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+--- Thread: Songs People Should Hear (/showthread.php?tid=2032)
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 17-04-2010
![[Image: 151146.jpg]](http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/252/151146.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9xbh5kohE4
from wikipedia
"Our Day Will Come" (1963) is a popular song composed by Bob Hilliard and Mort Garson and was first recorded by Ruby & The Romantics later that year. The Ruby & the Romantics version was notable for the use of the Hammond organ and hit the #1 position on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and spent two weeks in the top spot of the U.S. Billboard R&B/Soul Singles chart.
Ruby Nash, the female lead of the group, originally sang with an all-girl group, consisting of her sister and two friends. They sang at record hops, mixers, talent shows and clubs in Akron and surrounding areas. Some of the male members of the Romantics sang with The Embers. Eventually, The Embers became known as The Supremes (not to be confused with Detroit's The Supremes, of Motown Records fame), and then The Feilos.
Since they all grew up in Akron and knew each other, Leroy Fann, a member of The Supremes, asked Ruby to sing with them on occasions. After auditioning, the group was signed to New York-based Kapp Records, and the group changed their name to "Ruby & the Romantics".
An Abraham Lincoln quotation over the stage in the auditorium at Akron Central High School, where the group members attended may have been the inspiration for "Our Day Will Come" - "I will study and get ready, and some day my chance will come". Those who attended Akron Central High School in the early 1960s will recall hearing that song sung between classes by members of the group. The follow-up, "My Summer Love" reached #16 on the Hot 100 and a third release, the original version of "Hey There Lonely Boy" climbed to #27.
Several more singles were released by Kapp which generally achieved minor chart status. A short spell with ABC was unsuccessful while one single for A&M in 1969 ("Hurting Each Other", originally recorded by Jimmy Clanton some years earlier) proved to be their final recording before the group broke up in 1971. The group had remained intact throughout their recording career, as confirmed by Ruby in an interview in 2008 with Marv Goldberg (R&B Notebooks).
Some of the songs they recorded went on to be hits for other artists, such as "Hey There Lonely Boy" (which was recorded by Eddie Holman as "Hey There Lonely Girl" and peaked in the U.S. at #2 in February of 1970); "Hurting Each Other" recorded for A&M in 1969 which became a #2 hit for The Carpenters three years later; and "When You're Young And In Love" (recorded by The Marvelettes which peaked at #23 in the U.S. in May 1967. British a cappella band The Flying Pickets also took the song to number 7 in the UK Singles Chart in 1984). Additionally, "Our Day Will Come" was covered by Frankie Valli and peaked at #11 in the US in the fall of 1975.
Our day will come,
And we'll have everything (ooo-oo).
We'll share the joy,
Falling in love can bring (oooo).
No one can tell me,
That I'm too young to know (young to know),
I love you so (love you so).
And you love me (oo-oo-oo, ooo'-oo).
Our day will come,
If we just wait a while (ooo-oo).
No tears for us,
Think love and wear a smile (ooo-ooo').
Our dreams have magic because we'll always stay,
In love this way.
Our day will come.
(Our day will come.)
(Our day will come.)
Our dreams have magic because we'll always stay,
In love this way.
Our day will come (ooo-oo).
Our day will come (ooo-oo).
Our day...
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 18-04-2010
![[Image: p13559o0f16.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drp100/p135/p13559o0f16.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-juca-sFWBU
from wikipedia
Have I The Right? was The Honeycombs' debut single and biggest hit. It was composed by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, who had made contact with the Honeycombs (then playing under the name of either The Sherabons or The Sheratons) in the Mildmay Tavern in Islington, where they played a date. Shortly afterwards the group was granted an audition with indie record producer Joe Meek, and they played the two songs Howard and Blaikley had just given them. Meek decided to record them there and then. After the recording session the group called themselves The Honeycombs, but it is unclear who invented this name.
Meek used his apartment at 304 Holloway Road, Islington as a recording studio. Three UK #1 hits were produced there: "Johnny Remember Me" by John Leyton, "Telstar" by The Tornados and the last of them, "Have I the Right?".
Conspicuous in "Have I the Right?" is the prominent part of the drums that carry the song. Their effect was enhanced by making the members of the group stamp their feet on the wooden stairs to the studio. Meek recorded the sound with five microphones he had fixed to the banisters with bicycle clips. For the finishing touch someone beat a tambourine directly onto a microphone. The recording was somewhat sped up, reportedly to Dennis D'Ell, the singerâs grief, who regretted that he could not reproduce this sound on stage.
"Have I the Right?" was released in June 1964 on the Pye record label (Pye 7N 15664). The sales started slowly, but by the end of July the record started to climb in the UK Singles Chart. At the end of August the record reached #1. Outside the UK "Have I the Right?" was a big success too. The song became #1 in Australia, Canada and Sweden. In the US the record reached #5 and in the Netherlands #2. "Have I the Right?" sold worldwide about two million copies within a year.
The Honeycombs also recorded a German version of the song: "Hab ich das Recht?" (Deutsche Vogue, DV 14210). Both the English and the German version reached #21 in the German charts: the English one in October, the German one in November 1964. The German version was recorded without the groupâs stamping their feet on the stairs and without speeding up. On the other hand one line was left out, so the German version is shorter than the English one after all. The effect of speeding up can be measured by comparing the B-sides: "Du sollst nicht traurig sein" is 20 seconds longer than its English counterpart "Please Donât Pretend Again".
"Have I The Right?" was covered by Petula Clark on her 1965 album, The International Hits. The song was also covered in 1977 by The Dead End Kids. Their version peaked at #6 in the UK pop charts. The song was covered by the Dead Kennedys on the 1979 live album, Live At The Deaf Club and by Les Fradkin on his 2006 album Goin' Back. The single of Fradkin's version is at Apple iTunes. It was also covered by American indie pop act Casper & the Cookies on their 2006 EP Overly Optimistic.
Have I the right to hold you?
You know I've always told you
That we must never ever part
oh ooh ooh oh
Have I the right to kiss you?
You know I'll always miss you
I've loved you from the very start
Come right back I just can't bear it
I've got this love and I long to share it
Come right back I'll show my love is strong
Have I the right to touch you?
If I could you'd see how much you
Send those shivers running down my spine.
Ooh Ooh
Have I the right to thrill you?
You know I'll wait until you
Give me the right to make you mine.
Well, Come right back I just can't bear it
I've got this love and I long to share it
Come right back I'll show my love is strong.
Oh yeah.
All right!
Have I the right to hold you?
You know I've always told you
That we must never ever part.
No no no no no no
Have I the right to kiss you?
You know I'll always miss you.
I've loved you from the very start.
Come right back I just can't bear it
I've got this love and I long to share it
Come right back I'll show my love is strong.
Oh yeah yeah
Come right back I just can't bear it
I've got this love and I long to share it
Come right back right back where you belong
oh yeah
You belong
oh yeah
You belong
Songs People Should Hear - kvincent5555 - 18-04-2010
Music Head Wrote:Have I The Right?
What's interesting is not just the fact that they have a female drummer, but that she sits relatively low and plays aggressively...Ahead of its time...drum-wise.
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 19-04-2010
![[Image: 45084.jpg]](http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/126b/45084.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbUl_E-R91Q
from wikipedia
"Sunny" is the name of a song written by Bobby Hebb. It is one of the most covered popular songs, with hundreds of versions released. BMI rates "Sunny" number 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century".
Hebb wrote the song after 22 November 1963, the day after U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and Hebb's older brother Harold was killed in a knife fight outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by both events and many critics say that those events inspired the tune. Others claims Bobby wrote the song for God. Certainly, events influenced Bobby's songwriting, but his timeless melody, crossing over into R&B (#3 on U.S. R&B chart) Country and Pop (#2 on U.S. Pop chart), together with the optimistic lyrics, came from the artist's desire to express that one should always "look at the bright side" - a direct quote from the author. Hebb has said about "Sunny":
"All my intentions were just to think of happier times â basically looking for a brighter day â because times were at a low tide. After I wrote it, I thought "Sunny" just might be a different approach to what Johnny Bragg was talking about in 'Just Walkin' in the Rain'".
"Sunny" was originally part of an 18-song demo recorded by producer Jerry Ross, also famous for Spanky and Our Gang, Keith's "98.6" and Jay and the Techniques (Hebb was the first artist to cover "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie", in fact, but didn't want to be considered a novelty act and let the song go to Jay Proctor). "Sunny" was first recorded in Japan by Mieko "Miko" Hirota - the "Connie Francis" of Japan, where it was said to have done well on the charts. In America it was released by vibraphonist Dave Pike on Atlantic Records in 1966 on the "Jazz for the Jet Set" album, well before Philips released Hebb's 45 version produced by Ross and arranged by Joe Renzetti. This information was made public - as well as sounds from the first two versions of "Sunny", on the BBC's celebrated "Songlines" program in early 2006.
"Sunny" was recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City and released as a single in 1966. It met an immediate success, which resulted in Hebb touring in 1966 with The Beatles.
Hebb also had a minor hit on Billboard's R&B chart with a 1975 updated disco reworking of the song, entitled "Sunny '76".
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain.
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain.
The dark days are gone, and the bright days are here,
My Sunny one shines so sincere.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet.
Sunny, thank you for the love you brought my way.
You gave to me your all and all.
Now I feel ten feet tall.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Sunny, thank you for the truth you let me see.
Sunny, thank you for the facts from A to C.
My life was torn like a wind-blown sand,
And the rock was formed when you held my hand.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Sunny, thank you for the smile upon your face.
Sunny, thank you for the gleam that shows its grace.
You're my spark of nature's fire,
You're my sweet complete desire.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain...
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 20-04-2010
![[Image: P16522XHM0I.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drP100/P165/P16522XHM0I.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14Dgw_LSJ5w
from wikipedia
"Wishin' and Hopin'" is a song written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach which was a Top Ten hit for Dusty Springfield in 1964.
The song was first recorded by Dionne Warwick and was the B-side of Warwick's single "This Empty Place" in the spring of 1963; the track was also featured on Warwick's debut album Presenting Dionne Warwick. Warwick's rendition did become a charting single in France, reaching #79 in the autumn of 1963.
Dusty Springfield, who had heard the Warwick album track, recorded "Wishin' and Hopin'" in January 1964 at Olympic Studios: personnel for the session included Bobby Graham on drums, Big Jim Sullivan on guitar, and the Breakaways vocal group. Ivor Raymonde arranged and conducted on the session for which Johnny Franz, the president of Springfield's label: Philips, was credited as producer; purportedly Springfield herself was the actual producer of virtually all of her mid-60s tracks. The track was included on Springfield's solo album debuts in the UK: A Girl Called Dusty, and the US: Stay Awhile/I Only Want to Be with You.
In February 1964 Springfield met with Burt Bacharach in New York City to listen to other songs to consider recording. Bacharach recalls at that time: "I think I tried to talk her into releasing 'Wishin' and Hopin' because she had some ambivalence about it."
A New York City disc jockey named Joe Lacey began to play "Wishin' and Hopin'" off of his station's copy of Stay Awhile/I Only Want to Be with You creating a buzz about the track which - following some encouragement from Hal David and Burt Bacharach themselves - Philips' US label finally issued it as a single in May 1964; "Wishin' and Hopin'" broke nationally that June entering the Top Ten that July to peak at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 (#4 in Cash Box).
The release of "Wishin' and Hopin'" as a concurrent UK single release for Springfield was precluded by the presence on the UK charts of Springfield'single "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" - one of the songs Bacharach had pitched to her when they met in New York City in February 1964. "Wishin' and Hopin'" was recorded for the UK market by the Merseybeats whose inaugural single had been another song from the Presenting Dionne Warwick album: "It's Love That Really Counts" (UK #24). The Merseybeats "Wishin' and Hopin'" peaked at #13 on the UK chart dated 8 August 1964 the same week Springfield's "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" spent at its #3 peak. Another UK male vocal group the Eagles also had a single release of "Wishin' and Hopin'" although it was the B-side of a non-charting single "Write Me a Letter".
Despite not being a UK hit single for Springfield, "Wishin' and Hopin'" was strongly identified with her in the UK public consciousness: she performed the song with the Merseybeats on the 8 August 1964 episode of Ready Steady Go! - actually both acts lip-synched to a track spliced together from their respective versions - and on that show's Sound of Motown edition broadcast 28 April 1965 which Springfield hosted, the only one of her own songs she performed was "Wishin' and Hopin'" with the vocal accompaniment of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas.
Springfield recorded foreign language versions of "Wishin' and Hopin'" in July 1964: in Italian as "Stupido Stupido" - which was a combination of lyrics in Italian and English, the latter being newly written rather than taken from the original song - and in German as "Warten Und Hoffen".
"Wishin' and Hopin'" was also a hit single for Springfield in Australia (#2) and New Zealand (#3).
Bacharach himself recorded a version of "Wishin' and Hopin'", which appeared on his debut Kapp Records album Burt Bacharach Hitmaker! in 1965.
Singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco's rendition of this song is featured over the opening credits of the film, My Best Friend's Wedding. That film, along with the Austin Powers films, is suggested to have led to the renewed popularity of the Bacharach-David catalog.
Australian singer Stephanie McIntosh recorded her version of the song in 2006, and it appears on her debut album Tightrope, but it does not appear on the UK version.
"Wishin' and Hopin'" has also been recorded by Rita Coolidge, the Jody Grind, Brenda Lee and Nancy Sinatra.
Wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'
Plannin' and dreaming each night of his charms
That won't get you into his arms
So if you're lookin' to find love you can share
All you gotta do is
Hold him and kiss him and love him
And show him that you care
Show him that you care just for him
And do the things he likes to do
Wear your hair just for him, 'cause
You won't get him
Thinkin' and a-prayin'
Wishin' and a-hopin'
Just wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'
Plannin' and dreamin' his kiss is the start
That won't get you into his heart
So if you're thinkin' heartbreak
True love is
All you gotta do is
Hold him and kiss him and squeeze him and love him
Yeah, just do it and after you do, you will be his
(You gotta)
Show him that you care just for him
Do the things he likes to do
Wear your hair just for him, 'cause
You won't get him
Thinkin' and a-prayin'
Wishin' and a-hopin'
Just wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'
Plannin' and dreamin' his kiss is the start
That won't get you into his heart
So if you're thinkin' heartbreak
True love is
All you gotta do is
Hold him and kiss him and squeeze him and love him
Yeah, just do it and after you do, you will be his
You will be his
You will be his
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 21-04-2010
![[Image: P00370SO94Y.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drP000/P003/P00370SO94Y.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzhbGaCwBzs
from wikipedia
"Be My Baby" is a 1963 single written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich, performed by the Ronettes and produced by Spector. When released as a single, the song reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Singles Chart and #4 on the UK's Record Retailer. "Be My Baby" also peaked at number four on the R&B chart.
As sung by The Ronettes the song is #22 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1999 it was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2006, the Library of Congress honored their version by adding it to the United States National Recording Registry.
Often cited as the ultimate embodiment of Spector's Wall of Sound, "Be My Baby" is one of the best-known and most enduring songs of its era. Critic Jason Ankeny writes, "No less an authority than Brian Wilson has declared 'Be My Baby' the greatest pop record ever made â no arguments here."
In her autobiography, lead vocalist Ronnie Spector relates that she was on tour with Joey Dee and the Starlighters when "Be My Baby" was introduced by Dick Clark on American Bandstand as the "Record of the Century."
The drums were played by Hal Blaine. Darlene Love and Sonny and Cher were part of the group of guests that provided additional backup vocals.
The song has been covered many times by artists including Andy Kim (a 1970 chart hit produced by Jeff Barry), John Lennon, Graham Bonnet, Johnny Goudie, The Lightning Seeds, the Bay City Rollers, Blue Ãyster Cult, We Are Scientists, Psyched Up Janis, Maroon 5. Glasvegas, Ivy, Linda Ronstadt, Whigfield, Ultima Thule, Charly Garcia for the album "SinfonÃa para adolescentes (Symphonies for Teenagers)" (Sui Generis album), Jason Donovan for the album "Let It Be Me" (2008), Travis and Remi Nicole. Additionally, the opening beat has been appropriated by among others Asia for "Heat of the Moment", the Jesus and Mary Chain for their song "Just Like Honey", Camera Obscura for "Eighties Fan", Bat For Lashes for "What's a Girl To Do?", The Pipettes for "Sex", Deerhunter for "Vox Humana", Deerhunter guitarist Lockett Pundt's solo project, Lotus Plaza, for "Rain Down," Girls for "Ghost Mouth", and Owen Pallett for "Lewis Takes Action".
Brian Wilson considers his song "Don't Worry Baby" (performed by The Beach Boys) to be the 'male answer' to this song. Purportedly, at one time, Wilson is said to have listened to the song in excess of 100 times a day. In 1986, Eddie Money's "Take Me Home Tonight" included the lyrics "Just like Ronnie sang" and Ronnie Spector herself singing part of the chorus to "Be My Baby". Mutya Buena and Amy Winehouse recently recorded a derivative song "B Boy Baby" based around the chorus of the song, for Mutya's debut album Real Girl.
The song is played over the opening credits of the 1973 Martin Scorsese film, Mean Streets, and in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing.
The night we met I knew I needed you so
And if I had the chance I'd never let you go
So won't you say you love me
I'll make you so proud of me
We'll make 'em turn their heads
Every place we go
So won't you please
Be my little baby
Say you'll be my darling
Be my baby now
I'll make you happy, baby
Just wait and see
For every kiss you give me
I'll give you three
Oh, since the day I saw you
I have been waiting for you
You know I will adore you
Till eternity so won't you please
Be my little baby
Say you'll be my darling
Be my baby now
Be my little baby
Say you'll be my darling
Be my baby now
Be my little baby
Ooh, ohh...
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 22-04-2010
![[Image: P23336OB6DF.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drP200/P233/P23336OB6DF.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK62tfoCmuQ
from wikipedia
"Spinning Wheel" is the title of a popular song from 1969 (see 1969 in music) by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. The song was written by band member and vocalist David Clayton-Thomas and appears on their self-titled album.
Released as a single in 1969, "Spinning Wheel" peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July of that year, remaining in the runner-up position for three weeks. In August of that year, the song rose to #1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart, where it would spend two weeks at the summit. In addition, the song reached #45 on the US R&B chart.
"Spinning Wheel" was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 1970 ceremony, winning in the category Best Instrumental Arrangement. The arranger for the song was band member and saxophonist Fred Lipsius. It was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year; the album won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Clayton-Thomas was quoted as describing the song as being "written in an age when psychedelic imagery was all over lyrics...it was my way of saying, 'Don't get too caught up, because everything comes full circle'."
The song ends with the 1815 Austrian tune "O Du Lieber Augustin" ("The More We Get Together" or "Did You Ever See A Lassie?").
Among artists who have covered "Spinning Wheel" are Shirley Bassey, who included the song on her 1970 album Something.
In 1983, Graham & Brown launched an iconic television advertising campaign for their wallpaper Super Fresco, set to the tune of 'Spinning Wheel' (albeit slightly modifying the original phrasing) - "what goes up, must come down. Super Fresco makes it easy, it's by Graham & Brown".
What goes up must come down
spinning wheel got to go round
Talking about your troubles it's a crying sin
Ride a painted pony
Let the spinning wheel spin
You got no money, and you, you got no home
Spinning wheel all alone
Talking about your troubles and you, you never learn
Ride a painted pony
let the spinning wheel turn
Did you find a directing sign
on the straight and narrow highway?
Would you mind a reflecting sign
Just let it shine within your mind
And show you the colours that are real
Someone is waiting just for you
spinning wheel is spinning true
Drop all your troubles, by the river side
Catch a painted pony
On the spinning wheel ride
Someone is waiting just for you
spinning wheel is spinning true
Drop all your troubles, by the river side
Ride a painted pony
Let the spinning wheel fly
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 23-04-2010
![[Image: 200px-Walk_On_By_Dionne_Warwick.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e2/Walk_On_By_Dionne_Warwick.jpg/200px-Walk_On_By_Dionne_Warwick.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO073fekFfA
from wikipedia
"Walk On By" is a song composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David for Dionne Warwick. It was recorded at the same December 1963 session that yielded "Anyone Who Had a Heart", which, in 1964, became Warwick's second Top Ten hit. Released in April of that year, "Walk on By" became a landmark single, reaching number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number one hit Cashbox's R&B chart.(Billboard did not print rhythm and blues charts during 1964, the year of the song's peak performance.) The song also reached the top 10 in a brief run on Billboard's easy listening survey.
Like many of Warwick's 1960s Bacharach-composed singles, "Walk on By" was heavily covered in different ways, some of which gained significant chart success. One notable version was by funk/soul musician Isaac Hayes, whose 1969 cover on his groundbreaking album Hot Buttered Soul was transformed into a twelve-and-a-half minute funk vamp. In 1978, The Stranglers recorded a gritty punk-inspired version that hit #21 on the UK charts. In 1982, funk duo D-Train recorded a US-only R&B hit with the song in a disco/funk cover. In 1990, singer Sybil, who had scored her biggest hit a year prior with a cover of Warwick's "Don't Make Me Over", also scored a US R&B hit with this song.
Warwick also recorded a German version of the song, entitled "Geh Vorbei".
If you see me walkinâ down the street
And I start to cry each time we meet
Walk on by
Walk on by
Make believe
That you donât see the tears, just let me grieve
In private âcause each time I see you
I break down and cry
Walk on by (Donât stop)
Walk on by (Donât stop)
Walk on by
I just canât get over losinâ you
And so if I seem broken and blue
Walk on by
Walk on by
Foolish pride
Is all that I have left, so let me hide
The tears and the sadness you gave me
When you said goodbye
Walk on by (Donât stop)
Walk on by (Donât stop)
Walk on by (Donât stop)
Walk on
Walk on by
Walk on by
Foolish pride
Thatâs all that I have left, so let me hide
The tears and the sadness you gave me
When you said goodbye
Walk on by (Donât stop)
Walk on by (Donât stop)
Now you really gotta go , so walk on by (Donât, donât stop)
Baby, leave, youâll never see the tears I cry (Donât, donât stop)
Now you really gotta go , so walk on by (Donât, donât stop), mmm...mmm...hmm...
Baby, leave, youâll never see the tears I cry (Donât, donât stop)
Now you really gotta go , so walk on by (Donât, donât stop)
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 24-04-2010
![[Image: P10771F8B5E.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drP100/P107/P10771F8B5E.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmdPQp6Jcdk
from wikipedia
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans. The most successful version was recorded by the English rock group The Animals in 1964, which was a number one hit in the United Kingdom, United States, Sweden and Canada.
Like many classic folk ballads, the authorship of "The House of the Rising Sun" is uncertain. Some musicologists say that it is based on the tradition of broadside ballads such as the "Unfortunate Rake" of the 18th century which were taken to America by early settlers. Many of these had the theme of "if only" and after a period of evolution, they emerge as American songs like "Streets of Laredo".
Alan Price of the Animals has claimed that the song was originally a sixteenth-century English folk song about a Soho brothel, and that English emigrants took the song to America where it was adapted to its later New Orleans setting.
Dave Marsh described The Animals' take on "The House of the Rising Sun" as "the first folk-rock hit," sounding "as if they'd connected the ancient tune to a live wire," while writer Ralph McLean of the BBC agreed that "it was arguably the first folk rock tune," calling it "a revolutionary single" after which "the face of modern music was changed forever." Dave Van Ronk claims that this version was based on his arrangement of the song.
The Animals' version transposes the narrative of the song from the point of view of a woman led into a life of degradation, to that of a male, whose father was now a gambler and drunkard, as opposed to the sweetheart in earlier versions.
The Animals had begun featuring their arrangement of "House of the Rising Sun" during a joint concert tour with Chuck Berry, using it as their closing number to differentiate themselves from acts which always closed with straight rockers. It got a tremendous reaction from the audience, convincing initially reluctant producer Mickie Most that it had hit potential, and between tour stops the group went to a small recording studio on Kingsway in London to capture it.
Recorded in just one take on 18 May 1964, it started with a famous electric guitar A minor chord arpeggio by Hilton Valentine. The performance took off with Eric Burdon's lead vocal, which has been variously described as "howling", "soulful", and "deep and gravelly as the north-east English coal town of Newcastle that spawned him." Finally, Alan Price's pulsating organ part (played on a Vox Continental) completed the sound. Burdon later said, "We were looking for a song that would grab people's attention," and they succeeded: "House of the Rising Sun" was a true trans-Atlantic hit, topping both the UK pop singles chart (in July 1964) and the U.S. pop singles chart (two months later in September 1964, when it became the first British Invasion number one unconnected with The Beatles); it was the group's breakthrough hit in both countries and became their signature song. The song was also a hit in a number of other countries.
The Animals' rendition of the song is recognized as one of the classics of the British Invasion. Writer Lester Bangs labeled it "a brilliant rearrangement" and "a new standard rendition of an old standard composition." It ranked number 122 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. It is also one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The RIAA placed it as number 240 on their Songs of the Century list. In 1999 it received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. And besides critical acclaim, it has long since become a staple of oldies and classic rock radio formats. A 2005 Five poll ranked it as Britons' fourth favourite number one song of all time.
As recorded, "House of the Rising Sun" ran four and a half minutes, regarded as far too long for a pop single at the time. Producer Most, who otherwise minimized his role on this occasion — "Everything was in the right place ... It only took 15 minutes to make so I can't take much credit for the production" — nonetheless was now a believer and declared it as a single at its full length, saying "We're in a microgroove world now, we will release it."
In the United States, though, the original single (MGM 13264) was a 2:58 version that sounded as if it had been hastily edited. The MGM Golden Circle reissue (KGC 179) featured the unedited 4:29 version, although the label shows the edited playing time of 2:58. The edited version was included on the group's 1964 U.S. debut album The Animals, while the full version was later included on their best-selling 1966 U.S. greatest hits album The Best of The Animals. However, the very first American release of the full-length version was on a 1965 album of various groups entitled 'Mickie Most Presents British Go-Go' (MGM SE-4306), the cover of which, under the listing of "House Of The Rising Sun," boasted "Original Uncut Version." Americans also had a chance to hear the complete version in the movie 'Go Go Mania' (aka 'Pop Gear') in the spring of 1965.
"House of the Rising Sun" was not included on any of the group's British albums. Rather, it was reissued as a single twice in subsequent decades, charting both times: to number 25 in 1972, and to number 11 in 1982.
The arranging credit went only to Alan Price. According to Burdon, this was simply because there was insufficient room to name all five band members on the record label, and Alan Price's name was first alphabetically. However, this meant that only Price received songwriter's royalties for the hit, a fact that has caused bitterness ever since, especially with Valentine.
There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one
My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new bluejeans
My father was a gamblin' man
Down in New Orleans
Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk
Oh mother tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Rising Sun
Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain
Well, there is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 25-04-2010
![[Image: P21588X65F6.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drP200/P215/P21588X65F6.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lKCUuyojDI
from wikipedia
"Hurdy Gurdy Man" is a song by the Scottish musician Donovan. It was written and recorded in early 1968 and released in May as a single and gave name to the album The Hurdy Gurdy Man, which was released in October of that year. It was later speculated that the song may have also been written about one of Donovan's former colleague, a teenage girl named Dale Hynes. It reached #5 in the U.S. and #4 in the UK pop charts. The song was written for Donovan's old friend and guitar mentor Mac MacLeod. MacLeod was in a Danish band at the time called Hurdy Gurdy. The song features a harder rock sound than Donovan's usual material. It also features an Indian influence with the use of a tambura in it.
In the booklet that came with Donovan's 1992 double CD, Troubadour: The Definitive Collection 1964-1976, Allan Holdsworth and Jimmy Page are listed as the electric guitar players and John Bonham and Clem Cattini as drummers on the recording. However, according to John Paul Jones, who arranged and played bass on the track (and also booked the session musicians), Clem Cattini played the drums and Alan Parker played the electric guitar. The song was an anthem for free-spirited hippies at the time due to its psychedelic sound.
Chart positions were #4 UK Singles Chart; #5 Billboard Pop Singles (US); #3 Cash Box (US).
John Paul Jones, who with Page and Bonham later formed Led Zeppelin, was the musical director for the session. According to drummer Clem Cattini, the musicians who played on the song were:
Donovan - acoustic guitar
John Paul Jones - arrangement, musical director and bass guitar
Alan Parker - electric guitar
Clem Cattini - drums.
The session was produced by Mickie Most and engineered by Eddie Kramer.
In interviews with Keith Altham for the NME and Hit Parader, and Tony Wilson for Melody Maker, Donovan explained he wrote "Hurdy Gurdy Man" as a gift for his friend and early guitar mentor Mac MacLeod. Donovan wanted MacLeod's band Hurdy Gurdy to record it. However, Donovan changed his mind about giving the song as gift and recorded his own version. Donovan claimed in an interview with Little Steven Van Zandt that he had originally hoped Jimi Hendrix would play on the song, but as he was unavailable, Jimmy Page played instead. Page has often been credited as playing electric guitar, which Donovan still maintains: Page, Jones and Cattini assert that it was Parker. Donovan's claim is documented in Hannes Rossacher's 2008 documentary Sunshine Superman: The Journey of Donovan, where he asserts that "Hurdy Gurdy Man" ushered in the Celtic rock sound which would lead to Page, Jones, and Bonham going on to form Led Zeppelin soon afterwards.
Thrown like a star in my vast sleep
I open my eyes to take a peep
To find that I was by the sea
Gazing with tranquillity.
'Twas then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man
Came singing songs of love,
Then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man
Came singing songs of love.
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang.
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang.
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang.
Histories of ages past
Unenlightened shadows cast
Down through all eternity
The crying of humanity.
'Tis then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man
Comes singing songs of love,
Then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man
Comes singing songs of love.
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang.
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy.
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang.
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang.
Here comes the roly poly man and he's singing songs of love,
Roly poly, roly poly, roly poly, poly he sang.
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang,
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, gurdy he sang