Memphis Sound, aka Memphis Soul, is the topic for this week’s SLS, as set out by Jim in his post, Bluff City. I wouldn’t put this near the top of my list of favourite genres but I’ve liked a lot of songs over the years which fit into it. Wikipedia describes it as ‘a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn lines, organ, guitar, bass, and a driving beat on the drums.’ They go on to add ‘Memphis Soul pulls stylistic influence from jazz, Motown, Rhythm and blues, gospel and Doo-wop music….brass and saxophones are common in much of Memphis Soul instrumentation.’ I’m playing you two examples of this, which are kind of linked. My lead track dates back to 1966, but this live performance is much later – he still had it, though:

When you get to perform at the White House you know you’ve made it! That was part of a show from early 2013, when Eddie Floyd was coming up for his 76th birthday – I hope I can still move and sing like that at his age (then again, I can’t now so I think it unlikely). Before I forget them, here are the lyrics:

I don’t want to lose you, this good thing
That I got ’cause if I do
I will surely
Surely lose a lot
‘Cause your love is better
Than any love I know
It’s like thunder and lightning
the way you love me is frightening
You better knock, knock on wood, baby

I’m not superstitious about ya
But I can’t take no chance
I got me spinnin’, baby
You know I’m in a trance
‘Cause your love is better
Than any love I know
It’s like thunder and lightning
the way you love me is frightening
You better knock, knock on wood, baby

It’s no secret about it
That woman is my loving cup
’cause she sees to it
That I get enough
Just one touch from here
You know it means so much
It’s like thunder and lightning
the way you love me is frightening
You better knock, knock on wood, baby

You better knock, knock, knock on wood…

Writer/s: Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper 
Publisher: Songtrust Ave, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

As the credits show, the song was written by Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd, apparently on a night of thunder and lightning, hence the reference to that in the lyrics. It was originally intended for Otis Redding but Eddie recorded it first, Stax Records liked it, so it was released as a single in September 1966. It made #1 on the US R&B singles chart, #28 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached #19 in the UK. To my mind, those chart placings feel a bit low for a song I’ve always thought of as a pop classic. Otis did actually record the song in a duet version with Carla Thomas: this was released in September 1967 and peaked at #8 on the US R&B listings, #30 in the Hot 100 and at #35 in the UK. I found a couple of videos from around the time Eddie had his hit with the song, but couldn’t resist the one from the White House show, as it is just so very good.

I toyed with the idea of playing the Otis and Carla version too, but decided to play something different from Otis instead. No, not THAT one! This is one of his other hits, which I think is also a great example of Memphis soul:

That’s another one that I’ve always liked. It was a track on the second posthumous album of Otis’ music that was released – The Immortal Otis Redding – which came out in June 1968 and reached #3 in the US R&B albums chart, #58 on their main listings, and #19 in the UK. It was issued as a single at the same time, peaking at #38 in the R&B chart and at #51 on the Hot 100, but did much better here in the UK, where it reached #15. Again, to my mind, it is another piece of classic pop which I would have expected to have done better in the charts.

That’s it from me for today. Two classic pop hits: you can’t ask for much better, really. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I’ll see you again for Tuesday Tunes. Another road trip this week 😉