I like quite a few doo-wop songs of the 1950s. The song was written by George Goldner and it was featured on their 1956 album, The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon. It peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart in 1957. The song was featured in the movie Rock, Rock, Rock.
Their big hit was Why Do Fools Fall In Love released in 1956. The group only lasted until 1957 when the manager kept pushing Lymon over the group and he started a solo career. He never reached the heights he did with the Teenagers.
I like concentrating on the music but this story has a sad ending.
They did reunite for a brief time in 1965 but the times had changed. They didn’t have much success so Lymon went back to a solo career. At age 15, he tried heroin for the first time in the mid-fifties. In 1966, he was arrested for heroin possession and was drafted into the Army instead of going to jail. He got off of heroin while in the army but kept going awol…he was dishonorably discharged from the army in 1967 and signed with Roulette Records in 1968.
He celebrated signing by using heroin for the first time in two years. Lymon had a sad ending to his life as he only lived to be 25 and died of a heroin overdose in February 1968. Another music business casualty. He was Michael Jackson before Michael Jackson.
Why Do Fools Fall In Love
I’m Not a Juvenile Delinquent
I’m not a juvenile delinquent No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no No-no-no, I’m not a juvenile delinquent Do the things that’s right And you’ll do nothing wrong Life will be so nice, you’ll be in paradise I know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent
But listen boys and girls You need not be blue And life is what you make of it It all depends on you I know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent
It’s easy to be good, it’s hard to be bad Stay out of trouble, and you be glad Take this tip from me, and you will see How happy you will be Oh-oh, boys and girls, this is my story And I add all of my glory I know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent
It’s easy to be good, it’s hard to be bad Stay out of trouble, and you be glad Take this tip from me, and you will see How happy you will be Oh-oh, boys and girls, this is my story And I add all of my glory I know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent
This song was on the forgotten Black and Blue album. My all-time favorite Stones song is on that album…Memory Motel.
This album was made when the best guitarist the Stones ever had…left them. That’s no knock on Keith, Brian, or soon-to-be Ronnie Wood at this time…Mick Taylor was just that good. He was on 4 of the 5 classic albums they are mostly known for. Another significant person left before Taylor did…Jimmy Miller produced the albums Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main Street, and Goats Head Soup. He was the most important producer they worked with. He gave them a sound that they did not have before.
Ronnie Wood is not the guitar player in this song. They were auditioning guitar players on this album. The three guitar players were Wayne Perkins, Harvey Mandel, and Ronnie Wood. Wayne Perkins, a super-session player, was the lead guitar player on this song. He didn’t get the job because he was from Alabama. Keith said that was hard to get over because they wanted the Stones to remain an English band. Wayne Perkins was probably the best guitar player they auditioned…but Ronnie Wood looked the part and fit in.
The album was not as well received but still peaked at #1 on the Billboard Album Charts, #2 in Canada, #2 in the UK, and #4 in New Zealand in 1976.
Fool To Cry peaked at #10 on the Billboard 100, #11 in Canada, #6 in the UK, and #38 in New Zealand.
Mick Jagger has said of this song: This dates from the period when I had a young child, my daughter Jade, around a lot, calling me daddy and all that. It’s another of our heartmelting ballads, a bit long and waffly at the end maybe, but I like it.
Keith Richards: “I was just glad somebody in the band could sing that falsetto. I got a pretty good falsetto myself. But when you got a singer and he can hit those notes, baby go for it. And Mick was always fascinated with the falsetto Soul singers like Aaron Neville. That’s crafty stuff, you know what I mean? But he’d been listening to so many people. It’s kinda like what goes in, will come out. You’ll just hear a phrase or a piece of music. And one way or another it’s part of your experience. And a lot of the time it comes out what you do without even realizing it. I don’t really like to think about these things too much. It’s more to do with feeling than intellectualizing about it.”
Keith Richards: Ronnie wasn’t necessarily a shoo-in as our new guitarist, despite our closeness at the time. He was still, for one thing, a member of the Faces. We tried other players before him–Wayne Perkins, Harvey Mandel. Both great players, both of them are on Black and Blue. Ronnie turned up as the last one, and it was really a toss-up. We liked Perkins a lot. He was a lovely player, same style, which wouldn’t have ricocheted against what Mick Taylor was doing, very melodic, very well-played stuff. Then Ronnie said he had problems with the Faces. So it came down to Wayne and Ronnie. Ronnie’s an all-rounder. He can play loads of things and different styles, and I’d just been playing with him for some weeks, so the chips fell there. It wasn’t so much the playing, when it came down to it. It came down to the fact that Ronnie was English! Well, it is an English band, although you might not think that now. And we all felt we should retain the nationality of the band at the time. Because when you get on the road, and it’s “Have you heard this one?,” you’ve all got the same backgrounds. Because of being London-born, Ronnie and I already had a built-in closeness, a kind of code, and we could be cool together under stress, like two squaddies. Ronnie was damn good glue for the band. He was a breath of fresh air. We knew he’d got his chops, we knew he could play, but a big decider was his incredible enthusiasm and ability to get along with everybody. Mick Taylor was always a bit morose. You’ll not see Mick Taylor lying on the floor, holding his stomach, cracking up with laughter for anything. Whereas Ronnie would have his legs in the air.
Fool To Cry
When I come home baby
And I’ve been working all night long
I put my daughter on my knee, and she says
Daddy what’s wrong?
She whispers in my ear so sweet
You know what she says, she says
Ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
You’re a fool to cry
And it makes me wonder why
Daddy you’re a fool
You know, I got a woman (daddy you’re a fool)
And she lives in the poor part of town
And I go see her sometimes
And we make love, so fine
I put my head on her shoulder
She says, tell me all your troubles
You know what she says?
She says, ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
You’re a fool to cry
And it makes me wonder why
Daddy you’re a fool to cry
Yeah, she says
Oh, Daddy you’re a fool to cry
You’re a fool to cry
And it makes me wonder why
She says, ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
Ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
Ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
Ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
Even my friends say to me sometimes
And make out like I don’t understand them
You know what they say?
They say, ooh daddy you’re a fool to cry
You’re a fool to cry
And it makes me wonder why, ah
I’m a fool baby, ah ya
I’m a certified fool, ah yeah
Gotta tell ya, baby
I’m a fool baby, ah yeah
Whoo
Certified fool for ya, mama, ya, yeah, come on, yeah
I’m a fool, yeah
I thought it was time for another 1970s arena rock track. This one is more of a ballad which you didn’t get much from Foghat. This was one of their biggest singles.
David “Lonesome Dave” Peveret
Their lead singer during this time was David “Lonesome Dave” Peverett. Dave Peverett was a good singer, guitar player, and songwriter. Other Foghat alumni who made their mark elsewhere in music include replacement lead vocalist Charlie Huhn, who was also in Humble Pie and in Ted Nugent’s band before that. Also, Foghat guitarist Bryan Bassett is better known as the lead strings on “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry.
I always liked their name…Foghat…it just sounds like a cool rock and roll name. Foghat was born out of the blues band Savoy Brown. Dave Peverett, the drummer Roger Earl, and the bassist Tony Stevens quit that band and decided to form their own band in 1970. The band wanted to take the sound of Savoy Brown a step further and add a rock edge to its basic boogie blues. The name Foghat was taken from a word that Peverett and his brother, John, had invented in a Scrabble game. I also looked up the name and it said… Foghat: A euphemism for getting high on marijuana.
Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool) peaked at #23 on the Billboard 100 and #33 in Canada in 1979. This was their second-highest charting single…right behind the #20 Slow Ride. This song is from the album Boogie Motel. The album peaked at #35 on the Billboard Album Charts.
This album was a little different from their earlier ones. They sounded a bit more radio-friendly on this album. Another song that charted on the album was Somebody’s Been Sleepin’ in My Bed. The band is still out there playing and releasing albums. Unfortunately, Lonesome Dave passed away in 2000 from kidney cancer. For me…he was the band.
Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool)
It’s all behind me There’s good luck up ahead Can’t break what’s left of my heart Once bitten twice shy I hate to see it all fall apart First love I had I was seventeen and I was younger Love to us was some kind of game And all my letters said I would never forget her Now I can’t recall her name
The first time I was a fool never knew that love could be so cruel It happened again Third time lucky Oh Yeah
I was in love one time I thought it was the real thing But I kept the feelings to myself Afraid to show them Expecting her to know It’s the reason she found someone else
It’s all behind me There’s good luck up ahead Can’t break what’s left of my heart Once bitten twice shy I hate to see it all fall apart
The first time I was a fool never knew that love could be so cruel It happened again Third time lucky Oh Yeah
The first time I was a fool never knew that love could be so cruel It happened again Third time lucky Oh Yeah
The first time I was a fool never knew that love could be so cruel It happened again Third time lucky Oh Yeah
After listening to the Flatlanders…I’ve listened to Joe Ely and Johnnie Dale Gilmore but never Butch Hancock. I was struck by his voice and was reminded a little of Dylan, Prine, Buddy Holly, and a little of Steve Earle at times.
In the early 1970s, Hancock co-founded The Flatlanders with fellow Lubbock musicians Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. The group initially struggled to find commercial success but later became famous within the Americana and alternative country scenes. Hancock has been a very good songwriter. Artists who covered him include Willie Nelson, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, The Texas Tornados, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker, and more.
This song was on the album Eat Away The Night which was released in 1994. He has released 12 albums since 1978. This man is worth checking out. He will never make the top 40 but he has some quality songs that are worth hearing. This song has his voice and also a twangy guitar that sold it for me.
As I’ve been perusing his catalog…I’ve noticed a lot of storytelling, a sense of humor, good lyrics plus that voice. The album’s sound is powered by a classic rock ‘n’ roll combination of a Hammond B-3 organ, electric guitars, an acoustic, harmonica, and steel guitar at the edges for country and folk flavorings.
The title song closes the album, and I will include that above To Each His Own. Eats Away the Night sounds like something a musician would play at four in the morning after a six-hour gig. A quiet, restrained, and thoughtful tune to settle down with. A good way to end a night of music-making and an album. It’s almost a solo performance, with only a slide guitar accompanying Hancock’s voice and guitar.
Down in the pit of my stomach
I knew it couldn’t last…
It left me just as fast…
I tried to blame it on the moon above…
As I walked the beach alone
But all I heard were these few words…
To each his own
Down in the heart of the matter…
I first lost touch with you…
But for rosy and her constant chatter…
There was not much i could do
The world I tried to reach with her…
You can only reach alone
I even heard rose say to herself…
To each his own…
I’ve seen survival’s violent side…
I’ve seen some beast of prey…
Bring down some beasts of burden…
That just got in their way…
Some tore the hide…some chewed the
Flesh…right down to the bone
Some stopped there but some kept going…
To each his own…
I’ve run these things around my mind…
I’ve run ’em through my heart
In the mighty dream of life, i seem…
To play the strangest part
If I’m buried when I die…
Carve this on my stone…
Take a little here and leave a little there but
give…to each his own…
Take a little Americana and mix it with a little jangle and you get this song. The Bodeans were a great band in the 80s and 90s but never got to the masses consistently. However, this song did reach a big audience.
In 1977 Sophomores Sam Llanas and Kurt Neumann meet in study hall at Waukesha South High School and bond over a shared love of music. The two later end up playing music together. In 1980 At Neumann’s urging, Llanas dropped out of college to pursue music full-time. The group pursues gigs at small bars, clubs, dances, and events. Llanas comes up with the name, Da BoDeans.
Llanas and Neumann added drummer Guy Hoffman (Oil Tasters, Confidentials, later the Violent Femmes) and bass player Bob Griffin (The Agents) to fill out their sound in 1983.
Upon its release, “Closer to Free” did not achieve huge chart success. However, its fortunes changed when it was selected as the theme song for the Fox television drama Party of Five, which premiered in 1994.
The song was on their 5th studio album called Go Slow Down. It was produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett in 1993. The album peaked at #127 on the Billboard Album Chart.
The song peaked at #16 on the Billboard 100 and #1 in Canada in 1993.
Closer To Free
Everybody wants to live how they wanna live and
Everybody wants to love how they wanna love and
Everybody wants to be closer to free
Everybody wants respect, just a little bit
And everybody needs a chance once in a while
Everybody wants to be closer to free
Everybody one, everybody two, everybody free
Everybody needs to touch, you know now and then and
Everybody wants a good good friend
Everybody wants to be closer to free
I said everybody one, everybody two, everybody free
Everybody wants to live like they wanna live
And everybody wants to love like they wanna love
And everybody wants to be closer to free
One of the many Haggard songs that my dad would play. This one along with a song called Sam Hill I heard a lot when I was a child. Sing Me Back Home was released in 1967, and it became one of Haggard’s most enduring hits.
Most people know that he spent his early adulthood behind bars for a failed attempt at robbery. While in San Quentin State Prison, Haggard wrote many songs while dreaming of freedom and life beyond the bars of a cell.
Sing Me Back Home was inspired by his fellow inmates James Rabbit and Caryl Chessman. Rabbit was executed in 1961 for killing a California Highway Patrolman, and Chessman was the first modern American executed for a non-lethal kidnapping.
Haggard and James Rabbit hatched a plan one night to escape (they would hide inside a desk he was building in the prison furniture factory), though at the last moment, Rabbit advised Haggard not to take part in the plan. Rabbit escaped, was recaptured, killed an officer, and was brought back to San Quentin to be executed. It was the first of many events to change something in Haggard’s criminal ways.
It is an incredibly sad song and you get it with the first two lines of the song. The warden led a prisoner down the hallway to his doom, I stood up to say goodbye like all the rest. The song was on his Sing Me Back Home album released in 1968. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country Album Charts. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country Charts and #7 on the Canadian Country Charts.
Merle Haggard: “Something happened to me there, I came to the fork in the road and took it, you might say. And I kind of started back in the other direction, trying to make something out of myself rather than to dig myself in a deeper hole.”
Sing Me Back Home
The warden led a prisoner down the hallway to his doom I stood up to say goodbye like all the rest And I heard him tell the warden just before he reached my cell Let my guitar playing friend, do my request
Let him sing me back home with a song I used to hear Make my old memories come alive Take me away and turn back the years Sing me back home before I die
I recall last Sunday morning a choir from ‘cross the street Came to sing a few old gospel songs And I heard him tell the singers There’s a song my mama sang Can I hear once before we move along?
Sing me back home, the song my mama sang Make my old memories come alive Take me away and turn back the years Sing me back home before I die
Well Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes
What a find this was for me. When CB recommended Joe Ely a while back, I found that he played in this band from 1972 until now. Their music is not the tears in my beer Nashville country music that you heard at the time and sometimes now. I would call it Americana…they have developed a big following following over the years. Comparing their music to country music at the time…this sounds like it came from a different planet.
They were formed in 1972 by three singer-songwriters: Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock. The band was born out of the music scene in Lubbock, Texas, where all three members grew up. They recorded their first album, All American Music in Nashville. Initially, the album was released only as an 8-track tape by Plantation Records, with the title “Jimmie Dale and the Flatlanders.” This limited release received little attention at the time, and the band members soon went their separate ways to pursue solo careers.
They then released an album in 1980 called One More Road. Their debut album was re-released in 1990 as More a Legend Than A Band after all of them had some success during their solo careers. They have released 9 albums including a live album in 2004 from 1972 to 2021. Their last album was released in 2021 called Treasure Of Love. They started to chart in the music charts in the 2000s.
Dallas was on their debut album All American Music released in 1972. This song was written by Jimmie Dale Gilmore. The track has a cool tool/instrument on it that always interested me…Steve Wesson is playing a saw on this. Take a listen to this and I included a much more recent live cut from Austin City Limits.
In 2016 The Flatlanders were voted into the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame.
Jimmie Dale Gilmore: “The hook line of the song occurred to me while I was actually flying into Dallas, the line just presented itself to me. I had all those mixed feelings about the city and the song just came gradually. I’ve never felt that I’ve got it down right though. I’ve always been a perfectionist about that song. Joe also recorded it several times before he got the version that they put on the Musta Notta Gotta Lottaalbum. I’ve had a strange relationship with the song. I’ve had periods when I wish I’d never written it, then I’ve rediscovered it, looking at it through different eyes.”
Jimmie Dale Gilmore: “It so happened that in 1970 we all happened to be back in Lubbock, I had been in Austin working with a band called the Hub City Movers. Joe had been traveling in Europe and Butch had been in San Francisco. We just coincidentally moved back to Lubbock at the same time and started playing together. There was no design to put a band together as such but the chemistry was so great that it just took on a life of its own. We all had a common love of folk music, country and country blues-but then we also loved the Beatles. We had very eclectic taste. There was great radio in Lubbock at that time especially the border stations at night. We listened to it all.”
Joe Ely on the album: “It’s pretty crude but there’s a certain flavor about the record. It had an eerie, lonesome sound which reflected our roots in Lubbock and the wind, the dust and the environment.”
Music Critic Robert Christgau: In 1972, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, and leader Jimmie Dale Gilmore–drumless psychedelic cowboys returned to Lubbock from Europe and San Francisco and Austin–recorded in Nashville for Shelby Singleton, and even an eccentric like the owner of the Sun catalogue and “Harper Valley P.T.A.” must have considered them weird. With a musical saw for theremin effects, their wide-open spaceyness was released eight-track only, and soon a subway troubadour and an architect and a disciple of Guru Mararaji had disappeared back into the diaspora. In cowpunk/neofolk/psychedelic-revival retrospect, they’re neotraditionalists who find small comfort in the past, responding guilelessly and unnostalgically to the facts of displacement in a global village that includes among its precincts the high Texas plains. They’re at home. And they’re lost anyway. A-
Dallas
Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night?
Well Dallas is a jewel, oh yeah, Dallas is a beautiful sight
And Dallas is a jungle but Dallas gives a beautiful light
Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night?
Well, Dallas is a woman who will walk on you when you’re down
But when you are up, she’s the kind you want to take around
But Dallas ain’t a woman to help you get your feet on the ground
And Dallas is a woman who will walk on you when you’re down
Well, I came into Dallas with the bright lights on my mind,
But I came into Dallas with a dollar and a dime
Well Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes
A steel and concrete soul with a warm hearted love disguise
A rich man who tends to believe in his own lies
Yeah Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes
Well, I came into Dallas with the bright lights on my mind,
But I came into Dallas with a dollar and a dime
Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night?
Well Dallas is a jewel, oh yeah, Dallas is a beautiful sight
And Dallas is a jungle but Dallas gives a beautiful light
Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night?
Spent time feelin’ inferior standing’ in front of my mirror Combed my hair in a thousand ways, but I came out lookin’ just the same
*If you are on the main site…sorry for the formatting but if I correct the spaces it will publish everything as one huge paragrah…thanks WP*
This is my favorite song by Rod Stewart hands down. It’s an acoustic-driven rocker with Rod never relenting on the lyrics. The song has a stream-of-consciousness feel to it. Every Picture Tells a Story was written by Stewart and Ron Wood.
For my money…this is Rod Stewarts best era. He sounds sharp, the music is alive, and he is not following a trend. I just wish they would have saved some of these songs for The Faces also. This song has something some of his later songs did not…a raw energetic sound.
He had some guests on this song. Maggie Bell with vocals, Long John Baldry with vocals, Ian McLagan on Hammon organ, Ronnie Wood on lead and acoustic guitar, and Kenney Jones on drums.
Stewart went from recording the second Faces’ album Long Player, while also squeezing in tour dates with the group, to starting up the sessions for Every Picture Needs a Story. He also produced this album and laid the songs down fast. This album made Rod Stewart in a lot of ways. The album had Maggie May, Reason To Believe, (I Know) I’m Losing You (with the Faces), Mandolin Wind, and of course the title song. It is my favorite Stewart album. I grew up with most of the singles.
One lyric that I’ve heard wrong…well not really heard wrong. In the line On the Peking ferry I was feeling merry, sailing on my way back here. I knew what he was singing…but I thought it was “Peking Ferry I was feeling Mary“ which I think would have fit perfectly.
Rod Stewart: “I can remember the build up. You know what the song’s about – your early teenage life when you’re leaving home and you’re exploring the world for yourself. Ronnie (Wood) and I rehearsed round my house at Muswell Hill and recorded it the next day. That whole album was done in 10 days, two weeks, about as long as it takes to get a drum sound right nowadays.”
Every Picture Tells a Story
Spent some time feeling inferior Standing in front of my mirror Combed my hair in a thousand ways But I came out looking just the same
Daddy said, “Son, you better see the world I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to leave But remember one thing, don’t lose your head To a woman that’ll spend your bread” So I got out, whoo
Paris was a place you could hide away If you felt you didn’t fit in The French police wouldn’t give me no peace They claimed I was a nasty person
Down along the Left Bank, minding my own, whoo Was knocked down by a human stampede Got arrested for inciting a peaceful riot When all I wanted was a cup of tea I was accused, whoo
I moved on Down in Rome, I wasn’t getting enough Of the things that keep a young man alive My body stunk, but I kept my funk, whoo At a time when I was right outta luck
Getting desperate, indeed I was, yeah Looking like a tourist attraction Oh, my dear, I better get outta here For the Vatican don’t give no sanction I wasn’t ready for that, no, no
I moved right out east, yeah Listen On the Peeking ferry, I was feeling merry Sailing on my way back here I fell in love with a slit-eyed lady By the light of an eastern moon
Shanghai Lil never used the pill She claimed that it just ain’t natural She took me up on deck and bit my neck Oh, people, I was glad I found her Oh, yes, I was glad I found her, whoo-hoo
Wait a minute I firmly believed that I Didn’t need anyone but me I sincerely thought I was so complete Look how wrong you can be
The women I’ve known I wouldn’t let tie my shoe They wouldn’t give you the time of day But the slit-eyed lady knocked me off my feet God, I was glad I found her
And if they have the words I can tell to you To help you on the way down the road I couldn’t quote you no Dickens, Shelley or Keats ‘Cause it’s all been said before Make the best out of the bad, just laugh it off, ha You didn’t have to come here anyway
So, remember, every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it?
Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it?
Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it?
Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo
Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it?
The Drifters are a perfect group to take on a date with you. My father had the greatest hits of them and The Platters but I never dived into them as much as I should have. I’ve always liked them and lately have been listening to them more. To my great surprise, this song was a B-Side to the A-side Nobody But Me. On American Bandstand…Dick Clark flipped the single and the song hit.
Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman wrote this song. They wrote songs such as A Teenager In Love, Surrender (Elvis), Little Sister, Young Blood, and more. This song was inspired by Pomus’ own life experiences. Pomus, who had polio and used crutches and a wheelchair, wrote the song for his wife, Willi Burke, a Broadway actress and dancer. At their wedding, Pomus watched his bride dance with other guests and was inspired by the moment to pen the heartfelt message that she should save the final dance of the evening for him.
This one is a classic fantastic song. The lead singer for the Drifters on this one was no other than Ben E. King. After the Atlantic Records leader, Ahmet Ertegun told King how Pomus and Shuman wrote this song he tried to reflect that in his vocals.
The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts, #1 in Canada, #1 in New Zealand, and #2 in the UK in 1960.
Save The Last Dance For Me
You can dance
Every dance with the guy
Who gives you the eye
Let him hold you tight
You can smile
Every smile for the man
Who held your hand
‘Neath the pale moonlight
But don’t forget who’s taking you home
And in whose arms you’re gonna be
So darlin’
Save the last dance for me, hmm
Oh, I know (oh, I know)
That the music’s fine (yes, I know)
Like sparkling wine (oh, I know)
Go and have your fun (yes, I know, oh, I know)
Laugh and sing (yes, I know)
But while we’re apart (oh, I know)
Don’t give your heart (yes, I know)
To anyone (oh, I know, yes, I know)
But don’t forget who’s taking you home
And in whose arms you’re gonna be
So darlin’
Save the last dance for me, hmm
Baby, don’t you know I love you so?
Can’t you feel it when we touch?
I will never, never let you go
I love you, oh, so much
You can dance (you can dance)
Go and carry on (you can dance)
‘Till the night is gone (you can dance)
And it’s time to go (you can dance, you can dance)
If he asks (you can dance)
If you’re all alone (you can dance)
Can he take you home (you can dance)
You must tell him, no (you can dance)
‘Cause don’t forget who’s taking you home
And in whose arm’s you’re gonna be
So darlin’
Save the last dance for me
‘Cause don’t forget who’s taking you home
And in whose arm’s you’re gonna be
So darlin’
Save the last dance for me, hmm
Save the last dance for me, hmm-hmm
Save the last dance for me, hmmm
Save
I first heard this song through Jason and the Scorchers giving it a high-octane slant. On my Car Songs post the other day Lisa recommended this one and instead of waiting to include it in part 3…I thought I would write a post on it.
When I think of George Jones I think of the voice. I would be lying if I didn’t also say that I think of the lawnmower story and some of the stories that I heard from some session musicians. My guitar tech had many come in his shop and they would tell stories about the country stars. They always spoke highly of George Jones, adding he was down-to-earth and a good guy. He could be a lot of fun and wild…and match his rock counterparts.
It has often been said that he had the purest country voice ever. Frank Sinatra called Jones “The second-best singer in America.” When Keith Richards (who is a huge Jones fan) heard this, he asked…who’s the first Frank?
Don Rollins, a Nashville songwriter, wrote The Race Is On with a cool twist, comparing the end of a romantic relationship to a horse race.
The song was a huge hit in Country Music. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Country Charts in 1964.
Keith Richards on recording a duet with George Jones: There was another wonderful expedition to record a duet with George Jones at the Bradley Barn sessions, “Say It’s Not You,” a song that Gram Parsons had turned me on to. George was a great guy to work with, especially when he had the hairdo going. Incredible singer. There’s a quote from Frank Sinatra, who says, “Second-best singer in this country is George Jones.” Who’s the first, Frank? We were waiting and waiting for George, for a couple of hours, I think. By then I’m behind the bar making drinks, not remembering that George is supposed to be on the wagon and not knowing why he was so late. I’ve been late many times and so no big deal. And when he turns up, the pompadour hairdo is perfect. It’s such a fascinating thing. You can’t take your eyes off it. And in a fifty-mile-an-hour wind it would still have been perfect. I found out later that he’d been driving around because he was a bit nervous about working with me. He’d been doing some reading up and was uncertain of meeting me.
George Jones on Keith Richards: “I’ll be honest with you: I love Keith Richards more than anything as a person. He’s a character – just fun to be around.”
Dolly Parton:Anyone who knows or cares anything about real country music will agree that George Jones is the voice of it.
The Race Is On
I feel tears wellin’ up Cold and deep inside Like my heart’s sprung a big break And a stab of loneliness sharp and painful That I may never shake Now, you might say that I was takin’ it hard Since you wrote me off with a call But don’t you wager that I’ll hide the sorrow When I may break right down and bawl
Now the race is on And here comes pride up the backstretch Heartaches are goin’ to the inside My tears are holdin’ back They’re tryin’ not to fall My heart’s out of the runnin’ True love’s scratched for another’s sake The race is on and it looks like heartache And the winner loses all
One day I ventured in love Never once suspectin’ What the final result would be How I lived in fear of wakin’ up each mornin’ And findin’ that you’re gone from me There’s ache and pain in my heart For today was the one I hated to face Somebody new came up to win her And I came out in second place
Now the race is on And here comes pride up the backstretch Heartaches are goin’ to the inside My tears are holdin’ back They’re tryin’ not to fall My heart’s out of the runnin’ True love’s scratched for another’s sake The race is on and it looks like heartaches And the winner loses all
This song has to have a world record attached to it… song most used in pep rallies. I heard the na na na parts from elementary to high school. It was high school before I heard the actual song.
The original version was by Chris Kenner, a New Orleans R&B singer and songwriter, first recorded and released “Land of 1000 Dances” in 1962 and it only made it to #77 on the Billboard 100. Kenner wrote the song as well. He promised Fats Domino a writing credit if he recorded it…Fats did but it didn’t go anywhere. On some copies, he is listed as a co-writer.
This song has been covered a lot. Secondhandsongs says it has 150 cover versions which is very good. Cannibal and The Headhunters covered it in 1965 and they peaked at #30 on the Billboard 100 but Wilson Pickett had the highest charting position for the song. It’s no telling how many times it’s been played live by famous and nonfamous artists.
Land of 1000 Dances peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100, #6 in Canada, and #22 in the UK in 1966 for Pickett. The sound of this record is great…it has a raw edge that only Stax had at the time.
Land of 1000 Dances
One, two, three
One, two, three
Ow! Uh! Alright! Uh!
Got to know how to Pony
Like Bony Moronie
Mash Potato
Do The Alligator
Put your hand on your hips, yeah
Let your backbone slip
Do the Watusi
Like my little Lucy
Ow! Uh!
Na, na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Na-na na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Need somebody help me say it one time!
Na, na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Na-na na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Wow!
Ow!
Uh!
You know I feel alright?
Hah!
Feel pretty good, y’all
Uh-hah!
Na, na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Na-na na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
C’mon y’all, let’s say it one mo’ time!
Na, na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Na-na na-na na-na
Na-na na-na
Ohh!
Dancin’ in the alley
With Long Tall Sally
Twistin’ with Lucy
Doin’ the Watusi
Roll over on your back
I like it like that
Do that Jerk, oh
Watch me work, y’all
Ow! Do it!
Wow! Do it!
Watch me do it
Ohh, help me!
Ohh, help me!
Ohh, help me!
Ohh, help me!
I have so many songs I want to have on here. I read the original post I did and re-read the comments and took some songs from your suggestions and used them. I haven’t got to all of them…so the others probably will be on the next one. I picked one song and you all picked the rest. Some will be in the next edition that I couldn’t fit in this one.
I hope you are all having a great Sunday.
Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats – Rocket 88
CB mentioned this one and it should have been on the first one…since this is often said to be the first rock and roll song. It’s only fitting that it was about a car. The recording session happened on March 3, 1951, at Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service in Memphis, Tennessee, which would later become the legendary Sun Studio.
The song was written by Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston. The Delta Cats were actually Ike Turner’s band Turner’s King of Rhythm.
A review from Time Magazine in 1951
Rocket 88 was brash and it was sexy; it took elements of the blues, hammered them with rhythm and attitude and electric guitar, and reimagined black music into something new. If the blues seemed to give voice to old wisdom, this new music seemed full of youthful notions. If the blues was about squeezing cathartic joy out of the bad times, this new music was about letting the good times roll. If the blues was about earthly troubles, the rock that Turner’s crew created seemed to shout that the sky was now the limit.
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen – Hot Rod Lincoln
The main thing I like about the song is the guitar. It has a slight Chuck Berry feel to it and I like the fills the guitar player throws in. Of course, I like Commander Cody’s (George Frayne) vocal sound as well.
The band signed with Warner Brothers and the label wanted a soft country sound but the band refused to change its raw style.
Hot Rod Lincoln was originally written by Charlie Ryan. It was first recorded and released by Charlie Ryan and The Livingston Brothers in 1955. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were a County-Rock group formed at the University of Michigan. Commander Cody is the lead singer and piano player George Frayne. This would be their only top-ten hit. Another song that is well-known by them is Smoke Smoke Smoke.
The Renegades – Cadillac
Fellow blogger HotFox63 mentioned this song when I did a Clash post on Brand New Cadillac so I thought it would be perfect for this. Very cool song that I knew nothing about.
The Renegades were a British rock band formed in Birmingham in 1960. The original lineup consisted of Kim Brown (vocals, guitar), Denys Gibson (guitar), Ian Mallet (bass), and Graham Johnson (drums). Cadillac was released as a single in 1964. The song quickly became a hit in Finland, reaching #1 on the charts. Its success in Finland helped the band gain a substantial following in Scandinavia, and the song’s popularity also spread to other parts of Europe, including Italy.
Rosanne Cash – Black Cadillac
Obbverse mentioned this one. It’s a song from 2005 from an album with the same name. The black Cadillac in the song symbolizes both a funeral car and a connection to her father, who owned a black Cadillac…and about loss, memory, and mourning.
She wrote the album about dealing with the death of her father.
“It certainly crossed my mind that I was opening myself to questions about how much [of the album] was documentary and how much was poetry, I certainly did think about it. But, at the same time, I think that the themes are so universal that it almost doesn’t matter what’s particular to my life. … People can bring their own lives to this subject very easily.”
Beach Boys – 409
Christiansmusicmusings and Halffastcyclingclub both mentioned this one by the Beach Boys. The Beach Boys would be an endless supply of cars and endless summers. This song was written by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and Gary Usher and was released in 1962.
I’m a fan of Marty Stuart and the guitarist to this song is dedicated. As you see in the title…it was written by Stuart in tribute to Byrds member Clarence White. The song is an instrumental from his 2010 album Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions. It was recorded at the historic RCA Studio B in Nashville. The song reminds me a little of the Buck Owens song Buckaroo.
Marty Stuart is one of the best guitarists I’ve ever seen live. He showed up before Bob Dylan went on stage and Bob asked him to play with him. Not to play for a song or two…but for the complete show…that is how good this man is. He has been around since the 70s playing music. One of his big influences was Clarence White of The Byrds and Kentucky Colonels. This song managed to win a Grammy. He has been nominated 15 times and won 5 altogether.
Clarence White
He played with artists such as The Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker, Ricky Nelson, the Monkees, Randy Newman, Gene Clark, Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie, Jackson Browne, and many more.
He is perhaps best known for developing and using the B-Bender guitar, which he co-invented with fellow musician Gene Parsons. This device allowed him to bend the B-string up a whole tone, enabling pedal steel-like sounds on the guitar. This innovation became a hallmark of his playing style and significantly influenced country rock guitarists. To make it bend…you gently push the guitar down on the strap and it will bend the string. When Marty Stuart first listened to Sweetheart of the Rodeo he wanted to know who played the steel guitar on some of the songs…it ended up being White playing the B-Bender.
Marty Stuart bought this guitar from White’s family. He gave them a blank check and told them to fill in the amount within reason. He then told them if it wasn’t within reason he would get a loan. They filled it in with $1495.00 which was way below price…even in 1980. The guitar had the first B-Bender so it was historical just for that. Marty played the guitar on this album with and uses it regularly.
Tragically, Clarence White’s life was cut short when he was killed by a drunk driver on July 15, 1973, at the age of 29. He and his brother Roland White were loading equipment in their car and a drunk driver killed Clarence but Roland survived. Roland just passed away in 2022 at the age of 83. Marty met Clarence once and played with his brother a lot.
I was talking to obbverse the other day about including more technical guitar talk. I hope it doesn’t bore you reading but I won’t have that much…but in this post, I thought it was necessary.
One short story about what Marty Stuart found in Clarence’s guitar. Once he got it he started to clean it and took it apart. He found something that he thought he knew what it was…but he sent it to a lab…and it was an acid blotter that Clarence had tucked away.
The story of how Stuart bought Clarence White’s guitar…it’s very interesting and shows the kind of person Marty Stuart is. It’s only six minutes and thirty five seconds long.
I included this video to show you what a B-Bender does. I’ve thought about adding one to my telecaster. They also have one called a “hip shooter” as it’s not as invasive on the telecaster as this version.
CB mentioned a song on this list and this list came to life…so thanks CB. Some songs about sports or sports figures. I managed to get in baseball, boxing, and even Cricket. I can see a part II in the future.
The songs I know the most about are Baseball theme songs because that is the sport I follow the most.
John Fogerty – Centerfield
Along with “Talkin’ Baseball” and “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” this quickly became one of the most popular baseball songs ever. It’s a fixture at ballparks between innings of games and plays at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Fogerty mentions 3 huge baseball stars…”So say, Hey Willie, tell Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio.” He was influenced by Chuck Berry’s Brown Eyed Handsome Man with the lyrics “Rounding third he was heading for home, it was a brown eyed handsome man,” which is lifted from Berry’s song “Brown Eyed Handsome Man.”
John Fogerty:“I’d hear about Ruth and DiMaggio, and as my dad and older brothers talked about the Babe’s exploits, their eyes would get so big. When I was a little kid, there were no teams on the West Coast, so the idea of a Major League team was really mythical to me. The players were heroes to me as long as I can remember.”
Paul Kelly – Bradman
I’ll be the first to admit I know little nothing about Cricket but the song is great. It’s about Sir Donald Bradman, arguably…. the greatest ever cricketer (and definitely the greatest ever Australian cricketer). This one peaked at #51 in Australia in 1987 and was part of a double A-sided single along with the song Leaps and Bounds.
Chris Gaffney – Eyes of Roberto Duran
This song was written by Tim Russell and it’s covered here by Chris Gaffney. Gaffney had a terrific voice and I discovered him when I covered The Hacienda Brothers last week. This song was on the 1995 album Loser’s Paradise.
Roberto Durán, a Panamanian boxer, is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. Known as “Manos de Piedra” (Hands of Stone) for his punching power, Durán’s career lasted from 1968 to 2001. That is a long long career for a boxer.
Durán has talked about an incident from his childhood that left him with a unique trait. As a young boy, he was hit in the eye with a rock, resulting in a permanent droop in his left eyelid. This injury gave Durán a distinctive look, contributing to his fierce ring presence. Despite this, his vision was not significantly impaired.
Bob Dylan – Hurricane
Hurricane is a protest song by Bob Dylan co-written with Jacques Levy, released in 1976 on Dylan’s album Desire. The song tells the story of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a middleweight boxer who was wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1966. Dylan’s song played a huge role in bringing Carter’s case to public attention.
Warren Zevon – The Ballad of Bill Lee
This song is about one of the most colorful baseball players ever. Bill Lee was called Spaceman because of his views on the world. He was from the 1960s counterculture when most baseball players were straight-laced. When asked about mandatory drug testing, Lee said “I’ve tried just about all of them, but I wouldn’t want to make it mandatory.”
This is from Warren Zevon’s 1980 album “Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School.” The song is a tribute to Bill “Spaceman” Lee.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I’ve told people that I love blogging on the weekends because I use this time to explore more than I do during the week. I’ve posted about The Blasters before and this time it’s the brothers…Dave and Phil Alvin. I like stories about making deals with the Devil and this song falls right into that. It’s been explored in movies and books…this theme is always interesting.
I think the Devil is playing guitar on this one…because it is wicked sounding. No, that is Dave Alvin and his playing and tone are perfect. You cannot get a better tone than what he has on this. When I first heard it… that guitar stood out so much.
Dave and Phil Alvin are the brothers who founded The Blasters. This 2015 album was the duo’s second album called, Lost Time. When Dave left The Blasters in 1986 it created a riff but in 2012…a near-death experience for Phil..reunited the brothers to record a new album of Big Bill Broonzy songs called Common Ground.
The song was written by Oscar Brown Jr. an American singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, and civil rights activist. This song came from Brown’s musical called KICKS & CO. in 1961. They opened it up in Chicago but it closed early. It made it to Broadway 35 years later.
It’s a well-written song thanks to Brown and it works today.
Mr. Kicks
Permit me to introduce myself, the name is Mr. Kicks I dwell in a dark dominion way down by the river Styx The devil has sent me here because I’m full of wicked tricks And I’m such a popular fellow among all you lunatics I teach a course in ruination from the Devil’s text For fools who can’t withstand temptation, Step right up you’re next I hail from a hollow hell hole down around the river Styx Allow me to introduce myself the name is Mister Kicks When a old wolf starts a prowlin’ Out among the young lambs howling Don’t you know he’s looking for kicks? When a young cat full of sly tricks Spends his evenings chasing fly chicks Ten to one he’s looking for kicks Kicks is always in demand Cause kicks is full of fun and laughter Lots of folks get out of hand Because it’s only kicks they’re after Shady lady and her lover operating undercover She knows sin and virtue don’t mix Her momma raised her prim and proper But now wild horses couldn’t stop her When she’s on a manhunt for kicks Oh kicks, looking for kicks Just kicks, nothing but kicks I’m satan’s simple servant sent to get in a fix So look me up just anytime The name is mr., name is mr., Name is Mister Kicks
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