Patrick Sky - Luang Prabang (1971)

In our previous post to feature this artist, it was mentioned how Patrick Sky’s political point of view had become more radical toward the end of the 1960s as the American involvement in Vietnam escalated. Naturally, the more radical Sky’s views became, the more radical his lyrics became. When Sky finished recording tracks in March 1971 for his forthcoming album, Songs That Made America Famous, the radical lyrics within lead to rejection from several record labels who refused to pick up the album for distribution. Eventually, in 1973, Sky decided to release the album on his own record label, Rainbow Collection, and eventually got it picked up by Adelphi Records. With its radical lyrics and limited promotion, the album didn’t sell as well as it could have in a more lenient market, such as today’s.

Written by Dave Van Ronk (and eventually recorded/released by him in 1994), the first recording and release of the song was the version recorded by Patrick Sky in 1971 and heard below. Initially, Vank Ronk was intended to appear with Sky on the song, but for reasons not mentioned, it never happened. There’s a live version of the song which features both Van Ronk and Sky from a tour they did together in 1973, but the version heard below is the original featuring only Patrick Sky and released on his 1973 album, Songs That Made America Famous.



Patrick Sky - Luang Prabang (1971)

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Lyrics:

When I came back from Luang Prabang
I didn’t have a thing where my balls used to hang
But I got a wooden medal and a fine harangue
And now I’m a fucking hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

And now the boys all envy me
I fought for Christian Democracy
With nothing but air where my balls used to be
But now I’m a fucking hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

One and twenty cannon thunder
Into the bloody, wild, blue yonder
For a patriotic ball-less wonder
Now I’m a fucking hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

In Luang Prabang there is a spot
Where the corpses of your brothers rot
And every corpse is a patriot
And every corpse is a hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

Dave Van Ronk - Leave Her Johnny (1960)

Nicknamed the “Mayor of MacDougal Street,” Dave Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) spent a large portion of his youth singing in a barbershop quartet and twice sailing with the Merchant Marine. In the mid-1950s, he desperately wanted to play with a traditional jazz band, and thus joined up with one in his native New York, playing the banjo and singing unamplified. Unfortunately, jazz had seen its day, and the outfit didn’t last very long. One day, while searching for jazz records in a music shop, Van Ronk stumbled upon blues artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Lemon Jefferson. After finding this new style of music he could get into, he began to emulate the voices and styles which he heard during his own performances. And while doing so, Van Ronk continued to sing as if he was still unamplified and trying to be heard over the jazz arrangements. What resulted was a very loud, brash, and gritty style, which Van Ronk became known for, and which vastly contrasted with the other folk artists of the time who generally sang in a much more subdued style.

The song heard below was released in 1991 on the album The Folkway Years, 1959-1961. And although the specific year this song was recorded is not mentioned, the track listings for compilation albums such as these are usually listed in a sequential order. Assuming this to be true for this album, and noting that this song is smack-dab in the middle of the track listing, I'm taking the liberty of assuming it was recorded in 1960.

The song itself is a traditional sea shanty whose author or authors have been lost to time. Songs like this one were often sung by the crews of wooden ships to pass the time during the more menial tasks required to maintain a vessel. This song in particular was the song sung when a crew reached their final destination, after docking and being tied up in port, telling the everyman “Johnny” that it’s time to “leave her,” the ship.



Dave Van Ronk - Leave Her Johnny (1960)

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Lyrics:

Oh, times were hard and the wages low
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
I guess it’s time for us to go
(It’s time for us to leave her)
Beware these packet ships, I say
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
They’ll steal your stores and your clothes away
(It’s time for us to leave her)
There’s Liverpool Pat with his tarpaulin hat
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
And Yankee John, the packet rat
(It’s time for us to leave her)
She would not wear and she would not stay
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
She shipped great seas both night and day
(It’s time for us to leave her)
It’s rotten beef and waverly bread
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
It was “pump or drown,” the old man said
(It’s time for us to leave her)
The sails all furled, our work is done
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
And now ashore, we’ll take our run
(It’s time for us to leave her)
Oh, what will us poor shellbacks do?
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
Our money’s gone; no work to do
(It’s time for us to leave her)

The Zombies - The Way I Feel Inside (1965)

As The Zombies toured around the United States playing songs like “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No” as a part of the British Invasion, they began to simultaneously record the songs for what would be their first full-length album. Recorded throughout the latter half of 1964, the band recorded over twenty tracks, with a near amount of self-written material and rhythm & blues songs originally performed by other artists. The powers that be whittled down the track listing for the album’s UK release, where it was given the title Begin Here. Over in the US, the album was retitled The Zombies and the track listing differed slightly. First released in 1965, Begin Here was considered a disappointment. So much so, that although the group had recorded plenty enough material for there to be a follow-up album, most of the songs were shelved and went unreleased for years.

The song heard below was one of the tracks which made the cut for the band’s Begin Here album. It was written by the band’s organist, Rod Argent, who also happened to be a founding member. The song is primarily done in a capella, although an organ does make a soft appearance toward the end. Besides being released on Begin Here in March 1965, the song was also released as the B-Side of The Zombies' single “Gotta Get a Hold of Myself,” which failed to chart after its UK-only release in September 1966.



The Zombies - The Way I Feel Inside (1965)

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Lyrics:

Should I try to hide
The way I feel inside my heart for you?

Would you say that you
Would try to love me, too?

In your mind
Could you ever be
Really close to me?
I can tell the way you smile

If I feel that I could be certain, then
I would say the things I want to say tonight

But ‘til I can see
That you'd really care for me
I will dream that someday you'll be
Really close to me
I can tell the way you smile

If I feel that I could be certain, then
I would say the things I want to say tonight

But ‘til I can see
That you'd really care for me
I'll keep trying to hide
The way I feel inside

The Fleetwoods - Come Softly to Me [Undubbed] (1958)

Gary Troxel and Gretchen Christopher were waiting to be picked up after school during their senior year of high school. The duo began to pass the time by singing and humming together. Gretchen thought the vocals they were toying around with would go great with some music she had written, so she convinced Troxel to join her in combining the two. The duo was pleased enough with the result that they asked Gretchen’s singing partner, Barbara Ellis, to join them in their newly formed vocal group. Originally calling themselves Two Girls and a Guy, the trio named their song “Come Softly” and recorded the vocals over a five month period (June – November 1958). Since the trio was singing a capella, they kept time by having Gary jingle his car keys. Once the vocals were perfected, the group’s co-producers flew the tapes to Los Angeles and had acoustic and bass guitars overdubbed. The song, renamed “Come Softly to Me” was officially released by the renamed group, The Fleetwoods, in February 1959. It stayed on the charts for sixteen weeks, with four weeks at number one.

Later that very same year, the group released “Mr. Blue,” which also went to number one. This feat made the trio the very first group in the world to have multiple number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in a single year. They were also they first ever mixed-gender group to achieve more than one number one hit. All in all, the trio had eleven hit songs in their short career. Gary Troxel’s involvement with the group waned, as he had been obligated to join the U.S. Navy’s Naval Reserve in 1956. That, combined with the nation’s growing desire for British pop, saw the vocal group split up in 1963.

The song heard below is the finalized vocals of “Come Softly to Me” that were sent by the group to Los Angeles for overdubbing. The version heard here does not include the overdub of the Latin-influenced acoustic guitar playing (by Bonnie Guitar) nor the bass guitar. The only non-voice element heard is the jingling of Gary Troxel’s keys to help the singers keep time.



The Fleetwoods - Come Softly to Me [Undubbed] (1958)

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Lyrics:

Oh, I was busy kissing Gary.
Tee-hee.
Take three.

(Come softly, darling)
(Come softly, darling)
(Come softly, darling)
(Come softly, darling)

(Come softly, darling)
(Come to me, stay)
(You're my obsession)
(Forever and a day)

I want- want you to know
I love- I love you so
Please hold- hold me so tight
All through- all through the night

(Speak softly, darling)
(Hear what I say)
(I love you always)
(Always, always)

I've waited- waited so long
For your kisses and your love
Please come- come to me
From up- from up above

(Come softly, darling)
I want- want you to know
(Come softly, darling)
I love- I love you so
(Come softly, darling)
I need, need you so much
(Come softly, darling)
Wanna feel your warm, warm touch

The Four Freshmen - Their Hearts Were Full of Spring (1961)

This singing quartet was formed by brothers Ross and Don Barbour at Butler University in early 1948. Originally known as Hal’s Harmonizers and briefly the Toppers, they first went on the road in September 1948 under their finalized name, read above, where they were discovered by band leader Stan Kenton in Dayton, Ohio. Later that same year, they were signed to Capitol Records and began recording songs. Their first hit came in 1952 in the form of “It’s a Blue World.” Multiple hits soon followed and the group’s popularity went national. Unbeknownst to the quartet at the time, a young Brian Wilson was studying the vocal arrangements of each of their records as early as the mid-‘50s and practicing them with his brothers and friends, what would eventually evolve into The Beach Boys. Although the popularity of this group faded with the bands of the British Invasion, they remained intact and performed with at least one original member all the way through 1992. Since, a new lineup of the band exists and consistently tours across the United States.

Now, more than fifty years after the formation of The Beach Boys, people hearing this quarter for the first time tend to think that they were either inspired by The Beach Boys or that they are in fact The Beach Boys. But it was in fact The Beach Boys who were inspired by this quartet and using them as a template to perfect their own vocal harmonies. This song, written by the same guy who wrote “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66”, Bobby Troup, originally appeared on the group’s 1961 album, The Fresh-Man Year, on Capitol Records. It would later be covered by The Beach Boys numerous times.



The Four Freshmen - Their Hearts Were Full of Spring (1961)

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Lyrics:

There's a story told of a very gentle boy
And the girl who wore his ring
Through the wintery snow
The world they knew was warm
For their hearts were full of spring

As the days grew old
And the nights passed into time
And the weeks and years took wing
Gentle boy, tender girl
Their love remained still young
For their hearts were full of spring

Then one day they died
And their graves were side by side
On a hill where robins sing
And they say violets
Grow there the whole year round
For their hearts were full of spring

Joni Mitchell - The Fiddle and the Drum (1969)

One night in late ’67 or early ’68 at The Gaslight South, a club in Coconut Grove, FL, a performance was being put on by Joni Mitchell. In attendance was David Crosby (of The Byrds and CSN), who was amazed with her beauty and musical prowess. He convinced Mitchell to go back to Los Angeles with him where he would introduce her and her music to his friends in the business. He even convinced Reprise Records to allow her to record a purely acoustic album, successfully avoiding their desire to use the overdubs that were popular at the time. Although many songs of hers had been recorded by other artists, Joni Mitchell was about to release her first album, Song to a Seagull. You can hear a track from that album on one of our previous posts.

This song comes from Mitchell’s second album, Clouds, released in 1969. The album cover featured a self-portrait painting of Mitchell with a background featuring her hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Mitchell performed this song on The Dick Cavett Show in August 1969. It was also covered in 2004 by A Perfect Circle who found a new use for it in protesting the Iraq War. In 2007, the song’s title was used for a ballet authorized by Mitchell.



Joni Mitchell - The Fiddle and the Drum (1969)

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Lyrics:

And so, once again
My dear Johnny, my dear friend
And so, once again
You are fighting us all
And when I ask you ‘why?’
You raise your sticks and cry and I fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum?

You say I have turned
Like the enemies you've earned
But I can remember
All the good things you are
And so I ask you, “Please,
Can I help you find the peace and the star?”
Oh, my friend
What time is this
To trade the handshake for the fist?

And so, once again
Oh, America, my friend
And so, once again
You are fighting us all
And when we ask you ‘why?’
You raise your sticks and cry and we fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum?

You say we have turned
Like the enemies you've earned
But we can remember
All the good things you are
And so we ask you, “Please,
Can we help you find the peace and the star?”
Oh, my friend
We have all come
To fear the beating of your drum

Jim Morrison - Woman in the Window [Demo] (1969)

Poet, lyricist, and lead singer of The Doors, this legend had one of the best voices in rock music history. Due to his uninhibited nature and wild persona, he is often cited as one of rock’s greatest frontmen of all time. Leather pants are associated with rock stars because of his choice to frequently wear them. His vocals were inspired by Elvis and Frank Sinatra and, in turn, he would strongly influence The Stooges, Pearl Jam, and countless others. His death came too soon, at the age of twenty-seven, and his life was far too grand to accurately surmise here.

This song comes from a collection of material that Jim Morrison recorded, known as The Lost Paris Tapes. It can be inferred from the spoken musical cues throughout the recordings that all of the tracks were meant to evolve into songs for a future Doors’ album. Unfortunately, Morrison passed away before their use. The surviving members of The Doors recorded music over some of the vocals found on the recordings and released them on various posthumous albums and box sets.



Jim Morrison - Woman in the Window [Demo] (1969)

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Lyrics:

Then we hear all these horns honking in the rhythm. Da da da-da-da. Da da da-da-da. And sirens, distant, approaching.

I am the woman in the window
See the children playing
Soldier, sailor, young man on your way
To the summer swimming pool

Can you see me standing?
In my window, can you hear me laughing?

Come upstairs, sir, to your room
And I will play for you

Oh, dreamland, golden scene land
Try to sleep, lamb; take us to dreamland
I am unhappy- far from my woman
Take me to dreamland, land of the banyan
Land of plentiful pleasures of pines
Potatoes on tables, laden with good things

“Eat at my table,” she cried to the vineyards
Calling the workers home from the meadows
“Man, you are evil; get out of my garden”
Ours is a good place- home of the reindeer

Sell me your pony- your fast golden pony
I need his strength and his terrible footsteps
Riding the prairie, just me and my angel
Just try and stop us- we’re going to love

Open your window, woman of Palestine
Throw down your raiment and cover us over

Janis Joplin - Mercedez Benz (1970)

Getting her start as the lead singer of Big Brother and The Holding Company in 1966, this singer/songwriter was immensely popular in the late 1960s. In 1969 she became a solo artist backed by The Kozmic Blues Band and later The Full Tilt Boogie Band. Known as “The Queen of Rock and Roll” and “The Queen of Psychedelic Soul,” her career was cut short, in 1970, at the age of twenty-seven after an accidental heroin overdose.

Recorded in one take just three days before her death, this song was one of the last two recordings she ever completed. Despite its obvious sarcastic message mocking the materialism of society, Mercedes-Benz car manufacturers have used the song in their commercials since 1995. It was released posthumously in 1971, on her album Pearl.



Janis Joplin - Mercedez Benz (1970)

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Lyrics:

I’d like to do a song of great social and political import’. It goes like this:

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends
So, oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a color TV?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me
I wait for delivery each day until three
So oh Lord, won't you buy me a color TV?

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a night on the town?
I'm counting on you, Lord, please don't let me down
Prove that you love me and buy the next round
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a night on the town?

Everybody!

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends
So, oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

That's it!

The Beach Boys - Forever [Demo] (1969)

Coming out of southern California in 1961, this band transformed themselves from teen surf-style pop-rock to one of the greatest rock bands in the history of popular music. The group’s most popular lineup was composed of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friends Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston. They are often credited as one of the best-selling acts in America and have been honored as “America’s Band”. Their skill as a whole unit is matched by very few.

This song's original version comes from the album, Sunflower (1970), which was tied for the group’s lowest charting album. It was written and sung by Dennis Wilson, who had been working on it (such as in this early a capella version) as early as January 1969. Brian Wilson has stated that it was “the most harmonically beautiful thing” he had ever heard. This version was released on the Hawthorne, CA anthology album in 2001.



The Beach Boys - Forever [Demo] (1969)

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Lyrics:

If every word I said
Could make you laugh
I'd talk forever
(Together my love, baby)

I asked the sky just what we had
Mmm, it shone forever
(Together my love, baby)

If the song I sing to you
Could fill your heart with joy
I'd sing forever
(Together my love, baby)

(Forever, forever)
I've been so happy loving you

(Together my love)

Let the love I have for you
Live in your heart
And beat forever
(Together my love, baby)

(Forever, forever)
I've been so happy loving you

So I'm goin' away
Mmm, but not forever
(Baby)
I gotta love you any old way
Mmm, forever
(Baby)

(Baby)

Nah, man! You know- let me hear somethin’…