Friday 15 May 2020

Give me summer loving

Such is the title of one of the best R&B singles (R&B? in feel yes, but not in chord structure), by the Spencer Davis Group; as heard, as known aurally.

A cheerful, feel good single.

Of course, I couldn't hear a single word of the verses - I could only hear the chorus words: "So happy baby, Give me summer loving!".

But it didn't matter, because the voice was really great (a plump, middle-aged, Black American from the Deep South, obviously - presumably Mr Spencer Davis himself), the rhythm playing superb, the Hammond organ interjections tasty. Altogether typical of why (in the pre/early-Beatles era) most of the best pop music was imported from the USA.

Well, music is for listening, and that's what listening tells you.

But a bit of background research reveals a different story:


"Gimme Some Lovin'"

Well my temperature's rising and my feet are on the floor
Twenty people knocking 'cos they're wanting some more
Let me in baby, I don't know what you've got
But you'd better take it easy, this place is hot

[Chorus:] I'm so glad we made it, I'm so glad we made it
You've gotta gimme some lovin' (gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin' (gimme gimme some lovin'),
gimme some lovin' every day

Well I feel so good, everything is sounding hot
Better take it easy 'cos the place is on fire
Been a hard day and I don't know what to do
Wait a minute baby, it could happen to you

Well I feel so good, everybody's getting high
Better take it easy 'cos the place is on fire
Been a hard day and nothing went too good
Now I'm gonna relax honey, everybody should

Gimme some lovin' (gimme some lovin')
I need it (Gimme gimme some lovin') I need it
Ooh, gimme some lovin', every day, every day...

5 comments:

Francis Berger said...

I find that to be the case with a great deal of pop/rock music. In quite a few cases, I think it's intentional. Sometimes the effect happens in reverse. For example, whenever I hear Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze, I can swear Jimi sings, "Excuse me while I kiss this guy" rather than "kiss the sky."

Anyway, Steve Winwood (vocalist in video) has/had a great set of pipes, even if he didn't always articulate the lyrics clearly.

David Stanley said...

Too many to mention but I remember much hilarity in the class at the Police(Sting) singing "Sue Lawley,Sue Lawley, I feel Sue Lawley."

Pangloss said...

There is a Scorpions song called 'Coming Home' (about touring as a rock band) in which there is the line 'No place too far we wouldn't know' but a friend heard 'No place to park we wouldn't know'. How glamorous! And there is the Michael Jackson song 'Billy Jean' with the line 'The child is not my son' yet someone heard 'The chair is not my size'. What can we say.. hilarious!

dearieme said...

Ah, BC, you sound like the Assistant Professor of English Literature who admitted to never having read Hamlet.

Spencer Davis's mob as Yanks? Oh dearie me.

Bruce Charlton said...

@d - Nobody from the Deep South would take kindly to being termed a Yank... But the vocal certainly does Not sound like an 18 year old Brummy ex-choirboy.