Carry Go Bring Come - The Skatalites

Carry Go Bring Come - The Skatalites

2:47

The Skatalite, 1969

Written by Justin Hinds, 1964?

This ska song, originally recorded by Justin Hinds and the Dominoes, is a warning to a woman getting herself a bad reputation with all her getting around.  The title phrase is a Jamaican expression meaning gossip.  "This carry go bring come, my dear, brings misery / You're going from home to home making disturbances / It's time you stopped doing those things, you old Jezebel."  Harsh words!  I admit ignorance as to whether the woman in question is a metaphor for some other representative of a larger system of oppression, like the British monarch or the wife of a prime minister.  If not, one might accuse the narrator of melodrama: "How long shall the wicked reign over my people?" he moans.

Come Go With Me - The Del-Vikings

Come Go With Me - The Del-Vikings

2:42

single, 1957

Written by Clarence Quick

I know this doo-wop song mainly from the Beach Boys cover.  It's a typical '50s come on lyrically, but what makes it special is the virtuosity of the vocals.  The lead rides over the overlapping voices of the "dum dum dee dee" chorus, with a wonderfully prominent bass underneath it all.  A break with horns and handclaps adds to the party atmosphere.  I thought the lyric "Come home with me / Way beyond the sea" was a nod to the Bobby Darin hit, but actually this song predates Darin's recording.

Commit a Crime - Howlin' Wolf

Commit a Crime - Howlin' Wolf

3:08

single, 1966

Written by Howlin' Wolf

There are tempestuous relationships, love-hate couples that fight like cat and dog only for the anger to inflame passion, and then there's just plain trouble.  In this blistering Chicago blues, the narrator's lady poisoned his coffee, put lye in his drinks.  He's at the breaking point.  "I'm gonna leave you, woman, before I commit a crime / You tried so hard to kill me / Woman, it was just not my time."  It's a menacing little stomper, driven by his gravelly growl, insistent guitar, and pounding rhythm.  Wolf sounds like he means every word of the warning.  This isn't a guy out of his mind with rage, but a man on the precipice of it.

Clay Pigeons - Blaze Foley

Clay Pigeons - Blaze Foley

3:00

Sittin' By the Road, 1989 (recorded c. 1983)

Written by Blaze Foley

Foley was a musician unknown by the larger public but revered by darlings like Townes Van Zant and Lucinda Williams.  John Prine recorded the song in a quiet, four-and-a-half minute version, but I vastly prefer this intimate session.  It's just Foley's deep, slightly ragged voice and his guitar, carrying a restless soul who wants to get on a Greyhound and leave his old life behind: "I'm tired of running round / Looking for answers to questions that I already know / I could build me a castle of memories / Just to have somewhere to go."  It's pure road warrior poetry.   Foley never released it; it was issued posthumously on this album, and the recording date is just a guess.  Foley was murdered under disputed circumstances way too young, leaving us only his stark, honest songs.

Your Cheatin' Heart - Fats Domino

Your Cheatin' Heart - Fats Domino

2:08

Let the Four Winds Blow, 1961

Written by Hank Williams, 1952

Fats treats this classic country weeper with as much reverence as he can, taking it slow and easy on the vocal.  The piano and horn lines are jazzy but repetitive and muted, not the exuberant New Orleans sound he's known for.  Williams' lyric is full of wounded pride and barely concealed spite, which might seem at odds with Fats' easygoing demeanor, but for me, the combination works. 

Young Faith Healer - Rod Lacy

Young Faith Healer - Rod Lacy

2:50

Blacklung, 2007

Written by Rod Lacy?

This might be one of the most obscure songs I've featured on this blog, which is a shame, because Lacy has real talent.  Lacy, a New Mexico roots rocker, belts this bluesy number out with plenty of echo on the vocals, some dextrous finger-picking, and stomping percussion.  Lyrically, it calls out to someone apparently under the spell of a cult leader or scaremonger prophet.  "I'm sick and tired of waiting till tomorrow / What will you do when there's no one left to follow / I'm sick and tired of hearing about this other side / What will you do when you finally see you're alive / You're here now."

You Don't Know Me - Eddy Arnold

You Don't Know Me - Eddy Arnold

2:45

single, 1955

Written by Eddy Arnold and Cindy Walker

This slow vocal song is an early example of the friendzone song, in which the narrator pines for the object of his affection, who doesn't think of him that way ("To you I'm just a friend").  The man drags his feet and can only watch sadly as the lady in question goes with someone who has the confidence to talk: "For I never knew the art of making love / Though my heart aches with love for you / Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by."  Here, Arnold transitions from his earlier, twangier "Tennessee Plowboy" persona to a mellow, restrained baritone. His delivery is ruminative, mirroring the hesitant perspective of the narrator who watches from afar.  Soft, sweeping string sections and background vocals create a warm, tender atmosphere.

Young Hearts Run Free - Candi Staton

Young Hearts Run Free - Candi Staton

4:08

Young Hearts Run Free, 1976

Written by David Crawford

This disco anthem was born of a conversation Staton had with the writer and producer.  She got candid about her current struggles in an abusive relationship, and Crawford took notes.  Staton ultimately escaped the brutal relationship and used her harrowing experience to shape the song. Staton's experience as a gospel singer helps her infuse the track with an emotional intensity that elevates it far beyond standard club fare.  She turns her fear into triumphant euphoria: "I'm gonna love me for the rest of my days / Encourage the babies every time they say / Self-preservation is what's really going on today."   The production is a textbook four-on-the-floor disco beat, with a driving, danceable tempo.  But it mixes the slick gloss of late-70s disco with organic Southern soul and gospel instrumentation.  Horns and a bubbly bass support Staton's full-throated, emotional vocals.

You Put Me on My Feet (When You Took Her off My Hands) - Tommy Duncan

You Put Me on My Feet (When You Took Her off My Hands)  - Tommy Duncan

2:28

single, 1949

Written by Noel Boggs and Red Rowe

A jaunty Western song, heavy on the rollicking piano and harmonica, the rollicking accompaniment matching the narrator's cheerful relief..  I love how so many of these early and classic country songs seem to be written around a clever title or a bit of wordplay, pun and premise all in one.  This lyric has the narrator both thanking and commiserating with the man who relieved him of his lady: "Let me tell you, mister / Here is something you should know / You pay and pay and pay for all the things that she demands / You put me on my feet the day you took her off my hands." 

Dooby Dooby Wah - Ritchie Valens

Dooby Dooby Wah - Ritchie Valens

1:55

Ritchie Valens, 1959

Written by Ritchie Valens and Robert Kuhn

This is an acoustic rock'n' roll number very much in the style of Buddy Holly.   It's a doo-wop song in a rockabilly outfit, a nice example of how early rockers imitated, expanded, and blended sounds.  Alternating between nonsense syllables and declarations of love, Valens implores his baby to come close and assure him that he's loved.  Helpfully, he informs us that "Well, dooby-dooby-wah / Means I love you so."  Who among us hasn't been reduced to a babbling fool by love?