Carl Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 The Van Morrison version, not Laura Brannigan. I've always been intrigued by this song and I'd love to put in some Songfacts for it, but I've never been able to figure it out. Can anyone explain: What's the history here? did Van write it for Them (his previous band)? What's it about? Is it Spiritual? About a Girl? Based on the Latin word for "Glory?" Patti Smith recorded it for her first album, but it sounds to me like she changed it a lot. Any ideas? Thanks, Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesboy Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Boy, back in the mid sixties... I wished I could've written a song(anthem) about a current/former/potential Girlfriend! cream of the crop for garage band songs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tybalt Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Carl, Are you kidding? This isn't exactly T.S. Eliot. Let me tell you 'bout my baby, you know she comes around She's about five feet four from her head to the ground You know she comes around here just about midnight, She makes me feel so good, Lord, she makes me feel all right And her name is G - etc. It can't get much less complicated than that, can it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy1104 Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 One group I have never seen mentioned here had a what I believe is the best version of Gloria and that group is Shadows of Knight. Their version charted in the top ten back in the mid sixties as well as a few others. Another hit of theirs was Oh Yeah. I read once that when punk rock hit in the seventies, Shadows of Knight was considered one of the forerunners of that genre. If you can find their CD I recommend it highly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 No Way, Jimmy 1104. Them did the original and the best 'Gloria'. When an Oldies station started playing The Shadows of Knight cover, I was bummed ("This ain't Them ??"). It seems lackluster by comparison. I remember (back in the day) live bands at high school and YMCA dances were always trying to perfect the "She knocks upon my door (knock knock drum trick) she comes to my room, then she makes me feel all right!" part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tybalt Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 Carl, Here's a few minimal Facts about Gloria. And a possible Jimmy Page connection to Them recordings. Nothing in Latin or Spiritual, though. (I'm kidding.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesboy Posted July 17, 2004 Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 and more info... allmusic/gloria (scroll down to the review) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted July 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 I thought this might be one of those songs with a deeper meaning, considering the Latin possibilities in the title. The Patti Smith version sounds like she changed the lyrics, but kept the girl's name, which confuses me. Thanks for the info. If anyone knows more, please post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy1104 Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Hey Bazooka...you are right. In my posting when I wrote the "best version" of Gloria by Shadows of Knight I failed to qualify version with an adjective. What I meant to say was Gloria by Shadows of Knight was the best cover version I have heard of the song. In the original posting on this thread it referred to others who sang Gloria so I thought we were going for the cover versions. Them did do Gloria the best as it was the original! My apologies for the confusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Jimmy1104 - I was just razzin' ya. I didn't know before reading bluesboy's link that Them's sucess with Gloria was mostly a West Coast phenomenon. I don't think I'd ever heard the Shadows of Knight version around here until sometime in the 90s on the radio. I've enjoyed Van Morrison throughout his career -- Brown Eyed Girl, Domino, Wild Nights, Blue Money, (Turn It Up) Radio, St.Dominic's Preview, Tupelo Honey, etc.etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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