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The Songfactor's Choice Top Ten Facts


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"If You Want Me To Stay"

Sly and The Family Stone

Written by Sylvester Stewart (Sly Stone).

Recorded in 1973 as a track for their sixth album "Fresh".

The single, released also in 1973, reached #3 on Billboard R&B lists and charted at #12 on the Pop Chart.

It was the biggest hit of the album and also the last song in the Top 20.

There have been many covers of the song; the Red Hot Chili Peppers included theirs on their second album after George Clinton -producer of "Freaky Styley"- suggested it to the band.

It's a catchy song with an easy tune, inspired by a argument Sly Stone had with his girlfriend, Kathleen Silva. The lyrics are a statement about his way to see things and how he's decided to be the way he is and won't change... she has to take him that way if she wants him to stay.

Sly stone also produced and arranged the song, as well as the whole album.

...flatly produced; and irreverent of traditional pop song structure. "If You Want Me to Stay" does not even have a proper chorus, much less one of those singalong hooks that characterized the group's early hits. "If You Want Me to Stay" sort of meanders in, as if the players were just entering the room and picking up their instruments, until the drums kick in with the groove, which is mainly based around an infectious bass line, augmented by horn blasts, wah-wah guitar, and organ swells.

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The Songfactor's Choice Top Ten #259:

Beautiful Losers Special

This week there are two songs needing facts.

God Bless the Child - Blood, Sweat & Tears (1968)

I've Been Hurt - Bill Deal & the Rhondels (1968)

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

As always the Songfish thanks you :headphones: :guitar: :drummer:

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"I've Been Hurt"

Bill Deal & the Rhondells

Written by Ray Whitley.

First recorded by the Tams in 1965.

Bill Deal & the Rhondels covered the song and released it as a single in the summer of 1969.

The song reached #35 at the US charts.

The B-side to the song, that became a smash hit in many countries, mainly in South America, was "I've Got My Needs".

It was produced by Jerry Ross and released by the label Heritage.

The song was included along with "May I", "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)" and other hits, in their album "Vintage", a compilation released in the nineties.

Bill Deal and the Rhondells developped a mix of blue eyed soul and dance music; they were a horn-powered band with eight musicians who'd perform at casinos and clubs.

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"God Bless the Child"

Blood, Sweat & Tears

Written by Billie Holliday and Arthur Herzog, Jr. in 1939.

It was first recorded in 1942 by Billie Hollyday.

Blood, Sweat&Tears recorded the song for their second album, "Blood, Sweat&Tears", in 1968, between August and October, at the CBS studios in New York City. Their new producer was James Guercio and they used a 16-track tape recorder,one of the most modern recording machines by then.

The album was released on December 11th the same year.

The song was recorded in a session on October 7th, 1968.

It wasn't released as a single.

According Billie Holliday, the song was inspired by a line she said to her mother during an argument they had about money. The line was "God bless the child that's got his own."

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The Songfactors' Choice Top Ten #260

This week there are two songs needing facts.

Letter, The – Joe Cocker (1970)

Wooden Ships - Jefferson Airplane (1968)

(As you can see both our songs this week are covers and already in the data base. If you want to put facts for these it's fine but not an absolute must ;) )

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

As always the Songfish thanks you

:guitar: :drummer: :rock:

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"Wooden Ships"

Jefferson Airplane

Music by David Crosby. Lyrics by Stephen Stills and Paul Kantner.

The song was included in JA's sixth album, "Volunteers". Both versions (CS&N's one too) were released in the spring of 1969.

Nicky Hopkins plays piano. The version of JA is quite similar to the CS&N's one as for the vocals, but the sharp guitar of Jorma Kaukoneen gives it a mysterious touch.

According David Crosby, the song was written in his boat ("the Mayan"). He had already written the music and "...Paul Kanter wrote two verses, Stephen wrote one and I added the bits at both ends.â€

“we imagined ourselves as the few survivors, escaping on a boat to create a new civilization.â€

“silver people on the shoreline†is a line about those who were "left behind in their nuclear radiation suits"

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"Letter, The"

Joe Cocker

Written by Wayne Carson Thompson.

A hit for the Box Tops in 1967.

Joe Cocker released his version in a single in April 1970, B-side was "Space Captain". This is the studio version.

Also a track of his 1970 album, "Mad Dogs and Englishmen", recorded live in March 27–28 at Fillmore East in New York City, 1970.

The song charted in the US, UK, France, Netherlands, Canada and Australia.

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The Songfactors' Choice Top Ten #261

This week there are four songs needing facts.

Love Train - O'Jays (1972)

Twelve Thirty - The Mamas & the Papas (1967)

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - Neil Young (1969)

Wonder of You, The - Elvis Presley (1970)

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

As always the Songfish thanks you

:bow: :bow: :bow: :guitar:

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"The Wonder of You"

Elvis Presley

"The Wonder of You" is a song written by Baker Knight. In 1959, Ray Peterson released it as a single. The song became a Top 40 hit for him on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #25. That same year it was recorded by Ronnie Hilton in the United Kingdom, his version reaching #22 on the UK Singles Chart. The Ray Peterson record briefly re-entered the Hot 100 in 1964. In the early 1960s, the Platters also recorded this song, which appeared on a 1970s compilation "The Platters--30 Golden Hits". In 1969, The Sandpipers recorded an album of the same name including the song. An album of instrumentals of the same name by Nelson Riddle was also released in 2000.

Elvis Presley released it as a single on April 20, 1970. Its b-side song was "Mama Liked the Roses". In the U.S., both songs charted at #9 together in the spring of 1970, though "The Wonder of You" was one of his most successful records in the UK ever, topping the UK Singles Chart for six weeks in the summer of that year. This was the 59th Top 40 hit of his career. "The Wonder of You" was one of about thirty five songs he would play live in concert, never recording it in a studio. Presley's version also reached number 37 on the US Country Singles chart, and number one on the easy listening chart.[1]

It was the first of three singles during his lifetime that were recorded live in concert in Las Vegas, Nevada in February 1970.

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"Twelve Thirty"

The Mamas and the Papas

"Twelve Thirty" a.k.a. "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon)", the song's main refrain, is a song by The Mamas & the Papas, which was the lead single from the album The Papas & The Mamas. The song peaked at number 20 in the US, but failed to chart in the UK.

The song was written by John Phillips shortly after the band had relocated to Southern California in 1965. It is often cited as the band's last great single.[1]

Jim Ward of Rolling Stone, said "Twelve Thirty" was "the last recording of the self-proclaimed 'Golden Era'", he added, "It's probably the best realized song the group has recorded."[2]

The song was inspired by Laurel Canyon, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.[3]

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"Love Train"

O'Jays

Written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Also produced by Gamble and Huff.

The single was released in December 1972 with "Who Am I" as its B-side.

It's the biggest hit for the O'Jays, reaching 1 in R&B Singles list for a whole month. By January 1973 it also went #1 at the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The single was also certified Gold by the RIAA as it sold over one million copies.

The song was also a track of their 1972 album "Back Stabbers".

The song, a disco hit and one of the best examples of the Philly Sound, talks of a better world and about how all the nations could hold hands and make a "love train"... from different countries all over the planet.

The song was covered by many artists such as The Supremes, the Rolling Stones or Rod Stewart, among others. It was also used for commercials (Coor Beer) and in many soundtracks: "The Last Days of Disco", "Dead Presidents" and "Earth Girls Are Easy"(covered by Hall&Oates).

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"Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"

Neil Young

Written by Neil Young.

Recorded between January and March 1969 and released in may 14th, 1969, the song is the track that gave its title to Neil Young's second solo album, "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"

It's the first collaboration with his band, Crazy Horse.

It wasn't released as a single.

Neil Young sings and plays electric guitar; Danny Whitten is on electric guitar and backing vocals; Billy Talbot on bass and Ralph Molina on drums and backing vocals.

According Matthew Greenwald, from allmusic, the song ...is clearly a cry from a man that is in need of settling down after a hair-raising experience. In the author's case, it was obviously the entire Buffalo Springfield period. Young is celebrating a simple life in the country here, and, musically, the Western-influenced melody and backing from Crazy Horse reflect this perfectly.

The album was certified gold one year after its release.

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Pinkstones, thanks for the facts, but next time maybe you could re-write all this info a bit... with your own words... so it won't look like we paste© from wikipedia or allmusic... at least, not all the info...

We are gathering facts for the songs, that's true, but some sites might have copyrights... or in any case, we prefer to have it written by ourselves. We can quote parts of it, sure, but it's more interesting when we bring info not exactly as it already is online...

Thus said, thanks :bow:

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Thank you very much ladies :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :guitar:

There are no facts needed for The Songfactor's Choice Top Ten Special ~ Heavy Metal/Hard Rock

To everyone that is kind enough to help gether the facts fot this thread, thank you very much you have all done a great job :thumbsup:

Edna, you have kept this thread going from day one it seems. Excellent work and I don't know what we'd do without you :bow: Time for a well earned break. I will post any songs needing facts from the specials that are done so please check back as we do them.

Again, thank you everyone that participates here :bow: :rockon: :bow:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Songfactor's Choice Top 10: Obscure Songs

For this speical there are six songs needing facts.

Money Grabber - Fitz & the Tantrums

Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Calling You - Jimmy Castor

Boom Boom Mancini - Warren Zevon

He Doesn't Know Why - Fleet Foxes

Trouble - Ray Lamontagne

Female of the Species - Space

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

As always the Songfish thanks you :bow: :guitar: :bow: :drummer: :bow:

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"Trouble"

Ray Lamontagne

Written by Ray Lamontagne.

A track of his debut album, "Trouble". It was released in 2004 (September 14th).

Ray Lamontagne is an American folk snger and songwriter.

The song was also released as a single. Two years later, in 2006, it charted #25 in the UK in the singles list.

The song became very popular as it was featured in a TV commercial for Travelers Insurance.

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"Female of the Species"

Space

Credited to Scott, Edwards, Griffiths and Parle.

Released in May 27, 1996, as the second single from their debut album, "Spiders".

It's their most recognisable song.

It made the UK charts at #14, staying in the list for three months and reached #15 in the US, in the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart by the end of the same year.

Thomas Scott, the lead singer, said he wrote it for his late father; they didn't like the same kind of music. According wikipedia, it's a funky, upbeat Latin-flavoured number with feel-good sounding vibes and vocals reminiscent of lounge singers such as Perry Como and Frank Sinatra combined with keyboardist Franny Griffiths' trademark sound effects and Scott's dark humoured lyrics.

The title of the song refers to a poem by Rudyard Kipling written in 1911, called "The Female of the Species", which says that "the female of the species is more deadly than the male."

The song was featured in movies and TV. It was the main song of "Cold Feet" in the UK TV and also in 1997, in "The Matchmaker", a movie by Mark Joffe. It was also heard in a UK TV commercial for "Impulse" (bodyspray)

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"Boob Boom Mancini"

Warren Zevon

Written by Warren Zevon.

A track from his 1987 album "Sentimental Hygiene".

It was not released as a single yet it is a very popular song.

Zevon sings about boxer Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini; the lyrics of the song mention (in the chorus) the fight against Arturo Frias in Las Vegas in 1982. It also mentions the fight against Alexis Arguello and makes reference of South Korean fighter Duk Koo Kim, who died five days after the fight due to brain injuries. This was very impressing for Mancini as he was called "the man who killed Koo Kim".

Warren Zevon's father had been a boxer too.

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