A thistle-stop tour
THERE are loads of thistles round here but until I started looking closely at them I didn’t realise there were many different types. It is not always easy to identify … Continue readingA thistle-stop tour
Author: Margaret Ashworth
Square
Freda Payne: Band of Gold
This was written and composed by former Motown producers Holland–Dozier–Holland, using the pseudonym Edythe Wayne because of a legal dispute, and Ron Dunbar. It was recorded by Freda Payne in … Continue readingFreda Payne: Band of Gold
Elvis Presley: My Baby Left Me
This was written by Arthur Crudup, who released it as a single in 1950. The King recorded it as the B-side of his 1956 single I Want You, I Need You, … Continue readingElvis Presley: My Baby Left Me
The Elegants: Little Star
The lyrics were written by group members Vito Picone and Arthur Venosa to an adaptation of the tune Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. It reached No 1 in America and No 25 in … Continue readingThe Elegants: Little Star
Jerry Lee Lewis: You Win Again
This is a less frenetic Jerry Lee Lewis. The song was written by Hank Williams who recorded it on July 11, 1952, the day after his divorce from his first … Continue readingJerry Lee Lewis: You Win Again
Love me tendril
I HAVE become rather fascinated by the tendrils which a number of floppy plants use to hoist themselves up on stouter vegetation. Examples include peas, passion flowers and cucumbers. I … Continue readingLove me tendril
Dusty Springfield: You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
This was originally a 1965 Italian song, Lo Che Non Vivo (Senza Te), by Pino Donaggio and Vito Pallavicini. The English lyrics, which have nothing to do with the original, were written … Continue readingDusty Springfield: You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
The Move: I Can Hear the Grass Grow
This was written by the group’s co-founder Roy Wood. It was recorded on January 7, 1967 and released on March 31, reaching No 5 in Britain. Wood has always denied … Continue readingThe Move: I Can Hear the Grass Grow
Them: Baby Please Don’t Go
Van Morrison’s voice is a taste I have never acquired, but Them had a good rocking sound. This is a traditional American blues number recorded by Them in 1964, when … Continue readingThem: Baby Please Don’t Go
Emile Ford and the Checkmates: What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?
A contender for World’s Longest Pop Song Title, this was written by Joseph McCarthy, Howard Johnson and James V Monaco for the 1916 Broadway production Follow Me. It was a hit … Continue readingEmile Ford and the Checkmates: What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?