Memphis soul, also known as the Memphis sound, is the most prominent strain of Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn lines, organ, guitar, bass, and a driving beat on the drums.Many of the songs in this style were performed by vocalists backed by the house bands of Stax, Hi and Goldwax Records. Memphis soul sound is different from the Motown sound from Detroit or the lighter sound of Chicago soul. After the rise of disco in the late 1970s, Memphis soul declined in popularity. The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is dedicated to preserving the Memphis sound.
Soul is similar to genres like Motown or Rhythm and Blues but is unique because of its tonality and origin. Memphis musicians Willie Mitchell and Al Green collaborated to produce the basic sound of all soul music to emerge from Memphis.
My pick for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday is an Al Green hit that can still claim popularity decades later. “Let’s Stay Together”
The Song
This song is about an unconditional love where you are determined to stick it out through good times and bad. It’s a very popular wedding song.
Al Green wrote the lyrics to this song; the music was written by Al Jackson Jr., and Willie Mitchell. Jackson is a legendary soul drummer who recorded with Booker T. & the MG’s; Mitchell was Green’s producer. Green did about 100 takes before he got one he liked, and even then he wasn’t sure the song was any good. It was Mitchell who set him straight, telling him it “had magic on it.”
This has appeared in such movies as The Ladies’ Man, On the Line, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Munich. Perhaps the most famous cinematic use of the song was in the scene from the film Pulp Fiction, where it is playing in the background. It’s on the stereo in the bar, where we first confront Bruce Willis’ poker face while Ving Rhames gives him the “pride only hurts” speech. It’s a relatively quiet scene, so the song really has a chance to set the mood.
According to Rolling Stone magazine’s Top 500 songs, after Willie Mitchell gave Al Green a rough mix of a tune he and drummer Al Jackson had developed, Green wrote the lyrics in 5 minutes. However, Green didn’t want to record the song and for two days he argued with Willie Mitchell before finally agreeing to cut it.
Tina Turner’s 1983 cover of this song revitalized her career, returning her to the charts in both the UK and US for the first time for over a decade. After divorcing Ike Turner in 1976 she jumped on the disco trend with solo albums in 1978 and 1979 that went nowhere. In 1982, she released a cover of The Temptations “Ball Of Confusion” that was produced by the B.E.F. production team, which comprises Heaven 17 members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh. Turner and her manager Roger Davies liked this direction and enlisted them for more help
In our interview with Martyn Ware, he recalled: “They said, ‘Would you be interested in writing a song for Private Dancer?’ And I said, ‘Well, we don’t really write for other people.’ We felt a bit self-conscious because we thought that what we did was our particular thing. It wasn’t just an arrogance thing; it was, like, ‘God, how would we start writing a song for Tina Turner?’ Seriously. She was a legend in our eyes. I said, ‘Well, I don’t really feel confident with that, but I really would like to do a cover version, or a couple of cover versions, so we ended up drawing up a shortlist.”
“She was staying in London at the time,” Ware continued, “and the one track I really wanted to do with her was ‘Let’s Stay Together’ because I thought she had turned her back a little bit on her soul roots – she clearly wanted to be a rock singer. I said, ‘Look, as far as I’m concerned Tina, you are still one of the greatest soul singers in the world.’ And I said, ‘What were your influences when you were growing up?’ And she said, ‘Otis Redding, Sam Cooke.’ And I said, ‘How would you feel about “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green?’ And she jumped at the idea.”
Turner had just signed to Capitol Records, which released her version of “Let’s Stay Together” in the UK. With backing vocals by Glenn Gregory and Martyn Ware of Heaven 17 and a modern production touch supplied by B.E.F., the song took off, rising to #6 in December 1983. Issued in the US, the song became a favorite in New York dance clubs and rose to #26 in March 1984. After it hit in the UK, Capitol commissioned a full album, giving Turner two weeks to record what became Private Dancer, which returned Turner to stardom.
The Lyrics
I, I'm I'm so in love with you
Whatever you want to do
Is all right with me
Cause you make me feel so brand new
And I want to spend my life with you
Let me say that since, baby, since we've been together
Loving you forever
Is what I need
Let me, be the one you come running to
I'll never be untrue
Oh baby
Let's, let's stay together
Lovin' you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad
Why, why some people break up
Then turn around and make up
I just can't see
You'd never do that to me (would you, baby)
Staying around you is all I see
(Here's what I want us do)
Let's, we oughta stay together (gether)
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
Come on
Let's stay,(let's stay together) let's stay together
Loving you whether times are good or bad
Writer/s: Al Green, Al Jackson Jr, Willie Mitchell
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
At first glance you’d think this week’s Song Lyric Sunday would be about what is going on right now in Nashville. Instead it is about a movement in country music that began several decades ago.
In the early 1960s, the Nashville Sound began to be challenged by the rival Bakersfield sound on the country side and by the British Invasion on the pop side; compounding these problems were the sudden deaths, in separate airplane crashes, of Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves, two of the Nashville Sound’s biggest stars. Nashville’s pop song structure became more pronounced, and it morphed into what was called Countrypolitan: a smoother sound typified through the use of lush string arrangements with a real orchestra and often background vocals provided by a choir. Countrypolitan was aimed straight at mainstream markets, and its music sold well through the later 1960s into the mid-1970s. Among the architects of this sound were producers Billy Sherrill (who was instrumental in shaping Tammy Wynette’s early career) and Glenn Sutton. Artists who typified the countrypolitan sound initially included Wynette, Charlie Rich, and Charley Pride, along with Los Angeles-based singers Lynn Anderson and Glen Campbell. George Jones’s style of the era successfully fused the countrypolitan sound with the honky-tonk style that had made him famous.
I have chosen a song that has been covered many times over the years by the best of them. This version of Misty Blue by Billy Jo Spears is a great one and it was recorded in Nashville, just as it says on the record label.
The Song
“Misty Blue” is a song written by Bob Montgomery that has been recorded and made commercially successful by several music artists. Although Montgomery wrote the song for a different artist in mind, it was brought first to the attention of Wilma Burgess in 1966. It was recorded by Eddy Arnold the following year, both versions were top 5 Country Hits. A decade later, blues artist Dorothy Moore released the highest-charting version of the song and it reached the top ten in several different radio formats. Following Moore’s revival of the track, numerous artists re-covered the tune, including country artist Billie Jo Spears. Spears’s version would also go on to become a successful single release. Numerous other artists and musicians of different genres have recorded their own versions of “Misty Blue”. The song is now considered both a country music and blues standard.
The revival of “Misty Blue” by Dorothy Moore renewed country artists’ interests in the song. In January 1976, alongside producer Larry Butler, Spears had recently regained success with the help of Butler’s modern production and had major hits with songs like “Blanket on the Ground” and “What I’ve Got in Mind”. After internationally issuing a single, Spears released “Misty Blue” to the American market in May 1976 via United Artists Records. The song would peak within the top five of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that year, becoming Spears’s fourth top-ten single. “Misty Blue” was then issued on Spears’s 1976 studio album entitled What I’ve Got in Mind.
Oh, it's been such a long, long time
Looks like I'd get you off my mind
Oh, but I can't, just the thought of you
Turns my whole world a misty blue
Just the mention of your name
Turns the flicker to a flame
I think of things we used to do
Then my whole world turns misty blue
I should forget you
Heaven knows I tried
But when I say, "I'm glad we're through"
My heart knows I lied
Oh, it's been such a long, long time
Looks like I'd get you off my mind
Oh, but I can't, just the thought of you
Turns my whole world a misty blue
Oh, but I can't, just the thought of you
Turns my whole world a misty blue
The only challenge to this week’s Song Lyric Sunday is to try and NOT pick more than one song. When you are looking at a list of 500 songs, of which many are your own personal favorites, it is easier said than done. Anyway, I failed my own test and I picked two for different reasons.
First I have chosen Brown Eyed Girl by my favorite artist, Van Morrison. It is song that always makes me smile whenever I hear it. All these years later, I never get tired of hearing it.
My second song is Paint it, Black by the Rolling Stones. I think the song is amazing and it brings back a lot of very cool memories.
Song Number 1 – Listed at 109
This was originally called “Brown Skinned Girl,” and was about an interracial relationship. Morrison changed it to “Brown Eyed Girl” to make it more palatable for radio stations. Some stations banned it anyway for the line, “Making love in the green grass.”
This was Morrison’s first release as a solo artist; he was previously with the group Them. The song appeared on his debut solo album Blowin’ Your Mind! and again on his 1973 compilation T.B. Sheets. It’s one of Morrison’s most enduring songs, but he thinks a lot less of it than most of the public. In 2009 he explained to Time magazine: “‘Brown Eyed Girl’ I didn’t perform for a long time because for me it was like a throwaway song. I’ve got about 300 other songs I think are better than that.”
In the third verse, the line, “Making love in the green grass,” was overdubbed with a line from the first verse, “Laughin‚ and a-runnin‚” to make it more radio-friendly. The 1990 Best Of Van Morrison CD released the censored version, apparently by someone unaware that there were two versions.
his was a hit during the “Summer Of Love,” when hippie culture bloomed in the US and the song provided a fitting soundtrack. Morrison, however, wanted nothing to do with this scene and was horrified when the album was released with a psychedelic-looking cover.
The Lyrics
Hey where did we go
Days when the rains came
Down in the hollow
Playin' a new game
Laughing and a running hey, hey
Skipping and a jumping
In the misty morning fog with
Our hearts a thumpin' and you
My brown eyed girl
You're my brown eyed girl
Whatever happened
To Tuesday and so slow
Going down the old mine
With a transistor radio
Standing in the sunlight laughing
Hiding behind a rainbow's wall
Slipping and sliding
All along the water fall, with you
My brown eyed girl
You're my brown eyed girl
Do you remember when we used to sing
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da
Just like that
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da, la te da
So hard to find my way
Now that I'm all on my own
I saw you just the other day
My how you have grown
Cast my memory back there, Lord
Sometime I'm overcome thinking 'bout
Making love in the green grass
Behind the stadium with you
My brown eyed girl
You're my brown eyed girl
Do you remember when we used to sing
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da (lying in the green grass)
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da (bit, bit, bit, bit, bit, bit)
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da (sha la la la la la)
Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da
Writer/s: Van Morrison
Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Kanjian Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
Song Number 2 – Listed at 174
This is written from the viewpoint of a person who is depressed; he wants everything to turn black to match his mood. There was no specific inspiration for the lyrics. When asked at the time why he wrote a song about death, Mick Jagger replied: “I don’t know. It’s been done before. It’s not an original thought by any means. It all depends on how you do it.”
The song seems to be about a lover who died: “I see a line of cars and they’re all painted black” – The hearse and limos. “With flowers and my love both never to come back” – The flowers from the funeral and her in the hearse. He talks about his heart being black because of his loss. “I could not foresee this thing happening to you” – It was an unexpected and sudden death. “If I look hard enough into the setting sun, my love will laugh with me before the morning comes” – This refers to her in Heaven.
The Rolling Stones wrote this as a much slower, conventional soul song. When Bill Wyman began fooling around on the organ during the session doing a takeoff of their original as a spoof of music played at Jewish weddings. Co-manager Eric Easton (who had been an organist), and Charlie Watts joined in and improvised a double-time drum pattern, echoing the rhythm heard in some Middle Eastern dances. This new more upbeat rhythm was then used in the recording as a counterpoint to the morbid lyrics.
On this track, Stones guitarist Brian Jones played the sitar, which was introduced to pop music by The Beatles on their 1965 song Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown). Jones made good television by balancing the instrument on his lap during appearances.
Keith Richards explained how this song came together: “We were in Fiji for about three days. They make sitars and all sorts of Indian stuff. Sitars are made out of watermelons or pumpkins or something smashed so they go hard. They’re very brittle and you have to be careful how you handle them. We had the sitars, we thought we’d try them out in the studio. To get the right sound on ‘Paint It Black’ we found the sitar fitted perfectly. We tried a guitar but you can’t bend it enough.”
On the single, there is a comma before the word “black” in the title, rendering it, “Paint It, Black.” This of course changes the context, implying that a person named “Black” is being implored to paint. While some fans interpreted this as a statement on race relations, it’s far more likely that the rogue comma was the result of a clerical error, something not uncommon in the ’60s.
Mick Jagger on the song’s psychedelic sound: “That was the time of lots of acid. It has sitars on it. It’s like the beginnings of miserable psychedelia. That’s what the Rolling Stones started – maybe we should have a revival of that.”
Last week at Song Lyric Sunday we had songs by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees. This week we are picking songs by artists who never made it into The Hall of Fame, but in our humble opinion, they should have been.
I found quite an extensive list of artists who, as yet, have not made it. It was really quite shocking that so many influential musicians were not already in there. Check out those artists here and see what you think.
Anyway, on this list there was a funny story about Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers.
Gregg Allman’s relationship with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is unique. He was drunk for just about every part of the process when the Allman Brothers Band was inducted in 1995, including the ceremony itself. “It should have been the greatest week of my life,” he later wrote in My Cross to Bear, “but instead I hit an all-time low.” The experience was so profound that it prompted Allman to seek professional help and finally overcome his addiction once and for all. Allman released eight albums before his death in 2017 and has been eligible for solo induction since 2012, but has not been nominated.
So in honor and memory of the great Gregg Allman I am choosing the song Midnight Rider, He performs it here with guests Vince Gill and Zac Brown.
The Song
“Midnight Rider” was Gregg Allman’s signature song, describing how he continued on in the face of obstacles. He wrote the song, but shared the songwriting credit with Kim Payne, a roadie for the band who came up with the classic line, “The road goes on forever.”
After he wrote this song, Gregg Allman wanted to start recording it right away, so with the help of Kim Payne, who was guarding their equipment, he broke into the band’s Macon, Georgia recording studio in the middle of the night and went to work, figuring he should get some tracks down before he forgot them.
This first appeared on the second Allman Brothers album, Idlewild South, but it wasn’t released as a single. The song became a live favorite and one very identifiable with Gregg, so when he recorded his first solo album, Laid Back, in 1973, he recorded a new version of this song and released it as a single. It became his biggest hit as a solo artist, charting at #19 US.
A 1976 reggae version by the Jamaican singer Paul Davidson reached #10 in the UK. This song can be heard in the movie Unbreakable when Bruce Willis’s character is lifting weights.
In 2013, this was used by Geico in a commercial for their motorcycle insurance. The spot, titled “Money Man,” shows a rider literally made of money cruising while the song plays. The Allman Brothers are certainly popular with the biker crowd, but those familiar with the band found the ad in poor taste, as both Duane Allman and Berry Oakley died in motorcycle accidents.
On June 7, 2017, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Derek Trucks and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum paid tribute to Gregg Allman, who died on May 27, by opening the CMT Music Awards with a performance of this song.
Willie Nelson recorded this for the 1979 movie The Electric Horseman. His version went to #6 on the Country chart in 1980.
Well, I've got to run to keep from hiding
And I'm bound to keep on riding
And I've got one more silver dollar
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
Not gonnna let 'em catch the midnight rider
And I don't own the clothes I'm wearing
And the road goes on forever
And I've got one more silver dollar
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
Not gonna let 'em catch the midnight rider
And I've gone by the point of caring
Some old bed I'll soon be sharing
And I've got one more silver dollar
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
Not gonna let 'em catch the midnight rider
No, I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
Not gonna let 'em catch the midnight rider
No, I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
I'm not gonna let 'em catch the midnight rider
No, I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
I'm not gonna let 'em catch the midnight rider
Writer/s: Gregg Allman, Robert Kim Payne
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
This week it is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and songs by an inducted artist. Jim Adams from Song Lyric Sunday shared a list of artists and songs for us to choose from. Well, there was my problem I had a list of at least ten picks and I found it impossible to choose just one. I started watching some youtube videos which made it even more difficult and then suddenly there on the right hand side was USA/Africa and We Are The World. Brilliant! There it was. One song with numerous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists performing. So that is my selection for today. I always loved the song and it still gives me goosebumps to see them all together performing. Produced and conducted by the great Quincy Jones, also in in the RRHOF. Warning the story behind the song and recording is long but worth the read just for all the celebrity goings on!
The Song – A long read but worth it!
This was a benefit single for victims of famine in Africa. It raised over $60 Million, which was distributed to Ethiopia, Sudan, and other impoverished countries.
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote this song, and Quincy Jones produced it. This talented trio was perfect for the job: Quincy Jones was the hottest producer around, and his Rolodex (what would now be a contact list) was filled with the biggest names in music; Richie had written songs that went to #1 on the Hot 100 each of the previous seven years (“We Are The World” made it eight); Michael Jackson had the biggest album of 1984 with Thriller (produced by Jones) and was the biggest star in the world.
The USA For Africa project began as an idea calypso singer Harry Belafonte had for a benefit concert featuring black musicians. In late December 1984, looking for artists to participate, Belafonte called Ken Kragen, who managed an impressive roster of talent, including Lionel Richie. Kragen convinced Belafonte that they could raise more money and make a bigger impact with an original song; Belafonte agreed and Richie came on board to help. Kragen asked Quincy Jones to produce, and Jones enlisted Michael Jackson. Richie got Stevie Wonder involved, and from there, word got out and many members of the music industry signed on to help. The project from conception to recording took about a month.
This all-star charity single was modeled on Band Aid, the British group Bob Geldof put together the year before to record “Do They Know It’s Christmas?.” Band Aid, which included Bono, Phil Collins, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and Sting, served as a template, showing how a disparate group of famous artists could come together in one day to record a song.
This was recorded at A&M Studios in Los Angeles on January 28, 1985, the night of the American Music Awards, which was held at the nearby Shrine Auditorium. Since the artists were all in town for the awards, it was much easier to get them together to record the single.
The stars who sang solos were, in order, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Billy Joel, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Michael Jackson (again), Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, and Kim Carnes. Bob Dylan and Ray Charles were also featured on the song and given close-ups in the video.
Harry Belafonte, who had the original idea for the project, was in the chorus but didn’t get a solo, joining Bette Midler, Smokey Robinson, The Pointer Sisters, LaToya Jackson, Bob Geldof, Sheila E., and Waylon Jennings as backing singers.
Prince was asked to join the project and Quincy Jones expected him to be there, but he didn’t show. This could be because he had a policy against recording with other acts, or because an incident with his bodyguards demanded his attention. He did make a contribution, donating an exclusive track called “4 The Tears In Your Eyes” to the follow-up benefit album, which was also called We Are The World.
The 7-inch single (the radio version) runs 6:22; a 12-inch single running 7:19 was also released. Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie had to make the song this long to accommodate as many vocalists as they could – it was balance between getting as many star solos in and keeping it short enough for airplay.
Quincy Jones was responsible for managing the egos of all the stars. It went very smoothly considering some very famous people did not get to sing a line. Most of the singers knew Jones personally and respected his wishes that they check their egos at the door.
Before the session began, Jones decided where everyone would stand. He put tape on the floor with each singer’s name on it. There was a “no egos” policy, but Jones extended certain courtesies, like putting Diana Ross in the front row.
Richie came up with the “We are the world, we are the children” line, and Jackson wrote most of the other lyrics, which are about how helping those in need benefits the giver (“We’re saving our own lives”). This kind of compassionate songwriting would show up in Jackson’s later work on tracks like “You Are Not Alone” and “Heal The World.
“The song has just two verses and follows a basic structure of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus, but in the “Hey Jude” model, that last chorus goes on for a while, with Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen the featured voices.
There are seven vocalists on the first verse, but just three on the second; most of the solos come during lines of the chorus. Musically, the song isn’t all that interesting, but that helps draw attention to the singers, and the barrage of distinct voices carries it home.
This won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
The single exceeded expectations in terms of sales. Released on March 7, 1985, 800,000 copies were originally shipped, and they sold out the first weekend. Thanks to the wide array of star power, radio stations across a variety of formats put the song in rotation, and MTV gave the video plenty of airplay. The single went to #1 in the US on April 13, where it stayed for four weeks. In the UK, it hit the top spot on April 20 and stayed for two weeks.
The song was also a #1 R&B hit, topping that chart on May 4 and staying for two weeks. The recording session for the vocals (Quincy Jones recorded the instrumental tracks beforehand) took about 12 hours, which is very efficient considering the scope of the project. Since the recording took place after the American Music Awards, it served as a de facto after party, with the artists mingling and in some cases exchanging autographs. By 8 a.m. the next morning, all of the performers had left except for Lionel Richie, who was still there with Jones.
This project was very much an American effort, which makes sense considering it was recorded the night of the American Music Awards. The moniker “USA for Africa” made it clear that it was America’s answer to Band Aid, and it showed that famine in Africa was an international concern. The only vocalist to participate who wasn’t American was Bob Geldof, who that summer organized Live Aid with stages in London and Philadelphia.
Billy Joel (from Rolling Stone magazine, December 15, 2005): “Most of us who were there didn’t like the song, but nobody would say so. I think Cyndi Lauper leaned over to me and said, ‘It sounds like a Pepsi commercial.’ And I didn’t disagree.”
As envisioned by Harry Belafonte, USA for Africa was going to be an effort by African-Americans to help Africans in need, and the first group of artists who signed on were black. When Bruce Springsteen came on board, it gave the project greater cultural and musical diversity, as more rock artists joined in. It also modeled a selfless spirit: Springsteen finished up the North American leg of his Born In The U.S.A. tour the night before in Syracuse New York, flew to Los Angeles the next day and drove himself to the studio, bypassing the American Music Awards.
According to Ken Kragen, Springsteen helped quell tensions in the studio, as the rockers weren’t happy with the song and concerned about their credibility. Springsteen refused to take sides, and led by example with his wholehearted participation.
Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie recorded a demo with the chorus and solos that was put to tape and distributed to the artists so they would know what to sing in the studio. Many hadn’t had a chance to listen to it and heard the song for the first time when they showed up.
In his verse, Willie Nelson misquotes the Bible when he sings, “As God has shown us by turning stones to bread.” Matthew 4 tells us that the devil tried to get Jesus to turn some stones into bread, but the Son of God refused, saying, “Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
The session bogged down in the wee hours when Michael Jackson suggested they add some African-sounding vocals after each chorus line. Stevie Wonder chimed in with the idea that they add some lines in Swahili. Ray Charles – the only guy who could pull rank on Jackson and Wonder – put a stop to it, telling Quincy Jones to “ring the bell,” meaning to move on.
Huey Lewis was supposed to be just part of the chorus, but he got his line because Prince didn’t show up. Describing his good fortune to be part of the project, Lewis said, “I was a lucky son of a bitch to be there. Thank God I had a lot of hit records, because I wouldn’t have been there any other way.”
Lewis spent most of the session next to Michael Jackson, whose line came before Huey’s. Lewis recalls that Quincy Jones called Jackson “Smelly” because he was always so clean.
To create the instrumental tracks, Quincy Jones used many of the same musicians he employed on Thriller, including Greg Phillinganes (keyboards), John Robinson (drums), Michael Boddicker (synthesizers), Paulinho da Costa (percussion), Louis Johnson (bass), Steve Porcaro (synthesizers) and David Paich (synthesizers). Michael Omartian was also a key contributor, credited on keyboards and sometimes listed as a producer.
According to Quincy Jones, Cyndi Lauper was the only artist who caused a disruption during this song – her bracelets were rattling next to the microphone as she was singing. Jones said in a 2018 Vulture interview: “She had a manager come over to me and say, ‘The rockers don’t like the song.’ I know how that s–t works. We went to see Springsteen, Hall & Oates, Billy Joel, and all those cats and they said, ‘We love the song.’ So I said [to Lauper], ‘Okay, you can just get your s–t over with and leave.’ And she was f–king up every take because her necklace or bracelet was rattling in the microphone. It was just her that had a problem.”
Dan Aykroyd was in the chorus. He was a singer in the semi-fictional band The Blues Brothers, but was invited to represent the movie industry.
With very few exceptions (Ray Charles was allowed to bring his guide), only performers and crew members were allowed in the studio, with family members, friends and associates dispatched to another room (even Billy Joel’s fiancée, Christie Brinkley, wasn’t allowed in). This meant there was no buffer between the superstars, many of whom had never met.
The biggest star not to get an invite was Madonna, whose Like A Virgin album was rocketing up the chart and hit #1 two weeks after “We Are The World” was recorded. We’re guessing this made for some awkward conversations at the American Music Awards, where she was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. “Where’s the party?”… “Uh, we’re all kind of tired so I guess everyone is going home to sleep.”
John Oates said of his memories of recording this song: “It was really interesting and unique. Who knows, it may never happen again in history. You have some of the world’s greatest singers in one room. We ran the song down once. The next thing you knew they ran the tape back and it was goosebump time. It was an amazing experience.”
Richie and Jackson had grand musical ambitions for this song: they listened to national anthems from various countries before writing it. “We put all that into a pot in our heads and came up with a rhythm that sounded familiar, like a world anthem,” Richie told USA Today. “We wanted people to feel like it was a familiar song.”
On April 5, 1985 (Good Friday), many radio stations around the world played this song simultaneously at 10:50 a.m. EST. This effort was led by disc jockeys in Salt Lake City, Utah and Rome, Georgia.
The song is included on an album called We Are The World, featuring songs by The Pointer Sisters, Steve Perry, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Chicago, Tina Turner, Kenny Rogers and Huey Lewis & The News. Also on the album is “Tears Are Not Enough” by Northern Lights, a collaboration of Canadian artists to do their part for the cause. Performers on that one include Anne Murray, Bryan Adams, Geddy Lee, Gordon Lightfoot, John Candy, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Paul Shaffer.
This wasn’t the first time Quincy Jones assembled a celebrity chorus: For Donna Summer’s 1982 track “State of Independence,” he brought in Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, James Ingram, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick and Stevie Wonder, all of whom appeared on “We Are The World.”
Lionel Richie hosted the American Music Awards the night this song was recorded, and picked up five awards at the ceremony, including Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist. He closed the telecast with a plea, saying: “Take time right now to feel all the other people of the world who are in trouble tonight. Since we have so many beautiful people watching tonight, I want you to know that the world is in trouble, and there are people crying out for your help.”
Richie had to be at rehearsals for the show at 10 a.m., so he was delirious by the time “We Are The World” sessions got going.
Michael Jackson, nominated for three awards, skipped the ceremony and went to the studio early to get a head start.
A 30-minute video detailing the making of this song called We Are The World – The Video Event was sold on VHS, with proceeds going to USA for Africa. A DVD was issued in 2004, this time with extras like a Karaoke track, Michael Jackson’s guide vocal, and solo tracks from Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.
On the Philadelphia Live Aid stage, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick and Harry Belafonte joined Cher, Melissa Manchester and Sheena Easton on stage to perform this song as the closing number. On the London stage, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was the final song.
The USA for Africa organization is run by Ken Kragen, who helped bring the project together. As an artist manager, Kragen handles lots of logistics, which makes him well suited for the position. It took a while for royalties from “We Are The World” to roll in, which gave Kragen and his staff time to plan. They focused on providing food and supplies to organizations that had demonstrated a commitment to the cause, and has shown that they could use the donations effectively. Conversely, Bob Geldof’s distributions from Live Aid have come under scrutiny, as Spin magazine reported that donations were used to fund a brutal dictator.
USA for Africa didn’t end with “We Are The World”; Kragen kept it going and in 1986 organized Hands Across America, which asked people to link hands, forming a human chain across the county in an effort to aid America’s homeless. The event was promoted during the Super Bowl that year in a commercial featuring Bill Cosby and Lily Tomlin, who explained: “Last year we were all moved by ‘We Are The World,’ and together we raised millions for African famine relief. But now we’re going to get together for America.”
Hands Across America had its own theme song, but it was written by jingle writers and sung by studio singers. When the event officially started, participants sang “We Are The World,” followed by “America The Beautiful” and ending with the “Hands Across America” song.
The USA for Africa organization continues to operate, largely funded by royalties from “We Are The World.”
Unlike “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” which comes around every holiday season, “We Are The World” was rarely played once it faded. The song wasn’t supposed to have staying power though: it was written to inspire specific action at a specific time, and it accomplished that goal.
On January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by a earthquake, which devastated the country and resulted in a death toll of approximately 200,000. A new version of the song was recorded on February 1, 2010 to raise funds for the stricken Haitians.
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie’s original version included “sha-lum sha-lingay” at the end of the chorus. Some participants were unhappy with the nonsense words, so Stevie Wonder suggested a Swahili phrase, “willi moing-gu.” That touched off a heated debate, leading Waylon Jennings to walk out of the session, reportedly saying, “No good old boy sings in Swahili.”
The artists eventually sang the line, “One world, our children,” which most were happy with.
It’s unclear if Jennings returned to the studio and took part in the recording. His name is in the end credits as part of the chorus, though he does not sing a solo line.
There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can't go on
Pretending day-by-day
That someone, somewhere soon make a change
We're all a part of God's great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me
Oh, send them your heart
So they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
Oh, there's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me
When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well let us realize
Oh, that a change can only come
When we stand together as one, yeah, yeah, yeah
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and mee
We are the world (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day, so let's start giving (so let's start giving)
There is a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me
Oh, let me hear you!
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (said we are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let start giving (so let's start giving)
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, come on now, let me hear you
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, yeah
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)
There's a choice we're making
And we're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world, we are the world (are the world)
We are the children, yes sir (are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, ooh-hoo!
We are the world (dear God) (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let's start giving (all right, can you hear what I'm saying?)
There's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives
Writer/s: Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
I guess the older we get the more we think about things like this. Funeral Songs. Have you ever? A few years back I remember visiting my family back in the UK and my cousins were remarking on a time when they had all got together and after several drinks discussed their own funeral songs. I thought that was hilarious as it was something that had never occurred to me. Fast forward a few years and now I seem to hear about it all the time. It certainly got me thinking and so I was very prepared for today’s Song Lyric Sundayprompt, provided by Di from the blog Pensitivity 101. In fact I am sharing at least two that I would appreciate being played at my funeral. I can’t wait to see what everyone picks today.
The First Song – Dust In The Wind
Kansas guitarist Kerry Livgren wrote this after reading a book of Native American poetry. The line that caught his attention was, “For all we are is dust in the wind.”
This got him thinking about the true value of material things and the meaning of success. The band was doing well and making money, but Kerry realized that in the end, he would eventually die just like everyone else. No matter our possessions or accomplishments, we all end up back in the ground.
Kerry Livgren wrote this song when he was under pressure to write a follow-up to the group’s hit, “Carry On Wayward Son.” While playing his acoustic guitar exercises, his wife suggested that putting lyrics to the patterns would yield his hit song. “I didn’t think it was a Kansas-type song,” he told Bruce Pollock. “She said, ‘Give it a try anyway.’ Several million records later, I guess she was right.”
Kansas was almost done writing and rehearsing the Point of Know Return album when their producer, Jeff Glixman, asked if they had any more songs. Livgren reluctantly played this song for his bandmates on acoustic guitar, insisting they wouldn’t like it because it was notKansas. To his surprise, they loved the song and insisted they record it. Livgren then fought against his own song, but was overruled. “Dust In The Wind” became their biggest hit, but Livgren never did think very highly of it. “I tend to like the more bombastic things, like ‘The Wall,’ he said in his interview with Pollock.
This slow, acoustic song was not typical of Kansas, whose previous singles included “Carry On My Wayward Son” and “Point Of Know Return.” It put the band in the position of having their best-known song be one that doesn’t reflect their sound
The phrase “dust in the wind” shows up in the Bible: You are dust, and to dust you shall return Genesis, 3:17-19
Kerry Livgren became an evangelical Christian in 1980. He says of his songwriting in the ’70s, “I was only expressing my own searching for something,” adding, “If you look at my lyrics, even ‘Dust in the Wind’ is a song about the transitory nature of our physical lives. That falls under the umbrella heading of God.”
This was the second big hit for Kansas, following “Carry On My Wayward Son.” With two hits under their belt, they were able to headline arena rock shows into the late ’70s. Later hits for the band include “Play the Game Tonight” (1982, #17 US) and “All I Wanted” (1986, #19 US).
In the movie Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill and Ted go back in time and share philosophy with Socrates, who is impressed when Ted, played by Keanu Reeves philosophizes “All we are is dust in the wind.” This was the first acoustic Kansas song, and perhaps the most famous acoustic rock song ever recorded. It crossed over to a variety of formats, as Rock, Country, and Adult Contemporary radio statins all played it.
I close my eyes, only for a moment,
and the moment's gone
All my dreams pass before my eyes,
a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind
Same old song, just a drop of water
in an endless sea
All we do crumbles to the ground though
we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Oh, ho, ho
Now, don't hang on, nothing lasts forever
but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
The wind
Writer/s: Kerry Livgren
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
The Second Song – Into The Mystic
This is about a sailor at sea thinking about returning to his lover, who is back on land. Normally a foghorn signals danger, but in this case it means he is close to home and his love.
There is room for interpretation beyond the superficial meaning. It might be interpreted as expressing an understanding that life is finite (the ship sailing on its round trip) and must be lived to its fullest (“I want to rock your Gypsy soul”), and an acceptance of its inevitable end (“We will magnificently float into the mystic, when the foghorn blows I will be coming home”). When you have seen the world and loved someone, you should have no reason to fear the end because you have lived your life to the fullest. >> The original title was “Into the Misty.”
According to Morrison, he couldn’t decide whether the first line should be “We were born before the wind” or “We were borne before the wind.”
This was played in the 1989 Mary Stuart Masterson movie Immediate Family. She played a woman who was young and pregnant and planning to give her baby to Glenn Close and James Woods, who couldn’t have a baby of their own.
According to a BBC survey, because of this song’s cooling, soothing vibe, this is one of the most popular songs for surgeons to listen to whilst performing operations.
Jen Chapin, the daughter of Cat’s In The Cradle singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, covered this on her 2008 CD Light of Mine.
The Lyrics
We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won
As we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic
And when that foghorn blows
I will be coming home
And when the foghorn blows
I wanna hear it
I don't have to fear it
And I wanna rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And magnificently we will float into the mystic
When that foghorn blows
You know I will be coming home
And when that foghorn whistle blows
I gotta hear it
I don't have to fear it
And I wanna rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will float into the mystic
Come on, girl
Too late to stop now
Writer/s: Van Morrison
Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
As my blog is named Poetry for Healing you could say I have an understanding of expression and the need to use poetry as a way of sharing one’s deepest thoughts. I love the written word and I particularly like song lyrics. So when I hear the usual refrain of “I can’t stand Rap” or having it referred to as “Crap”, I get a little sensitive. Rap, depending on who you ask, stands for Rhythm and Poetry or you will have some who will tell you Rapping is another word for conversing or chatting. People used to share their stories of frustration, pain and anger with a need to vent and communicate it for their sanity. A little like some of my poetry. So I am very happy it is Rap and Hip Hop week at Song Lyric Sunday today.
I have chosen a song by Eminem called “Lose Yourself” which is so brilliant it won him an Oscar for the 2002 movie 8 Mile. It was a great movie.
The Song
This song is featured in Eminem’s first movie, 8 Mile. The movie is loosely based on Eminem’s life; he grew up in a poor Detroit neighborhood and followed his dream of rap stardom. The movie got very good reviews as Eminem turned out to be a surprisingly good actor.
With “Lose Yourself,” Eminem had to figure out a way to authentically express himself under the guise of a fictional character. “Because the movie is not me, the movie is Jimmy Smith Jr. So I’m playing this character, but I have to make parallels between my life and his, in this song. I gotta figure out how to reach a medium. It would sound so corny if I was just rapping as Jimmy Smith Jr. How is that going to come from a real place?” he explained on Genius.
“If I’m telling you that my daughter doesn’t have diapers, I need this amount of money to pay my bills this month, and it’s some real s–t I’m telling you, then you know that it’s just coming from me. That was the trick I had to figure out – how to make the rhyme sound like him, and then morph into me somehow, so you see the parallels between his struggles and mine.”
On the movie set, Eminem had a trailer where he could record songs for the movie during breaks in filming. He wrote this in character as B. Rabbit, who he played in 8 Mile. Writing in character was nothing new for Eminem, as he had previously written songs as his alter ego, Slim Shady. The track had been around for over a year before Eminem pulled it off a CD and decided to work off the beat. He had his musicians mold the beat around his vocals.
This song is highly produced and heavily layered. In addition to several vocal tracks, there are horns, woodwinds, strings, keyboards, drums, and sound effects all over the track. When the movie studio released the first trailers, this song did not exist, so they used “Cleanin Out My Closet,” which the studio wanted to feature in the movie. Eminem thought that song was too personal for the movie, which was one reason he was so determined minsto write something that fit the character.
The 8 Mile soundtrack was part of a very successful run for Eminem. While overall album sales were declining due to high CD prices and Internet piracy, this soundtrack and Eminem’s album The Eminem Show were selling millions of copies. Rapper 50 Cent, who also appeared on the soundtrack, was the next big music success story. He also sold millions of albums after signing a deal with Eminem and Dr. Dre’s Shady/Aftermath Records and releasing Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
Oh, and the movie went to #1 at the box office, eventually taking in over $240 million. For a week in November Eminem had both the #1 movie and song, a feat previously accomplished only by Prince, who did it with Purple Rain and “When Doves Cry” in 1984.
Eminem performed this at the 2003 Grammy Awards with The Roots backing him up. He won the Best Rap Album award that year for The Eminem Show. It was the only rap or R&B award presented during the telecast, as the other awards in those categories were given out before they went on the air. This didn’t go over well in the rap community, especially since the award for Best Comedy Album (won by Robin Williams) was given out during the show.
This won an Oscar for Best Song From A Movie, beating out songs by Paul Simon and U2. It was a bold choice for the academy, who usually pick fairly tame songs by Randy Newman, Sting, or Elton John. Barbra Streisand announced the award, and seemed surprised and happy that Eminem won.
Eminem did not perform at the Oscars or show up to accept his award because they wanted him to sing the “radio friendly” version and he wanted to sing the song as written and let the censors edit the language. It was the first winning song not performed on The Oscars since it has been televised. Luis Resto, who co-produced the track, accepted the award in Em’s stead.
Unlike most rap songs, this uses a guitar playing power chords.
The line, “Best believe somebody’s paying the pied piper” is a reference to traditional German story The Pied Piper of Hamelin. The piper was hired to help the village with their rat problem. When they didn’t pay, he left with the town’s children.
Mekhi Phifer, who is mentioned in the lyrics, is an actor who starred with Eminem in the movie 8 Mile.
Weird Al Yankovic did a parody of this called “Couch Potato” on his album Poodle Hat, his first album in four years. Eminem let him do the song, but wouldn’t let Weird Al make a video for it or release it as a single because he was worried about his image. Al thought this was odd considering how much Eminem makes fun of people in his videos. The parody makes fun of people who watch too much TV. This won a Grammy for Best Rap Song of 2003.
With a 12-week run at #1 on the Hot 100, this song is the most commercially successful Oscar-winning tune.
In 2015, a Washington D.C. judge quoted from this song in passing sentence. Twenty-year-old twins Christopher and Christina Lucas were convicted by a jury of a horrific unprovoked 2013 attack on a man in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, apparently because he was homosexual. Prosecutors asked for 15 years, but Superior Court Judge Yvonne Williams told the pair:
“It’s like, you only get one shot. And his one shot is that he had to – you know, it’s in the movie 8 Mile… the rap has to be so good. You only get one shot.”
Williams called it “the most inspirational song.”
She sentenced them each to a year in jail under the Youth Act. Shortly after their release, they were back behind bars, Christopher Lucas for making verbal threats, and his sister for obstructing his arrest.
New Zealand’s National Party were found guilty on October 24, 2017 of ripping off this song in a TV election ad entitled “Eminem Esque.” A High Court judge in the country ordered the party to pay $600,000 (£314,000) plus interest to the rapper’s publisher. The commercial was run 186 times in the party’s 2014 election campaign and can be found here.
Em’s anecdote about barfing up his mom’s spaghetti turned into copypasta (yes, really), a type of bait-and-switch meme that begins under the guise of a personal story but leads into song lyrics or another joke ending. The “Lose Yourself” meme originated in the early 2000s in the 4chan community, where a user would start detailing an awkward experience only to drop the lyrics:
Palms are sweaty Knees weak, arms are heavy Vomit on my sweater already Mom’s spaghetti
Oodles of image-based gags followed that Photoshopped platefuls of pasta into photos of the rapper. The meme went mainstream when YouTuber Jay’s Green Stuff created a video of Em singing almost entirely about mom’s spaghetti.
Eminem made a surprise appearance at the Oscars in 2020, performing “Lose Yourself” to cap off a tribute to songs that have become associated with movies. Backed by an orchestra, he sang the original lyric and was censored repeatedly. After the performance, he tweeted: “Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity… Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here.”
The image of Em barfing up his mom’s spaghetti is rather unappetizing, but it launched a brand controlled by the rapper. In 2017, Eminem opened a pop-up restaurant called Mom’s Spaghetti at the Detroit music club The Shelter; the following year it was sold at festivals he played. In 2020, servings were delivered to frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On September 29, 2021, Eminem showed up for the grand opening of the Mom’s Spaghetti restaurant in downtown Detroit, serving fans who had been waiting in line for hours. It’s far from gourmet: The spaghetti is cooked the day before, then reheated so it tastes like leftovers; the sauce is from scratch but made to taste like it comes from a jar. An Eminem merch shop opened upstairs.
Eminem performed this at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2022, joined by Dr. Dre, along with Anderson .Paak on drums. After his set, he took a knee in support of Colin Kaepernick’s famous protest.
In the video below Eminem’s live performance at the 2020 Oscars begins at around 3.35 minutes.
I am so happy it is Disco Week at Song.Lyric Sunday, hosted by Jim Adams! I think I was born for Disco and I could never get enough of it. Music and lyrics you could dance to, so I was in my element. For my pick today I have chosen “Off The Wall” by Michael Jackson from the album of the same name. I played this album so much I think I wore the grooves out of the vinyl. To me this was Michael Jackson at his best.
Have a great Disco Sunday.
The Song
This was written by Rod Temperton, a British musician who was the primary songwriter and keyboard player in the band Heatwave. Quincy Jones was impressed with the Heatwave song “Boogie Nights,” so he had Temperton write some songs for Jackson. Temperton came through with “Rock With You” and “Off The Wall” for the future King of Pop. On Jackson’s next album, Temperton contributed “Thriller,” once again providing the title track.
The Off The Wall album sold over 10 million copies and make Michael Jackson the first solo artist with four US Top 10 hits from the same album. In addition to the title track, “Rock With You” (#1), “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (#1), and “She’s Out Of My Life” (#10) also made the Top 10.
Jackson’s appearance started to change shortly after the album was released, as he started his run of plastic surgery. By the time Off The Wall was reissued in 2001, Jackson looked nothing like his former self, and the cover used just the image of his feet.
Can you even count the honors this album received? Rolling Stone‘s “500 greatest albums of all time,” #68. NARM’s “definitive 200 albums of all time,” #80. Inducted into the Grammy hall of fame, 2008. Won three American Music Awards, one Billboard Music Award, and as mentioned, one Grammy. Rave reviews sang its praises, then and now. Multi-platinum seller in Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, and the US.
In the lyrics, “9 to 5” represents the canonical office work hours. Already a popular expression in the ’70s and ’80s, it was often used in songs to delineate the workday slog from the fun and excitement the evening offered (see: “Lady Marmalade“). The working-class comedy film 9 to 5, released in 1980, made it even more popular. These days, flexible schedules and overtime have made the hours far less typical.
MJ trivia time: Can you name all of Michael Jackson’s siblings? They are (in birth order) Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Randy, and Janet – Janet being the only one junior to Michael. Here’s a mnemonic for those names: “Red jam tastes just like my raspberry jelly jam.” OK, that’s silly, but you’d remember it now, right?
When the world is on your shoulder
Gotta straighten up your act and boogie down
If you can't hang with the feelin'
Then there ain't no room for you this part of town
'Cause we're the party people night and day
Livin' crazy that's the only way
So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself, c'mon
Groove, let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all
If you live it off the wall
Life ain't so bad at all (live life off the wall)
Live your life off the wall (live it off the wall)
You can shout out all you want to
'Cause there ain't no sin in folks all getting loud
If you take the chance and do it
There there ain't no one who's gonna put you down
'Cause we're the party people night and day
Livin' crazy that's the only way
So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself, c'mon
Groove, let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all
If you live it off the wall
Life ain't so bad at all (live life off the wall)
Live your life off the wall (live it off the wall)
Do what you want to do
There ain't no rules it's up to you (ain't no rules it's all up to you)
It's time to come alive
And party on right through the night (all right)
Gotta hide your inhibitions
Gotta let that fool loose deep inside your soul
Want to see an exhibition
Better do it now before you get too old
'Cause we're the party people night and day
Livin' crazy that's the only way
So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself, c'mon
Groove, let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all
If you live it off the wall
Life ain't so bad at all (live life off the wall)
Live your life off the wall (live it off the wall)
So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself
C'mon and groove (yeah) and let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all
If you live it off the wall
Tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf (living off the wall)
And just enjoy yourself
(Living off the wall)
C'mon and groove (yeah) and let the madness in the music get to you
(Living off the wall)
Life ain't so bad at all
Writer/s: Rodney Lynn Temperton
Publisher: Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
As the old Virginia Slims cigarette commercial said, “You’ve come a long way baby”. This week, Song Lyric Sunday host Jim Adams, has prompted us to write about Girl Groups. The early 60s was a bonanza period for girl groups like the Marvelettes, The Shangri Las, The Supremes, The Dixie Cups etc. The vocal talent was definitely there along with great music and lyrics, but looking back at some of the music videos from that time, one thing was definitely lacking. Visual performance.
As with most girl groups the lead singer becomes the superstar and the remaining members struggle to maintain their identity and often fail as solo artists. My choice for girl group today is the Pussycat Dolls. Originally a burlesque dance troupe they burst onto the pop music scene with the song “Don’t Cha”. I am featuring them today for comparison on how far girl groups have come with regard to performance. Today it is more athletic, definitely sexier and visually more appealing as women have claimed their rightful place in the music and visual arts industry.
Check out below the Shangri Las video from the 1960s. See what I mean? Just for fun I included a Virginia Slims commercial too.
The Song
This song is about a girl who taunts a guy about his girlfriend, making her jealous by asking if he wishes his girlfriend was hot like her. The Pussycat Dolls are more a dance troupe than singers, and they convey a very unapologetically sexual image that fits the lyrics quite well. >> The writing credits on this song read: Thomas DeCarlo Callaway and Anthony L. Ray. You know them better as Cee-Lo Green from The Goodie Mob and Gnarls Barkley and Sir Mix-a-Lot of “Baby Got Back” fame. The song was originally recorded by Tori Alamaze in 2004. Alamaze was a makeup artist and backup singer who was signed to Cee-Lo’s production company. Shortly after her version was released as a single, her record company dropped her and stopped promoting the song, so very few people heard it. The next year, The Pussycat Dolls recorded it in a version also produced by Cee Lo and with Busta Rhymes on guest vocals.
Heineken beer used this in TV commercials. Cee-Lo Green recalled to The Guardian newspaper March 22, 2008: “I originally wrote it for another artist – Tori Alamaze – but it found its way to the Pussycat Dolls and the rest is history. I was more than content with it going to the original artist, but of course the Pussycat Dolls took it to another level.” This was the Pussycat Dolls’ first single. Many critics predicted a quick demise for the group, but they went on to record several more hits.
Q magazine January 2012 asked Cee-Lo Green if he pretended to be an attractive girl to help him get into character when he penned this song? He replied: “No, I was trying to think of an ideal woman – who would be so bold as to say something as outspoken as that song.” Speaking on a 2012 Behind The Music special for VH1, Nicole Scherzinger said she did most of the singing “on my own” for the PCD album: “People don’t even know the whole story. They have no idea. I was in the center because I was singing,” she said. “I hope I don’t get in trouble for the stuff that I say but I’ll never forget I finished the album, PCD, and Ron (executive producer Ron Fair) and I brought the girls into the studio and we played it for them. It was the first time they’d ever heard the music.”
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” she continued. “We played the album for the Pussycat Dolls. It was the first time they’d ever heard the songs.” “Don’t Cha” featured in the Sims 2 Pets video game. The Pussycat Dolls recorded the song in Simlish, the fictional language of the Sims.
The Group
The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Lovine, Antin decided to take the burlesque troupe mainstream as a pop group. Antin negotiated a record deal with Interscope Geffen A&M Records in 2003 turning the group into a music franchise comprising Nicole Scherzinger, Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton, and Kimberly Wyatt. Their debut single, “Sway”, was featured on the soundtrack of the 2004 film Shall We Dance?.
The Pussycat Dolls achieved worldwide success with the singles “Don’t Cha”, “Stickwitu”, “Buttons”, and their multi-platinum debut album PCD (2005). However, despite their commercial success, the group was plagued by internal conflict due to the emphasis on Scherzinger, the group’s lead vocalist, and the subordinate treatment of the other members. Bachar’s departure from the group preceded the release of their second and final studio album Doll Domination (2008), which contains hit singles “When I Grow Up”, “I Hate This Part”, and “Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)”. Following the completion of their 2009 world tour, the group went on hiatus and fully disbanded in 2010. The original recording line-up, minus Thornton, announced their reunion in 2019 with an upcoming tour and a new album. However, with the worsening situation arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, along with breaches of contracts and logistical issues, the reunion tour was cancelled in 2022, leaving the group’s fate uncertain.
