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The Four Seasons - Rag Doll

The Four Seasons - Rag Doll Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Rag Doll
Released: 1964

Rag Doll Lyrics

Ooh
Oh, Rag Doll, ooh
Hand me down
When she was just a kid
Her clothes were hand-me-downs

Hand-me-down
They always laughed at her when she came into town
Called her rag doll
Little rag doll

Such a pretty face should be dressed in lace
Ooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
(Shag rag doll)

I'd change her sad rags into glad rags
If I could (if I could)
My folks won't let me
'Cause they say that she's no good
She's a rag doll, such a rag doll
Though I love her so
I can't let her know

Ooh ooh ooh ooh oh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh oh
Aah aah aah aah aah, rag doll
I love you just they way you are
Ooh ooh ooh ooh oh, rag doll, ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh oh, rag doll, ooh

Writer/s: Crewe, Bob / Gaudio, Bob
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Rag Doll Song Chart

Group member and chief songwriter Bob Gaudio wrote this. He was driving his car to the studio in New York City when he was stopped at a "three-minute light." A little girl - with ragged clothes and dirty face - ran up to the car and cleaned the windshield. As the light changed, Gaudio rummaged frantically through his pockets in an effort to find a quarter to pay the girl, who did indeed look like a Rag Doll. The smallest piece of money he could find was a five-dollar bill (sometimes Gaudio would say "ten-dollar bill" when he tells this story), so he gave her the currency. She was speechless, but he remembered her stunned look at the studio, where he composed the song.

When Gaudio and their producer, Bob Crewe, finished writing this, they wanted it to be the next Four Seasons single instead of one that was already scheduled for release, but the group was set to begin a tour the next day. Because their regular studio was closed on Sundays, they recorded this in the basement of a Manhattan demo studio, using a production crew with whom they had never worked before.

Unless you were The Beatles, it was very hard to get a #1 hit in the US in 1964. This was a major accomplishment for an American group during the British invasion. (thanks, Brad Wind - Miami, FL, for all above)

The B-side of this single was the original version of "Silence Is Golden," a big hit with the English group Tremeloes in 1967. (thanks, Kent - Gothenburg, Sweden)

The Beach Boys - Fun, Fun, Fun

The Beach Boys - Fun, Fun, Fun Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Shut Down, Vol. 2
Released: 1964

Fun, Fun, Fun Lyrics

Well she got her daddy's car
And she cruised through the hamburger stand now
Seems she forgot all about the library
Like she told her old man now
And with the radio blasting
Goes cruising just as fast as she can now

And she'll have Fun, Fun, Fun
Till her daddy takes the t-bird away
(Fun, fun, fun till her daddy takes the t-bird away)

Well the girls can't stand her
'Cause she walks, looks, and drives like an ace now
(You walk like an ace now, you walk like an ace)
She makes the Indy 500 look like a Roman chariot race now
(You look like an ace now, you look like an ace)
A lotta guys try to catch her
But she leads them on a wild goose chase now
(You drive like an ace now, you drive like an ace)

And she'll have fun, fun, fun
Till her daddy takes the t-bird away
(Fun, fun, fun till her daddy takes the t-bird away)

Well you knew all along
That your dad was gettin' wise to you now
(You shouldn't have lied now, you shouldn't have lied)
And since he took your set of keys
You've been thinking that your fun is all through now
(You shouldn't have lied now, you shouldn't have lied)

But you can come along with me
'Cause we gotta a lot of things to do now
(You shouldn't have lied now, you shouldn't have lied)

And we'll have fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away
(Fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
And we'll have fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away
(Fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)

Writer/s: LOVE, MICHAEL / WILSON, BRIAN
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Fun, Fun, Fun Song Chart

In this classic American song about girls and cars, a rebellious daughter borrows her dad's Ford Thunderbid, claiming she's going to the library to study (yeah, right). Instead, she uses it to show up other drivers. Her dad eventually finds out and takes his T-Bird back, but she retaliates by running off with someone who fell in love with her after watching her drive.

The song was written by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, with some of the lyrics by lead singer Mike Love, as he was much more attuned to teen culture than his cousin Brian. Love told us : "I suggested that we write a song about a girl who borrows her dad's car and goes cruising, rather than to the library, 'like she told her old man, now.' So I came up with the concept and the lyrics, and Brian went in and recorded the track. And I even told him, it's got to start like a Chuck Berry song with a guitar lead intro, which Carl Wilson supplied. And so that's how that came to pass."

Until some legal wrangling sorted out the songwriting credits in the '90s, this song was solely credited to Brian Wilson. As Love tells it, the reason he wasn't credited on this and some other Beach Boys songs he helped write was because Murry Wilson (father of band members Brian, Carl and Dennis), administrated the publishing rights and left him off the credits.

There have been many rumors about the identity of the girl in the song, but when we spoke with Beach Boys lead singer Mike Love, he said: "As far as I knew, there was no particular person that was the inspiration for that song. It was more generic. Because, what kid, when they get their driver's license, doesn't want to borrow the family car and they go cruisin' through the hamburger stand, or they say they need to go to the library, but who knows? [Laughing] Sometimes other thoughts become more attractive."

Here are the most common stories we've heard about who the girl is supposedly about:
A girl Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson was dating. She came from a rich family in Palos Verdes, Los Angeles and used to tell her father she was going to study at the library and needed his Ford Thunderbird to get there. Instead of driving to the library, she would hang out with Dennis at his apartment. Dennis would say, "We'll have fun till her daddy takes the T'bird away," and this became the hook.

Shirley Johnson England, whose father, Howard, owned the Utah radio station KNAK. Shirley claims that she used to borrow her dad's T-Bird, and one day got caught taking it to the drive-in instead of the library. The Beach Boys spent a lot of time at the station for promotional appearances, and when they heard this story, they wrote the song about Shirley.

The Wilsons' father Murray had very conservative values and felt this song was immoral. Murray served as their manager, and by many accounts was very controlling. He didn't get his way on this one, and was removed as manager a few months later. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The Beach Boys were on tour in Australia and when they returned to the States, Beatlemania had come to town. This was the Beach Boys' next hit, and while now regarded as a classic, at the time it was almost eclipsed by the Mop Tops. (thanks, Jo - Sheffield, England)

The intro was copied from Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode." Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys were heavily influenced by Chuck Berry. (thanks, Brandon - Seattle, WA)

In 1996 the British rock band Status Quo did a version of the song with The Beach Boys. Despite peaking at #24 on the UK charts it wasn't played on BBC Radio 1. An angry Status Quo threatened legal proceedings against the national station, claiming they were wrong to not playlist the song in spite of it making the Top 40.

The Yardbirds - I Wish You Would

The Yardbirds - I Wish You Would Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: For Your Love
Released: 1964

I Wish You Would Lyrics

Early in the morning, 'bout the break of day,
That's when my baby went away.
Come back, baby, I Wish You Would,
Try and love me, you won't do no good.

Walking and a-kissing late at night;
I tell you now baby, I feel just right.
Come now baby, whatcha trying to do?
Trying to love me and some other man, too.

Come now baby, give me one more chance.
You know I still love you, want to give you romance.
Yeah romance, all night long, in my arms, woah yeah.

Early in the morning, 'bout the break of day,
That's when my baby went away.
Come back, baby, I wish you would,
Try and love me, you won't do no good.

You know baby that I love you so.
You know, pretty baby, it hurts me to see you go.
Oh yeah, oh yeah.

Writer/s: HOLLIS, CHAUNCEY A. / KHALED, KHALED MOHAMMAED / WEST, KANYE OMARI / ROBERTS, WILLIAM LEONARD II / HUTCHINSON, MARQUEZ DEON
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

I Wish You Would Song Chart

Lead singer Keith Relf's voice was drowned in echo. The Yardbirds were known for experimenting with distortion and various other effects in their quest for the right sound. This led to an updated Blues sound that Jimmy Page would later use with Led Zeppelin. Page was with The Yardbirds from 1966-1968.

On most US pressings, this was mistitled "I Wish You Could."

There is an alternate take on the British album Remember the Yardbirds.

This was the Yardbirds' first single. It didn't chart because R&B was not popular at the time. The Yardbirds learned this when they finally hit it big with a Pop song, "For Your Love."

This was a cover of Billy Boy Arnold's 1955 hit, which is reputed to be the first blues song to feature electric bass.

The Temptations - The Way You Do The Things You Do

The Temptations - The Way You Do The Things You Do Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Meet The Temptations
Released: 1964

The Way You Do The Things You Do Lyrics

You got a smile so bright
You know you could have been a candle
I'm holding you so tight
You know you could have been a handle
The way you swept me off my feet
You know you could've been a broom
And babe you smell so sweet
You know you could've been some perfume

Well you could of been anything that you wanted to
I can tell
The Way You Do The Things You Do

As pretty as you are
You know you could've been a flower
If good looks were minutes
You know you could have been an hour
The way you stole my heart
You know you could have been a crook
And baby your so smart
You know you could have been a school book

Well you could of been anything that you wanted to
I can tell
The way you do the things you do

Well you could of been

You make my life so rich
You know you could've been some money
And baby you're so sweet
You know you could have been some honey

Well you could of been anything that you wanted to
I can tell
The way you do the things you do

Well you could of been

As pretty as you are
You know you could've been a flower
If good looks were minutes
You know you could have been an hour
The way you stole my heart
You know you could have been a crook
And baby your so smart
You know you could have been a school book

Well you could of been anything that you wanted to
I can tell
The way you do the things you do

Well you could of been

Writer/s: ROGERS, ROBERT / ROBINSON JR., WILLIAM
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

The Way You Do The Things You Do Song Chart

Smokey Robinson wrote this after Berry Gordy asked his Motown writers to come up with something for The Temptations. He said that whoever wrote them a hit would get preferential treatment and the chance to write more songs for The Temptations, which Smokey did.

The Temptations previous 7 singles all flopped. There was a lot of pressure on Motown to deliver a hit.

Berry Gordy wrote his own song the be their next single, but he put it on the shelf when enough people at Motown told him that Smokey's song was better.

Bobby Rogers, who was a member of Smokey's group, The Miracles, helped him finish writing this.

This was the first song on the first Temptations album, which was a collection of their singles released in 1965. At the time, Motown focused on releasing hit singles, and album sales were secondary. Singles were more profitable because more people bought them.

UB40 covered this in 1990. Their version hit #6 in the US.

Otis Williams of The Temptations recalled in Mojo magazine February 2009: "The first time we heard the song, we loved it. The melody swung, and the lyrics had lots of charm. They were silly in a way, talking about a girl you loved as a candle, a handle, a schoolbook, a cool crook, a broom, a perfume, but, typical Smokey, he made it work. It got a good response whenever we did it live, so our hopes were up. We knew from past experience that even the best tracks don't always click."

Smokey Robinson told Mojo October 2014 that Curtis Mayfield was his inspiration for this tune. "He had a song out with The Impressions called 'It's Alright' and they sang with this great harmony and I knew The Temptations could sing like that because they had a great harmony sound," Smokey explained, "and Curtis had this high voice like Eddie Kendricks and I wanted to simulate that if possible."

Peter & Gordon - A World Without Love

Peter & Gordon - A World Without Love Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: A World Without Love
Released: 1964

A World Without Love Lyrics

Please lock me away
And don't allow the day
Here inside where I hide
With my loneliness

[Chorus]
I don't care what they say I won't stay
In A World Without Love

Birds sing out of tune
And rain clouds hide the moon
I'm OK, here I'll stay
With my loneliness

[Chorus]

So I wait and in a while
I will see my true love's smile
She may come, I know not when
When she does I lose
So baby until then

Lock me away
And don't allow the day
Here inside where I hide
With my loneliness

[Chorus]

So I wait and in a while
I will see my true love's smile
She may come, I know not when
When she does I lose
So baby until then

Lock me away
And don't allow the day
Here inside where I hide
With my loneliness

[Chorus: x2]

Writer/s: LENNON, JOHN WINSTON / MCCARTNEY, PAUL JAMES
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

A World Without Love Song Chart

John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote this song. It is the biggest hit they wrote that was not released by The Beatles. It became the first and biggest hit for Peter & Gordon.

Peter & Gordon are Peter Asher and Gordon Waller. Paul McCartney went out with Asher's sister, the actress Jane Asher, which is how he met Peter. In the '60s, Jane had a famous father, a really famous boyfriend, and some prominent movie roles, including the 1966 film Alfie. In later years, she became an author and an expert on baked goods. She runs her own business called Jane Asher Party Cakes.

Pete Asher recalled in a 2010 interview with Gibson.com how the duo came to record this song: "Paul had played Gordon and me that song at some point, just in passing. It was really just half a song. It didn't yet have a bridge. Gordon and I were working at clubs in London at that time, and we got offered a record deal by EMI, who saw us as an English version of The Kingston Trio, or a Peter, Paul and Mary type of thing. We did the American folk song '500 Miles,' and that was the song they were thinking would be our first single. Anyway, we signed the record deal with EMI, and set the date for our first recording session. At that point I went to Paul and asked him if that orphaned song was still up for grabs, since we needed three or four songs to record on that first day in the studio. Paul said we could have it, so I asked him to finish the bridge. And he did. As I recall, the bridge came in the nick of time for us to record; World Without Love' at that first session."

Vic Flick, who played on many hit songs recorded in England, was the guitarist on this track. He told us, "This was the first time I used my Vox electric 12 string guitar. It was terrible to play, with a high action and not a very good sound. Things have improved, I'm pleased to say. Still it was a new sound and added to the character of the recording. I have the memory of the organist having his organ being brought into the studio by four road workers he cajoled into lifting it from his van. The workers were looking around in amazement at the big Studio 2 at EMI and tripping over the cables. Peter & Gordon were professional and did a great job. Peter Asher is now something big at Sony and was nice enough to write a letter confirming I was on the recording. The letter was needed to prove to the collection agency I was on the recording so I would get some sort of residual."

Peter Asher was the manager of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.

This was meant to be recorded by The Beatles, but that plan was vetoed by John Lennon. Asher explained: "John thought the first line 'Please lock me away' was laughable."

The only known recording of the song by any member of the Beatles is the original demo performed by McCartney . The tape is now in Peter Asher's possession.

The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go

The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Where Did Our Love Go
Released: 1964

Where Did Our Love Go Lyrics

Baby, baby, baby don't leave me
Ooh, please don't leave me all by myself
I've got this burning, burning, yearning feelin' inside me
Ooh, deep inside me and it hurts so bad

You came into my heart (baby, baby) so tenderly
With a burning love (baby, baby)
That stings like a bee (baby, baby)
Now that I surrender (baby, baby) so helplessly
You now want to leave (baby, baby)
Ooh, you wanna leave me (baby, baby)
Ooh (baby, baby)

Baby, baby, Where Did Our Love Go?
Ooh, don't you want me?
Don't you want me no more (baby, baby)?
Ooh, baby

Baby, baby, where did our love go?
And all your promises of a love forevermore!
I've got this burning, burning, yearning feelin' inside me
Ooh, deep inside me, and it hurts so bad

Before you won my heart (baby, baby)
You were a perfect guy
But now that you got me
You wanna leave me behind (baby, baby)
Ooh, baby

Baby, baby, baby don't leave me
Ooh, please don't leave me all by myself (baby, baby)
Ooh baby, baby, baby

Writer/s: HOLLAND, EDWARD JR. / DOZIER, LAMONT / HOLLAND, BRIAN
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Where Did Our Love Go Song Chart

The Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland wrote this. It was offered to another Motown group, The Marvelettes, who turned it down. Holland-Dozier-Holland had Marvelettes lead singer Gladys Horton in mind, but she sang in a lower key than The Supremes lead singer, Diana Ross. This forced Ross to sing in a lower, breathier style than she was used to.

Lamont Dozier explained in the book Chicken Soup For the Soul: The Story Behind The Song: "I originally cut this track with the Marvelettes in mind. In fact, I cut it in Gladys Horton's key, the lead singer, which was much lower than Diana Ross'. At that time, at Motown, the policy was that the songwriters had to pay for the tracks we cut if it didn't get recorded by one of their artists. It never entered my mind that the Marvelettes wouldn't like the song. I had the chorus and went to the office to talk with Gladys and played it for her. She said, 'Oh, honey, we don't do stuff like that. And it's the worst thing I ever heard.' She was adamant about it. I was shocked.

I knew I was in deep trouble if I didn't hurry and get someone to do the song because I wasn't about to pay for the track. I went through the Motown artist roster and went all the way to the bottom of the list and there were the Supremes, better known in those days as the 'no hit Supremes.' I told them it was tailor made for them, knowing that they had nothing going on at the time and needed a song. Much to my surprise, they said no. Gladys (Horton of the Marvelettes) told them I was looking for someone to record it. I wasn't giving up. Brian (Holland), Eddie (Holland) and I finally persuaded them to do it, convincing them that it was their saving grace and they couldn't refuse it. We had already had Top 40 hits with Martha & the Vandellas but they hadn't had recordings of any significance yet.

They were so annoyed that they agreed to do it that, in the studio, they had a really bad attitude. Diana (Ross) said it was in the wrong key, that it was too low. (Of course it was - I wrote it in Gladys' key.) Since the track was already cut, she had to sing it in that key and she'd never sung that low before. It turned out that her bad attitude and the low key were exactly what the song needed! I'd worked out intricate background vocals but the girls refused to learn them. Finally I said, 'Just sing 'Baby, baby, baby'.' It worked to their advantage and worked perfectly.

They didn't necessarily agree. Diana and I were throwing obscenities back and forth and she went running to Berry (Gordy, Jr.) and told him I said something off color about him. He came down to the studio to see what was wrong and while he was there, he asked to hear the song. He thought it was really good, but said that he didn't know if it was a hit, but that he thought it would be Top 10.

The song was released and flew up the charts to #1. From then on, one hit followed another. It was the first of 13 consecutive #1s we did on the Supremes. The next time the Hollands and I saw the girls was at the airport. They were getting off a plane with their Yorkshire terriers, in mink stoles. We started laughing. It was so funny to see them turn into stars overnight."

This was the first #1 hit for The Supremes and their first song to chart in the UK. The Supremes had more US #1 hits in the '60s than any other artist, but they weren't instant hitmakers. After 8 singles which hadn't achieved much, The Supremes earned the nickname "No-Hit Supremes." They were not impressed when they were offered a song to record which The Marvelettes, the top girl group at Motown at that point, had already rejected. They thought it was childish and after recording it they didn't like the way it turned out, little knowing it was going to be their first big hit. Motown boss Berry Gordy insisted they record the song.

Hitsville USA's floors are mahogany wood floors which enhance echo's, footstomps and fingersnaps, with a high ceiling helping. All footstomps, including those heard on this song, at Hitsville were genuine and most of the time were done with plywood sheets laying over the floor and picked up with two to three mics, including mics sitting in the rear of the echo chamber. (thanks, Colby - Arthur, IL)

The word "baby" is repeated over 70 times in this song.

This was recorded on three tracks: one for rhythm, another for horns, and a third for vocals.

At the invitation of Berry Gordy, Adam Ant performed this in 1983 on the Motown 25th Anniversary TV special - the same show where Michael Jackson did his most famous Moonwalk. Ant was a huge star in England, but little known in the US, especially among the Motown crowd. Midway through the performance, Diana Ross appeared on stage, giving her approval to the British Punk rocker who was perplexing the audience. According to Ant, Michael Jackson called him after the show, asking where he got his costumes.

The Supremes hated the song but were in no position at that time to turn it down, so they had to record it. Mary Wilson recalled to Billboard magazine in a 2014 interview: "We were a little pissed. It wasn't like a Martha & the Vandellas song. We told Holland-Dozier-Holland to bring on the hits. If we didn't get a hit, our parents were going to make us go to college."

"I went to Eddie and I cried," she continued. "I told him, 'You don't understand, we've got to get a hit record right now.' He said, 'Don't worry, trust us, this is going to be a smash.'"

"One of the things we didn't like about it was that Flo and I just had to sing, 'Baby, baby.' We were used to doing intricate harmonic patterns but on this song we didn't do anything."

Frank Sinatra - The Best Is Yet To Come

Frank Sinatra - The Best Is Yet To Come Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: It Might As Well Be Swing
Released: 1964

The Best Is Yet To Come Lyrics

Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum
You came along and everything's startin' to hum
Still, it's a real good bet, The Best Is Yet To Come
Best is yet to come and babe, won't that be fine?
You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine
Wait till the warm-up's underway
Wait till our lips have met
And wait till you see that sunshine day
You ain't seen nothin' yet
The best is yet to come and babe, won't it be fine?
Best is yet to come, come the day you're mine
Come the day you're mine
I'm gonna teach you to fly
We've only tasted the wine
We're gonna drain the cup dry
Wait till your charms are right for these arms to surround
You think you've flown before, but baby, you ain't left the ground
Wait till you're locked in my embrace
Wait till I draw you near
Wait till you see that sunshine place
Ain't nothin' like it here
The best is yet to come and babe, won't it be fine?
The best is yet to come, come the day you're mine
Come the day you're mine
And you're gonna be mine

Writer/s: LEIGH, CAROLYN / COLEMAN, CY
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, DOWNTOWN MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

The Best Is Yet To Come Song Chart

Though popularized by Frank Sinatra in 1964, this Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh-penned song was written for Tony Bennett, who introduced it on his 1962 album, I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Sinatra's version was a collaboration with Count Basie's Orchestra and was arranged by Quincy Jones.

This was the last song Frank Sinatra would perform in public. That performance took place on February 25, 1995, the last day of the Frank Sinatra Desert Classic Golf Tournament. Three years later, he would die of a heart attack, and the phrase "The Best Is Yet To Come" would be etched into his gravestone.

Michael Buble covered this for his 2007 album, Call Me Irresponsible.

James Darren, who recorded this for his 1999 album, This One's From the Heart, sang it with Avery Brooks that same year on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the episode "Badda-Bing Badda Bang."

Tony Bennett's version was the wake-up song for the Apollo 10 crew on May 22, 1969.

Frank Sinatra - My Kind of Town

Frank Sinatra - My Kind of Town Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Sinatra '65: The Singer Today
Released: 1964

My Kind of Town Lyrics

The Wrigley Building, Chicago is
The Chicago Cubbies, Chicago is
One town that won't let you down
It's My Kind of Town

Writer/s: CAHN, SAMMY/VAN HEUSEN, JAMES
Publisher: Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., IMAGEM U.S. LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

My Kind of Town Song Chart

Sometimes called "My Kind of Town (Chicago Is)," this song by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn is an homage to the Windy City. It was written for the 1964 musical Robin and the 7 Hoods, starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. (with Bing Crosby and Peter Falk filling in for the rest of the Rat Pack).

This was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from Mary Poppins.

Sinatra recorded this several times with a Nelson Riddle arrangement. It's featured on Sinatra '65: The Singer Today, on the live albums Sinatra at the Sands (1966) and The Main Event (1974), and on Duets II (1994), where he performed it with Frank Sinatra Jr.

Sinatra performed this during his last public performance at the Frank Sinatra Desert Classic golf tournament in Palm Springs (February 25, 1995). "Here's one that everybody knows," he said over the intro.

Filming Robin and the 7 Hoods in Chicago proved to be a nightmare for Sinatra, but neither the movie nor the town was to blame.

First, he received word that President John F. Kennedy, whom he also called a friend, had been assassinated. Devastated, he told the film crew, "Let's shoot this thing, 'cause I don't want to come back here anymore." (Frank Sinatra: An American Legend by Nancy Sinatra) Two weeks later, he suffered another blow when his teenage son, Frank Jr., was kidnapped from a hotel in Lake Tahoe. After his son's safe return a few days later, the singer retreated to his Palm Springs home to recover from the shock of it all.

Depending on which version you're listening to, the final lyrics reference "The Union Stock Yards, Chicago is" or "The Chicago Cubbies, Chicago is." The Union Stock Yards were the hub of the meatpacking business in the US for decades until the declining industry forced them to close their doors in 1971, also leading to a tweak in this song's lyrics.

The Kingsmen - Louie Louie

The Kingsmen - Louie Louie Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Louie Louie: The Kingsmen In Person
Released: 1964

Louie Louie Lyrics

Louie Louie, oh no
Me gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said
Louie Louie, oh baby
Me gotta go

Fine little girl waits for me
Catch a ship across the sea
Sail that ship about, all alone
Never know if I make it home

Louie Louie, oh oh no
Me gotta go, oh no
Louie Louie, oh baby
I said we gotta go

Three nights and days I sail the sea
Think of girl, constantly
On that ship, I dream she's there
I smell the rose in her hair.

Louie Louie, oh no
Me gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said
Louie Louie, oh baby
Me gotta go
Okay, let's give it to 'em, right now!

See Jamaica, the moon above
It won't be long, me see me love
Take her in my arms again
I tell her I'll never leave again

Louie Louie, oh no
Me gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said
Louie Louie, oh baby
Me gotta go

I said we gotta go now
Let's take it on outta here now
Let's go!!

Writer/s: BERRY, RICHARD
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Louie Louie Song Chart

This was written by an R&B singer named Richard Berry in 1955. With his group The Pharaohs, he was also the first to record it, and it got some airplay in some cities in the Western US when it was released in 1957. Various garage bands heard it and started covering the song, until it became a phenomena with the Kingsmen's 1964 version. While much of the song's notoriety comes from the indecipherable lyrics, in Berry's original version words are quite clear: the song is about a sailor who spends three days traveling to Jamaica to see his girl.

Dwight Rounds, author of The Year The Music Died, 1964-1972 , writes: "The words to 'Louie Louie' are almost impossible to understand, and are rumored to be obscene. No question that this added significantly to the sales of the single. There was probably a leak somewhere that the lyrics were obscene; otherwise no one would have realized it. This was the most ingenious marketing scheme ever. The FBI tried to track down Richard Berry, The Kingsmen, and various record company executives. They were never able to determine the actual lyrics used. The Kingsmen insisted they said nothing lewd, despite the obvious mistake at the end of the instrumental, where Jack Ely started to sing the last verse one bar too soon, and can be heard yelling something in the background. Ely also said that he sung far away from the microphone, which caused the fuzzy sound, and that the notoriety was initiated by the record company. The words sound much more like the official version seen below, especially the word "rose" instead of "bone." The lyrics rumor was a sham. The official lyrics are listed below in plain print, with one of the many alternative versions in italics.

Chorus: "Louie, Louie, oh no. Me gotta go. Aye-yi-yi, I said. Louie Louie, oh baby. Me gotta go."

"Fine little girl waits for me. Catch a ship across the sea. Sail that ship about, all alone. Never know if I make it home."

"Three nights and days, I sail the sea." Every night and day, I play with my thing.
"Think of girl, constantly." I f--k you girl, oh, all the way.
"Oh that ship, I dream she's there. On my bed, I'll lay her there.
"I smell the rose in her hair." I feel my bone, ah, in her hair.

"See Jamaica, the moon above." Hey lovemaker, now hold my thing.
"It won't be long, me see my love." It won't take long, so leave it alone.
"Take her in my arms again." Hey, senorita, I'm hot as hell.
"Tell her I'll never leave again." I told her I'd never lay her again.

The FBI launched an extensive investigation into this song after Indiana governor Matthew Welsh declared it "Pornographic" in early 1964 and asked the Indiana Broadcasters Association to ban it. The investigation spanned offices in several states, with technicians listening to the song at different speeds trying to discern any obscene lyrics. None were found; the FBI eventually figured out what happened when they contacted the FCC. The report details this correspondence:

"She explained that for approximately two years her company has been receiving unfounded complaints concerting the recording of 'Louie Louie.' She advised that to the best of her knowledge, the trouble was started by an unidentified college student, who made up a series of obscene verses for 'Louie Louie' and then sold them to fellow students. It is her opinion that a person can take any 45 r.p.m recording and reduce its speed to 33 r.p.m. and imagine obscene words, depending upon the imagination of the listener."

Many bands in the Northwest US played this at their concerts. The Kingsmen lifted their version from The Wailers, a Seattle band who missed out on the song's success.

This song was prominently featured in the film Animal House, starring John Belushi, despite the fact that it wasn't actually recorded until almost two years after the period of time in which the movie is set (1962). (thanks, Sam - Lincoln, NE)

This cost $50 to record. The Kingsmen went to the studio after a radio station executive in Portland saw them perform it live and suggested they record it.

Paul Revere and The Raiders, also on the Northwest touring scene, recorded their version the day after The Kingsmen at the same studio. Their version was superior musically, but was just regional hit as they could not generate the publicity The Kingsmen did.

This was the only Kingsmen song with lead vocals by Jack Ely. Before this became a hit, he quit when band leader Lynn Easton assumed vocals and ordered Ely to drums. When this became a hit, Easton would lip-sync to Ely's vocals on TV performances.

Ely later tried to capitalize on the success of "Louie Louie" by releasing similar songs on his own, including "Louie Louie 66," "Love That Louie," and "Louie Go Home."

In the FBI report, the alleged dirty lyrics were submitted by some concerned citizens, which the agency compared against the copyrighted published lyrics. The offensive lyrics FBI lab workers were listening for were:

Lou-ai Lou-ai Oh, no
Grab her way down low
This line least clear

There is a fine little girl waiting for me
She is just a girl across the way
When I take her all alone
She's never the girl I lay at home
(chorus)

Tonight at 10 I'll lay her again
We'll f--k your girl and by the way
And... on that chair I'll lay her there
I felt my bone... in her hair
(chorus)

She had a rag on, I moved above
It won't be long she'll slip it off
I held her in my arm and then
And I told her I'd rather lay her again
(chorus)

This became a national hit when a disc jockey in Boston played it and declared that it was the worst song he ever heard.

According to lead singer Jack Ely, the studio had a 19-foot ceiling with a microphone suspended from it. Ely claims that was the cause of the "garbled" lyrics, but Paul Revere and the Raiders recorded their version of "Louie Louie" in the same studio the day after the Kingsmen's session, and their partly ad-libbed lyrics are clearly heard.

On August 24, 2003, 754 guitarists played this at "Louie Fest" in Tacoma, Washington. The event was held to raise money for music programs. Dick Peterson from The Kingsmen was one of the guitarists.

The "See" in the lyrics "See Jamaica" comes in one line too early and is repeated.

This was used in the movie Down Periscope with Kelsey Grammer. As a submarine captain in a series of war games, Grammer and his crew sing this song loudly to confuse their pursuer's radar into thinking that they were a fishing trawler full of drunk fishermen. (thanks, Brandon - Peoria, IL)

Iggy Pop recorded a version with new lyrics for his 1993 album American Caesar. His band The Stooges would often play the song and change the words to the supposedly offensive lyrics. This version of the song was the last one they played at their February 9, 1974 show at the Michigan Palace, which would be their last until a reunion in 2003. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

According to Kenny Vance, who was the musical director on Animal House, John Belushi sang in a garage band that used to perform this song at fraternities. Belushi would sing his version of the dirty lyrics, which he did in the studio while recording his vocals for the movie. Sadly, the tape of Belushi singing his dirty version of the song was lost in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy wiped out Kenny's home in Queens. (Read more in our interview with Kenny Vance.)

In the 1990 movie Coupe de Ville, Patrick Dempsey, Arye Gross and Daniel Stern star as brothers who have an argument over the meaning of this song. They debate if it is about lovemaking, or if it is a sea shanty. (thanks, Gordon - Jacksonville, FL)

In 1966, The Sandpipers took this song to #30 in the US. Another notable cover: the West Coast punk band Black Flag recorded this in 1981 and released it on their album The First Four Years.

The Isley Brothers - Who's That Lady

The Isley Brothers - Who's That Lady Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Best Of The Isley Brothers
Released: 1964

Who's That Lady Lyrics

Who's That Lady (who's that lady)
Beautiful lady (who's that lady)
Lovely lady (who's that lady)
Real fine lady (who's that lady)
Hear me callin' out to you
'Cause it's all that I can do
Your eyes tell me to pursue
But you say look yeah, but don't touch, baby
nah, nah, nah don't touch
Who's that lady (who's that lady)
Sexy lady (who's that lady)
Beautiful lady (who's that lady)
Real fine lady (who's that lady)
I would dance upon a string
Any gift she'd want to bring
I would give her anything
If she would just do what I say
Come 'round my way, baby
Shine my way
Who's that lady (who's that lady)
Beautiful lady (who's that lady)
Lovely lady (who's that lady)
Real fine lady (who's that lady)
I would love to take her home
But her heart is made of stone
I would keep on keepin' on
If I don't she'll do me wrong
Do me wrong, yeah

Writer/s: ISLEY, ERNIE/ISLEY, MARVIN/ISLEY, RONALD/ISLEY, RUDOLPH
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Who's That Lady Song Chart

This song went nowhere when it was released as a single in 1964, but when the Isley Brothers reworked the song in 1973 and released it as "That Lady," it became a huge hit for the band. The new version features younger brother Ernie on guitar.

A soul trio called The Impressions inspired this song. The Isleys were big fans.

The Isley Brothers - Testify

The Isley Brothers - Testify Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: It's Our Thing
Released: 1964

Testify Lyrics

Testify Song Chart

To "Testify" is to speak in church about a religious experience. The practice is common in black churches and is a very powerful spiritual experience, as members of the congregation share their stories of how God has touched their lives.

This was the first single released on The Isley Brothers' own label, T-neck records.

Jimi Hendrix, known then as Jimmy Hendricks, is featured on guitar. The 21 year-old unknown was touring as a backup musician with The Isleys at the time.

Johnny Rivers - Memphis

Johnny Rivers - Memphis Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Johnny Rivers At The Whisky a Go Go
Released: 1964

Memphis Lyrics

Long distance information, give me Memphis Tennessee
Help me find the party trying to get in touch with me
She could not leave her number, but I know who placed the call
Cause my uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall

Help me, information, get in touch with my Marie
She's the only one who'd phone me here from Memphis Tennessee
Her home is on the south side, high up on a ridge
Just a half a mile from the Mississippi Bridge

Help me, information, more than that I cannot add
Only that I miss her and all the fun we had
But we were pulled apart because her mom did not agree
And tore apart our happy home in Memphis Tennessee

Last time I saw Marie she's waving me good-bye
With hurry home drops on her cheek that trickled from her eye
Marie is only six years old, information please
Try to put me through to her in Memphis Tennessee

Writer/s: C. BERRY
Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Memphis Song Chart

Chuck Berry wrote this and recorded it in 1959 as "Memphis, Tennessee." It languished as the B-side of his Back In The U.S.A. single, but was revived when the white blues guitarist Lonnie Mack covered it in 1963. With the title shortened to "Memphis," his version went to #5 in the US.

Johnny Rivers, who had some success as a songwriter (Rick Nelson's "I'll Make Believe"), but had yet to score a hit as an artist, landed a regular gig in 1963 at the Whisky a Go Go, a popular club on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles (The Doors would later make their mark playing shows at The Whiskey). In 1964 he released a live album recorded at the club called Johnny Rivers At The Whisky a Go Go, with "Memphis" issued as a single. It became a huge hit for Rivers, going to #2 in America and launching a career that included nine Top 10 singles. He also had tremendous influence on the business side; he started a record label called Soul City which signed the Fifth Dimension and Jimmy Webb .

This song tells quite a story and has an interesting twist ending. We hear about the singer getting a phone call from a girl who wouldn't leave a number, but he knows it came from Memphis, Tennessee. He calls the operator, trying to locate his girl Marie (which conveniently rhymes with "Tennessee"), who he thinks is the one trying to reach him. At the end of the song, we find out that Marie is his six-year-old daughter, and that he is a divorced father trying desperately to get in touch with her.

Chuck Berry drew on accounts he heard from friends and acquaintances to craft his lyric. "I had known couples who had divorced and the tragedies of the children," he said.

Rivers followed up this song with another Chuck Berry cover: "Maybellene," which went to #12 in the US.

In February 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent a week hosting The Mike Douglas Show. During this stint, Lennon performed this song and "Johnny B. Goode" with Chuck Berry, who Lennon referred to as "my hero." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

This song made a return to the charts in 1981 when Fred Knoblock's cover made #10 on the Country charts and bubbled under at #102 on the Hot 100.

The Rolling Stones - Around And Around

The Rolling Stones - Around And Around Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: 12 x 5
Released: 1964

Around And Around Lyrics

I said the joint was rocking
Goin' round and round
Yeah, reeling and a rocking
What a crazy sound
And they never stopped rocking
'Til the moon went down

Well it sounds so sweet
I had to take me chance
Rose out of my seat
I just had to dance
Started moving my feet
Whoa to clapping my hands

I said the joint was a rocking
Goin' round and round
Yeah, reeling and a rocking
What a crazy sound
And they never stopped rocking
'Til the moon went down

Yeah at twelve o'clock
Yeah the place was packed
Front doors was locked
Yeah the place was packed
And when the police knocked
Those doors flew back

But they kept on rocking
Goin' round and round
Yeah, reeling and a rocking
What a crazy sound
And they never stopped rocking
'Til the moon went down

And they go on rocking
Goin' round and round
Yeah, reeling and a rocking
What a crazy sound
And they never stopped rocking
'Til the moon went down

Well the joint stayed a rocking
Goin' round and round
Yeah, reeling and a rocking
What a crazy sound
And they never stopped rocking
'Til the moon went down

Writer/s: CHUCK BERRY
Publisher: BMG PLATINUM SONGS
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Around And Around Song Chart

Chuck Berry wrote this and was the first to record it. Keith Richards thought Chuck Berry was "The epitome of rock and roll playing."

This was the first song Mick Jagger sang when he and Keith Richards sat in with the group Blues Inc. in 1962. It was also the first song The Rolling Stones ever recorded. They cut it in March of 1962, although this version was never released. They re-recorded it in 1964 for the 12 x 5 album. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The Stones performed this on their first Ed Sullivan show appearance in 1964. Sullivan announced that he would never have them on again, but ended up inviting them back several times.

Probable lineup:
Drums: Charlie Watts
Bass: Bill Wyman
Rhythm electric guitar: Brian Jones
Lead electric guitar: Keith Richards
Vocal: Mick Jagger
Piano: Ian Stewart (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The Rolling Stones - Not Fade Away

The Rolling Stones - Not Fade Away Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: The Rolling Stones
Released: 1964

Not Fade Away Lyrics

I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be
You're gonna give your love to me
I'm gonna love you night and day
Well love is love and Not Fade Away
Well love is love and not fade away

My love bigger than a Cadillac
I try to show it and you're drivin' me back
Your love for me has got to be real
For you to know just how I feel
Love is real and not fade away
Well love is real and not fade away

I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be
You're gonna give your love to me
Love to last more than one day
Well love is love and not fade away
Well love is love and not fade away
Well love is love and not fade away
Love, love is love and not fade away
Not fade away
Not fade away

Writer/s: NORMAN PETTY, CHARLES HARDIN
Publisher: BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Not Fade Away Song Chart

Buddy Holly originally recorded this in 1957. Holly released it with his group, The Crickets, as the B-side of their single, "Oh Boy."

This features the "Bo Diddley Beat" - dun, da-dun, da-dun, da-dun, dun. The Stones toured with Diddley in England before recording this.

Charlie Watts: "We did it with a Bo Diddley beat, which at the time was very avant garde for a white band to be playing Bo Diddley's stuff. It was a very popular rhythm for us in clubs; looking at it from the drumming point of view. So we did it in this slightly different way than Buddy Holly did it." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

Their manager, Andrew Oldham, was convinced the Stones would be successful after hearing what they did with this. Said Oldham: "Although it was a Buddy Holly song, I considered it to be like the first song Mick and Keith wrote, in that they picked the concept of applying that Bo Diddley thing to it. The way they arranged it was the beginning of the shaping of them as songwriters. From then on they wrote. At that time, Mick, Keith, and I lived together. They were into the last half bottle of wine and going through, it was one of those magical moments. When Keith played that to me in the front room you could actually HEAR the record in that room. What basically made the record was that whole Bo Diddley acoustic guitar thrust. You heard the whole record in one room. We gotta record it! But there's no way if someone had just said coldly, Right, let's do "Not Fade Away" that we would have wanted to do it without hearing the way that Keith was playing it on the guitar. Keith just did it. And that was that. To me, they wrote the song. It's a pity we couldn't have gotten the money." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

According to an article in The Daily Mail on April 6, 2006, at the time the Rolling Stones weren't talking to each other so Gene Pitney, who knew the group through their manager Andrew Loog Oldham, claimed it was his birthday. He asked them all to drink a water glass full of cognac to celebrate and the result was this memorable cover of a Crickets B-Side. Phil Spector is credited with playing maracas on the record but in fact he was playing an empty cognac bottle with a 50 cent piece. (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England)

This was the Stones first UK top 10 hit. Their previous 2 singles were "I Wanna Be Your Man" (written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney) and "Come On" (written by Chuck Berry).

Bill Wyman: "The rhythm thing was formed basically around the Buddy Holly thing. We brought the rhythm up and emphasized it. Holly had used that Bo Diddley trademark beat on his version, but because he was only using bass, drums and guitar, the rhythm element is sort of a throwaway. Holly played it lightly. We just got into it more and put the Bo Diddley beat up front." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The Rolling Stones - Tell Me (You're Coming Back)

The Rolling Stones - Tell Me (You're Coming Back) Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: The Rolling Stones
Released: 1964

Tell Me (You're Coming Back) Lyrics

Tell Me (You're Coming Back) Song Chart

This was the first Mick Jagger/Keith Richards composition. They wrote it when their manager, Andrew Oldham, locked them in his kitchen and told them to write some songs. At the time, The Stones were content to interpret songs written by other artists. This helped give Mick and Keith the confidence that they could be songwriters as well as performers.

A Pop ballad, this was a big departure from the Blues songs The Stones were covering at the time.

This was released as a single only in the US. It was their first Top 40 hit in America.

Keith Richards (1971): "Tell Me, which was pulled out as a single in America, was a dub. Half those records were dubs on that first album, that Mick and I and Charlie and I'd put a bass on or maybe Bill was there and he'd put a bass on Let's put it down while we remember it and the next thing we know is, Oh look, track 8 is that dub we did a couple months ago. That's how little control we had."

Mick Jagger (1995): "Keith was playing 12-string and singing harmonies into the same microphone as the 12-string. We recorded it in this tiny studio in the West End of London called Regent Sound, which was a demo studio. I think the whole of that album was recorded in there. But it's very different from doing those R&B covers or Marvin Gaye covers and all that. There's a definite feel about it. It's a very POP song, as opposed to all the blues covers and the Motown covers, which everyone did at the time." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 2)

The Rolling Stones - Now I've Got A Witness (Like Uncle Phil and Uncle Jean)

The Rolling Stones - Now I've Got A Witness (Like Uncle Phil and Uncle Jean) Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: The Rolling Stones
Released: 1964

Now I've Got A Witness (Like Uncle Phil and Uncle Jean) Lyrics

Now I've Got A Witness (Like Uncle Phil and Uncle Jean) Song Chart

Uncle Phil is Phil Spector, a legendary producer who was friends with The Stones. Uncle Gene is Gene Pitney, a singer who wrote the Stones' "That Girl Belongs To Yesterday." They were frequent visitors at The Stones' recording sessions.

This is an instrumental The Stones recorded at the same session where they covered "Can I Get A Witness." Some of the keyboards were taken from that song.

This was credited to Nanker Phelge, a goofy name for a Jagger/Richards composition. "Nanker" was a wacky face they would make to amuse each other, "Phelge" was a roommate of Keith Richards whom he considered "The most disgusting person ever."

Ian Stewart played organ on this. Sometimes considered "The Sixth Stone," he also played on sessions for Led Zeppelin and formed his own outfit with Charlie Watts, Alexis Korner and Jack Bruce in the late '70s and early '80s called Rocket 88. After his death in 1985, The Stones played their only concert in a 7-year period at a London club in February 1986 as a tribute to Stewart. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The Beatles - Ain't She Sweet

The Beatles - Ain't She Sweet Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Ain't She Sweet
Released: 1964

Ain't She Sweet Lyrics

Oh Ain't She Sweet,
Well see her walking down that street.
Yes I ask you very confidentially:
Ain't she sweet?

Oh ain't she nice,
Well look her over once or twice.
Yes I ask you very confidentially:
Ain't she nice?

Just cast an eye
In her direction.
Oh me oh my,
Ain't that perfection?

Oh I repeat
Well don't you think that's kind of neat?
Yes I ask you very confidentially:
Ain't she sweet?

Oh ain't she sweet,
Well see her walking down that street.
Well I ask you very confidentially:
Ain't she sweet?

Oh ain't that nice,
Well look it over once or twice.
Yes I ask you very confidentially:
Ain't she nice?

Just cast an eye
In her direction.
Oh me oh my,
Ain't that perfection?

Oh I repeat
Well don't you think that's kind of neat?
Yes I ask you very confidentially:
Ain't she sweet?

Oh ain't she sweet,
Well see her walking down that street.
Well I ask you very confidentially:
Ain't she sweet?
Well I ask you very confidentially:
Ain't she sweet?

Writer/s: AGER, MILTON/YELLEN, JACK
Publisher: Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Ain't She Sweet Song Chart

This was written in 1927 by songwriters Milton Ager and Jack Yellen, and it quickly became a standard. Ager wrote the lyrics for his daughter Shana, who later became an actress and political commentator named Shana Alexander.

This song was first recorded in 1927 as a piano tune by Frank Banta. Some of the many artists who recorded this include Frank Sinatra, Harry James, Lawrence Welk and Gene Vincent. (thanks, Terry - Willmar, MN)

The Beatles recorded this in June, 1961 in Hamburg, Germany. They played in German clubs 1960-1961, becoming much better musicians as a result.

John Lennon decided to play this "as a march," whereas the Gene Vincent version is much softer. A softer version can be heard on Anthology 3.

Most songs The Beatles covered were '50s R&B hits, but this was a 1927 pop hit that the fab four liked. (thanks, Loretta - Liverpool, England, for above 2)

Pete Best played drums on this. He earned some royalties when this was released on their Anthology album. It was one of the few times he benefited from The Beatles' success.

The Beatles didn't release this in the US until 1964, 3 years after it was recorded.

The Beatles - Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

The Beatles - Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Beatles For Sale
Released: 1964

Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby Lyrics

Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby Song Chart

Carl Perkins was the first to record this. The Beatles also covered Perkins' "Matchbox" and "Honey Don't."

So, to track down the pedigree of this song: It was written by Carl Perkins, a Memphis, Tennessee rockabilly artist, but it's also very similar to another song by the same title by Alabama country singer Rex Griffon - while using music more keeping with "Blue Suede Shoes." Meanwhile the melody was also borrowed back to country by Hank Williams in the songs "Move It On Over" and "Mind Your Own Business." The melody was also re-borrowed for "Rock Around The Clock." Confused now?

George Harrison sang lead - he was a huge fan of Perkins. It was his showcase song on early tours. The technique used for George Harrison's vocals, in which they are both double-tracked and echoed to create a fuller sound, goes by the acronym STEED, for "Single Tape Echo + Echo Delay." For that 1950s "rocker from outer space" effect.

This was the last Beatles album to which George Harrison did not offer any lyrical contribution. After Beatles For Sale, he became more prominent as a songwriter in the group - he wrote 2 songs for Help and 2 for Rubber Soul. (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)

Ironically considering the album title, Beatles For Sale was not for sale in the United States until the 1980s. The album Beatles '65 contained mostly the same tracks, and was the US version of the UK Beatles For Sale.

The Kinks - You Really Got Me

The Kinks - You Really Got Me Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos
Album: The Kinks
Released: 1964

You Really Got Me Lyrics

Girl, You Really Got Me goin'
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' now
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

You really got me
You really got me
You really got me

See, don't ever set me free
I always want to be by your side
Girl, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

You really got me
You really got me
You really got me
Oh no

See, don't ever set me free
I always want to be by your side
Girl, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night

You really got me
You really got me
You really got me

Writer/s: DAVIES, RAY
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

You Really Got Me Song Chart

Ray Davies wrote this with the help of his brother (and Kinks guitarist) Dave. Ray played it for Dave on piano, and Dave tried it on guitar. Their first version was six-minutes long, but the final single release came in at just 2:20.

Dave Davies got the dirty guitar sound by slashing the speaker cone on his amp with a razor blade. The vibration of the fabric produced an effect known as "fuzz," which became common as various electronic devices were invented to distort the sound. At the time, none of these devices existed, so Davies would mistreat his amp to get the desired sound, often kicking it. The amp was a cheap unit called an Elpico.

In 2015, Ray Davies told Rolling Stone that the lyric was inspired by a night out when he was watching girls dancing in a club. "I just remembered this one girl dancing," he said. "Sometimes you're so overwhelmed by the presence of another person and you can't put two words together."

Before they released this, The Kinks put out two singles that flopped: a cover of "Long Tall Sally" and a Ray Davis composition called "You Still Want Me." If "You Really Got Me" didn't sell, there was a good chance their record label would have dropped them.

When The Kinks heard the first version they recorded of this song, they hated the results. It was produced by Shel Talmy, their manager at the time, and Ray Davies thought it came out clean and sterile, when he wanted it to capture the energy of their live shows.

Dave Davies' girlfriend backed them up, saying it didn't make her want to "drop her knickers." The Kinks' record company had no interest in letting them re-record the song, but due to a technicality in their contract, The Kinks were able to withhold the song until they could do it again. At the second session, Dave Davies slashed his amp and Talmy produced it to get the desired live sound. This is the version that was released.

Talmy thought the first version was good, and that it also would have been a hit if it was released. This first version was slower and had more of a blues sound.

The song was recorded on September 26, 1964 with Ray Davies on lead vocals, Dave Davies on guitar and Pete Quaife on bass.

The Kinks didn't have a drummer when they first recorded the song, so producer Shel Talmy brought in a session musician named Bobby Graham to play. When they recorded this the second time, Mick Avory had joined the band as their drummer, but Talmy didn't trust him and made him play tambourine while Graham played drums. One other session musician was used - Arthur Greenslade played piano.

Just before Dave Davies started his guitar solo at the second recording session, his brother yelled to encourage him. Dave got a little confused, but they had only three hours of studio time so he kept playing. He pulled off the solo despite the distraction.

The first line was originally "You, you really got me going." Ray Davies changed it to "Girl, you really got me going" at the suggestion of one of their advisers. The idea was to appeal to the teenage girls in their audience.

Dave Davies got the idea for the guitar riff from "Tequila" by The Champs.

This was the first hit for The Kinks. It gave them a lot of publicity and led to TV appearances, magazine covers, and two gigs opening for The Beatles. They didn't have an album out yet, so they rushed one out to capitalize on the demand. This first album contained only five originals, with the rest being R&B covers.

Ray Davies wrote this with the intention of making it big crowd-pleaser for their live shows. He was trying to write something similar to "Louie Louie," which was a big hit for The Kingsmen.

It was rumored that Jimmy Page, who was a session musician at the time, played guitar on this track, which the band stridently denied. According to a 2012 interview on Finding Zoso with producer Shel Talmy, Jimmy Page did not play the lead guitar on the song. However he did play rhythm as Ray Davies didn't want to sing and play guitar at the same time.

Ray Davies: "I made a conscious effort to make my voice sound pure and I sang the words as clearly as the music would allow."

Ray Davies was 22 when they recorded this; Dave Davies was 17.

A cover of this song was the first single for Van Halen in 1978. Eddie Van Halen would spend the next several years developing new guitar riffs, and like Davies, was known to manipulate his equipment to get just the right sound.

The powerful rhythm guitar riff was very influential on other British groups. The Rolling Stones recorded "Satisfaction," which was driven by the rhythm guitar, a year later.

According to Ray Davies, there was a great deal of jealousy among their peers when The Kinks came up with this song. He said in a 1981 interview with Creem: "There were a lot of groups going around at the time – the Yardbirds, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones – and nobody had really cracked with a sort of R&B #1 record. The songs were always sort of like The Beatles. When we first wanted to do a record, we couldn't get a recording gig. We were turned down by Decca, Parlophone, EMI and even Brian Epstein came to see us play and turned us down. So I started writing songs like 'You Really Got Me,' and I think there was a sheer jealousy that we did it first. Because we weren't a great group – untidy – and we were considered maybe a bit of a joke. But for some reason, I'd just had dinner, shepherd's pie, at my sister's house, and I sat down at the piano and played da, da, da, da, da. The funny thing is it was influenced by Mose Allison more than anybody else. And I think there was a lot of bad feeling. I remember we went to clubs like the Marquee, and those bands wouldn't talk to us because we did it first."

The Kinks' next single was "All Day And All Of The Night," which was basically a re-write of this song, but was also a hit.

This was used in the 2004 video game Battlefield Vietnam. (thanks, Agustin - Barcelona, Spain)

Jon Lord played the keyboard part on this track years before he became a member of Deep Purple. He recalled with a laugh to The Leicester Mercury in 2000: "All I did was plink, plink, plink. It wasn't hard."

Ray Davies recalled in an interview with NME how his brother Dave created the distortion effect on this song. Said Ray: "We stuck knitting needles in the speakers, or in Dave's case, he slit the speakers with a razor blade. In those days we played records on a radiogram so loudly that they all sounded fuzzy. We thought, 'That's a great sound,' without realizing the speakers were buggered. Everyone else was using really clean guitar sounds, so for 'You Really Got Me' we hooked a little speaker up to a clean amp and came up with thunderous, unaffected, pure power."

In a Rolling Stone interview, Ray said that they "evolved" the sound by putting knitting needles in the speakers when recording this song. That statement prompted a rebuttal from his brother Dave, who wrote in to explain: "I alone created the guitar sound for the song with my Elipico amp that I bought. I slashed the speaker with a razor blade, which resulted in the 'You Really Got Me' tone. There were no knitting needles used in making my guitar sound."

Ray Davies told The NME that the Van Halen version of this tune is his favorite Kinks cover. He explained: "It was a big hit for them and put them on a career of excess and sent them on the road. So I enjoyed that one."

Dave Davies is not a fan of the Van Halen cover. He told Rolling Stone: "Our song was working-class people trying to fight back. Their version sounds too easy."

The Who played this at many of their early concerts. Their first single was "I Can't Explain" and was also produced by Shel Talmy. The sound borrowed heavily from this, as Pete Townshend played a dirty guitar riff similar to what Dave Davies' recording.