Working in a coal mine – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

I posted a Dr. John song last week, and I mentioned Allen Toussaint, who works as a producer and writes charts for horns. I had heard about him through Robbie Robertson’s book Testimony, which is a great book—just saying. CB and I started talking, and I had no idea Toussaint was a performer and songwriter—a very successful songwriter. I thought he mostly just did horn charts for musicians so his story and the songs he wrote totally surprised me.

Allen Toussaint started his career in the 1950s. He was born in New Orleans and grew into a huge musician, songwriter, producer, and performer. Toussaint was inspired by Professor Longhair and other New Orleans piano legends. By the time he was a teenager, Toussaint was already working as a keyboardist and songwriter. He has produced, written for, arranged, had his songs covered by, and performed with music giants The Judds, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Patti LaBelle, Dr John, Aaron and Art Neville, Joe Cocker, The Meters, Glen Campbell, The Band, Little Feat, The Rolling Stones, Devo, Ernie K-Doe, Lee Dorsey, Irma Thomas, Etta James, Ramsey Lewis, Eric Gale and the countless others.

That list alone knocked me out. A few of his songs are Mother-in-Law by Ernie K-Doe (1961), Working in the Coal Mine by Lee Dorsey, Fortune Teller (The Rolling Stones), Southern Nights (later a hit for Glen Campbell), and many more. That is a diverse set of songs. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues) I remember as a kid because I had Three Dog Night’s greatest hits and this one was a favorite of mine. Many people have covered this song including Levon Helm, Frankie Miller, B.J. Thomas, and Maria Muldaur.

This song was released in 1974 and was covered by five artists in a year. It was the Three Dog Night version that was a hit. It peaked at #33 in the US and #25 in Canada for the band. It was released on their Hard Labor album. Toussaint was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and he received the National Medal of Arts in 2013 from Former President Barack Obama.

Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)

Well, I tried to run my gameShe said “Man, that’s the same old thing I’ve heard before”And I’m too tired to go for your show (again and again)

And she started to explainShe said “Man, I ain’t saying what you’re playing just can’t make itBut I just can’t take it anymore”

Play something sweet, play something mellowPlay something I can sink my teeth in like JelloPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Play something sweet and make it funkyJust let me lay back and grin like a monkeyPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Well, I started to sweatShe said “Don’t get upset ’cause you just might break a stringAnd that won’t do a thing for your show

So I said to myselfI said “Self, do you see what is sailing through my soul?”And I gotta have some more, don’t ya know

Play something sweet, play something mellowPlay something I can sink my teeth in like JelloPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Play something sweet and make it funkyJust let me lay back and grin like a monkeyPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

It’s enough to make it light in the darkIt’s enough to make a bite just a barkIt’s enough to make a body move aroundIt’s enough to make a rabbit hug a dogPlay something sweet

Well, I tried to run my gameShe said “Man, that’s the same old thing I’ve heard before”And I’m too tired to go for your show (again and again)

And she started to explainShe said “Man, I ain’t saying what you’re playing just can’t make itBut I just can’t take it anymore”

Play something sweet, play something mellowPlay something I can sink my teeth in like JelloPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Play something sweet and make it funkyJust let me lay back and grin like a monkeyPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Play something sweet, play something mellowPlay something I can sink my teeth in like JelloPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Play something sweet and make it funkyJust let me lay back and grin like a monkeyPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

…

Sometimes I just have to hear some Devo to break the monotony. This is Devo from back in 1981. This song peaked at #43 in the Billboard 100, #8 in New Zealand and #17 in Canada. The song was not on their album New Traditionalists which was out at this time but it came packaged as a single included with the album.

It was also on the soundtrack of Heavy Metal.

It was written by Allen Toussaint in the early 1960s. Toussaint, as a pianist, writer, and producer, was part of the second wave of New Orleans’ Jazz and Blues culture. He worked with many big names from the era including Fats Domino, Chris Kenner, Benny Spellman, and Diamond Joe.

The song was made famous by Lee Dorsey in 1966.

From Songfacts on Working In A Coal Mine

Although “Working in the Coal Mine” sounds just like a jazz standard that could have been handed down from generation to generation of the American Old South, it was actually

In the ’60s, Toussaint wrote and produced several hits for Lee Dorsey, including “Ride Your Pony,” “Get Out of My Life Woman,” “Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky,” and “Holy Cow.”

In 1965, Toussaint wrote a song for Dorsey called “Work, Work, Work,” which was appropriate since Dorsey loved working on cars as much as he loved making music – he worked at a body shop and was often seen covered in grease. When he wrote for a specific artist, Toussaint would craft the song to that artist’s personality, which he did on “Working in the Coal Mine.”

Mining is very unpleasant work, but the incessant background vocals (“Workin’ in a coal mine, oops, about to slip down”) and Dorsey’s enthusiastic delivery turned the song – about a guy who is so tired from work that he can’t even have fun on Saturday – into a campy romp. An artist who didn’t appreciate and enjoy real work couldn’t have pulled it off, but Dorsey was the right man for the job. When he left the music business, he went back to bending fenders full-time.

That backing band on this track is The Meters, who were mainstays of the New Orleans funk sound. The Meters went on to work with Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Robert Palmer. They were also very successful recording on their own – in 1969 they hit #23 US with “Cissy Strut.”

A popular cover of this song was recorded by Devo and included on the soundtrack to the 1981 animated film Heavy Metal. Their version made #43 in the US.

In 1985, the country duo The Judds released the song on their album Rockin’ With The Rhythm.

This was recorded at J&M Studios in New Orleans, which was where just about every hit from that city was put to tape in the ’50s and ’60s. “Coal Mine” was one of the last hits recorded there, as financial problems led to its demise a few years later.

Dorsey’s label, Amy Records, commissioned a promotional film for his song (what would later be called a “music video”). The clip shows Dorsey emerging from the listening booth of a record store covered in dirt and wearing his work clothes. The clip was used to promote the song on British television shows.

You can also hear a snatch of this song in the Blaupunkt car stereo commercial of the ’90s. While we’re on the subject, we’re reminded of the fantastically popular (even record-breaking) indie video game Minecraft which has been storming the Internet gaming forums since its alpha release in 2010. Should the developers decide to create a TV advertisement, we can think of a song to recommend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA3Royf9_zM

Working In A Coal Mine

Workin’ in the coal mine
Goin’ on down, down
Workin’ in a coal mine
Oops, about to slip down
Workin’ in a coal mine
Goin’ on down, down
Workin’ in a coal mine
Oops, about to slip down

Five o’clock in the mornin’
I’m already up and gone
Lord, I’m so tired
How long can this go on?

‘Cause I make a little money
Haulin’ coal by the ton
When Saturday rolls around
I’m too tired for havin’ fun

Lord I’m so tired
How long can this go on?

Five o’clock in the mornin’
I’m already up and gone
Lord, I’m so tired
How long can this go on?

Tag: Working in a coal mine

Allen Toussaint – Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)

Devo – Working In A Coal Mine