Occasionally I come across what I consider a little gem of music trivia that I have never heard of before and this is one of those. You may already know this, but I didn’t. Carly Simon’s dad Richard is the Simon of publisher Simon and Schuster. He co-founded the company with M. Lincoln ‘Max’ Schuster.
In fact this really just gives me a chance to indulge in some classic Carly Simon a woman I found very, very attractive when I was in my teens. I recall having a Carly poster on my bedroom wall when I was at school too.
And finally a bonus song that featured Carly’s excellent vocal talent (which was uncredited at the time); “Kissing With Confidence by Will Powers. One of my favourite 80s songs.
I was picking random pages in a big joke book earlier today and I chanced upon a list of supposedly real country music song titles. There are some real corkers out there although I can’t find some of them on-line and some of them are clearly parodies, surely! I have picked out five of the best for your amusement. I think my favourite is “I’d Rather Hear A Fat Girl Fart Than A Pretty Boy Sing” I’d love to know if you have any that don’t feature on the list below the videos. I borrowed the list from bored.com
The List (click here to visit bored.com for the full list)
All I Want From You (Is Away) All My Exes Live In Texas
All the Guys that Turn Me On Turn Me Down
Am I Double Parked by the Curbstone of Your Heart?
Are You Drinkin With Me Jesus?
Are You on the Top 40 of the Lord?
At the Gas Station of Love, I Got the Self Service Pump
Bubba Shot The Jukebox
Bubba’s Inconvenience Store
Can’t Get Over You, So Why Don’t You Get Under Me?
Cow Cow Boogie (Moo Moo My Love)
Cow Cow Strut
Did I Shave my Legs for This?
Billy Broke My Heart at Walgreens and I Cried All the Way to Sears
Come out of the Wheatfield Nellie, You’re Going Against the Grain
Do You Love As Good As You Look?
Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight?
Don’t Believe My Heart Can Stand Another You.
Don’t Chop Any Wood Mother, I’m Comin’ in With a Load!
Don’t Come Home a-Drinkin’ With Lovin’ on Yo-mind
Don’t Give Me A Plastic Saddle ‘Cuz I Want To Feel That Leather When I Ride
Don’t Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling
Don’t Squeeze My Sharmon.
Don’t Strike A Match (To The Book Of Love)
Drop Kick Me Jesus (Through The Goal Posts Of Life.)
Four on the Floor and a Fifth Under the Seat
Get Off the Table, Mabel (The Two Dollars is for the Beer)
Get Your Biscuits In The Oven And Your Buns In The Bed
Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth ‘Cause I’m Kissing You Goodbye.
Git Up Off’n the Floor Hannah (a Bitter New Year’s Eve)
Going to Hell in Your Heavenly Arms
Guess My Eyes Were Bigger Than My Heart.
Hate Every Bone In Your Body Except For Mine
Heaven’s Just A Sin Away.
Her Body Couldn’t Keep You Off My Mind.
Her Cheatin’ Heart Made A Drunken Fool Out Of Me
Her Only Bad Habit Is Me
Her Teeth Was Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure.
Here’s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)
High Cost of Low Living
Hold On To Your Men..’Cause She’s Single Again
How Can A Whiskey That’s 6 Years Old Whup A Man That’s 33?
How Can I Get Over You if You Won’t Get Out from Under Me?
How Can I Miss You If You Won’t Go Away?
How Can You Believe Me When I Say I Love You When You Know I’ve Been A Liar All My Life?
How Come Your Dog Don’t Bite Nobody But Me?
I Been Roped And Thrown By Jesus In The Holy Ghost Corral.
I Bought the Shoes that Just Walked Out on Me
I Can’t Get Over You, So Why Don’t You Get Under Me?
I Can’t Pass the Bar, and There’s One on my Way Home
I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life.
I Don’t Care if it Rains or Freezes ‘Long as I Have My Plastic Jesus Sittin’ on the Dashboard of my Car
I Don’t Do Floors
I Don’t Know What Came Over Me (When I Came All Over You)
I Don’t Know Whether To Come Home Or Go Crazy
I Don’t Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling.
I Don’t Want Your Body If Your Heart’s Not In It.
I Fell for Her, She Fell for Him, and He Fell for Me
I Fell In A Pile Of You And Got Love All Over Me.
I Flushed You From The Toilets Of My Heart.
I Gave Her My Heart And A Diamond And She Clubbed Me With A Spade
I Gave Her the Ring, and She Gave Me the Finger
I Got In At 2 With A 10 And Woke Up At 10 With A 2.
I Got Tears In My Ears From Lying On My Bed Crying On My Pillow Over You.
I Got the Hungries for Your Love, and I’m Waitin In Your Welfare Line
I Got Through Everything But The Door
I Guess I Had Your Leavin’ Coming
I Hate Every Bone In Your Body Except Mine.
I Just Bought A Car From The Guy That Stole My Girl, But The Car Don’t Run So I Figure We Got An Even Deal.
I Keep Forgettin’ I Forgot About You.
I Knew I’d Hit Rock Bottom When I Woke Up On Top Of You.
I Like Bananas Because They Have No Bones
I Liked You Better Before I Knew You So Well.
I May Be Used, But Baby I Ain’t Used Up
I Meant Every Word That He Said.
I Only Miss You On The Days That End In ” Y ”
I Sat Down On A Beartrap (Just This Morning)
I Sent Her Artifical Flowers For Her Artificial Love
I Still Miss You, Baby, But My Aim’s Gettin’ Better.
I Wanna Whip Your Cow.
I Want a Beer as Cold as My Ex-Wife‘s Heart
I Wanted You To Leave Until You Left Me
I Was Looking Back to See If You Were Looking Back to See If I Was Looking Back to See if You Were Looking Back at Me
I Went Back to My Fourth Wife for the Third Time and Gave Her a Second Chance to Make a First Class Fool Out of Me
I Wish I Were A Lesbian
I Wish I Were A Woman (So I Could Go Out With A Guy Like Me)
I Wish I Were In Dixie Tonight, But She’s Out Of Town.
I Would Have Wrote You A Letter, But I Couldn’t Spell Yuck!
I Would Kiss You Through the Screendoor but It’d Strain Our Love
I Wouldn’t Take You To A Dog Fight Even If I Thought You Could Win.
I’d Rather Have A Bottle In Front Of Me Than A Frontal Lobotomy.
I’d Rather Hear A Fat Girl Fart Than A Pretty Boy Sing
I’d Rather Pass a Kidney Stone than Another Night With You
If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me, Her Memory Will.
If Fingerprints Showed Up On Skin, Wonder Whose I’d Find On You.
If I Ain’t Got It, You Don’t Need It.
If I Can’t Be Number One In Your Life, Then Number Two On You
If I Had a Nose Full of Nickels, I’d Sneeze Them All Atchoo!
If I Had It To Do All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You
If I Had My Life to Live Over, I’d Live Over a Delicatessen
If I Had Shot You When I Wanted To, I’d Be Out By Now.
If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me?
If I Were In Your Shoes, I’d Walk Right Back To Me
If I’d Killed You When I Wanted To, I’d be Out of Jail By Now
If It’s Got To Be Later, How ‘Bout Later Tonight?
If Love Were Oil, I’d Be A Quart Low.
If My Nose Was Running Money, Honey, I’d Blow It Al On You
If My Nose Were Full of Nickels, I’d Blow It All On You
If She Hadn’t Been So Good Lookin’ I Might Have Seen the Train
If She Puts Lipstick On My Dipstick, I’ll Fall In Love.
If the Devil Danced in Empty Pockets, He’d Have a Ball in Mine
If The Jukebox Took Teardrops I’d Cry All Night Long.
If The Phone Don’t Ring, Baby, You’ll Know It’s Me
If Today Was A Fish, I’d Throw It Back In
If Whiskey Were A Woman, I’d Be Married For Sure.
If You Can’t Be Good, Be Bad With Me
If You Can’t Be Good, Son, Be Good At It
If You Can’t Bite, Don’t Growl.
If You Can’t Feel It (It Ain’t There).
If You Can’t Live Without Me, Why Aren’t You Dead?
If You Don’t Leave Me Alone, I’ll Go And Find Someone Else Who Will
If You Don’t Leave Me, I’ll Find Someone Who Will
If You Ever Get the Feelin’ I Don’t Love You, Feel Again.
If You Got the Money, Honey, I Got the Time
If You Leave Me I’m Gone
If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?
If You Really Loved Me, You’d Leave
If You Want to Keep the Beer Real Cold, Put it Next to My Ex-Wife’s Heart
If You Want Your Freedom PDQ, Divorce Me COD
If You’re Gonna Do Him Wrong Again, You Might As Well Do Him Wrong Again With Me!
If You’re Gonna Do Me Wrong, Do It Right
I’ll Get Over You As Soon As You Get Out From Under Him.
I’ll Marry You Tomorrow, But Let’s Honeymoon Tonight.
I’ll Tennessee You In My Dreams
I’m Drinkin Christmas Dinner (All Alone This Year)
I’m Gettin’ Gray From Being Blue.
I’m Gonna Hire A Wino To Decorate Our Home.
I’m Gonna Put a Bar in the Back of my Car and Drive Myself to Drink
I’m Havin’ Daydreams About Night Things In The Middle Of The Afternoon.
I’m Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail
I’m In Love With A Capital U
I’m Just A Bug On The Windshield Of Life.
I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna be a Diamond Someday)
I’m Not Married But The Wife Is.
I’m Quittin’ Wild Turkey Cold Turkey
I’m So Miserable Without You, It’s Like Having You Here.
I’m The Only Hell Mama Ever Raised.
I’m Under The Table Over You
Is It Cold in Here, or Is it Just You?
It Ain’t Easy Being Easy
It Ain’t Love But It Ain’t Bad.
It Don’t Feel Like Sinnin’ To Me.
It Only Takes One Bar (To Make A Prison)
It Takes Me All Night Long To Do What I Used To Do All Night Long.
It Took a Helluva Man to Take my Anne, but it Sure Didn’t Take Him Long
It’s Not the High Cost of Living, It’s the Cost of Living High
I’ve Been Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart.
I’ve Been Roped And Throwed By Jesus In The Holy Ghost Corral
I’ve Got $5 And It’s Saturday Night
I’ve Got a Cowboy In The Saddle, and Another One’s Holding My Horse
I’ve Got Four On The Floor And A Fifth Under The Seat!
I’ve Got Red Eyes From Your White Lies And I’m Blue All The Time.
I’ve Got Tears In My Eyes From Lying On My Back In My Bed While I Cry Over You.
I’ve Got the Cob, If You’ve Got the Corn
I’ve Got The Hungries For Your Love And I’m Waiting In Your Welfare Line
I’ve Heard that Tear Stained Monologue You Do There by the Door Before You Go
Jeremiah Peabody’s Polyunsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green and Purple Pills
Jesus Loves Me But He Can’t Stand You
Jim, I Wore A Tie Today
Just Bought A Car From A Guy That Stole My Girl,
Keep Forgettin’ I Forgot About You
Last Night I Went to Bed with a “10” and Woke this Morning with a “2”
Lay Something On My Bed Besides A Blanket
Learning To Live Again Without You Is Killing Me.
Legendary Chicken Fairy
Liked You Better Before I Knew You So Well
Make Me Late For Work Today.
Mama Get The Hammer (There’s A Fly On Papa’s Head).
May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose.
Meet Me In the Gravel Pit, Honey, Cuz I’m a Little Boulder There
Mommy, Can I Still Call Him Daddy?
My Every Day Silver Is Plastic.
My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, And I Don’t Love Jesus.
My John Deere Was Breaking Your Field, While Your Dear John Was Breaking My Heart
My Lips Want to Stay (But My Heart Wants to Go)
My Phone Ain’t Been Ringing, so I Guess it Wasn’t You
My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Sure Do Miss Him.
Nashville Rash
Ned Nostril (and his South Seas Paradise, Put Your Blues on Ice, Cheap at Twice the Price Band, Icky Icky Ucky Ucky)
No Way, Conway (I Ain’t Gonna Twitty Tonight)
Occasional Wife
Oh, I’ve Got Hair Oil On My Ears And My Glasses Are Slipping Down, But Baby I Can See Through You
Oh, Lord! It’s Hard To Be Humble When You’re Perfect In Every Way.
Our Love is Illegal, Cause Our Names Ain’t the Same
Out Of My Head And Back In My Bed.
Overlonely and Underkissed
Pardon Me, I’ve Been Pardoned
Pardon Me, I’ve Got Someone To Kill.
Phantom Of The Opry
Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Pick Me Up Or Let Me Down
Please Bypass This Heart.
Poultry Promenade
Queen Of My Double-Wide Trailer
Red Necks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer
Redneck Martians Stole My Baby
Refried Dreams
Run for the Roundhouse Nellie (He Can’t Corner You There)
Saddle Up the Stove Ma, I’m Riding the Range Tonight
She Broke My Heart, I Broke Her Jaw
She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed Anytime
She Feels Like A New Man Tonight.
She Got The Gold Mine And I Got The Shaft.
She Got The Ring And I Got The Finger.
She Looks Good Through the Bottom of My Shot Glass
She Made Toothpicks Out Of The Timber Of My Heart
She Offered Her Honor, He Honored Her Offer, and All Through the Night It Was Honor and Offer
She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy
She Walked Across My Heart Like It Was Texas
She’s Actin’ Single….. I’m Drinkin’ Doubles
She’s Got Freckles On Her, But She’s Pretty.
She’s Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)
She’s Out Doing What I’m Here Doing Without.
Slap ‘Er Down Again Paw
Still Miss You Baby, But My Aim’s Gettin’ Better
Swing Wide Your Gate Of Love.
Tennis Must Be Your Racket ‘Cause Love Means Nothin’ To You.
Thank God And Greyhound She’s Gone.
Thanks To The Cathouse, I’m In The Doghouse With You
The Alcohall of Fame
The Bridge Washed Out and I Can’t Swim and My Baby’s On the Other Side
The Last Word In Lonesome Is “Me”.
The Man That Came Between Us (Was Me)
The Old Home Fill ‘er Up and Keep On Truckin’ Cafe”
The Pint Of No Return.
There Ain’t Enough Room in my Fruit Of The Looms to Hold All My Lovin’ For You
There Ain’t No Waste In My Baby’s Love Canal.
There’s A Tear In My Beer
They May Put Me In Prison, But They Can’t Stop My Face From Breakin’ Out.
This Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad
This White Circle on My Finger Means We’re Through
Tight Fittin’ Jeans
Timber… I’m Fallin In Love
Touch Me With More Than Your Hands.
Trainwreck Of Emotion
Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother
Velcro Arms, Teflon Heart.
Waitin’ In Your Welfare Line
Walk Out Backwards Slowly So I’ll Think You’re Walking In
Warm Beer and Cold Kisses
Warm Beer Cold Women
We Used To Kiss On The Lips, But It’s All Over Now
Welcome to Dumpsville, Population Me
What Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me).
When the Lightning Struck the Coon Creek Party Line
When We Get Back To the Farm (That’s When We Really Go To Town).
When You Leave Walk Out Backwards, So I’ll Think You’re Walking In
When You Wrapped My Lunch in a Road Map, I Knew You Meant Good-Bye
Who You Gonna Believe, Me Or Your Lying Eyes?
Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass?
Who’s Gonna Take The Garbage Out When I’m Dead And Gone?
Who’s Makin’ Time with the Time Keeper’s Daughter, when the Time Keeper’s Keepin’ Time?
Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw
Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For?
Would Jesus Wear A Rolex On His Television Show?
Wouldn’t Take Her To A Dog Fight, Cause I’m Afraid She’d Win
Yard Sale
You Ain’t Much Fun Since I Quit Drinkin’
You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog (‘s Leavins’)
You Ain’t Woman Enough To Take My Man
You Can Lock Me Up in Jail & Throw Away the Key, But You Can’t Keep My Face from Breaking Out
You Can’t Deal Me All The Aces And Expect Me Not To Play.
You Can’t Have Your Kate And Edith Too.
You Can’t Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd.
You Changed Your Name From Brown to Jones, and Mine From Brown to Blue
You Done Stomped On my Heart (and You Mashed That Sucker Flat)
You Done Tore Out My Heart And Stomped That Sucker Flat
You Goodbye
You Hurt The Love Right Out Of Me.
You Were Only A Splinter As I Slid Down The Bannister Of Life
You’d think my Bed was a Bus Stop, the Way You Come and Go
Your Negligee Has Turned To Flannel Nightgowns
Your Were Only A Splinter As I Slid Down The Banister Of Life.
You’re A Cross I Can’t Bear.
You’re a Hard Dog To Keep Under The Porch
You’re Going To Ruin My Bad Reputation
You’re Out Of Step (With The Beat Of My Heart)
You’re Ruining My Bad Reputation.
You’re The Hangnail In My Life, And I Can’t Bite You Off
You’re The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly.
You’re The Ring Around My Bathtub, You’re The Hangnail Of My Life
You’ve Already Put Big Old Tears In My Eyes, Must You Throw Dirt In My Face?
You’ve Got Sawdust On The Floor Of Your Heart
Those of you in the UK will certainly heard of the death of Bob Holness this week aged 83. Bob was the host of the iconic Blockbusters TV show for from 1983 to 1994. Anyone for “Can I have a P please Bob?” He began working in radio in 1955 and starred as James Bond in a radio adaptation of Ian Fleming‘s ‘Moonraker’ in 1956. he was possibly the first person to portray the famous secret agent.
He was also the subject of a wonderful and long lasting urban myth. It has long been believed by many that he was the saxophonist on Gerry Rafferty‘s “Baker Street“. However this is definitely a myth, Raphael Ravenscroft played the sax on that song. the myth arose following a regular Stuart Maconie article in the NME back in the 80s for the “Believe It Or Not” section. It was a piece, like many of those included, that Maconie had made up. Bob did play along with the story on some occasions and embellished it a few times too. He has said that he also played lead guitar on Derek and the Dominoes “Layla”. Those gullible people reading this please note; Bob Holness clearly had a great sense of humour.
Bob kept his street cred account well stocked, here he is with Frank Sidebottom and Little Frank
There is a real music link for the South African born TV and Radio presenter though. His daughter Ros was a member of the band Toto Coelo. They were 80s one hit wonders with “I Eat Canibals” in 1982 a song which was produced by 70s hitmaker Barry Blue.
I would like to pass on my condolences to Bob Holness’ family, friends and legions of fans. RIP Bob Holness
It’s January 8th 2012 which means that David Robert Jones is now a pensioner; yes, Mr Bowie is officially an old bloke aged 65. I have made many posts about David Bowie since I started this blog and indeed I have posted on his birthday before as well. So what can I say that I haven’t said before about the Dame? Well how about some trivia about him that you may or may not have heard?
He left school with just one GCE O Level, which means that I left school with twice as many O Levels as he did. The lack of even minor academic qualifications hasn’t held him back though has it?
It is widely known that he shares a birthday with Elvis Presley who was born 12 years before Bowie in 1935. But did you know that he shares that birthday with a number of other music stars as well?
On top of that it is also the same date that the new North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was born in either 1983 or 1984 and Stephen Hawking in 1942.
I am in the middle of reading Peter Doggett’s book ‘The Man Who Sold The World – David Bowie And The 1970s’ which is a journey through the 70s song by song of everything Mr Bowie recorded. Parts of it are a little too muso for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an excellent book. I have learnt some new things about Bowie, which is really something for a moderately obsessive fan! Did you know that Bowie had wanted Phil Spector to produce the ‘Aladdin Sane‘ album? I certainly didn’t, but it would have been a fascinating mix of styles. That album sold less than half of the nearly 11 million sales achieved by the ‘Lets Dance’ album in 1983.
It would be fair to say that “Rebel Rebel” from the ‘Diamond Dogs’ album is a brilliant pastiche of the Rolling Stones. Did you know that Bowie also provided backing vocals and hand-claps on the Stones hit “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll” from 1974? Live Aid in 1985 prompted Bowie and Mick Jagger to record together again with a cover of Martha and the Vandellas “Dancing In The Street”. Not the best cover version in the world in my opinion. In a survey by the PRS last year it was voted as the song that most people would play at street parties to celebrate last years Will and Kate Royal nuptials.
As well as being a musician David has always been a music fan as well and has often championed some of his favourite acts. Back in the early 70s he heard that Mott The Hoople were about to break up so he got in touch and offered them a song to persuade them to stay together. The band went on to have a massive hit with Bowie’s “All The Young Dudes” but did you know that the first song he offered them was “Suffragette City”? They turned it down saying that it didn’t really suit them. Bowie went on to produce Mott’s ‘All The Young Dudes’ album with Mick Ronson. In 1975 Ronson became a member of the band for a short while and recorded what became their farewell single “Saturday Gigs” with them.
So that’s enough of my drivel and it just remains for me to wish David Bowie a fantastic 65th birthday and to share with you the most played Bowie tracks on Spotify in descending order;
Back in 1986 Billboard started it’s Latin American chart. Whilst a number of male artists, notably Ricky Martin, have had their singles enter at number one, no female artist has ever achieved such a feat. Well until now anyway as this week Gloria Estefan hit the top spot with her song “Hotel Nacional” in it’s first week of release. The song comes from her current album ‘Miss Little Havana’. It becomes only the 11th song in the history of the Latin chart to enter at the top.
Gloria’s full maiden name was Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo. She became Estefan when she married Emilio Estefan the leader of the Miami Sound Machine in 1978. While still at university she work as a translator for the US Customs Department at Miami Airport. She is fluent in Spanish, English and French. She was seen to be such a good linguist that it is alleged that the CIA once approached her to offer a job with the agency.
How many of you remember the SimpsonsUK number one from 1991, “Do The Bartman“? It is nearly 21 years old now after all. Did you know that it was the first UK number one song by a cartoon act since the Archies in 1969? Which incidentally was the first single that I ever bought.
But back to “Do The Bartman” which was included on the album ‘The Simpsons Sing The Blues’ and the the vocals were provided by Nancy Cartwright who provides Bart’s voice in the series. It was co written and co produced by Bryan Loren by none other than Michael Jackson. Jacko was a big fan of the Simpsons but contractual reasons (he was on a different record label) meant that he wasn’t credited on the original release. This was rumoured for sometime after the event and was eventually revealed by Simpsons creator Matt Groening at a convention in 1998. I know this will be old news to some of you but I only read about it a couple of days back. Jackson did go on to make an appearance on the show but not as a caricature of himself.
The song also reached the top of the charts in Norway, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland. It only made it to number 24 in the USA, but it was never officially released as a single there. It stayed at number one in the UK for 3 weeks between February and March 1991.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 170,000 times in 2011. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 7 days for that many people to see it.
Happy Christmas dear readers and good people of the blogosphere. This is the last post in my ABC of Motown Advent Calendar. It’s the 24th December and technically that means the letter Y, but I’ll throw in X and Z for free along with a couple of Motown Christmas songs. The big bearded dude in red arrives on his venison powered sleigh tomorrow. I hope that you get everything you want this Christmas and more importantly I hope that you have a really enjoyable Yule.
The first song for the letter X has been a tough one to find. But I have found one, I know hardly anything about it so if you have any information feel free to get in touch. I do feel like I’ve cheated you a little though, the song is called “Xmas Twist” although the chorus uses the proper phrase ‘Christmas Twist’. The song was released by a group calling themselves the Twisting Kings. So clearly no cynical tie-in with a popular dance craze then! The song was written by Berry Gordy and Barney Ales. Gordy was the producer for the song which was released in November 1961. It can be found on a couple of compilation albums to my knowledge; #A Motown Christmas Volume 2′ and ‘The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 1 1959-1961’ released in 2001 and 2005 respectively.
For the letter Y I have chosen a song from a superb act who haven’t yet appeared in this ABC of Motown. It’s Gladys Knight and the Pips with “You Need Love Like I Do (Don’t You)”. The most memorable line up from the Pips included her brother Merald ‘Bubba’ Knight and two of her cousins; Edward Patten and William Guest. Her first pitch at fame came when she won a local TV talent show aged 7 in 1952.Gladys and the Pips were the first Motown act to record the classic song “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” which they took to number two in the US charts. In their early Motown career they were the opening act for Diana Ross and the Supremes. It is alleged that Diana had them kicked off the tour because Gladys and the Pips were far more powerful a talent and probably a very tough act to follow. “You Need Love Like I Do” was an US hit in 1970 reaching number 25 in the Billboard charts and number 3 in the US R & B charts. It never charted in the UK. The song was another from the talented song writing partnership of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. It was also recorded by the Temptations.
The final song from my ABC of Motown selection is a rather well-known album track from the Commodores who made an appearance in this Advent Calendar with the letter J on December 10th, click here to read it. The song is “Zoom” and should not be confused with the Fat Larry’s Band song of the same name. It was never released as a single in the US but made it to number 38 in the UK charts in 1978. The album it came from was released in 1977 and in the US it was called ‘Commodores’ whilst in the UK it was called ‘Zoom’. The song was written by Lionel Richie and Ronald LaPraed from the band. The album also included two other Commodores classics in “Brick House” and “Easy”. Fergie sampled “Zoom” on her ‘Duchess’ album on the track “All That I Got (The Make-Up Song)”
Finally let me wish you a Happy Christmas once again and to finish please enjoy two of my favourite Motown Christmas songs from the Jackson 5 and then Stevie Wonder.
Incidentally if you’d like to know the songs that came before in the ABC of Motown Advent Calendar, here they are;
ABC – Jackson 5
Bernadette – Four Tops
Cloud Nine – Temptations
Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) – Frank Wilson
Endless Love – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
Farewell Is A Lonely Sound – Jimmy Ruffin
Gotta See Jane – R Dean Taylor
How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You – Marvin Gaye
I’m In A Different World – Four Tops
Just To Be Close To You – Commodores
Keep On Truckin’ – Eddie Kendricks
Let’s Get Serious – Jermaine Jackson
Money – Barrett Strong
Needle In A Haystack – Velvelettes
Ooo Baby Baby – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Pops We Love You – Various
Quicksand – Martha Reeves & the Vandellas
Rockin’ Robin – Michael Jackson
Superstition – Stevie Wonder
Take Me Girl I’m Ready – Junior Walker & the All Stars
Up The Ladder To The Roof – Supremes
The Night – Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (this is the only one based on artist name rather than song)
Ho Ho Ho we’re nearly there, you’d better not be bad, you’d better not dare! It’ s December 23rd and Day 23 of my ABC of Motown Advent Calendar. Which brings us to the letter W. This was a tough letter for me I had four songs in mind before I finally selected a song with a real message, it’s “War” by Mr Edwin Starr.
Edwin was born Charles Edwin Hatcher in Tennessee in 1942 and sadly died aged just 61 in 2003 at his home in Bramcote in Nottinghamshire. I never knew he lived in England, but apparently he moved here in 1973. Ironically his death came just a couple of weeks after the start of the war in Iraq. He started his singing career in the late 50s with a doo wop group called the Future Tones. He later signed to the Ric-Tic label where he had his first big hit with “Agent Double ‘O’ Soul’ in 1965 which reached number 21 in the US charts. He became a Motown artist in 1968 when Motown took over the Ric-Tic label.
“War” started life as a Temptations album track, but Starr’s version was his biggest hit by far when it was released in 1970 hitting the top of the US charts and going to number three in the UK. Motown and the Temptations were very reluctant to release such a controversial song by one of their most popular acts. But Norman Whitfield who wrote the song with Barrett Strong kept pushing for its release. Eventually Motown offered a compromise and said that it could be released if Whitfield recorded it with another act. He chose Edwin Starr who was seen by many as a second string Motown artist. But for many others, including me, he was seen as a fantastically powerful vocalist.
Edwin made the song his own and it became his signature song. Many other artists (including the Jam, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Bruce Springsteen) have covered it but none have reached the power and impact of Starr’s version. The Undisputed Truth supplied backing vocals on the song and once again those Motown stalwarts the Funk Brothers played the music in another excellent Whitfield production. Incidentally the Funk Brothers also played on the original version by the Temptations.
Enjoy Edwin’s version followed by a Baby Bollox remix of the Temptations original and some covers of this great song, ending with a live perfprmance featuring both Springsteen and Starr. It’s sad to think that the message still resonates today more than 40 years after it was released.
We’re easing down that Christmas road pretty fast now, it’s December 22nd and we’re at the letter V on my ABC of Motown Advent Calendar. I have a confession to make before I tell you what the song is. It doesn’t begin with V, it was so difficult to find a V song. So for today I have opted for an artist whose surname starts with a V. It is the one and only Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons with the Northern Soul classic, “The Night”
In 1970 the group signed to Motown subsidiary label Mowest and the single was originally released in 1971 in the UK with no success it was never issued in the US. When it was re-released in the UK in 1975 following a lot of interest in Northern Soul clubs it reached number 7 in the UK charts.
When the band left Motown in 1974 Frankie Valli wanted to buy the master tapes of everything they had recorded for the label. However when he heard the price he decided to buy just one song for $4,000. That song was “My Eyes Adored You” which Valli took to Private Stock records who wanted to release it as a Frankie Valli solo single. They did and it became a massive hit reaching number one on the US Billboard charts and number 5 in the UK.
I also found a couple of strange covers while looking for this song; firstly Pulp (sorry Jarvis it really isn’t very good mate) then Lene Lovich (a little weird) and finally Soft Cell (a faithful rendition). I prefer the original to all of these though. How about you?
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 