
Haiku River running fast Washing away time gone by Smoothing rough edges Copyright © 2022 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved
Haiku River running fast Washing away time gone by Smoothing rough edges Copyright © 2022 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved
Senryu I dive into love Fearless and open to all who might catch me there Copyright © 2022 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved
Today’s Song Lyric Sunday prompts have been suggested by Paula from Light Motifs II. They are Suit, Pants, Dress and Shirt. An old song came to mind. Long Cool Woman by the Hollies. I always liked it because it was so different from what the Hollies had previously recorded and to me it was reminiscent of songs from Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was interesting to see that John Fogerty had also noticed the similarities and had secured an out of court settlement. I hope you enjoy it.
This tale of a government agent and a femme fatale contains one of the classic indecipherable lyrics in rock history. The part after “she was a long cool woman in a black dress” is “just a 5′ 9″ beautiful tall.”
The Distant Light album was out for a year before this song was released as a single. Before the single was released, lead singer Allan Clarke left the group, replaced by Swedish singer Michael Rickfors (another founding member, Graham Nash, left in 1968). After “Long Cool Woman” became a hit in the US, Clarke rethought his solo career and came back. The group released one album with Rickfors, Romany in 1972, before Clarke took back his position.
On the charts, this was a rare miss in the UK, where the Hollies were from and where they had their greatest success. It was surprising, however, how well it did in the US.
This is the only Hollies single without any backing vocals. The reason why Clarke is the only singer on this record is that he didn’t intended the song to be released on a Hollies album, but as a record of his own. When the band learned that he intended to do a solo recording, Clarke was issued an ultimatum – he could either remain with The Hollies or pursue a solo career, but not both. Clarke told Rolling Stone in 1973: “I think with me the band feared that if I got a hit I’d leave. How can you stop destiny? Now, if they originally agreed, I might not even have left. ‘Long Cool Woman’ would have been released a year earlier, and we’d have done a few tours of the States and maybe would have been really big.”
Clarke wrote this song with the Brittish songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. Cook and Greenaway also wrote “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing” by The New Seekers.
Clarke, Cook and Greenaway wrote the song in England about the bootlegging days during the American prohibition era. Cook recalled to The Tennessean that the trio returned to their office after having “had a skinful” and decided it would be fun to write a song about “Prohibition and all the bad people surrounding it.” So they came up with a story about “the FBI raiding and this (woman) singing at the bar. (The narrator) doesn’t want her to get in trouble. So he kind of saves her.”Note to readers outside the UK: A “skinful” is a British term, essentially meaning an amount of alcohol that is enough to make a person drunk.
The song has featured in a number of movies, including the 2000 Walt Disney film Remember The Titans, the 2005 sports prison comedy The Longest Yard and the 2009 supernatural drama The Lovely Bones.
This was used in a 2021 Super Bowl commercial for the sandwich chain Jimmy John’s. In the spot, Brad Garrett plays a mob-like kingpin trying to protect his empire of low-quality meats against the insurgent Jimmy John’s.
For this song, Allan Clarke imitated John Fogerty’s vocal style on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Green River.” The Creedence frontman was unimpressed and secured an out-of-court settlement.
Your presence noticeable
With looks and charm
Engaging those around you, but,
you know that I know who you really are
Ignoring my icy stare you laugh
maybe just a little too loud
so I might hear you having a good time
But that is wasted on me
Sly as a fox and twice as cunning
Strategic in circling your prey
You will likely ensnare an unsuspecting hen
from the coop this night
Your antics are predictable
And yes, my view of you is negative
To me you are, and always will be,
just a big, fat zero
Copyright © 2022 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healings
All Rights Reserved
Word Prompts
Fox - RDP
Negative - FOWC
Zero - Stream of Consciousness
Senryu Thinking of those times When we would lay back and stare at the moon and stars Copyright © 2022 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved
Haiku Lightning cracks the sky Angry and repetitious Giving fair warning Copyright © 2022 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved
The past only an arm’s length away A glimmer of what once was still shines briefly in the darkness where you now reside Savagely robbed of love far too soon A life taken. Snuffed out like a candle Leaving your body paralyzed, unable to move As if limbs had been amputated How can a heart still beat when broken? Thrown so cruelly into the dark corners of the mind where questions will go unanswered Copyright © 2022 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved Grace is hosting Open Link Night at D'Verse Poets
Senryu Across many miles My thoughts must surely reach you As our hearts do speak Copyright © 2022 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved
Good morning and Happy Hump Day! The debate continues with regards to masking up. I’m vaccinated and twice boosted so I have stopped wearing a mask in public, unless of course I’m in a medical facility, and then I respectfully comply. It all makes perfect sense to me. However I am still shocked at some of the behavior I witness. Why argue about it? Do you want to be dead right?.
Poor Vincent here had a good argument!
For Linda G. Hill’s One Liner Wednesday
Haiku Cool morning dewdrops Clinging to blades of young grass Refreshing the day Copyright © 2022 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved