SLS: A Mighty Long Way Down Rock’n’Roll

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Now here’s a surprise. it’s Song Lyric Sunday and I’m not playing any folk music – I felt like a change after a five week run! This week’s theme, as Jim tells us in his post Geographical Areas, is to play a song that mentions a state, a country, or a place, which has been suggested by Di of pensitivity101. There are many folk songs which talk about one or the other of those, but instead I’m going for two from my younger years, both of which are longtime favourites.

Let’s not hang about, and get stuck straight into the music. Remember this one? One of its lines is a bit dubious for these more woke days, but it’s still a cracking tune:

As if you didn’t know, that was Mott The Hoople with All The Way From Memphis. And here are those slightly iffy lyrics:

 

Forgot my six-string razor hit the skyHalf way to Memphis ‘fore I realizedWell I rang the information my axe was coldThey said she rides the train to Oriole
Now it’s a mighty long way down the dusty trailAnd the sun burns hot on the cold steel rails‘n I look like a bum ‘n I crawl like a snailAll the way from Memphis
Well I got to Oriole y’know it took a monthAnd there was my guitar, electric junkSome spade said rock ‘n’ rollers, you’re all the sameMan that’s your instrument, I felt so ashamed
Now it’s a mighty long way down rock ‘n’ rollThrough the Bradford cities and the Orioles‘n you look like a star but you’re still on the doleAll the way from Memphis
Yeah it’s a mighty long way down rock ‘n’ rollFrom the Liverpool docks to the Hollywood bowl‘n you climb up the mountains ‘n you fall down the holesAll the way from Memphis
Yeah it’s a mighty long way down rock ‘n’ rollAs your name gets hot so your heart grows cold‘n you gotta stay young man, you can never be oldAll the way from Memphis
Yeah it’s a mighty long way down rock ‘n’ rollThrough the Bradford cities and the Orioles‘n you look like a star but you’re really out on paroleAll the way from Memphis
Source: LyricFind
Songwriter: Ian Hunter
All the Way From Memphis lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

 

All the Way from Memphis was a single released by Mott the Hoople as the lead track from the album Mott in 1973: the album came out in July and the single followed in August. The song tells a story of a rock and roller whose guitar is shipped to Oriole, Kentucky instead of Memphis, Tennessee. It peaked at #10 in the UK Singles Chart. and although it did not chart in the US, it did receive considerable airplay on AOR stations. The Mott album reached #7 in the UK and #35 in the US.
The musician gets half way to Memphis before he realises his guitar is missing, and it takes a month to track it down. When he gets the guitar back, he is scolded by a stranger for being neglectful and self-centered with the phrase “rock-n-rollers; you’re all the same”. In the original version of the song, the stranger is referred to as a “spade” as a satirical reference to a common racial epithet of the period, in later versions the word “dude” is substituted as the satirical intention was missed by many. So maybe it wasn’t too bad after all, though I’m not sure how many realised the satire at the time – I didn’t! But as I said, the song has been a favourite of mine since then – they had a run of great hit singles, starting with All The Young Dudes.

 

My second song for today is a track from one of the best albums of all time:

 

The Only Living Boy In New York has long been my favourite track on Simon & Garfunkel’s superb album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, and this video with images of 1970s New York is a great accompaniment for it. The album was released in January 1970 and was a huge hit, reaching #1 in the US, the UK, and just about anywhere else you look, and has sold more than 25m copies. This track was released as the B-side to the single of Cecilia, in April 1970: that got to #4 in the US and #51 in the UK.

The story behind the song is that Paul Simon wrote it as a thinly veiled message to Art Garfunkel, referencing in the first verse a specific incident where Garfunkel went to Mexico to act in the film Catch-22. Simon was left alone in New York writing songs for Bridge over Troubled Water, hence his lonely feelings that gave the song its title. Simon speaks to Garfunkel in the song as “Tom,” a reference to their early days when they were called ‘Tom and Jerry,’ and encourages him to “let your honesty shine . . . like it shines on me”. The multi-tracked backing vocals of the pair of them, recorded in an echo chamber, give the song a feeling of ethereal beauty and a timeless quality. Rather ironic, perhaps, in that this was the reason behind the duo splitting up later that year! It is still a wonderful song, though.

I realised when I’d written this piece that I actually included both of these songs in a Tuesday Tunes post, but as that was back in August 2023 I’m banking on you not remembering that! And at least I’m consistent in my choices!

Hopefully you aren’t missing my weekly dose of folk music too much. If you are, I can only apologise that I fancied a change. And I have bad news for you: I already know what I’ll be playing next week, and that isn’t folk music either – or English! Variety is the spice of life, after all.

I trust you are keeping well, and I hope to see you again for Tuesday Tunes, the next instalment of my ongoing Advent Countdown of music. Until then, take care and be happy 😊

52 thoughts on “SLS: A Mighty Long Way Down Rock’n’Roll”

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  7. I probably shared this tidbit with you before, but my brother Tom lived in a house with about twelve other guys in college. They nicknamed him Mott (almost “Tom spelled backwards”Tom” spelled backward, in honor of Mott the Hoople).

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  13. “All the Way from Memphis” is a great Mott song, alright, one of their biggest. Significantly, it’s featured in the critically regarded Ellen Burstyn movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (saw it once, years ago, and liked it). Never was a big S&G fan, but I love B-sides, so will check out this one.

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      • I have the LPs Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage (…) in my collection. All good stuff, but lacking the “edginess” I seek these days. Simon was heavily influenced by Jansch and Jackson C. Frank, connections I’ve always found fascinating.

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      • I had them all, plus The Paul Simon Songbook, back in the days of vinyl, and pocket money and Christmas presents! Paul spent a lot of time here in his formative years, playing our folk clubs, so the Bert Jansch influence is no surprise.

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  14. I love the story in the Mott The Hoople about the guitarist missing his guitar when he arrived in Memphis, because it becomes a personal extension of their musical self, giving them the confidence needed to perform. Your second choice with Simon and Garfunkel was also the second video that was not available here in the US, but I love the harmonies in that song and your post about Paul missing Art was very interesting to read. Thanks for sharing your music again, Clive.

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  15. Two excellent choices this morning, Clive. We’ve always been big fans of Mott and got to see them several times in New York while they were touring with Aerosmith and the New York Dolls. We were at the famous Uris Theater for one of Mott’s performances the night before fans went ballistic on the place and caused a lot of damage. We never had the opportunity to see Simon & Garfunkel. Their music is still among the best.

    We had snow throughout the night and it is still snowing at this moment. It’s really quite beautiful, especially since we don’t have to go out in it! Enjoy the remainder of your Sunday. ⛄️

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    • Thank you, Nancy, I’m pleased you like them. That’s quite a memory of Mott – a good thing you went on the day you did! I’ve never seen either of these live, sadly.

      The snow sounds lovely, and it is always best when you don’t have to go out in it! Enjoy your day too 👍

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  18. People don’t write songs about American places any more do they, particularly UK artists. I guess the romance about the US is not what it used to be. Of these two the Paul Simon song is definitely my favourite. When I was about 13 I played truant from school for about three weeks; when I knew my parents had left the house for the day I used to sneak into the house via the back and play the Bridge Over Troubled Water album all to myself. Fun memories, until I was rumbled of course!

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