Mixed Music Bag – Page 4 – The Elephant's Trunk

We’re well into February so the challenge from Glyn at Mixed Music Bag is to write about a band or singer that starts with the Letters C or D.

There weren’t too many artists in rock history to successfully straddle the line between music and comedy. The Coasters was one of those groups. Their undeniably funny lyrics and on-stage antics might have suggested a simple troupe of clowns, but the Coasters’ records were no mere novelties; their material was too witty, their arrangements too well-crafted, and the group itself too skilled musically. That engaging and infectious combination made them one of the most popular early R&B/rock & roll acts, as well as one of the most consistently entertaining doo-wop/vocal groups of all time.

Originally from Los Angeles, The Coasters began as the Robins; instead of singing the usual ballads and rhythm pieces, they sang novelty songs written by the duo of Leiber and Stoller. In 1955 they became The Coasters and started recording what would become a series of rock & roll hits directed at teenage listeners. “Searchin’ ” and “Young Blood” (both 1957), “Yakety Yak” (1958), and “Charlie Brown” and “Poison Ivy” (both 1959).

The Coasters alternated lead singers and featured clever arrangements, including amusing bass replies and tenor saxophone solos by King Curtis, who played a crucial role in creating Atlantic’s rhythm-and-blues sound. With further personnel changes they continued performing in “oldies” shows into the 1990s. The Coasters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Here are two of The Coasters’ hits, “Yakety Yak” and “Poison Ivy”.

LYRICS

Take out the papers and the trash
Or you don’t get no spendin’ cash
If you don’t scrub that kitchen floor
You ain’t gonna rock and roll no more

Yakety yak (don’t talk back)

Just finish cleanin’ up your room
Let’s see that dust fly with that broom
Get all that garbage out of sight
Or you don’t go out Friday night

Yakety yak (Don’t talk back)

You just put on your coat and hat
And walk yourself to the laundromat
And when you finish doin’ that
Bring in the dog and put out the cat

Yackety yack (Don’t talk back)

Don’t you give me no dirty looks
Your father’s hip, he knows what cooks
Just tell your hoodlum friend outside
You ain’t got time to take a ride

Yackety yack (Don’t talk back)

Yakety yak, yakety yak
Yakety yak, yakety yak
Yakety yak, yakety yak

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller
Yakety Yak lyrics © Belinda Aberbach Stevenson Agar Revocable Trust, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

LYRICS

She comes on like a rose but everybody knows
She’ll get you in Dutch
You can look but you better not touch

Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you’re sleepin’
Poison ivy comes a-creepin’ around

She’s pretty as a daisy but look out man she’s crazy
She’ll really do you in
If you let her under your skin

Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you’re sleepin’
Poison ivy comes a-creepin’ around

Measles make you bumpy
And mumps’ll make you lumpy
And chicken pox’ll make you jump and twitch
A common cold’ll fool ya
And whooping cough’ll cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord’ll make you itch!

You’re gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You’ll be scratchin’ like a hound
The minute you start to mess around

Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you’re sleepin’
Poison ivy comes a-creepin’ around

Measles make you bumpy
And mumps’ll make you lumpy
And chicken pox’ll make you jump and twitch
A common cold’ll fool ya
And whooping cough’ll cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord’ll make you itch!!

You’re gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You’ll be scratchin’ like a hound
The minute you start to mess around

Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you’re sleepin’
Poison ivy comes a-creepin’ around

La da la da la da
La da la da la da
La da la da la da
La da la da la da

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller
Poison Ivy lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Mixed music bag 2024 – Week 7 – Depeche Mode

This portfolio (including text, graphics and videos) is copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and is not for use by anyone without permission. NAR © 2017-present.

Music Blog

Belmont Avenue, Bronx, NY

February 7, 2024February 7, 2024 Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

As it’s now February, the challenge from Glyn at Mixed Music Bag is to write about a band or singer that starts with the letters C or D.

One of the greatest things about growing up Italian in the Bronx, NY (besides the food) was hanging out with my friends listening to music. We’d usually go to Sal’s Pizzeria on Belmont Avenue where the pizza was like nothing you ever tasted. It was thin and soft and light as a feather. On just about every street corner, doo-wop groups would gather and sing song after song and everyone would dance. Man, those were some of the best times.

One singer from Belmont Avenue (sadly a little before my time) was an Italian kid named Dion DiMucci. Dion’s dad Pasquale was a vaudeville entertainer and Dion would accompany him whenever he went on tour. Dion developed a love of country music, particularly Hank Williams, but he was really into the blues, doo-wop and rock and roll. His singing was honed on the street corners and local clubs of the Bronx.

In early 1957, Dion auditioned for Bob and Gene Schwartz for their Mohawk Records label. They asked Dion to sing a song but Dion refused, stating it sounded like something his old fashioned parents would listen to, but the Bob and Gene convinced him to give it a try. The backing vocals were by a group called “the Timberlanes”, some guys Dion had never met. The resulting single, “The Chosen Few“, was released under the name “Dion and the Timberlanes”, and became a minor regional hit which enabled Dion to perform the song on American Bandstand. The kids at the show started screaming during his performance and gave Dion his first impression of being a recording star. In his autobiography, The Wanderer, Dion explained that he didn’t even know who the Timberlanes were. “The vocal group was so white bread, I went back to my neighborhood and I recruited three guys and we called ourselves Dion and the Belmonts.”

The group’s initial hit was called “I Wonder Why” followed by “No One Knows” and “Don’t Pity Me”, which charted the Billboard Top 100. This success won a place for Dion and the Belmonts on the ill-fated “The Winter Dance Party” tour with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper and other performers. On February 3, 1959, after a concert stop in Clear Lake, Iowa, Buddy Holly and the others decided to charter a flight to the next venue rather than travel on the tour bus. Dion was invited to accompany the group but declined when he heard the price of the ticket was $36. That was the same amount of money his parents spent for one month’s rent for their apartment and Dion couldn’t justify the expense. The plane crashed, killing all on board; that tragic event has been referred to as “the day the music died”.

In March 1959, Dion and the Belmonts recorded “A Teenager In Love” which reached No. 5 on the U.S. pop charts and No. 28 in the UK. The group’s biggest hit, “Where Or When” was released in November of that year and reached No. 3 on the U.S. charts. Further single releases for the group that year were less successful; with musical, personal and financial differences between Dion and members of the Belmonts, Dion left the group for a solo career.

By the end of 1960, Dion produced his first solo album on Laurie Records, “Alone with Dion”, released in 1961. The single “Lonely Teenager” rose to No. 12 in the US charts. The name on his solo releases was simply “Dion“. In 1961 Dion released “Runaround Sue” which stormed up the U.S. charts, reaching No. 1 and No. 11 in the UK, where he also toured. “Runaround Sue” sold over a million copies and was followed by “The Wanderer” another big hit for Dion. By the end of 1961, Dion had become a major star, touring worldwide.

In 2024, at the age of 84, Dion is still recording new songs and his career is going strong.

This is Dion with his biggest early hit, “Runaround Sue”.

LYRICS

Here's my story, it's sad but true
It's about a girl that I once knew
She took my love then ran around
With every single guy in town

Yeah I should have known it from the very start
This girl will leave me with a broken heart
Now listen people what I'm telling you
Ah keep away from a Runaround Sue

I might miss her lips and the smile on her face
The touch of her hair and this girl's warm embrace
So if you don't want to cry like I do
Ah keep away from-a Runaround Sue

Ah, she likes to travel around
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
She goes out with other guys

Here's the moral and the story from the guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
Keep away from-a Runaround Sue

Yeah keep away from this girl
I don't know what she'll doe
Keep away from Sue

She likes to travel around
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
She goes out with other guys

Here's the mora and the story from the guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
Keep away from a Runaround Sue

Stay away from that girl
Don't you know what she'll do now

Written by: Dion Di Mucci, Ernie Maresca
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

Mixed Music Bag 2024 – Week 6 – The Cure

This portfolio (including text, graphics and videos) is copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and is not for use by anyone without permission. NAR © 2017-present.

Music Blog

Baking Carrot Biscuits

January 31, 2024January 31, 2024 Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

For the month of January, Glyn at Mixed Music Bag
is challenging us to write about a group or solo artist
beginning with the letter A or B. Here’s my group.

You know you’ve reached the big time when you’ve made it into a book – never mind if the title of the book happens to be “Misheard Lyrics”!

What do you think of when you hear the phrase: “Baking Carrot Biscuits”? It’s not from somebody’s recipe book. It’s actually a ‘mondegreen’ (misunderstood lyric) from the classic song “Takin’ Care of Business”, by Bachman-Turner Overdrive …. my group for today.

Bachman–Turner Overdrive, often abbreviated BTO, was formed in 1973 by three brothers from Winnipeg, Manitoba …. Randy, Robbie and Tim Bachman. At the suggestion of Neil Young, fellow Winnipeg bassist and vocalist Fred Turner was brought on board.

Randy Bachman said: “Takin’ Care Of Business is a song about the every day routines and processes it takes to live this thing we call ‘life’ through daily work.” His original idea was to write a song about a recording technician who worked for the Guess Who (Bachman’s former group) who would take the 8:15 train to get to work, a fact which inspired the opening lines of the song.

The original working title of “Takin’Care Of Business” was actually “White Collar Worker”; however, while driving to a gig in Vancouver, Bachman heard a local DJ’s catchphrase of “We’re takin’ care of business” and it stuck with him. During the concert, Bachman decided on a whim to use the catchphrase in the song’s chorus instead of “White collar worker”. After the show that night, the audience kept clapping and shouting “takin’ care of business” and the rest is history.

BTO’s 1970s catalogue included seven top-40 albums (five in the US) and eleven top-40 singles in Canada (six in the US). They have six certified platinum albums and one certified gold album. BTO has sold nearly 30 million albums worldwide and their fans are affectionately known as “gearheads” …. a term derived from the band’s gear-shaped logo.

Oh, I almost forgot about “Baking carrot biscuits”! That’s an often misunderstood lyric for “Takin’ care of business”. If you want a good laugh, do a Google search on “misheard lyrics“; there are quite a few links, including a couple of videos on YouTube. I’ve provided one link to a very funny video about misheard song lyrics.

But now it’s time to hear one of BTO’s signature numbers, the song that made carrot biscuits popular …. “Takin’ Care Of Business”.

LYRICS

You get up every morning from your alarm clock’s warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There’s a whistle up above and people pushin’, people shovin’
And the girls who try to look pretty
And if your train’s on time, you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job to get your pay
If you ever get annoyed, look at me I’m self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And I’ll be taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
I’ve been taking care of business (it’s all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime, work out

If it were easy as fishin’ you could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a second-hand guitar, chances are you’ll go far
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows
People see you having fun just a-lying in the sun
Tell them that you like it this way
It’s the work that we avoid, and we’re all self-employed
We love to work at nothing all day

And we be taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
We be been taking care of business (it’s all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime

Mercy
Whoo
All right

Take good care of my business
When I’m away, every day
Whoo

They get up every morning from their alarm clock’s warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There’s a whistle up above and people pushin’, people shovin’
And the girls who try to look pretty
And if your train’s on time, you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job to get your pay
If you ever get annoyed, look at me I’m self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And I be taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
I’ve been taking care of business (it’s all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime, take care

Takin’ care of business, whoo
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business (every day)
Takin’ care of business (every way)
Takin’ care of business (it’s all mine)
Takin’ care of business and working overtime, whoo

Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business
We be takin’ care of business
We be takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Randy Bachman
Takin’ Care Of Business lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Mixed Music Bag 2024 – Week 5 – The Au Pairs

Here is a link to the very funny Peter Kay doing his stand-up comedy routine about “Misheard Lyrics”

https://youtu.be/7my5baoCVv8?si=d4ZvOUluaH5zwIJ4

See you on the flip side. 😎

Music Blog

For What It’s Worth

January 24, 2024January 24, 2024 Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Glyn Wilton is our host at Mixed Music Bag;
the theme this month is groups or solo artists
that start with the letter A or B.

Before there was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, there was Buffalo Springfield, my group of choice for Glyn’s MMB challenge.

Buffalo Springfield was formed in 1966 in Los Angeles by Canadians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group released three albums and several singles in the two years they were together. Their music combined elements of folk and country with British Invasion and psychedelic rock influences and was key to the early development of folk rock. The group became widely known for their protest anthem, “For What It’s Worth”.

The Sunset Strip in West Hollywood was a gathering place for hippies and followers of the rock and roll culture. Young people would congregate nightly, disrupting the flow of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian. Local business owners had enough of it and petitioned town officials to impose a curfew. Well, that notion didn’t sit right with many of the young people.

On November 12, 1966, fliers were distributed inviting people to join demonstrations that night to protest the curfews. Several of Los Angeles’ rock radio stations also announced a rally outside Pandora’s Box on Sunset Boulevard, a club where groups like the Beach Boys and Sonny & Cher had performed over the years. That evening, as many as 1,000 young people, including future celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda (who was handcuffed by police) gathered to protest. Although the rallies began peacefully, trouble soon followed. The unrest continued the next night, and periodically throughout the rest of November and December, forcing some clubs to shut down. It was against the background of these civil disturbances that Stephen Stills recorded “For What It’s Worth” on December 5, 1966.

Despite having a reputation as being an anti-war song (as it was also written during the Vietnam War) Stephen Stills said that “For What It’s Worth” was mostly in response to the Sunset Strip riots. In an interview for the Los Angeles Times, Stills said “It was really different things intertwined, including the war and the absurdity of what was happening on The Strip. But I knew I had to get out of there fast before the cops nabbed me. I headed home where I wrote my song in about 15 minutes. For me, there was no riot; it was basically a cop dance …. the term ‘riot’ is ridiculous. They were demonstrations and the song was written in response to them but it was big, man. It looked like a goddamn revolution.”

The lyrics reveal to the listener Stills’ perspective of the tumultuous time, referencing people in the street, singing songs while hoisting up protest signs. “For What It’s Worth” is on the group’s eponymous debut album, “Buffalo Springfield”, released in December 1966 on Atco Records and has been covered by a vast number of recording artists over the years. In 1977, Crosby, Stills and Nash – along with Tom Petty – performed the song at Buffalo Springfield’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

After several drug-related arrests and line-up changes, the group disbanded in 1968. Stephen Stills went on to form the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash (CS&N). Neil Young launched his solo career and in 1969 became a member of CSN&Y. The group briefly reunited for a comeback tour in 2011.

Wars are still raging, people are still protesting and the world keeps on spinning. In some ways, not much has changed.

Here is Buffalo Springfield with their epic tune, “For What It’s Worth”. Listen for the dissonant chords when the words “paranoia strikes deep” are sung; little things like that make a great song even better.

Lyrics

There’s something happening here
But what it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

I think it’s time we stop
Children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?

There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

It’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?

What a field day for the heat (Ooh ooh ooh)
A thousand people in the street (Ooh ooh ooh)
Singing songs and they carrying signs (Ooh ooh ooh)
Mostly say, “Hooray for our side” (Ooh ooh ooh)

It’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away

We better stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?

You better stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?

You better stop
Now, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?

You better stop
Children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look, what’s going down?

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Stephen Stills
For What It’s Worth lyrics © Cotillion Music Inc., Springalo Toones, Ten East Music, Richie Furay Music

Mixed Music Bag 2024 – week 4 – Babe Ruth

Music Blog

It’s Gone Bedlam

January 17, 2024January 22, 2024 Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

It’s week three of the Mixed Music Bag and Glyn’s theme is a solo artist or band beginning with the letter A or B.

Don’t ask me the date …. early 70s is as close as I can get …. we went to the Nassau Coliseum to see Bedlam, Badger and Black Sabbath. It was one of the most bizarre nights with a strange vibe in the place. A guy in the audience must have gotten his hands on some of the brown acid left over from Woodstock because he decided it would be cool to set his arm on fire. I can say with 100% certainty of all the many, many concerts we went to from ’67-’77, no one ever set fire to any part of their body before or after that night. What people won’t do for their 15 minutes of fame.

There’s no need to discuss Black Sabbath, is there? I decided to feature Bedlam in my post today; they had a good sound and the group’s members were infinitely better known than Badger’s. But the whole story about Bedlam is a bit weird.

Originally known as Beast when it formed in 1972, Bedlam was one of the UK’s least-known supergroups, a hard rock band featuring singer Frank Aiello (from Truth), guitarist Dave Ball (from Procol Harum), bassist Dennis Ball (formerly with Long John Baldry), and drummer Cozy Powell (who made his name with major rock bands and artists such as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Graham Bonnet, Brian May, Whitesnake, Emerson, Lake & Powell and Black Sabbath). Wow!

In 1973 they made one self-titled album produced by Felix Pappalardi, best known as the bassist and co-lead singer for Mountain. Like I said, the lineup was a good one but in 1974, after just two short years, the group fell apart when Cozy Powell left. That one studio effort showed the band to be a talented, bluesy, hard-rock outfit in the vein of the Jeff Beck group and Rory Gallagher’s band, but without the new twist of originality that might have sustained interest.

Adding to the ambiguity surrounding this group, I was unable to find lyrics for any of Bedlam’s songs; I hope you enjoy the tune I’ve selected for you today.

This is “Sweet Sister Mary”

Mixed Music Bag 2024 – week 3 – The Adverts

Music Blog

Walk This Way

January 11, 2024January 22, 2024 Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Our host Glyn says “In the month of January, the Mixed Music Bag theme is to find a group or solo singer beginning with the letter A or B.” I missed last week so I’ll just jump in today.

When I was 14, somebody incredibly cool entered my life; he came and went for a couple of years, never really sticking around very long. He was a 17-year-old beanpole named Steven Tallarico – Google him; I’ll wait.

There were one or two times when I felt like kicking myself for not running off with him but my whole life would have turned out differently and I’m sure not for the better. On my short list of “No Regrets”, that 3-year-period during my teen years would be very near the top.

If you’ve finished Googling, you are now aware that the guy I knew all those years ago as Steven Tallarico is the legendary Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith …. that Boston band with a front man born in The Bronx, NY (my hometown).

I’ve written a story or two about Steven but I’m not here to talk about him. And there’s certainly no need to talk about Aerosmith. To paraphrase Hyman Roth in The Godfather: “They’re bigger than U.S. Steel”.

One of my favorite Aerosmith tunes is “Walk This Way”, written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, which was originally released as the second single from their album Toys in the Attic (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, part of a string of successful hit singles for the band in the 1970s.

This song is one of the reasons Toys in the Attic was a must-have for everyone growing up in the 70s. “Walk This Way” has a trademark Joe Perry riff and quite a few of Steven Tyler’s slyest lyrics; it’s a wonder some of his double entendres ever made it onto AM radio. It also became a groundbreaker ten years later when the group re-cut the song with Run-DMC.

Check out Steven’s clever and colorful lyrics as we listen to “Walk This Way” by one of the greatest bands in the US …. Aerosmith!

Lyrics

Backstroke lover always hidin’ ‘neath the cover
‘Till I talked to my daddy, he say
He said, “You ain’t seen nothing
‘Till you’re down on a muffin
Then you’re sure to be a-changin’ your ways”

I met a cheerleader, was a real young bleeder
All the times I can reminisce
‘Cause the best thing lovin’ with her sister and her cousin
Only started with a little kiss, like this

See-saw swingin’ with the boys in the school
With your feet flyin’ up in the air
Singin’ “Hey diddle-diddle with the kitty in the middle
Of the swing” like I didn’t care

So I took a big chance at the high school dance
With a missy who was ready to play
Wasn’t me she was foolin’
‘Cause she knew what she was doin’
And I know love is here to stay
When she told me to

Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, walk this way
Ah, just give me a kiss

Like this

School girl sweetie with the classy kinda sassy
Little skirt’s climbin’ way up her knees
There was three young ladies in the school gym locker
When I noticed they was lookin’ at me

I was a high school loser, never made it with a lady
‘Til the boys told me something I missed
Then my next door neighbor with a daughter had a favor
So I gave her just a little kiss, like this

See-saw swingin’ with the boys in the school
With your feet flyin’ up in the air
Singin’ “Hey diddle-diddle with the kitty in the middle
Of the swing” like I didn’t care

So I took a big chance at the high school dance
With a missy who was ready to play
Wasn’t me she was foolin’
‘Cause she knew what she was doin’
When she told me how to walk this way
She told me to

Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, walk this way
Walk this way, talk this way
Just give me a kiss

Like this

Mixed music bag 2024 – Week 2

Music Blog

PHILADELPHIA SOUL

October 18, 2023January 22, 2024 Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Glyn from Mixed Music Bag is asking us to feature musical groups starting with the letter “O” for the month of October; today I’m showcasing a very well-known group and one of their most popular songs.

The O’Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio formed in 1958. They made their first chart appearance with the minor hit “Lonely Drifter” in 1963 but reached their greatest level of success in 1972 once they were signed to the Philadelphia International label by producers and songwriters Gamble & Huff. The O’Jays emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia soul with “Back Stabbers” (1972) and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 the following year with “Love Train“. Several other US R&B hits followed; the O’Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

“Love Train” by the O’Jays was written by the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. This hit single skyrocketed to No. 1 in the US and No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. It was the O’Jays’ first and only number one record on the US pop chart. “Love Train” has been considered one of the first songs of disco music.

On January 27, 1973,“Love Train” entered the Hot 100’s top 40, the same day that the Paris Peace Accords were signed. The song’s lyrics of unity mention a number of countries, including England, Russia, China, Egypt and Israel, as well as the continent of Africa. Record World said of the single release that the “tune chugs right along with a Gamble and a Huff” and could become the biggest hit from the “Back Stabbers” album …. which it did. “Love Train” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2006.

I think you will agree this song’s message of peace and unity throughout the world is one that is needed even more today than ever before.

Mixed Music Bag – week 34

Performing on the TV show “Soul Train”, here are the O’Jays doing their classic hit song, “Love Train”:

Lyrics

People all over the world (everybody)
Join hands (join)
Start a love train, love train
People all over the world (all the world, now)
Join hands (love ride)
Start a love train (love ride), love train

The next stop that we make will be England
Tell all the folks in Russia, and China, too
Don’t you know that it’s time to get on board
And let this train keep on riding, riding on through
Well, well

People all over the world (you don’t need no money)
Join hands (come on)
Start a love train, love train (don’t need no ticket, come on)
People all over the world (join in, ride this train)
Join in (ride this train, y’all)
Start a love train (come on, train), love train

All of you brothers over in Africa
Tell all the folks in Egypt, and Israel, too
Please don’t miss this train at the station
‘Cause if you miss it, I feel sorry, sorry for you
Well

People all over the world (sisters and brothers)
Join hands (join, come on)
Start a love train (ride this train, y’all), love train (come on)
People all over the world (don’t need no tickets)
Join hands (come on, ride)
Start a love train, love train
Ride, let it ride
Let it ride
Let it ride
People, ain’t no war

People all over the world (on this train)
Join in (ride the train)
Start a love train, love train (ride the train, y’all)
People all over the world (come on)
Join hands (you can ride or stand, yeah)
Start a love train, love train (makin’ love)
People all over the world (’round the world, y’all)
Join hands (come on)
Start a love train, love train
People all over the world
Join hands
Start a love train, love train
People all over the world
Join hands
Start a love train, love train
People all over the world
Join hands
Start a love train

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Kenneth Gamble / Leon Huff
Love Train lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

“Love Train”
Side A of the US single
Single by the O’Jays
from the album Back Stabbers
B-side	“Who Am I”
Released	December 20, 1972^[1]
Recorded	Summer 1971 to 1972
Genre	Proto-disco, R&B, Philly soul, bubblegum pop
Length	6:15 (extended version); 2:59 (album version)
Label	Philadelphia International
Songwriter(s)	Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff
Producer(s)	Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff
The O’Jays singles chronology
“992 Arguments” (1972) “Love Train“ (1972) “Time to Get Down” (1973)

Music video
“Love Train” (Official “Love Train” Video on YouTube

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