Tag: Del-Vikings

Del-Vikings – Come Go With Me

This is one of those songs that is a mile marker for the 1950s. When I think of the 1950s I think of dairy dips, sock hops, and Come Go With Me. I always feel better after hearing this song. It’s one of the most famous doo-wop songs ever. 

They were formed in 1955 by a group of U.S. Air Force servicemen stationed at the Pittsburgh Air Force Base. The original lineup included Cornell Gunter, Clarence Quick, Kripp Johnson, Don Jackson, Bernard Robertson, and Norman Wright. Clarence Quick, the group’s bass singer, also served as their main songwriter. He wrote the song while still in the U.S. Air Force, where the original members of The Del-Vikings were stationed. 

With their name…there are different answers. Some say Clarence Quick knew a basketball team out of New York and they used the Vikings name. Some say the group was reading about Vikings and took that name…and the books were the company Viking Press. The “Del” or “Dell” part happened because they wanted to add a bit of mystery to the name. Some say it was because some of them had been stationed in Delaware and that might be where they got the name. Either way the Del-Vikings came up with a signature song of the 1950s. 

Due to contract disputes, some members later formed a separate group called The Dell Vikings (with two “L”s), while others continued under the original Del-Vikings name. Despite this, both versions of the group were recorded and performed in the late 1950s.

Clarence Quick wrote this song for his band and it was their debut single. The song was released on the small Fee Bee label before being picked up by Dot Records. The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard 100 in 1957… and it became one of the most recognizable doo-wop songs of all time. That same year they would have two more top twenty hits with Whispering Bells and Cool Shake. 

It’s been featured in classic films such as “American Graffiti” (1973) and “Stand by Me” (1986). It’s been covered by several artists, including Dion, Cliff Richard,  The Beach Boys, and The Excellents.

Come Go With Me

Well I love, love you darlin’Come and go with meCome home with meWay beyond the seaI need you darlin’So come go with me

Come, come, come, comeCome into my heartTell me darlin’We will never partI need you darlin’So come go with me

Yes, I need youYes, I really need youPlease say you’ll never leave meWell, say you neverYes, you really neverYou never give me a chance

Come, come, come, comeCome into my heartTell me darlin’We will never partI need you darlin’So come go with me(Yeah)

Yes, I need youYes, I really need youPlease say you’ll never leave meWell, say you neverYes, you really neverYou never give me a chance

Love you darlin’Come and go with meCome home with meWay beyond the seaI need you darlin’So come go with me

Come on go with meCome on go with meCome on go with me

…

Max Picks …songs from 1957

I usually run this on Wednesdays after the Star Trek. We finished up season 2 and we are starting the last season…season 3 tomorrow!  Thanks for visiting the third installment of Max Picks. If you missed the first or second just follow the links.

1957

Let’s start this year with two brothers with some of the best harmonies ever in Rock/Pop…The Everly Brothers. Many guitar players could get close to the intro to this song but never exactly. The reason is Don Everly was using open G tuning…what Keith Richards later learned and made a career out of it…and that’s not an exaggeration. If you tune your guitar to open G tuning…you could play over half of the Stones catalog…believe me I do. Enough of guitar talk… this song was written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. This song has sheer beauty to it and also drive. I love Elvis but I’m leaving him off of this one since we featured him in the last two.

Now we get to the one…the only Pat Boone! NOT. I had to make sure you were paying attention. Now lets get to the bad boy of the fifties and all the decades that followed. He made other “bad boys” look tame. Jerry Lee Lewis was the real deal. Pure Rock and Roll that made Elvis look subtle. I can imagine he was public enemy number one with a lot of parents. Forget that though… his music is like an adrenaline rush to get up and move. The song was written by Dave “Curlee” Williams and James Faye “Roy” Hall.

I promised more Buddy Holly in the last post so I’m coming through on that promise. I could not believe the songs I could pick from in 1957. Take a look at the singles he had this year. Oh Boy, Not Fade Away, Peggy Sue, Everyday, Rock Around With Ollie Vee, and last but not least…That’ll Be The Day. That simple intro to this song is magic. I could have picked any of those songs. This song was written by Jerry Allison, Buddy Holly, and Norman Petty.

Now we have a singer who had a voice that was as smooth as silk. Sam Cooke‘s voice still gets to me. It was named as one of the 500 most important rock and roll recordings by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many artists have covered it but I’ll take Cooke’s version of it any day. It was written by the man himself.

I want to add a doo-wop vocal group because they were very popular then and this song is great. This song is called Come Go With Me by The Del-Vikings. The first time Paul and John met…John and his band The Quarrymen were playing this song with Lennon making up the words “Come and Go with me to the penitentiary” and probably some obscene words here and there. It was written by Clarence Quick.

As always…thanks for reading and listening!