want to save me, sad is my song
When you believe in things that you don’t understand Then you suffer Superstition ain’t the way, yeh, yeh
Very superstitious, nothin’ more to say Very superstitious, the devil’s on his way Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin’ glass Seven years of bad luck, good things in your past
When you believe in things that you don’t understand Then you suffer Superstition ain’t the way, no, no, no
This will close out the Born in the USA weekend but I’ll cover the other songs soon. This one I really think would have been a hit if they would have released it as a single…but that can be said about a few other ones also.
This song was really poignant when I heard it because I was about to graduate and I was starting to say goodbye to a lot of classmates that I knew I’d never see again.
This was written as a farewell message to guitarist Steven Van Zandt, who left the E Street Band during the recording of Born In The U.S.A. to pursue other projects. Van Zandt returned to the band years later.
From Songfacts
Springsteen called this “a good song about youthful friendship.”
In this song, Springsteen sings from the perspective of guy going to visit someone important to him, only to find that this person – Bobby Jean – has left town. Many assumed that Bobby Jean was a girl, which changes the storyline considerably. This interpretation plays out in the 1995 Nick Hornby book High Fidelity, where the main character, a record store clerk, says: “There’s this Springsteen song, ‘Bobby Jean,’ off Born In The U.S.A. About a girl who’s left town years before and he’s pissed off because he didn’t know about it, and he wanted to say goodbye, tell her that he missed her, and wish her good luck. Well, I’d like my life to be like a Springsteen song. Just once.”
The book was adapted into a movie in 2000, starring John Cusack. Springsteen appears in the film in a dream sequence; this was his first time acting in a movie. In this scene, he closes by telling Cusack, “Good luck, goodbye,” echoing the last line of this song. The song itself is not named in the film though.
Bobby Jean
Well, I came to your house the other day Your mother said you went away She said there was nothing that I could have done There was nothing nobody could say Me and you, we’ve known each other ever since we were sixteen I wished I could have known I wished I could have called you Just to say goodbye, Bobby Jean
Now, you hung with me when all the others Turned away, turned up their nose We liked the same music, we liked the same bands We liked the same clothes We told each other that we were the wildest The wildest things we’d ever seen Now I wished you would have told me I wished I could have talked to you Just to say goodbye, Bobby Jean
Now, we went walking in the rain, Talking about the pain that from the world we hid Now there ain’t nobody, nowhere, nohow Gonna ever understand me the way you did Maybe you’ll be out there on that road somewhere In some bus or train traveling along In some motel room there’ll be a radio playing And you’ll hear me sing this song Well, if you do, you’ll know I’m thinking of you And all the miles in between And I’m just calling you one last time Not to change your mind, but just to say I miss you, baby Good luck, goodbye, Bobby Jean
This song was the title song for the movie The Ramones made in 1980. I got a VHS copy of this movie in the early 80s and loved it.
The Ramones first recorded this song with producer Ed Stasium, who produced their previous album Road to Ruin. The band started working with Phil Spector soon after, and Spector remixed this song for the film. This is the version that was released as a single and included on the film’s soundtrack.
This song has a fifties sound to it and it does sound commercial for the Ramones but it never made it into the Billboard 100 but it did manage to get to #67 in the UK in 1979. It was not the hit they were hoping to have.
The song clocked in at a little over 2 minutes…true Ramones fashion. This is one band I regret never getting to see live.
From Songfacts
The Ramones wrote this song for the movie Rock ‘N’ Roll High School, which is about a student who leads a rock rebellion against the school administration. In the film, the student, Riff Randell (played by P. J. Soles), writes the song in her songwriting class (somehow this school she found so stifling offered a songwriting class and a means for her to work up a professional demo) and plays it to her classmates during gym class.
Determined to get the song to her favorite band, the Ramones, she is thwarted by the principal and stages a protest in retaliation, taking over the school with her fellow students. In the final scene, she leads the students out of the school in apparent surrender, but then introduces the Ramones, who have joined them to perform the song. While they play, Riff hits the plunger and blows up the building as the horrified teachers look on.
The film is campy in the tradition of Animal House, and it captured the punk attitude of rebellion with a heaping of humor. It was released independently, so it was never big at the box office, but Rock ‘N’ Roll High School earned an excellent review from the influential movie critics Siskel & Ebert, and quickly gained a cult following.
Rock ‘N’ Roll High School director Allan Arkush was a big Ramones fan, and pushed to make them the band in the movie. When he met with the band’s manager, Danny Fields, Arkush pitched him the story of the band playing while the school blows up. Fields was sold.
Much of the Ramones brand of punk rock was influenced by early rock and roll.
When Spector produced the Ramones End of the Century album, he had them record a new version, employing his “wall of sound” technique. While the original begins with eight seconds of drums, this rendition opens with the sounds of students mulling about at school, a class bell, and a sustained guitar note played by Johnny Ramone.
This guitar note became the stuff of legend when tales were told of Specter making Johnny play it over and over for eight hours. When Johnny walked out, Spector ordered him back in, and Johnny retorted, “What you going to do, shoot me?” (this exchange is captured on tape).
Spector is often said to have brandished a gun either at this point or at another point in the session, but Marky Ramone tells us that this is overblown – Spector carried a gun but never threatened them with it.
The album took about six months to make, which was an eternity by Ramones standards, although most of that time was Spector working without the band. The album was a modest success, going to #44 US and outselling previous Ramones efforts, but it left the band divided – Joey and Marky loved it, but Dee Dee and Johnny felt traumatized by the experience.
If the Ramones were ever going to score a hit single, this would have been it. The song was the title track to a movie, and the renown hitmaker Phil Spector had his hands on it. It was not to be: the song didn’t crack the American charts and the Ramones never did have a commercial breakthrough.
A video was made for this song using the 1980 End of the Century release. The video is based on the movie, with most of the band in detention and Marky dressed like a woman, playing the role of the principal in the film, Miss Togar. When MTV launched in 1981, it got some spins, but the Ramones never became video stars.
The version sung in the movie by P.J. Soles was also included on the soundtrack album.
According to Joey Ramone, the movie was going to be called Disco High School, since disco was big at the time. Director Allan Arkush managed to make it a rock movie starring the Ramones.
Joey says that when they blew up the high school at the end, they were really destroying the school and the explosions were frightening. The band was under strict instructions not to turn around until cameras stopped rolling. When they did, they saw the school up in flames.
Imploding the set did more than just create a great visual: it made it impossible to do re-shoots, ensuring that it couldn’t be reverted to Disco High.
The End Of The Century album cover was shot by Mick Rock, whose famous clients include David Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. He was warned before the shoot that the Ramones did not like photographers, but the session went well and resulted in one of the more memorable images of the band, with them wearing colorful T-shirts and no leather.
“It only took about an hour,” Rock told Songfacts. “They came, I did some Polaroids. They didn’t really comment much, but at least they liked them enough for one to appear on the album cover.”
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School
Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school
Well I don’t care about history Rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school ‘Cause that’s not where I wanna be Rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school I just wanna have some kicks I just wanna get some chicks Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school
Well, the girls out there knock me out, you know Rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school Cruisin’ around in my GTO Rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school I hate the teachers and the principal Don’t wanna be taught to be no fool Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school
Fun fun, rock ‘n’ roll high school Fun fun, rock ‘n’ roll high school Fun fun, rock ‘n’ roll high school Fun fun, oh baby Fun fun, oh baby Fun, fun, fun, fun Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school
I don’t care about history Rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school ‘Cause that’s not where I wanna be Rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school I just wanna have some kicks I just wanna get some chicks Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school
Fun fun, rock ‘n’ roll high school Fun fun, rock ‘n’ roll high school Fun fun, rock ‘n’ roll high school Fun fun, oh baby Fun fun, oh baby Fun, fun, fun, fun Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock ‘n’ roll high school
Glory Days is a true story. In this song, Springsteen sings about a chance encounter with an old friend who was a star baseball player in high school. The old friend is Joe DePugh, and the encounter really did happen.
Springsteen and DePugh were classmates at St. Rose of Lima School in Freehold, New Jersey and played baseball together in the Babe Ruth League. They were good friends but drifted apart as Springsteen pursued music while DePugh took a shot at sports (he tried out for the Los Angeles Dodgers). In the summer of 1973, DePugh was walking into a bar called the Headliner in Neptune, New Jersey while Springsteen was walking out.
Bruce went back in, where he and his old friend talked about the good old days until the bar closed. When “Glory Days” was released, DePugh was living in Vermont, where word got out that he was the subject of the song. Springsteen confirmed the story at his 30th high school reunion in 1997, but DePugh wasn’t there; they finally met up again in 2005 when they met for lunch and once again relived their glory days.
The song peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100, #17 in Canada, #34 in New Zealand, and #17 in the UK in 1985. The song was released in 1984 and really popular through 1985 and remains popular to this day.
If you want to read about Joe DePugh here is a link:
This is one of Springsteen’s favorites. He almost always plays it at the impromptu bar gigs he is famous for on the Jersey Shore.
In concert, Springsteen often extends this to over 10 minutes. Perhaps the most compact version he ever played was at halftime of the 2009 Super Bowl, when he squeezed four songs into a 12-minute set.
Springsteen: “The first verse actually happened, the second verse mostly happened, the third verse, of course, is happening now.”
Originally, this contained a fourth verse which mentioned Springsteen’s father working on the Ford assembly line.
Springsteen performed this June 25, 1993 on the last David Letterman Show on NBC. Letterman is a huge fan but had never had Springsteen on. Bruce did go on the show a few more times after it moved to CBS.
This was one of seven US Top 10 hits on Born In The U.S.A. The band first recorded it in 1982, but it was not released until the album came out.
The video was directed by John Sayles, who also did Springsteen’s promos for “Born In The U.S.A.” and “I’m On Fire.” In the video, Springsteen plays a cross between the character telling the story and the guy he’s singing about.
The full version of the video starts with Springsteen working construction (in real life he never had a job outside of music). In his reverie, he recalls his days playing baseball. Amid the scenes where the E Street Band is playing the song in a bar (Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey), we see him reminiscing with his glove and trophies from the glory days. At the end of the video Springsteen is on the field pitching to his son until his wife comes by in a station wagon to pick them up. It’s pretty clear that Springsteen was never much of a pitcher – his form is terrible. He was a right fielder when he played.
Julianne Phillips, who was Springsteen’s wife at the time, plays that role in the video, appearing in just one shot where she comes to get her boys. Patti Scialfa, who became the next Mrs. Springsteen in 1991, had joined the E Street Band in 1984 and gets a lot more face time in the clip.
On the day Springsteen released his album The Rising, he played a concert on The Today Show. This was the only song he played that was not on the new album.
Glory Days
I had a friend was a big baseball player Back in high school He could throw that speedball by you Make you look like a fool boy Saw him the other night at this roadside bar I was walking in, he was walking out We went back inside sat down had a few drinks But all he kept talking about was
Glory days, well, they’ll pass you by Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye Glory days, glory days
Well there’s a girl that lives up the block Back in school she could turn all the boy’s heads Sometimes on a Friday I’ll stop by And have a few drinks after she put her kids to bed Her and her husband Bobby well they split up I guess it’s two years gone by now We just sit around talking about the old times, She says when she feels like crying She starts laughing thinking about
Glory days, well, they’ll pass you by Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye Glory days, glory days
Think I’m going down to the well tonight And I’m going to drink till I get my fill And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it But I probably will Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture A little of the glory of, well time slips away And leaves you with nothing mister but Boring stories of
Glory days, well, they’ll pass you by Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye Glory days, glory days Yeah, they’ll pass you by Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye Glory days, glory days
I’ve been a Sheryl Crow fan since I heard her first songs. The lyrics she writes with Jeff Trott are different than the usual pop song. Many of their songs are abstract which I like.
Crow wrote this with guitarist Jeff Trott and drummer Brian MacLeod during a six-month stay in New Orleans. The song shows an array of images to highlight what needs changing in someone’s life.
This song peaked at #1 in the Billboard US Adult Alternative Songs, #8 in the UK, and #2 in Canada in 1997.
If you want to check out something new Sheryl has done…check out this piece from Christian from christiansmusicmusings about Sheryl and Citizen Cope covering a Bill Withers song. A very good version of Lonely Town, Lonely Street.
In this song, she takes a gentle swipe at the Material Girl who inspired this verse…and a few others with:
Canine, feline, Jekyll and Hyde
Wear your fake fur on the inside
Queen of south beach, aging blues
Dinner’s at six, wear your cement shoes
I thought you were singing your heart out to me
Your lips were syncing and now I see
Jeff Trott: I don’t know how we were talking about Madonna, but the second verse of “A Change Would Do You Good” was directed at Madonna. “You wear your fake fur on the inside.” It’s been awhile. I can’t think of all the lyrics. But one of them was “Mercedes Ruehl and a rented Lear.”
“We were trying to come up with something like the Staple Singers. Mavis Staples is one of those legendary soul singer/songwriters, and Sheryl and I have this affinity for those old soul songs, Motown, stuff like that. We’re always trying to find those rare, rare songs for inspiration.”
Songfacts
The trio came up with so many lyric ideas that they decided to throw them all in a hat and draw them out, leading to a string of non-sequiturs that tie the song together. Trott said: “Sheryl just picked them out randomly and put them on a piece of paper, and we all read them. We all thought, ‘Whoa, this actually makes sense, even though it’s so oblique and completely abstract.’ So, we put this thing together and tried to keep the order pretty close, just swapping a couple of the lines to make more sense.”
So, a change would do who good? According to Trott, the first verse is about producer Bill Bottrell, who walked out on the making of the album. While the lyrics are biting, Trott says it was all in fun. “She had a little bit of resentment towards him, but not in a harsh way, but in a playful kind of way.”
He’s a platinum canary, drinkin’ Falstaff beer
Mercedes Ruehl, and a rented Lear
Bottom feeder insincere
Prophet lo-fi pioneer
The above lyrics are often misquoted, but Trott confirmed they indeed reference Mercedes Ruehl. The Academy Award-winning actress also starred in the 1999 thriller The Minus Man, in which Crow made her debut film appearance.
After some convincing, Crow agreed to make the last verse about herself:
I’ve been thinking ’bout catching a train
Leave my phone machine by the radar range
Hello it’s me, I’m not at home
If you’d like to reach me, leave me alone
Three music videos were made. The first, a black-and-white clip directed by Crow and Lance Acord, shows the singer both performing out on the street and tossing her belongings out of a window in the background.
The star-studded second video, directed by Michel Gondry, has Crow magically manipulating characters’ lives, loosely inspired by the classic sitcom Bewitched. Cameos include Mary Lynn Rajskub, Heather Matarazzo, Jeff Garlin, Ellen DeGeneres, Molly Shannon, Andy Dick and Toby Huss.
The third video consists of footage from a live VH1 performance.
This was covered by Dean Geyer and Lea Michele on the 2012 Glee episode “Makeover.”
A Change Would Do You Good
Ten years living in a paper bag, Feedback baby, he’s a flipped out cat, He’s a platinum canary, drinkin’ Falstaff beer, Mercedes rule, and a rented leer.
Bottom feeder insincere, High fed low fat pioneer, Sell the house and go to school. Pretty young girlfriend, daddy’s jewel.
A change, (A change would do you good) Would do you good, (A change would do you good) I think a change, (A change would do you good) Would do you good. (A change would do you good)
God’s little gift is on the rag, Poster girl posing in a fashion mag, Canine, feline, Jekyll and Hyde? Wear your fake fur on the inside.
Queen of south beach, aging blues, Dinners at six, wear your cement shoes, I thought you were singing your heart out to me, Your lips were singing and now I see.
A change, (A change would do you good) Would do you good, (A change would do you good) I think a change, (A change would do you good) Would do you good. (A change would do you good)
A change, (A change would do you good) Would do you good, (A change would do you good) I think a change, (A change would do you good) Would do you good. (A change would do you good)
Chasing dragons with plastic swords, Jack off jimmy everybody wants more, Scully and angel on the kitchen floor, And I’m calling buddy on the ouija board.
I’ve been thinking ’bout catching a train, Leave my phone machine by the radar range, “Hello it’s me, I’m not at home, If you’d like to reach me, leave me alone”
A change, (A change would do you good) Would do you good, (A change would do you good)
“Hello it’s me, I’m not at home, If you’d like to reach me, leave me alone”
A change, (A change would do you good) Would do you good, (A change would do you good) I think a change, (A change would do you good) Would do you good. (A change would do you good)
A lot of memories are connected with this song. Summer of 1985. I never got into much trouble in high school…never got caught making mischief anyway… but I did have this adventure after graduation. I was driving to Florida with 3 other guys with this song blasting out with 140 bucks in my pocket…to Cocoa Beach, Florida…15 hours away. I was the rich one on this trip.
A bunch of guys that just graduated and are acting stupid. We learned if you tilted a coke machine (those back then), Cokes would stream out. Funny how you try things out when you are 18 and stupid. We filled a couple of coolers up with them. It’s a wonder we weren’t caught or crushed by all of those machines. We also halfway wrecked a hotel room (TV was bolted down, thank goodness) and dreaded getting back home, where we would have to begin…gulp…life. No, I never tilted another coke machine, wrecked a hotel room, or anything like it again. 4 guys in a Toyota Celica for 15 hours…not comfortable but when you are 18…fun all the same…now I’d be in traction after such a trip.
Certain songs take you back to a time. Walking On Sunshine, Glory Days, and Darlington County all connect me with that trip. Back to the song! This is one of the very few on the album that wasn’t a hit…but it’s just as good as many of the others.
Bruce originally wrote this for his 1978 album Darkness On The Edge Of Town, but it didn’t make the cut. The riff in the song reminds me of Cadillac Ranch that was on The River album.
The song resolves itself in the end with the narrater’s buddy in trouble.
Driving out of Darlington County My eyes seen the glory of the coming of the Lord Driving out of Darlington County Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper’s Ford
Darlington County
Driving in to Darlington County Me and Wayne on the Fourth of July Driving in to Darlington County Looking for some work on the county line We drove down from New York City Where the girls are pretty but they just want to know your name Driving in to Darlington City Got a union connection with an uncle of Wayne’s We drove eight hundred miles without seeing a cop We got rock and roll music blasting off the T-top, singing
Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la
Hey little girl, standing on the corner Today’s your lucky day for sure, all right Me and my buddy, we’re from New York City We got two hundred dollars, we want to rock all night Well girl, you’re looking at two big spenders Why, the world don’t know what me and Wayne might do Our pa’s each own one of the World Trade Centers For a kiss and a smile, I’ll give mine all to you Come on baby, take a seat on my fender It’s a long night, and tell me, what else were you gonna do? Just me and you, we could
Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la
Little girl, sitting in the window Ain’t seen my buddy in seven days, play it boys County man tells me the same thing He don’t work and he don’t get paid
Little girl, you’re so young and pretty Walk with me and you can have your way And we’ll leave this Darlington City For a ride down that Dixie Highway
Driving out of Darlington County My eyes seen the glory of the coming of the Lord Driving out of Darlington County Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper’s Ford
Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la
Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la
Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la
This song was on the Out of the Blue album. It edges toward disco a little but everything was at this time.
The song was originally called “Dead End Street” before Jeff Lynne decided he wasn’t happy, so he erased the vocal track and re-wrote the lyrics. Some words that survived from that version can be heard in the opening of the third verse, “I’ve been livin’ on a dead-end street.”
This song peaked at #17 in the Billboard 100, #16 in Canada and #6 in the UK in 1978.
Jeff Lynn: “It was a song called Dead End Street. I’d done all the words and everything, finished it. And I came down the next day in the studio and I went, ‘I hate that. Let’s rub all the vocals off.’ And so, he goes, ‘Really?’ Y’know, me engineer. And I said, ‘Yup. Get rid off everything off there. Whatever to do with the vocals.’ And he did. He rubbed ’em all off. And I’d been sitting up in the hotel, which is above the studio, working at night just trying to think of a new tune and new words, which I did. And tried it the next day and there they worked. So, it was a good job I did, but it also meant changing the arrangement slightly. So a lot of pairs of scissors were used that day.”
From Songfacts
This was a hit single from British pop rock band Electric Light Orchestra’s double album, Out of the Blue, recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany during the summer of 1977. The song finds ELO leader Jeff Lynne searching for the elusive sweet talkin’ woman. He asks everyone he knows where he can find her, and even calls the operator to ask about her whereabouts, but his search is fruitless. Seems she doesn’t want to be found.
The USA single release was ten seconds shorter than its British counterpart due to a slightly faster mix. It is not known whether it was purposely edited to help the song to get more airplay or a simple error due to the tape machine being run at the wrong speed.
Like several songs on Out of the Blue, this song made use of the Vocoder 2000. ELO were one of the first music acts to make extensive use of the vocoder, which could synthesize voice into a robotic sound.
Robert John “Mutt” Lange inadvertently ripped off this track when he wrote the Huey Lewis & the News song “Do You Believe In Love?,” for their 1982 Picture This album. The verses have the same melody and the lyrics of the opening verse are remarkably similar. “I was walking down a one way street; Just a looking for someone to meet; One woman who was looking for a man.”
Sweet Talkin’ Woman
I was searchin’ (searchin’) on a one-way street I was hopin’ (hopin’) for a chance to meet I was waitin’ for the operator on the line (She’s gone so long) What can I do? (Where could she be?) Don’t know what I’m gonna do I gotta get back to you
You gotta slow down (slow down), sweet talkin’ woman You got me runnin’, you got me searchin’ Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin’ lover It’s so sad if that’s the way it’s over
I was (walkin’), many days go by I was thinkin’ (thinkin’) ’bout the lonely nights Communication break down all around (She’s gone so long) What can I do? (Where could she be now?) No no no, don’t know what I’m gonna do I gotta get back to you
You gotta slow down (slow down), sweet talkin’ woman You got me runnin’, you got me searchin’ Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin’ lover (hold on) It’s so sad if that’s the way it’s over
I’ve been livin’ on a dead-end street I’ve been askin’ ev’rybody I meet Insufficient data coming through (She’s gone so long) What can I do? (Where could she be?) No no no, don’t know what I’m gonna do I gotta get back to you
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin’ woman You got me runnin’, you got me searchin’ Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin’ lover (hold on) It’s so sad if that’s the way it’s over
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin’ woman You got me runnin’, you got me searchin’ Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin’ lover (hold on) It’s so sad if that’s the way it’s over
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin’ woman You got me runnin’, you got me searchin’ Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin’ lover (hold on) It’s so sad if that’s the way it’s over
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin’ woman You got me runnin’, you got me searchin’ Hold on (hold on), sweet talkin’ lover (hold on) It’s so sad if that’s the way it’s over
Slow down (slow down), sweet talkin’ woman You got me runnin’, you got me searchin’
Get your bandanas ready…this weekend I’m going to cover some of the Born In The USA album by Bruce Springsteen. We will start off with the title track.
Springsteen wrote this about the problems Vietnam veterans encountered when they returned to America. Vietnam was the first war the US didn’t win, and while veterans of other wars received a hero’s welcome, those who fought in Vietnam were mostly ignored when they returned to their homeland.
The other song that has someone really ripping the vocals is “Twist and Shout” sung by John Lennon with the Beatles.
The song peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100, #1 in New Zealand, #11 in Canada, and #5 in the UK in 1985. This is the first song and title track to one of the most popular albums ever…Born In The U.S.A. sold over 18 million copies.
I remember back in the 80s Chrysler offered Springsteen $12 million to use this in an ad campaign with Bruce… Springsteen turned them down so they used “The Pride Is Back” by Kenny Rogers instead. Springsteen has never let his music be used to sell products.
From Songfacts
The original title was “Vietnam.” The director Paul Schrader sent Springsteen a script for a movie called Born In The U.S.A., about a rock band struggling with life and religion. This gave Bruce the idea for the new title. Unfortunately for Schrader, when he was finally ready to make the movie in 1985, the title “Born In The U.S.A.” was too associated with the song. Springsteen helped him out however, providing the song “Light Of Day,” which became the new title for Schrader’s movie and the feature song in the film.
This is one of the most misinterpreted songs ever. Most people thought it was a patriotic song about American pride, when it actually cast a shameful eye on how America treated its Vietnam veterans. Springsteen considers it one of his best songs, but it bothers him that it is so widely misinterpreted. With the rollicking rhythm, enthusiastic chorus, and patriotic album cover, it is easy to think this has more to do with American pride than Vietnam shame.
The single was released in England as a double A-side with “I’m On Fire.” It was the first song Springsteen wrote for the album. He first recorded it on January 3, 1982 on the tape that became his album Nebraska later that year.
While campaigning in New Jersey in 1984, Ronald Reagan said in his speech: “America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts. It rests in the message of hope in songs so many young Americans admire: New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about.”
Springsteen talked about this in a 2005 interview with National Public Radio. Said Bruce: “This was when the Republicans first mastered the art of co-opting anything and everything that seemed fundamentally American, and if you were on the other side, you were somehow unpatriotic. I make American music, and I write about the place I live and who I am in my lifetime. Those are the things I’m going to struggle for and fight for.”
Speaking of how the song was misinterpreted, he added: “In my songs, the spiritual part, the hope part is in the choruses. The blues, and your daily realities are in the details of the verses. The spiritual comes out in the choruses, which I got from gospel music and the church.”
This song inspired the famous Annie Leibowitz photo of Springsteen’s butt against the backdrop of an American flag. Bruce had to be convinced to use it as the album’s cover. Some people thought it depicted Springsteen urinating on the flag.
Looking back on the cover in a 1996 interview with NME, Springsteen said: “I was probably working out my own insecurities, y’know? That particular image is probably the only time I look back over pictures of the band and it feels like a caricature to me.”
According to Max Weinberg, Bruce attempted to do the song in a rockabilly trio style, with a country beat.
The drum solo towards the end of the song was completely improvised. Drummer Max Weinberg said that the band was recording in an oval-shaped studio, with the musicians separated into different parts. Springsteen, at the front, suddenly turned towards Weinberg (at the back) after singing and waved his hands in the air frantically to signal drumming. Weinberg then nailed it.
Eight minutes were cut from the song, which Max Weinberg said went on into a psychedelic jam.
Bruce performed solo, acoustic versions on his tours in 1996 and 1999. He wanted to make sure the audience understood the song.
Springsteen allowed notorious rap group The 2 Live Crew to sample this for their song “Banned In The U.S.A.” in 1990, after the group was arrested for performing songs with obscene lyrics. Bruce felt they had a constitutional right to say whatever they wanted in their songs.
This was recorded live in the studio in three takes.
Richard “Cheech” Marin parodied this in the song “Born In East L.A.,” which came from his 1987 movie of the same name. Sample lyrics:
Next thing I know, I’m in a foreign land
People talkin’ so fast, I couldn’t understand
Born In The U.S.A. was the first CD manufactured in the United States for commercial release. It was pressed when CBS Records opened its CD manufacturing plant in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1984. Discs previously had been imported from Japan.
The children’s TV show Sesame Street reworked this as “Barn In The U.S.A.,” credited to Bruce Stringbean and the S. Street Band.
Springsteen’s fist-pumping recitations of this lament for the plight of the Vietnam War veterans during his 1984-85 Born In The USA tour contributed to its mis-reading as a patriotic song by US right-wingers. Critic Greil Marcus wrote: “Clearly the key to the enormous explosion of Bruce’s popularity is the misunderstanding… He is a tribute to the fact that people hear what they want to hear.”
The video was directed by John Sayles, who wrote the screenplay for the 1978 movie Piranha and later directed the films Lone Star, Honeydripper and Eight Men Out . Most of the video is footage of Springsteen performing the song in concert – he wore the same outfit for a few consecutive shows so Sayles could get the shots (Springsteen didn’t want to lip-synch). Other footage came from a Vietnamese neighborhood in Los Angeles and Springsteen’s old stomping ground, Asbury Park, New Jersey. The video stuck to the true meaning of the song, with shots of factory workers, regular folks walking the streets, soldiers training for combat, and a line of guys waiting for payday loans. Sayles said in the book I Want My MTV: “It was right around the time that Ronald Reagan had co-opted ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ and Reagan, his policies were everything that the song was complaining about. I think some of the energy of the performance came from Bruce deciding, ‘I’m going to claim this song back from Reagan.'”
This was not the first hit song to tell a story about a Vietnam veteran’s return to America. In 1982, The Charlie Daniels Band took “Still in Saigon” to #22 in America. That song was written by Dan Daley, who felt that only two artists were right for it. “Since it was such a political song, the strategy was there were only two artists that it would make sense to give it to,” Daley told us. “One was Bruce Springsteen and the other was Charlie Daniels. Because both had made public statements in support of Vietnam veterans.”
Springsteen has often reflected on the Vietnam War in his work. He didn’t serve because he dodged the draft, pretending to be a misfit high on LSD. He has expressed guilt, knowing someone else went in his place, and may not have returned.
When Springsteen performed a spare, acoustic version of the song during his Springsteen On Broadway run from 2017-2018, he would introduce it with a story about Walter Cichon (pronounced sha-shone), leader of a New Jersey rock band called the Motifs, who seemed destined for stardom. Cichon got drafted and in 1968 went missing in action (Springsteen’s 2014 song “The Wall” is about Cichon).
With this backdrop, “Born In The U.S.A.” tells the tragic story not just of soldiers who were neglected when they returned to Vietnam, but also to those who never made it home.
Jennifer Lopez incorporated a bit of this song into her set when she performed at halftime of the 2020 Super Bowl. Lopez honored both her homeland and her heritage by donning a feathered cape with the Puerto Rican flag on one side and the American flag on the other. When she revealed the Puerto Rican side, her daughter Emme sang the chorus of “Born In The U.S.A.” Lopez was born in New York City.
Springsteen left the song out of his set when he played the Super Bowl halftime show in 2009.
The opening line, “Born down in a dead man’s town,” is quoted in Stephen King’s It (1986) to introduce “Part 1: The Shadow Before,” which tells us all about the cursed town of Derry, Maine, and the children who came together to fight an evil clown.
Born In The USA
Born down in a dead man’s town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground End up like a dog that’s been beat too much ‘Til you spend half your life just covering up
Born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A
Got in a little hometown jam So they put a rifle in my hand Sent me off to a foreign land To go and kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A
Come back home to the refinery Hiring man said “son if it was up to me” Went down to see my V.A. man He said “son, don’t you understand”
I had a brother at Khe Sanh fighting off the Viet Cong They’re still there, he’s all gone He had a woman he loved in Saigon I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery I’m ten years burning down the road Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go
Born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A I’m a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A I’m a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A
After watching the Pretenders on the Concert for Kampuchea I’ve been listening to Pretenders lately. The original band was something special. The original band was James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion)…and of course Chrissie Hynde.
Following the drug-related deaths of Honeyman-Scott and Farndon, the band experienced numerous subsequent personnel changes. Hynde has been the band’s only consistent member.
Written by Ray Davies and recorded for The Kinks’ 1964 self-titled debut album, this was later covered by The Pretenders as their first single. The Pretenders’ recording of the song led to the relationship between Davies and the band’s frontwoman Chrissie Hynde.
In order to convince guitarist James Honeyman-Scott to join The Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde hired one of his favorite recording artists, Nick Lowe, to produce this song.
This song peaked at #65 in the Billboard 100 and #34 in the UK in 1980.
From Songfacts
In his autobiography, Ray Davies writes of a girlfriend who may have been the subject of this song: “Her sobbing was making me feel guilty and I told her to stop… there was something so desperately lonely about her.”
The Pretenders covered another Ray Davies penned track a couple of years later, “I Go To Sleep,” for another single release.
Stop Your Sobbing
It is time for you to stop all of your sobbing Yes it’s time for you to stop all of your sobbing oh oh oh There’s one thing you gotta do To make me still want you Gotta stop sobbing now Yeah yeah stop it stop it
It is time for you to laugh instead of crying Yes it’s time for you to laugh so keep on trying oh oh oh There’s one thing you gotta do To make me still want you Gotta stop sobbing now Yeah yeah stop it stop it
Each little tear that falls from your eyes Makes, makes me want To take you in my arms and tell you To stop all your sobbing
There’s one thing you gotta do To make me still want you And there’s one thing you gotta know To make me want you so Gotta stop sobbing now Yeah yeah stop, stop, stop, stop Gotta stop sobbing at all Stop, stop, stop, stop Gotta stop sobbing at all Stop, stop, stop, stop Gotta stop sobbing at all Stop, stop, stop, stop Stop, stop, stop sobbing Stop, stop, stop, stop Gotta stop sobbing Stop, stop, stop, stop Gotta stop sobbing at all Stop, stop, stop, stop Gotta stop sobbing at all
This song was from Fleetwood Mac…the 60’s version of the band with the great guitar player Peter Green. The song peaked at #55 in the Billboard 100 in 1970.
Fleetwood Mac was six years away from their Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham era when this song was released. The lineup on this track was Peter Green (vocals, guitar), John McVie (bass), Danny Kirwan (guitar), Mick Fleetwood (drums), and Jeremy Spencer (piano).
This is the only song that has been played in every decade of Fleetwood Mac, starting in the ’60s. When Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers joined the band in 2018, the song became a feature for him, and his only lead vocal in their set.
The single was released in two parts. Radio stations usually play the A-side, “Oh Well (part 1).” The B-side is “Oh Well (part 2),” an orchestral piece that sounds completely different. Both parts were written by Peter Green and go together on the album, but Green always thought the best part wasn’t played.
Peter Green: “The best bit was Part 2 on the other side of the record,” “You miss the best bit, the Spanish guitar break. The first side was what we played on stage. I didn’t think it would be a hit and I used to hate playing that one because we played the part that wasn’t as good. I wanted a bit of moody guitar playing. They wanted the bit that was easy to do, that everyone knew.”
From Songfacts
At the time, Fleetwood Mac was a successful blues band known for their raucous stage shows. Their albums consistently sold about 300,000 copies and they were known as outstanding musicians. When Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the band in 1974, they changed their sound and became one of the best-selling bands ever. Until then, “Oh Well” was the only Fleetwood Mac song that made the Hot 100 in America; they did have several UK hits in this era, including the #1 “Albatross.”
This was one of Peter Green’s last contributions to Fleetwood Mac. He was revered as one of the greatest guitarists and songwriters of the time, having replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers before forming Fleetwood Mac in 1967. He became a high profile acid casualty in 1970 when he suffered a mental breakdown and left the band, devoting himself to religious practice and proclaiming money as evil. An oft-repeated tale has him entering his manager’s office with a shotgun, demanding that his royalty checks be discontinued.
Mick Fleetwood was sure this song would go nowhere. He bet Green that it would tank.
The stop and start technique inspired Led Zeppelin to do the same thing on “Black Dog.”
Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes released a version on their 2000 album Live At The Greek.
Oh Well – Part 2
The original with Peter Green
Oh Well
I can’t help about the shape I’m in I can’t sing, I ain’t pretty and my legs are thin But don’t ask me what I think of you I might not give the answer that you want me to
Now, when I talked to God, I knew He’d understand He said, “Stick by my side and I’ll be your guiding hand But don’t ask me what I think of you I might not give the answer that you want me to” Ooh, well
I heard this song in a movie called The Matchmaker and I liked the song better than the movie. A great song that was a hit but not for World Party, unfortunately. When I listen to the song I think of Jeff Lynn.
World Party began as an outlet for the pop of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger, previously best known for his tenure with the Waterboys. He grew up with the Beatles and Motown as influences. World Party released this song in 1997 on their Egyptology album.
Robbie Willams covered the song in 1998 and took it to number 1 in 1999 in the UK charts. The song’s producer, Guy Chambers, used World Party’s touring band to perform the backing track for Williams, resulting in an identical sounding cover.
World Party’s frontman and songwriter Karl Wallinger was not made aware that a soundalike cover was going to be released using his own band. When the song became a hit, Wallinger stated that he experienced “ongoing bitterness”, going on to state, “The song had a much better time than me, popping off to the Brits while I was at home eating crackers dipped in water”
Williams often claims it is one of the best songs he’s ever written, despite not actually having written the song. This culminated in a telephone outburst from the song’s actual writer, Wallinger, to Chambers, stating “Your fucking friend Robbie Williams. Tell him from me that he’s a c**t”
She’s The One
I was her She was me We were one We were free And if there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one If there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one
We were young We were wrong We were fun All along And If there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one
When you get to where you want to go And you know the things you want to know You’re smiling When you said what you want to say And you know the way you want to play it You’ll be so high you’ll be flying.
Tho’ the sea Will be strong I know we’ll Carry on Cos if there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one If there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one
When you get to where you want to go And you know the things you want to know You’re smiling When you said what you want to say And you know the way you want to play it You’ll be so high you’ll be flying.
I was her She was me We were one We were free And if there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one If there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one If there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one She’s the one If there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one She’s the one If there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one She’s the one If there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one She’s the one If there’s somebody calling me on She’s the one She’s the one If there’s sombody calling me on She’s the one
Now they call you Prince Charming, Can’t speak a word when you’re full of ‘ludes
If you see ludes…you know you are in the seventies or in that vicinity.
This song is about Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington, who bought a new car (a Ford Torino), got drunk, and took some Quaaludes, and crashed it into a tree, and then into a house. The band was supposed to start a tour in a few days but had to postpone it because of Rossington’s injuries. I always wonder what Gary thinks when he plays this song. He is the only original member left in the touring band.
Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Allen Collins wrote this song. They were not pleased with Rossington, whose drug and alcohol problems were affecting the band.
A couple of years ago I read a book by their tour manager and this band was a handful on the road. They were tutored by the master… Keith Moon on the fine art of destruction but Lynryd Skynrd loved to fight…mostly each other. Ronnie Van Zant was said to be a nice guy until drunk…after that, the band members would tend to go the opposite way from their tough lead singer and undisputed leader.
The song didn’t chart but remains a classic rock staple and a good song of that era. It was on their last album Street Survivors released in 1977…3 days before the plane they were in crashed killing Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines.
That Smell
Whiskey bottles, and brand new cars Oak tree you’re in my way There’s too much coke and too much smoke Look what’s going on inside you Ooooh that smell Can’t you smell that smell Ooooh that smell The smell of death surrounds you
Angel of darkness is upon you Stuck a needle in your arm So take another toke, have a blow for your nose One more drink fool, will drown you Ooooh that smell Can’t you smell that smell Ooooh that smell The smell of death surrounds you
Now they call you Prince Charming Can’t speak a word when you’re full of ‘ludes Say you’ll be all right come tomorrow But tomorrow might not be here for you Ooooh that smell Can’t you smell that smell Ooooh that smell The smell of death surrounds you
Hey, you’re a fool you Stick them needles in your arm I know I been there before
One little problem that confronts you Got a monkey on your back Just one more fix, Lord might do the trick One hell of a price for you to get your kicks Ooooh that smell Can’t you smell that smell Ooooh that smell The smell of death surrounds you Ooooh that smell Can’t you smell that smell Ooooh that smell The smell of death surrounds you
A long song but I will say the chorus is very catchy. A southern rock band who had a few hits but this one didn’t chart…but it did catch on FM radio after it was released in 1975.
Outlaws founding member Henry Paul says this song is not about marijuana, but about rock and roll luminaries, and the title, he says, was taken from the 1966 “Best Of” collection by the Rolling Stones called High Tides and Green Grass.
The song was on the Outlaws debut album called “Outlaws” and it peaked at #13 in the Billboard album charts.
Hughie Thomasson: I wrote that song in Saint Augustine, Florida. We went to a cookout on the beach and everybody forgot to bring their guitars. I was standing by the ocean and there was a breeze and the words kept coming to me. It’s about all the rock stars I liked that died had come back and were playing a show just for me. Like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. And eventually more of course.
Henry Paul:“From what I gather, there was an album out, the best of the Rolling Stones, called ‘High Tides and Green Grass.’ That was the name of the Rolling Stones’ greatest hits – this is like 1966 – and I think it was a manifestation of that title turned in reverse, ‘Green Grass and High Tides.’ I know that much. And I know that it was a song written for rock and roll illuminaries, from Janis Joplin to Jimi Hendrix, and it had nothing to do with marijuana. But it had to do with, I think, a specific person’s lyrical look at rock and roll legends. ‘As kings and queens bow and play for you.’ It’s about Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. ‘Castles of stone, soul and glory.’ A lot of it is just sort of a collage of words that really don’t have all that much to do with anything, they just fit and sounded right. But I have to say it’s one of my favorite lyrics. My songwriting is more Steinbeck, really rooted in accuracy and reality; this is definitely Alice In Wonderland. It’s the whole ‘White Rabbit.’ It’s sort of like one of those magic lyrical moments that will forever be mysteriously unclearly conceived.”
In most of the Outlaws albums’ liner notes, Hughie Thomasson signed off with the line “green grass and high tides forever.”
The song is the final encore of Solo Tour in the video game Rock Band. Because the game only has four tracks (guitar, bass guitar, drums, and vocals), the song’s three guitar parts are combined into one track.
Green Grass and High Tides
In a place you only dream of Where your soul is always free Silver stages, golden curtains Filled my head, plain as can be As a rainbow grew around the sun All my stars of love who died Came from somewhere beyond the scene you see These lovely people played just for me
Now if I let you see this place Where stories all ring true Will you let me past your face To see what’s really you It’s not for me I ask these questions As though I were a king For you have to love, believe and feel Before the burst of tambourines take you there
Green grass and high tides forever Castles of stone souls and glory Lost faces say we adore you As kings and queens bow and play for you
Those who don’t believe me Find your souls and set them free Those who do, believe and love This time will be your key Time and time again I’ve thanked them For a piece of mind They helped me find myself Amongst the music and the rhyme That enchants you there
Green grass and high tides forever Castles of stone souls and glory Lost faces say we adore you As kings and queens bow and play for you Yeah, they play just for you
This is one of the first bass runs I ever learned…It was on the album Willy And The Poor Boys album.
The song was part of yet another double A-sided single paired with Fortunate Son. Down on the Corner peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100,
On the cover, the band is seen down on the corner performing to a (very) small crowd outside the Duck Kee Market. This location had no real significance except it just happened to be half a block from the recording studio. John Fogerty recalls only ever going in there one time, and that was sometime after the album’s release.
The album cover and building and below picture is recently.
From Songfacts
This song tells the story of a fictional jug band, Willy and the Poor Boys, who were street musicians “playing for nickels, can’t be beat.” The name of the jug band was also the name of CCR’s fourth straight million-selling album.
Just as The Beatles took the role of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Creedence became Willy And The Poorboys for this album. This is the only song that played to the concept, but CCR appeared on the cover as the fictional band. The Willy And The Poorboys persona suited the group, as they really were a basic, hardworking band who paid their dues before hitting it big. They sold the jug band theme by performing this song with a washtub bass and washboard.
John Fogerty did all the singing on this. He recorded a bunch of vocal tracks that were overdubbed to create the effect that he was harmonizing with himself.
The line in this song, “Willy goes into a dance and doubles on kazoo” is often misheard. A journalist named Phil Elwood thought the last part of the line was “Devil’s on the loose,” and published it in a newspaper article. John Fogerty got a big kick out of this, and as a nod to Elwood, put this line into the CCR song “Run Through the Jungle”:
They told me, “Don’t go walking slow
‘Cause Devil’s on the loose”
John Fogerty claims that bassist Stu Cook couldn’t play the bass properly for the song. “Eventually, we spent six weeks rehearsing the song, but Stu still couldn’t do it when we got to the recording session,” Fogerty says in Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music. The problem, according to the CCR frontman, was that Cook had no rhythm. This led to a tense moment in the studio, but they eventually managed to get the song down.
Down On The Corner
Early in the evenin’ just about supper time, Over by the courthouse they’re starting to unwind. Four kids on the corner trying to bring you up. Willy picks a tune out and he blows it on the harp.
Down on the corner, out in the street Willy and the Poorboys are playin’ Bring a nickel; tap your feet.
Rooster hits the washboard and people just got to smile, Blinky, thumps the gut bass and solos for a while. Poorboy twangs the rhythm out on his kalamazoo. Willy goes into a dance and doubles on kazoo.
Down on the corner, out in the street Willy and the Poorboys are playin’ Bring a nickel; tap your feet.
Down on the corner, out in the street, Willy and the Poorboys are playin’ Bring a nickel; tap your feet.
You don’t need a penny just to hang around, But if you’ve got a nickel, won’t you lay your money down? Over on the corner there’s a happy noise. People come from all around to watch the magic boy.
Down on the corner, out in the street, Willy and the Poorboys are playin’; Bring a nickel; tap your feet.
Down on the corner, out in the street Willy and the Poorboys are playin’ Bring a nickel; tap your feet.
Down on the corner, out in the street Willy and the Poorboys are playin’ Bring a nickel; tap your feet.
