From Zion- Great Song and Cover Performances: There are some songs that you don’t truly appreciate until another artist takes it on and makes it their own. Oftentimes the newer version draws out the original’s complexities in a way you never would have noticed before. Or maybe the first version is equally compelling, but the cover artist re imagined it with such grandeur .
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One hot angel One cool devil Your mind on the fantasy Livin on the ecstasy Give it all, give it, Give it what you got Come on give it all a lot Pick it up move it Give it to the spot Your mind on a fantasy Livin on ecstasy
Runaway Train (Running right off the track) Runaway Train (Running right off the track) Runaway Train (Running right off the track) Yeah the Runaway Train (Running right off the track)
One hard ring a bell Old school rebel A ten for the revelry Jamming up the agency Shake it, Shake it Take it to the spot You know she make it really hot Get it on, give it up Come on give it all you got Your mind on a fantasy Livin on the ecstasy
Runaway Train (Running right off the track) Yeah the Runaway Train yeah (Running right off the track) Find more lyrics at ※ Mojim.com On the Runaway Train (Running right off the track) Runaway Train (Running right off the track)
(Angus Guitar Solo)
One hot southern belle Son of a devil School boy's spelling bee A school girl with a fantasy One hard ring a bell All screwed up A ten for the revelry Jamming up the agency Shake it, Take it Take it to the spot You know She make it really hot Yeah Give it all, give it up Come on give it what you got You know she's just like it
Runaway Train (Running right off the track) She's coming off the track Runaway Train (Running right off the track) Give it all, give it up Come on give it all you got Runaway Train (Running right off the track) Runaway Train (Running right off the track)
Shake it up, baby (shake it up, baby) Come on and twist and shout, now (twist and shout) Come on, baby (come on, baby) Come on and work it on out, now (work it on out) Twist it, little girl (twist, little girl) You know you twist so fine (twist so fine) Twist a little closer (twist a little closer) Let me know you're mine (let me know you're mine) Let's go!
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! Ah! Shake it up, baby (shake it up, baby) Twist and shout, now (twist and shout) Come on, baby (come on, baby) You're gonna work it on out, now (work it on out) Twist it, little girl (twist, little girl) You know you twist so fine (twist so fine) Twist a little closer (twist a little closer) Let me know you're mine (let me know you're mine) Young man!
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! Shake it up, baby (shake it up, baby) Twist and shout, yeah (twist and shout) Well, now, come on, baby (come on, baby) Come on and work it on out, yeah (work it on out) Twist it, little girl (twist, little girl) You know you twist so fine (twist so fine) Twist a little closer (twist a little closer) Let me know you're mine (let me know you're mine) Hey, boys!
(Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!) Hang on a minute, boys, I'm gonna slow it down! Let's try this! Ah, la bamba (Ah, la bamba) La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la) La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la) La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la) I said, it's ah, ah, ah, yeah (ah, ah, ah, yeah) La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la) La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la) La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la (la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la) We'll do it all night long, yeah (all night long) All night long, yeah (all night long, yeah) All night long, yeah (all night long, yeah) All night long, yeah (all night long, yeah) Ah, ah, ah (ah, ah, ah) Little bit softer (ah, ah, ah) Little bit softer (ah, ah, ah) Little bit lower (ah, ah, ah) Little bit softer (ah, ah, ah) Little bit softer (ah, ah, ah) Little bit... (ah, ah, ah) Ah (ah, ah, ah)
A little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Little bit louder (ah, ah, ah) Here we go!
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! Shake it up, baby (shake it up, baby) Twist and shout, yeah (twist and shout) Come on, baby (come on, baby) We're gonna work it on out, yeah (work it on out) Twist it, little girl (twist, little girl) You know you twist so fine (twist so fine) Twist a little closer (twist a little closer) Let me know you're mine (let me know you're mine) Let's go!
We're havin' a party Dancin' to the music Played by the DJ On the radio So listen, Mister DJ Won't you keep those records playin' 'Cause I'm havin' such a good time Dancin' with my baby Whoa, oh, oh Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh Oh, oh
The above lyrics are for the live 19 Jul 1988 performance of TWIST AND SHOUT at Radrennbahn Weissensee in East Berlin, East Germany, during theTunnel Of Love Express Tour. The song includes snippets of Ritchie Valens'sLA BAMBAand Sam Cooke'sHAVING A PARTY.
This show was partially broadcast on East German television and radio. Oddly, the concerts was announced by the promoters as a "Concert for Nicaragua" (see ticket stub below), which upset Springsteen and prompted him to give his infamous German-language speech prior to CHIMES OF FREEDOM about "not being here for or against any certain government, but to play rockand roll for [you] East Berliners... in the hope that one day, all barriers will be torn down."
[Verse 1] It was a teenage wedding And the old folks wished them well You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle And now the young monsieur and madame have rung the chapel bell
[Hook] "C'est la vie", say the old folks It goes to show you never can tell
[Verse 2] They furnished off an apartment with A two room Roebuck sale The coolerator was crammed with TV dinners and ginger ale But when Pierre found work, the little money comin' worked out well
[Hook] "C'est la vie", say the old folks It goes to show you never can tell
[Verse 3] They had a hi-fi phono, boy Did they let it blast Seven hundred little records, All rock, rhythm and jazz But when the sun went down The rapid tempo of the music fell
[Hook] "C'est la vie", say the old folks It goes to show you never can tell
[Hook] "C'est la vie", say the old folks It goes to show you never can tell
[Bridge] They had a teenage wedding And the old folks wished them well You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle And now the young monsieur and madame have rung the chapel bell
[Hook] "C'est la vie", say the old folks It goes to show you never can tell
You Never Can Tell", also known as "C'est La Vie" or "Teenage Wedding", is a song written by Chuck Berry. It was composed in the early 1960s while Berry was in federal prison for violating the Mann Act. Released in 1964 on the album St. Louis to Liverpool and the follow-up single to Berry's final Top Ten hit of the 1960s: "No Particular Place to Go", "You Never Can Tell" reached number 14, becoming Berry's final Top 40 hit until "My Ding-a-Ling", a number 1 in October 1972. A 1977 Top Ten C&W hit for Emmylou Harris, the song has also been recorded or performed by Chely Wright, John Prine, New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Jerry Garcia Band, Bruce Springsteen, The Mavericks, Buster Shuffle and Bob Seger
Description
The song tells of the wedding of two teenagers and their lifestyle afterward. Living in a modest apartment, the young man finds work and they begin to enjoy relative prosperity. Eventually they purchase a "souped-up jitney" (an automobile modified for high performance) and travel to New Orleans, where their wedding had taken place, to celebrate their anniversary. Each verse ends with the refrain, "'C'est la vie,' say the old folks, 'it goes to show you never can tell.'" The melody was influenced by Mitchell Torok's 1953 hit "Caribbean."
Pulp Fiction
The song briefly became popular again after the 1994 release of the film Pulp Fiction, directed and co-written by Quentin Tarantino. The music was played for a "Twist contest" in which Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) competed (and were the only contestants shown in the film). The music added an evocative element of sound to the narrative and Tarantino said that the song's lyrics of "Pierre" and "Mademoiselle" gave the scene a "uniquely '50s French New Wave dance sequence feel".
Impact
Nick Lowe has indicated this song was a source of inspiration for his song "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)", which has been recorded by Dave Edmunds, Status Quo, and Lowe himself.
Other versions
Emmylou Harris version
"(You Never Can Tell) C'est La Vie"
(You Never Can Tell) C'est La Vie - Emmylou Harris.jpg
Single by Emmylou Harris
from the album Luxury Liner
B-side"Hello Stranger"
ReleasedFebruary 2, 1977
Format7" single
GenreRockabilly
Length3:27
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Chuck Berry
Producer(s)Brian Ahern
Emmylou Harris singles chronology
"Light of the Stable"
(1976)"(You Never Can Tell) C'est La Vie"
(1977)"Making Believe"
(1977)
Emmylou Harris' recording of "You Never Can Tell" - entitled "(You Never Can Tell) C'est La Vie" - was the lead single from her 1977 Warner Bros. Records album Luxury Liner.
Harris had sung Chuck Berry songs as a member of a DC-based folk trio early in her career. Her decision to record "...C'est La Vie" was the result of her listening extensively to rock-&-roll oldies while on the road.[4] The track, which features a prominent Cajun fiddle contribution by Ricky Skaggs, was recorded in an August 10, 1976 session recorded in the Enactron Truck, the mobile studio owned and operated by Harris' producer Brian Ahern. The same session yielded "Hello Stranger" which would serve as the B-side of the single release.
Released February 2, 1977, "...C'est La Vie" rose as high as #6 on C&W chart in Billboard that April. The track also rose to #4 and #5, respectively in the Netherlands and also the Flemish Region of Belgium. It also charted in Germany at #41.
In a 2013 interview Harris said: "'C’est la Vie' was a wonderful song to do, and I might [perform] it for nostalgic reasons, but it just lost its appeal for me after a while. I didn’t feel that I was bringing anything to it, I guess."
Also
1974 Ronnie Lane, on Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance
1975 John Prine, on Common Sense
1975 Loggins and Messina, on So Fine
1976 New Riders of the Purple Sage, on New Riders
1981 Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, on Leather and Lace
1984 Ian A. Anderson and Mike Cooper, on The Continuous Preaching Blues
1985 Bill Wyman's "Willie and the Poor Boys" featuring Charlie Watts, Andy Fairweather-Lowe, Mickey Gee, Geraint Watkins[6]
1993 Aaron Neville, on The Grand Tour
1994 Bob Seger, on Greatest Hits (as "C'est La Vie")
1996 Status Quo, on Don't Stop
2003 Farmboy, on the album Farmboy (as C’est la Vie)
2005 Chely Wright, on The Metropolitan Hotel (as "C'est La Vie (You Never Can Tell)")
2005 Santiago & Luis Auserón, on Las Malas Lenguas (as "Quién Lo Iba A Suponer")
2005 Texas Lightning, on Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (as "C'est La Vie")
2008 Roch Voisine, on Americana
2010 The Morlocks, on Play Chess
2013 Buster Shuffle On the "You Never Can Tell" single
2013 Bruce Springsteen, on the Wrecking Ball tour, in Germany
2015 A. Caveman & The Backseats for Ubisoft's Just Dance 2016
There is nothing that is wrong In wanting you to stay here with me I know you've got somewhere to go But won't you make yourself at home and stay with me? And don't you ever leave
Lay down, Sally, and rest you in my arms Don't you think you want someone to talk to? Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon I've been trying all night long just to talk to you
The sun ain't nearly on the rise And we still got the moon and stars above Underneath the velvet skies Love is all that matters Won't you stay with me? And don't you ever leave
Lay down, Sally, and rest you in my arms Don't you think you want someone to talk to? Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon I've been trying all night long just to talk to you
I long to see the morning light Coloring your face so dreamily So don't you go and say goodbye You can lay your worries down and stay with me And don't you ever leave
Lay down, Sally, and rest you in my arms Don't you think you want someone to talk to? Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon I've been trying all night long just to talk to you
Lay down, Sally, and rest you in my arms Don't you think you want someone to talk to? Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon I've been trying all night long just to talk to you
Songwriters: Eric Patrick Clapton / George E. Terry / Marcy Levy
Well It's Saturday night You're all dressed up in blue I been watching you awhile Maybe you been watching me too So somebody ran out Left somebody's heart in a mess Well if you're looking for love Honey I'm tougher than the rest
Some girls they want a handsome Dan Or some good-lookin' Joe On their arm some girls like a sweet-talkin' Romeo Well 'round here baby I learned you get what you can get So if you're rough enough for love Honey I'm tougher than the rest
The road is dark And it's a thin thin line But I want you to know I'll walk it for you any time Maybe your other boyfriends Couldn't pass the test Well if you're rough and ready for love Honey I'm tougher than the rest
Well it ain't no secret I've been around a time or two Well I don't know baby maybe you've been around too Well there's another dance All you gotta do is say yes And if you're rough and ready for love Honey I'm tougher than the rest If you're rough enough for love Baby I'm tougher than the rest
"Tougher Than the Rest" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1987 Tunnel of Love album. It was released as a single in some countries, following "Brilliant Disguise" and the title track, but was not released as a single in the United States. It reached as high as No. 3 on the Swiss charts, and also reached the Top 20 in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Austria.
History
Like much of the Tunnel of Love album, "Tougher Than the Rest" was recorded in Springsteen's home studio, called Thrill Hill East, between January and May 1987 with several members of the E Street Band On this song, Springsteen played several instruments and is backed by Danny Federici on organ and Max Weinberg on percussion.Although it was originally written as a rockabilly song, the final version has a slower and more methodical rhythm.
On the Tunnel of Love album, "Tougher Than the Rest" is the second song, following the acoustic "Ain't Got You", and introduces the sound that will permeate the remainder of the album. The synthesizer sound is layered and melodic and the drum sound is moody, heavy and menacing. Springsteen's vocal is also menacing and boastful as he sings the simple but elegant lyrics detailing his infatuation.
At least one of the singer and the woman he is singing to appear to be on the rebound from prior relationships. The singer recognizes that he is not a "handsome Dan" or a "sweet talking Romeo" and admits that he has "been around a time or two". He is not bothered with the possibility that the woman may have "been around too."Although the singer knows how messy and rough love can be, he claims that he is ready for it, but insists that the woman must also be equally tough and willing to take chances.The song is in some ways reminiscent of Springsteen's earlier song "Thunder Road", in which the singer wants to take the woman away, even though he tells her that "you ain't a beauty but hey you're alright". But unlike the earlier song, in this song the singer's goals are more realistic – rather than looking to run away with the woman, here he just wants to ask the woman to dance. In the context of this song the phrase, 'There's another dance, all you have to do is say yes,' is an allusion to taking a chance and falling in love. This is echoed in the song 'Girls in their Summer Clothes' which includes the line 'Love's a fools' dance, I ain't got no sense, but I've still got my feet.'
The music video features live concert footage interspersed with vignettes of couples made at venues on his "Tunnel of Love Express" tour. The video includes both gay and lesbian pairs interspersed with heterosexual couples as representatives of the artist's fans. Springsteen included this explicitly homosexual imagery with neither fanfare nor exploitation. Like several other music videos from the Tunnel of Love album, including "Brilliant Disguise", "Tunnel of Love" and "One Step Up", the video for "Tougher Than The Rest" was directed by Meiert Avis. The video was later released on the VHS and DVD Video Anthology / 1978-88.
Live performance history
"Tougher Than the Rest" has been reasonably popular in live performances. Next to Brilliant Disguise and the title track, this song is third and only other song from the album to receive several appearances live. From the Tunnel of Love Express Tour (where it typically opened the second set) that supported the initial release of the album through July 2005, the song received 98 live performances in concert. A live version of the song, recorded on April 27, 1988 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was released on the EP Chimes of Freedom. That version runs 6:39.
Cover versions
Emmylou Harris recorded the most successful cover version of this song. A cover by Chris LeDoux peaked at number 67 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1995. Other cover versions have been recorded by Title Tracks, Everything but the Girl, The Mendoza Line, Darren Hayes, Travis Tritt, Shawn Colvin, Angel Olsen and Camera Obscura. Cher performed the song during her 1990 Heart of Stone Tour and it is included in her Live at the Mirage DVD of that tour. We Are Augustines also covered the song, on their iTunes Session album.
4:15 (album version) 5:31 (alternate mix) 3:49 single version
Label
Columbia
Songwriter(s)
Bruce Springsteen
Producer(s)
Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt
Bruce Springsteen singles chronology
"I'm on Fire" (1985)
"Glory Days" (1985)
"I'm Goin' Down" (1985)
Born in the U.S.A. track listing
show
12 tracks
Music video
"Glory Days" on YouTube
"Glory Days" is a 1984 song, written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. In 1985, it became the fifth single released from his album Born in the U.S.A.
The song is a seriocomic tale of a man who now ruefully looks back on his so-called "glory days" and those of people he knew during high school. The lyrics to the first verse are autobiographical, being a recount of an encounter Springsteen had with former Little League baseball teammate Joe DePugh in the summer of 1973.
The music is jocular, consisting of what Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh called "rinky-dink organ, honky-tonk piano, and garage-band guitar kicked along by an explosive tom-tom pattern."
The single peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles charts in the summer of 1985. It was the fifth of a record-tying seven Top 10 hit singles to be released from Born in the U.S.A.
Missing verse
An alternate mix of the song includes an extra verse about the narrator's father, who worked at the Ford auto plant in Metuchen, New Jersey, for twenty years and who now spends most of his time at the American Legion Hall, thinking about how he "ain't never had glory days." However, after Springsteen realized that this verse did not fit with the song's storyline, it was cut out.
Music video
The music video for the song was shot in late May 1985 in various locations in New Jersey, and was directed by filmmaker John Sayles, the third video he had done for the album. It featured a narrative story of Springsteen, playing the protagonist in the song, talking to his young son and pitching to a wooden backstop against an imaginary lineup (he eventually lost the game to Graig Nettles). The baseball field scene was shot at Miller Park Stadium in West New York, NJ. The field is inside a city block surrounded mostly by homes. Intercut with these were scenes of Springsteen and the E Street Band lip-synching the song in a bar. The bar performance scenes were filmed at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ.
Although he had left the band more than two years earlier, Steven Van Zandt was invited back to perform in this video, but the two new members of the band, Nils Lofgren and Patti Scialfa, who had not been on the record at all, were also featured. Springsteen's then-wife Julianne Phillips made a cameo appearance at the baseball field at the end.
The video began airing on MTV in mid-June 1985 and went into heavy rotation. The music video received two MTV Video Music Awards nominations, Best Male Videoand Best Overall Performance at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.
The B-side of the single, "Stand On It", was a rocker that would later occasionally be brought out in encores of concerts. "Stand On It" would become a late 1980s hit for country singer Mel McDaniel. Stand On It was also featured in the movie Ruthless People and was also on its accompanying soundtrack album.
Live performance history
"Glory Days" became a mainstay of the first set on the 1984–1985 Born in the U.S.A. Tour (prefaced by remarks in which Springsteen declared, "I hated high school!"), then went into the encores for the 1988 Tunnel of Love Express and 1992–1993 "Other Band" Tour, in the latter case serving as the "band introductions" song. It was given a rest for the 1999–2000 Reunion Tour, but then came back to appear in about half the shows on the 2002–2003 Rising Tour. Furthermore, Springsteen often plays it in informal bar appearances, since it is one of his simpler songs for other musicians to pick up and play to.
In almost all instances, performances of "Glory Days" are accompanied by considerable Springsteen/E Street Band stage shtick, vamping on the outro, continuing the song on with false endings, everyone but the drummer and keyboard players coming out to stage front in a line, and so forth. An example of the elongated concert "Glory Days" was on a highly promoted July 30, 2002, appearance on The Today Show broadcasting from Asbury Park, New Jersey. Later in The Rising Tour, the song was further extended by incorporating a long boogie-woogie organ solo from Danny Federici. Steven Van Zandt makes his vocals shine on this song, most recently on Springsteen's Magic Tour.
Springsteen made a surprise appearance on Late Night with David Letterman on June 25, 1993, and played "Glory Days". Springsteen was the final guest on Letterman's last "Late Night" show on NBC. In his introduction to Springsteen's appearance, Letterman noted how Springsteen was the one performer he wished he had booked as a guest during his "Late Night" run, and that he was thankful that he was able to finally have Springsteen perform on that final show.
"Glory Days" was performed at the Super Bowl XLIII half-time show with minor lyric changes appropriate to the occasion (football player instead of baseball player, "Hail Mary" instead of "speedball"). During the song, Springsteen told Steven Van Zandt that they were going over their allowed 12 minutes, and Van Zandt responded that they should keep playing anyway.
"Cotton Fields" is a song written by American blues musician Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, who made the first recording of the song in 1940.
Early versions
Recorded by Lead Belly in 1940, "Cotton Fields" was introduced into the canon of folk music via its inclusion on the 1954 album release Odetta & Larry which comprised performances by Odetta[1] at the Tin Angel nightclub in San Francisco with instrumental and vocal accompaniment by Lawrence Mohr: this version was entitled "Old Cotton Fields at Home". The song's profile was boosted via its recording by Harry Belafonte first on his 1958 album Belafonte Sings the Blues with a live version appearing on the 1959 concert album Belafonte at Carnegie Hall: Belafonte had learned "Cotton Fields" from Odetta and been singing it in concert as early as 1955. A #13 hit in 1961 for The Highwaymen, "Cotton Fields" served as an album track for a number of C&W and folk-rock acts including Ferlin Husky (The Heart and Soul of Ferlin Husky 1963), Buck Owens (On the Bandstand 1963), the New Christy Minstrels (Chim-Chim-Cheree 1965) and the Seekers (Roving With The Seekers1964): Odetta also made a new studio recording of the song for her 1963 album One Grain of Sand. The Springfields included "Cotton Fields" on a 1962 EPrelease: this version is featured on the CD On An Island Of Dreams: The Best Of The Springfields. "Cotton Fields" was also recorded by Unit 4+2 for their Concrete and Clay album (1965). A rendering in French: "L'enfant do", was recorded in 1962 by Hugues Aufray and Petula Clark.
When I was a little bitty baby My mama done rock me in the cradle In them old cotton fields back home It was back in louisiana Just about a mile from texarkana In them old cotton fields back home
Let me tell you now well got me in a fix I caught a nail in my tire doing lickitey splits I had to walk a long long way to town Came upon a nice old man well he had a hat on Wait a minute mister can you give me some directions I gonna want to be right off for home
Don't care if them cotton balls get rotten When I got you baby, who needs cotton In them old cotton fields back home Brother only one thing more that's gonna warm you A summer's day out in California It's gonna be those cotton fields back home
It was back in Louisiana Just about…
American rockbandthe Beach Boys recorded "Cotton Fields" on November 18, 1968: the track with Al Jardine on lead vocals debuted on the group's 1969 album 20/20.
Single version
The Beach Boys Al Jardine - lead vocals, guitar, producer, arrangement Carl Wilson – guitar Dennis Wilson – drums Bruce Johnston – keyboardsAdditional personnel Ed Carter – bass Daryl Dragon – keyboards Orville "Red" Rhodes - pedal steel guitar Frank Capp – percussion Bill Peterson, Fred Koyen, David Edwards, Ernie Small – horns The Beach Boys - producer
Notes The single version of the song has mild distortion due to compression, especially during the drum fills, and sporadic skipping can be heard from 1:03 to 1:31 in the song. This is much more noticeable in the stereo mix of the song. In the mono mix of the song featured in the Good Vibrations box set, the skipping is less audible and the song itself is in a slightly higher pitch than in this stereo version.
Dissatisfied with Brian Wilson's arrangement of the song, Jardine later led the group to record a more country rock style version; this version recorded on August 15, 1969, featured Orville "Red" Rhodes on pedal steel guitar. Entitled "Cottonfields", the track afforded the Beach Boys their most widespread international success while also consolidating the end of the group's hit-making career in the US (although they would enjoy periodic comebacks there). "Cottonfields" would be the final Beach Boys' single released on Capitol Records – the group's label since May 1962 – and their last single released in mono.
While barely making a dent in the U.S. (number 95 Record World, number 103 Billboard) though promoted with an appearance on the network TV pop show Something Else, the song succeeded across the Atlantic, reaching number two in the UK's Melody Maker chart and listed as the tenth-biggest seller of the year by the New Musical Express. Worldwide – outside North America – it nearly replicated the success of the group's "Do It Again" two years before. It was number 1 in Australia, South Africa, Sweden and Norway, number 2 in Denmark, number 3 in Ireland, similarly top 5 in the United Kingdom, Japan, Spain and Rhodesia; number 12 in the Netherlands, number 13 in New Zealand and number 29 in Germany. Because of this popularity, it was placed on the international (ex-US) release of the group's Sunfloweralbum.
The original Lead Belly lyrics state that the fields are "down in Louisiana, just ten miles from Texarkana". Later versions (e.g., Creedence Clearwater Revival's) say the fields are "down in Louisiana, just about a mile from Texarkana". Both are geographically impossible, as Texarkana is about 30 miles north of the Arkansas–Louisiana border. This song line suggests the writer had the widely held[citation needed] but mistaken belief that Texarkana is partially in Louisiana.
Further use
The song and its various cover versions became a synonym of bluegrass music, as well far from actual cotton yielding regions. E.g. the German skiffle band Die Rhöner Säuwäntzt describe their style as Musik von den Baumwollfeldern der Rhön, translating into "music played in the Rhön Mountains (imaginary) cotton fields".In Spanish, the song was covered by the '60s rock and roll group Los Apson. In order to keep the words sounding similar, the meaning of the song was completely changed.
Hey, I've been driving all over the town On my cellphone wearin' it out And I finally tracked you down
Hey, everybody says you're the man The final piece to my master plan You got my world in the palm of your hand
Well I know that you got it Come on and just sell it Got the cash up in my pocket You know I gotta get it
Hey mister won't you sell me a fake ID There's a band in the bar that I'm dying to see I got my money and you got what I need Hey mister won't you sell me a fake ID
Hey, don't even think about tellin' me no It's only twenty minutes 'till the show Hey mister turn it over let's go
No, I ain't gonna need a receipt Just make sure that it looks like me So the bouncer don't call the police
And don't tell my daddy Stole the keys to his caddy Don't dilly…
Footloose (1984 film)
Footloose is a 1984 American musical drama film directed by Herbert Ross. It tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), an upbeat Chicago teen who moves to a small town in which, as a result of the efforts of a local minister (John Lithgow), dancing and rock music have been banned.
The film is loosely based on actual events that took place in the small, rural, and religious community of Elmore City, Oklahoma.
Plot
Ren McCormack, a teenager raised in Chicago, moves with his mother to the small town of Bomont to live with his aunt and uncle. Soon after arriving, Ren befriends Willard Hewitt, and from him learns the city council has banned dancing and rock music. He soon begins to fall for a rebellious teenage girl named Ariel, who has an abusive boyfriend, Chuck Cranston, and a strict father, Shaw Moore, who is a reverend of the local church.
After trading insults with Chuck, Ren is challenged to a game of chicken involving tractors. Ren wins when his shoelace becomes stuck and prevents him from jumping from the tractor. Reverend Moore distrusts Ren, and he grounds Ariel, forbidding her to see him. Ren and his classmates want to do away with the no-dancing law and have a senior prom. He drives Ariel, Willard, and Ariel's best friend, Rusty, to a country bar about 100 miles away from Bomont to experience the joy and freedom of dancing, but once there, Willard is unable to dance and gets into a jealous fight with a man who dances with Rusty. Later, Ren teaches Willard to dance.
Ren decides to challenge the anti-dancing ordinance so that the senior class can hold a senior prom. He goes before the city council and reads several Bible verses to cite scriptural support for the worth of dancing to rejoice, exercise, or celebrate. Although Reverend Moore is moved, the council votes against Ren's proposal. Vi, Moore's wife, is supportive of the movement and explains to Moore that he cannot be everyone's father and that he is hardly being a father to Ariel. She also says that dancing and music are not the problem. Moore feels betrayed that even his wife does not believe in him even though she assures him that she always did, telling him, "Shaw, it's 20 years now I've been a minister's wife. And I've been quiet, supportive, unobtrusive; and after 20 years I still think you're a wonderful, wonderful preacher. You can lift a congregation up so high they have to look down to see Heaven. But it's the one-to-one where you need a little work."
Despite further discussion with Ren about his own family losses in comparison to Moore's losses and Ariel's opening up about her own sinful past, even going so far as to admit that she has had sexual relations, Moore cannot bring himself to change his stance. His son Bobby was killed in a car crash while returning from a night of dancing, resulting in Moore's arranging to ban music and dancing in the community. However, he has a change of heart after seeing some of the townsfolk burning books that they think are dangerous to the youth. Realizing the situation has gotten out of hand, Moore stops the book-burning, rebukes the people, and sends them home.
The following Sunday, Moore asks his congregation to pray for the high school students putting on the prom, which is set up at a grain mill just outside the Bomont town limits. Shaw and Vi listen outside, dancing for the first time in years. Chuck and his friends arrive and start a fight with Willard, who with Ren knocks them out. Ren, Ariel, Willard, and Rusty rejoin the party and happily dance the night away.
Cast
Kevin Bacon as Ren
Lori Singer as Ariel
John Lithgow as Rev. Shaw Moore
Dianne Wiest as Vi Moore
Chris Penn as Willard
Sarah Jessica Parker as Rusty
John Laughlin as Woody
Elizabeth Gorcey as Wendy Jo
Frances Lee McCain as Ethel McCormack
Jim Youngs as Chuck Cranston
Timothy Scott as Andy Beamis
Production
Dean Pitchford wrote the screenplay (and most of the lyrics) for Footloose, Herbert Ross directed the movie, and Paramount Pictures co-produced and distributed it.
Michael Cimino was hired by Paramount to direct the film when negotiations with Ross initially stalled. After four months working on the film, the studio fired Cimino, who was making extravagant demands for the production, including demanding an additional $250,000 for his work, and ended up rehiring Ross.
Casting
Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe were both slated to play the lead. The casting directors were impressed with Cruise because of the famous underwear dance sequence in Risky Business, but he was unavailable for the part because he was filming All the Right Moves. Lowe auditioned three times and had dancing ability and the "neutral teen" look that the director wanted, but injury prevented him from taking the part.[4] Bacon had been offered the main role for the Stephen King movie Christine at the same time that he was asked to do the screen test for Footloose. He chose to take the gamble on the screen test. After watching his earlier movie Diner, the director convinced the producers to go with Bacon.
The film also starred Lori Singer as Reverend Moore's independent daughter Ariel, a role for which Madonna also auditioned. Daryl Hannah turned down the offer to play Ariel in order to play Madison in Splash. Elizabeth McGovern turned down the role to play Deborah Gelly in Once Upon a Time in America. Melanie Griffith, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Rosanna Arquette, Meg Tilly, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Heather Locklear, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jodie Foster, Phoebe Cates, Tatum O'Neal, Bridget Fonda, Lori Loughlin, Diane Lane and Brooke Shields were all considered for the role of Ariel. Dianne Wiest appeared as Vi, the Reverend's devoted yet conflicted wife.
The film featured an early film appearance by Sarah Jessica Parker as Ariel's friend Rusty, for which she received a Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Musical, Comedy, Adventure or Drama nomination at the Sixth Annual Youth in Film Awards. It was also an early role for Chris Penn as Willard Hewitt, who is taught how to dance by his friend Ren.
Filming
The film was shot at various locations in Utah County, Utah. The high school and tractor scenes were filmed in and around Payson and Payson High School. The church scenes were filmed in American Fork and the steel mill was the Geneva Steel mill in Vineyard. The drive-in scenes were filmed in Provo at what was then the "High Spot" restaurant. The restaurant closed in the late 1980s and there is now an auto parts store located at 200 N 500 W. The final sequence was filmed in Lehi with the Lehi Roller Mills featured in the final sequence.
For his dance scene in the warehouse, Bacon said he had four stunt doubles: "I had a stunt double, a dance double [Peter Tramm] and two gymnastics doubles."
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released in cassette, 8-track tape, vinyl, and CD format. The soundtrack was also re-released on CD for the 15th anniversary of the film in 1999. The re-release included four new songs: "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)" by Quiet Riot, "Hurts So Good" by John Mellencamp, "Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner, and the extended 12" remix of "Dancing in the Sheets".
The album includes "Footloose" and "I'm Free", both by Kenny Loggins, "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler, "Girl Gets Around" by Sammy Hagar, "Never" by Australian rock band Moving Pictures, "Let's Hear It for the Boy" by Deniece Williams, "Somebody's Eyes" by Karla Bonoff, and "Dancing In The Sheets" by Shalamar, and the love theme, "Almost Paradise" by Mike Reno from Loverboy and Ann Wilson of Heart. Some of the songs were composed by Eric Carmen and Jim Steinman and the soundtrack went on to sell over 9 million copies in the USA.
The first two tracks both hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received 1985 Academy Award nominations for Best Music (Original Song). "Footloose" also received a 1985 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Song – Motion Picture.
The late film composer Miles Goodman has been credited for adapting and orchestrating the film's score.
Reception
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert called it "a seriously confused movie that tries to do three things, and does all of them badly. It wants to tell the story of a conflict in a town, it wants to introduce some flashy teenage characters, and part of the time it wants to be a music video." Dave Denby in New York rechristened the film "Schlockdance", writing: "Footloose may be a hit, but it's trash - high powered fodder for the teen market... The only person to come out of the film better off is the smooth-cheeked, pug-nosed Bacon, who gives a cocky but likeable Mr. Cool performance."
Jane Lamacraft reassessed the film for Sight and Sound's "Forgotten pleasures of the multiplex" feature in 2010, writing "Nearly three decades on, Bacon's vest-clad set-piece dance in a flour mill looks cheesily 1980s, but the rest of Ross's drama wears its age well, real song-and-dance joy for the pre-Glee generation."
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 51% based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10.[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Box office
Despite mixed critical reviews, the film grossed $80,035,403 domestically.
