Marty Robbins – Don’t Worry…The country song that changed Rock and Roll

The song peaked at #1 on Billboards Hot Country song chart and #3 on Billboards Hot 100 chart on March 19, 1961.

From wideopencountry

Due to an error in the recording process, Marty Robbins’ 1961 single “Don’t Worry” impacted more than the country and pop charts at the time. Before the Beatles made it to the States, inspiring teenagers across the country to form bands, an otherwise typical love ballad by Robbins accidentally introduced the listening public to electric guitar “fuzz” effects.

Grady Martin, a rockabilly and county legend and A-list session musician, was the secret weapon behind Robbins’ “El Paso,” Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and other all-time great recordings. On “Don’t Worry,” he played six-string bass. A relatively tame song sounds way different when Martin’s solo begins about the 1:25 mark. He’d run his instrument through a faulty mixing console. As a result, it sounded like he’d stirred up a nest of metallic hornets.

Apparently, Martin didn’t care for the effect. Producer Don Law disagreed, leaving the unusual wrinkle in the final cut. The decision didn’t hinder the song’s success. In addition to becoming Robbins’ seventh number one country hit, it ranked as high as third on the pop chart.

Whatever hesitations Martin may have had about guitar fuzz must not have lasted. He built a whole song around the effect, fittingly titled “The Fuzz,” and recorded it with his band the Slewfoot Five. It was released the same year as “Don’t Worry.”

Session engineer Glen Snoddy also took advantage of the situation. He hung onto the faulty mixing channel and made it available to other artists. By 1962, Snoddy helped sell the idea for a fuzz pedal to the Gibson Guitar Corporation.

The effect appeared in a handful of future country songs, including Carl Butler’s “Wonder Drug,” Kay Adam’s “Little Pink Mac“ and most famously, Merle Haggard’s “The Running Kind.” But for the most part, it’s associated with rock music, especially after the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards used it to simulate the sound of a horn on 1965’s “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

Don’t Worry

Don’t worry ’bout me, it’s all over now
Though I may be blue, I’ll manage somehow
Love can’t be explained, can’t be controlled
One day it’s warm, next day it’s cold

Don’t pity me, ’cause I’m feeling blue
Don’t be ashamed it might happen to you
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, love, kiss me
One time then go love, I’ll understand
Don’t worry ’bout me

Sweet, sweet, sweet, love will I want you to be
As happy as I when you love me
I’ll never forget you your sweet memory it’s all over now
Don’t worry bout me

When one heart tells one heart, one heart goodbye
One heart is free, one heart will cry
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh sweet, sweet baby, sweet baby, sweet
It’s all right, don’t worry ’bout me…

Adam Ant – Goody Two Shoes

This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams blog. This weeks theme Clothing/Hat/Pants/Scarf/Shirt/Shoes/Tie.

From his 1982 album, Friend or Foe.  The song reached #12 on Billboards Hot 100 chart on February 12, 1983.

From songfacts.

Adam wrote this song when dealing with an everlasting intrusion by the press. They were always asking about his personal life, which was great fodder for the tabloids. Adam Ant was a very intriguing character with a colorful past, and while he sought out attention for his act, he preferred to keep his personal life private.

By the ’80s, his only vice was sex – no drugs, alcohol or even cigarettes for Adam Ant. This led to predictable questions from the press wondering if he didn’t drink or smoke, then what exactly did he do? It seemed hard to believe that such an outrageous persona belonged to a teetotaler, but it was true. Reporters were often shocked to discover that Ant was very measured and reasonable in interviews – nothing like the warpaint wearing wildman who showed up on stage.

Adam Ant said of this song: “Goody Two Shoes was a sort of answer back manifesto and just trying to keep things level-headed because I felt that, and still do, to a degree, that going on stage is creating an illusion. It’s magical and it’s wonderful and I love doing it, but off stage there has to be time out.”

Goody Two Shoes

With the heartbreak open
So much you can’t hide
Put on a little makeup, makeup
Make sure they get your good side, good side
If the words unspoken
Get stuck in your throat
Send a treasure token, token
Write it on a pound note, pound note
Goody two, goody two, goody goody two shoes
Goody two, goody two, goody goody two shoes
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
There must be something inside
We don’t follow fashion
That’d be a joke
You know we’re going to set them, set them
So everyone can take note, take note
When they saw you kneeling
Crying words that you mean
Opening their eyeballs, eyeballs
Pretending that you’re, Al Green
Goody two, goody two, goody goody two shoes
Goody two, goody two, goody goody two shoes
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
Must be something inside
No one’s gonna tell me
What’s wrong and what’s right
Or tell me who to eat with, sleep with
Or that I’ve won the big fight, big fight
Look out or they’ll tell you
You’re a “Superstar”
Two weeks and you’re an all-time legend
I think the games have gone much too far
If the words unspoken
Get stuck in your throat
Send a treasure token, token
Write it on a pound note, pound note
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
Must be something inside
‘Cause I don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
Must be something inside
‘Cause I don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
Must be something inside
‘Cause I don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
Must be something inside
‘Cause I don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
Must be something inside
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: MARCO PIRRONI / ADAM ANT

Roy Orbison – Oh, Pretty Woman

freefallin14's avatarFree Fallin'

The song was released in August of 1964 it was written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees. It spent 3 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. It also topped the UK charts for 3 weeks. The record sold 7 million copies and it marked the high point in Orbison’s Career. In October of 1964, the single was certified gold by the RIAA. It was ranked the number four song of 1964 by Billboard.

The song was recorded in 1964 at RCA Studio B in Nashville. This is the same studio that Elvis recorded most of his hits at. The Everly Brothers also recorded most of their hits at RCA studio B. Oh, I thought I would mention that’s my cousin Grady Martin playing that guitar riff.

From Songfacts.

Roy Orbison was writing with his songwriting partner Bill Dees at his house when he told Dees to…

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Toad The Wet Sprocket – Good Intentions

From their 1995 album, In Light Syrup and also on the Friends TV show soundtrack. The song reached #19 on Billboards Mainstream Rock chart in 1995.

Good Intentions

It’s hard to rely on my good intentions
When my head’s full of things that i can’t mention
Seems i usually get things right
But i can’t understand what i did last night

It’s hard to rely on my own good senses
When i miss so much that requires attention
Have to laugh at myself sometimes
And i can see that i’m not blind

There’s little relief
Give us reprieve
For all the things i’ve left behind
I’m positive that i’m not blind

I’m not afraid things won’t get better
But it feels like this has gone on forever
You have to cry with your own blue tears
Have to laugh with your own good cheer

It’s hard to rely on my good intentions
When my head’s full of things that i can’t mention
Seems i usually get things right
But i can’t understand what i did last night

There’s little relief
Give us reprieve
Imagining the world outside
I’m positive that i’m not blind

I can’t be hard on you
’cause you know i’ve been there too
Learned a lot of things from you

But life gives little relief
Give us reprieve
And when everyone is cold as ice
I clinch my fists and close my eyes
Imagining the world outside
But i can see that i’m not blind

4 Non-Blondes – What’s Up

From their 1992 album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!. The song reached #14 on Billboards Hot 100 chart on August 14, 1993.

From songfacts.

Recounting to origins of this song, Christa Hillhouse told us: “Any song people are going to try to read deliberate meaning into, but when Linda wrote the song, she was just sitting down the hall. We played guitar all the time, that’s all we ever did. We practiced every day. I know people who think about formulas when they write a song or they think about structure – Linda has never lived that way. Linda’s pretty organic in that way, she just sits down and starts singing what she’s feeling. There is a difference between the songs she wrote then and the songs she writes now. She got to a point now where I think she is thinking about them structurally, but back then, she played acoustic guitar and all the songs she wrote she’d just sit there and here they’d come. A lot of people write like that. I write like that – a song is kind of there already and you’re like the speakers. All of the sudden there’s a song in my head and I don’t know where it came from. I remember when she was writing the verses to What’s Up, she knew it so well, she thought she heard it before. I think that’s why the song connects with so many people. What she was feeling she was able to translate. If you look at the lyrics, they don’t mean anything. It’s the way the song makes certain people feel. In Europe, they’re not speaking English, but they know every broken-English word, and that song makes them feel something. I knew right when we played it, the song made the whole room feel this thing. It’s a connection to humanity. Certain simple songs, that’s what they do. There’s an honesty there that breaks through that people can relate to. Then of course they played that song to death and a lot of people are really sick of it.

What’s Up

Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means
And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
And I say, hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah
I said hey, what’s going on?
And I say, hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah
I said hey, what’s going on?
Oh, oh oh
Oh, oh oh
And I try, oh my god do I try
I try all the time, in this institution
And I pray, oh my god do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution
And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying bed
Just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
Oh, oh oh oh
Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Linda Perry

Rival Sons – Open My Eyes

From their 2014 album, Great Western Valkyrie. The song did not chart. Rival Sons are more popular in Europe than in the States.

Open My Eyes

Too many people,
Coming out of doors
In and out of my life
In the night, in the day,
I’ve got to make it on my own
Somebody asked me,
How do you do it
Tell them that I’m justified
Of the truth to myself
You know I feel so low
Somebody, somebody, somebody come and open my eyes
Somebody, somebody, somebody come and open my eyes
Complicate the matter
Playing on the weakness
Taking all of my time
I’ll go down, with the ship
To the bottom like a stone
Falling off the ladder
Holy water hell hound
Falling like a jack knife
But the truth to myself
You know it cuts through the bone
Somebody, somebody, somebody come and open my eyes
Somebody, somebody, somebody come and open my eyes
Somebody, somebody, somebody come and open my eyes
Yeah, (somebody, somebody, somebody open my eyes
Somebody, somebody, somebody open my eyes)
Somebody, somebody, somebody come and open my eyes
Somebody, somebody, somebody come and open my eyes
Somebody, somebody, somebody come and open my eyes
Somebody, somebody, somebody come and open my eyes
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Dave Beste / Jay Bartholomew Buchanan / Scott Holiday / Michael P. Miley / Dave Cobb

Grace Potter And The Nocturnals – Paris (Ooh La La)

This is my contribution to Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams blog. This weeks theme is Floor/House/Roof/Walls.

From their 2010 self-titled album.

Paris (Ooh La La)

You got me down on the floor
So what’d you bring me down here for?
You got me down on the floor
So what’d you bring me down here for?
If I was a man I’d make my move
If I was a blade I’d shave you smooth
If I was a judge I’d break the law
And if I was from Paris
If I was from Paris
I would say
Oh la la la la la la la
Oh la la la la la la la
Oh la la la la la la la
Oh la la la la la la la
You got me up on your swing
So when you gonna shake that thing?
You got me up on your swing
So when you gonna shake that thing?
If I was a man I’d make my move
If I was a blade I’d shave you smooth
If I was a judge I’d break the law
And if I was from Paris
If I was from Paris
I would say
Oh la la la la la la la
Oh la la la la la la la
Oh la la la la la la la
Oh la la la la la la la
If I was a man I’d make my move
If I was a blade I’d shave you smooth
If I was a judge I’d break the law
And if I was from Paris
If I was from Paris
I would say
Oh la la la la la la la
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Grace Potter

Sammy Hagar – Plain Jane

From his 1979 album, Street Machine. The song never charted. One of Sammy’s best songs and it’s a shame it did not get more radio airplay. The song was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.

Plain Jane

She falls somewhere in-between
Levi’s and Vogue Magazine
She doesn’t paint on her face
But what she does she does with taste.
And you can call her Plain Jane
But she’s drivin’ me insane
Plain Jane – Oh yeah, you’re drivin’ me insane.
Plain Jane – Oh, let me love you baby, yeah!
She kisses with her lips so tight.
Ooh, it hit’s me just like dynamite.
Her sweet, simple innocence
Makes everyone else seem like past tense
And you can call her Plain Jane
But she’s drivin’ me insane.
Plain Jane – Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re drivin’ me insane, oh!
Plain Jane – Heave-ho, oh, let me love you, love you, love you, love you,
Love you, love you
Takes a special kind of man.
To love and understand
My Plain Jane.
My Plain Jane – Talkin’ ’bout my baby.
My Plain Jane – Oh yea.
Plain Jane – Uh-huh, my
Plain Jane – Ain’t no body else no.
Plain Jane – Tellin’ you you’re drivin me insane.
Her smile comes on insecure.
But her eyes, they let you know for sure.
Oh, you gotta look hard and deep.
Her kind of lovein’, it don’t come cheap, no.
And you can call her Plain Jane
But she’s drivin’ me insane.
My Plain Jane – Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re drivin’ me insane. Ow!
Plain Jane – I just, what’s so bad? I wanna love you, love you, love you,
Love you, love you, love you
Plain Jane – Ow! I’m talkin’ ’bout my
Plain Jane – Yeah, yeah, she’s my baby.
Plain Jane – See her walkin’ down the street, and I just wanna love you.
My Plain Jane – Come here baby.
Plain Jane – Now, come here baby.
Plain Jane – There ain’t nobody else, no, and I’m gonna love you, love you,
Love you, love you, love you, love you
Plain Jane – Ow!
Plain Jane – Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah…
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Doc Pomus / Mort Shuman

Dorothy – Flawless

freefallin14's avatarFree Fallin'

The band was formed in 2014 and took the first name of the lead singer Dorothy Martin as the band’s name. Flawless peaked at number 8 in July of 2018 on Billboards Mainstream Rock chart. Flawless came from their album “28 Days in The Valley” produced by former 4 Non-Blondes lead singer Linda Perry.

Flawless

You said you loved me but you threw me out in the garbage
Now I’m starting to stink but everyone thinks I’m flawless
Listen to me, I can’t be what you want me to
I just came like this, I’m already black and blue
You said you loved me but you put my shit on the sidewalk
You like it when I fall and you laugh when I run into a wall
You gave nothing, I put my heart out on the table
I wasn’t always willing but baby I was always able, yeah
I’m…

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Jefferson Starship – Jane

From their 1979 album, Freedom at Point Zero. The song reached #14 on Billboards Hot 100 chart on January 19, 1980.

From songfacts.

“Jane” has lyrics written by David Freiberg and Jim McPherson, and music by Freiberg, McPherson, Paul Kantner and Craig Chaquico. All but McPherson – a professional singer-songwriter – were members of Jefferson Starship at the time. The group – first known as Jefferson Airplane – had an ever-shifting lineup, which at times was completely rebuilt.

This was the first single released from the Freedom at Point Zero album. The song has a polished sound that is far removed from the ’60s version of the group, the very psychedelic Jefferson Airplane. Boarding the Starship and heading into the future, Mickey Thomas, famous for singing on “Fooled Around And Fell In Love,” took over on lead vocals with the departure of Marty Balin and Grace Slick (who would return in February 1981). The album was produced by Ron Nevison, who was known for his work with Led Zeppelin and Bad Company. It marked the first time Jefferson Airplane/Starship brought in an outside producer.

So, who is “Jane”? The best we can tell, she’s a fictional creation with a name that scans well into lyrics like “you’re playing a game,” which helps show off the vocal range of Mickey Thomas. And who can’t relate to a girl who just doesn’t understand what’s best for her when it comes to love?

 

Jane

Jane, you say it’s all over for you and me, girl
There’s a time for love and a time for letting it be, baby
Jane you’re playin a game called, called hard to get by its real name
Making believe that you still don’t feel the same
Oh Jane
Jane, you’re playing a game you never can win, girl
You’re staying away just so I’ll ask you where you’ve been, baby
Like a cat and a mouse (cat and a mouse)
From door to door and house to house
Don’t you pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about
Were all those nights we spent together, hey hey
Only because you didn’t know better
I gotta know
Jane you’re playing a game, you’re playing a game, playing a game
Oh Jane, you’re playing a game of hide and go seek
Jane, you’re playing for fun but I play for keeps, yes I do
(Jane, Jane, Jane) That’s a game on me
(Jane, Jane, Jane) So plain to see
(Jane, Jane, Jane) Janey, Janey, Janey, Janey, Janey
(Jane, Jane, Jane) Why you fooling with me, me, me
(Jane, Jane, Jane)
(Jane, Jane, Jane)
(Jane, Jane, Jane)
(Jane, Jane, Jane)
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: PAUL KANTNER / CRAIG CHAQUICO / DAVID FREIBERG