Escrita por
Otis Redding e gravada por ele em 1965. A nossa versão no entanto é
a de Aretha Franklin, de 1967. A versão dela foi gravada em 14 de
fevereiro de 1967, nos estúdios da Atlantic Records, em New York
City e lançada em 29 de abril de 1967 num compacto que tinha Dr.
Feelgood como Lado B.
As duas
versões são diferentes, até mesmo na letra. A de Redding é vem de
um homem desesperado, disposto a dar a mulher tudo que ela quer. Ele
só quer respeito quando chega em casa com o dinheiro. A de Franklin
é uma declaração de uma mulher forte, confiante que sabe que tem
tudo o que o homem dela quer. Ela nunca o trata mal, mas quer seu
respeito.
A versão de
Franklin se tornou um marco para o movimento feminista e é
considerada uma das melhores canções da era de Rhythm and Blues.
Gahou dois Grammies em 1968 e entrou pro Grammy Hall of Fame em 1987.
Em 2002, entrou pra Biblioteca do Congresso Americano no National
Recoding Registry. É o numero 35 da lista das 500 maiores canções
de todos os tempos da revista Rolling Stone. É tambem inclusa nas
Songs of the Century, da Recording Industry of America and The
National Endowment of the Arts.
Foi tambem
regravada por Diana Ross and The Supremes e por Joss Stone, além de
Stevie Wonder, Elton John, entre outros.
A letra:
(oo) What you
want (oo) Baby, I got (oo) What you need (oo) Do you know I
got it? (oo) All I'm askin' (oo) Is for a little respect when
you come home (just a little bit) Hey baby (just a little bit)
when you get home (just a little bit) mister (just a little
bit)
I ain't gonna do you wrong while you're gone Ain't
gonna do you wrong (oo) 'cause I don't wanna (oo) All I'm askin'
(oo) Is for a little respect when you come home (just a little
bit) Baby (just a little bit) when you get home (just a little
bit) Yeah (just a little bit)
I'm about to give you all of
my money And all I'm askin' in return, honey Is to give me my
propers When you get home (just a, just a, just a, just a) Yeah
baby (just a, just a, just a, just a) When you get home (just a
little bit) Yeah (just a little bit)
[instrumental
break]
Ooo, your kisses (oo) Sweeter than honey
(oo) And guess what? (oo) So is my money (oo) All I want you
to do (oo) for me Is give it to me when you get home (re, re, re
,re) Yeah baby (re, re, re ,re) Whip it to me (respect, just a
little bit) When you get home, now (just a little
bit)
R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means to
me R-E-S-P-E-C-T Take care, TCB
Oh (sock it to me, sock
it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me) A little respect (sock
it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me) Whoa,
babe (just a little bit) A little respect (just a little bit) I
get tired (just a little bit) Keep on tryin' (just a little
bit) You're runnin' out of foolin' (just a little bit) And I
ain't lyin' (just a little bit) (re, re, re, re) 'spect When
you come home (re, re, re ,re) Or you might walk in (respect, just
a little bit) And find out I'm gone (just a little bit) I got
to have (just a little bit) A little respect (just a little bit)
Escrita por
John Lennon mas creditada à dupla Lennon/McCartney, foi gravada em 8
e 16 de fevereiro e 13, 28 e 29 de março de 1967. Foi lançada no
disco Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band em 26 de maio de 1967.
A inspiração
para esta canção veio de um comercial de televisão dos corn flakes
da Kellogg. Ele fala também It's time for tea and Meet the wife.
Meet the wife era um programa da BBC. A guitarra solo foi tocada por
Paul.
Foram
adicionados barulhos de animais, que foi inspirada em Caroline, No,
do disco Pet Sounds, dos Beach Boys, que foram a inspiração
completa do Sgt. Pepper's.
A canção
tem 117 bits por minuto, tem um ritmo diferente e tem também time
signatures diferentes. É dividida em sete seções.
John cantou,
tocou guitarra base e fez backing vocal. Paul tocou baixo, guitarra
solo, bass drum e fez backing vocal.George Harrison tocou guitarra
ritmica e fez backing vocals. Ringo tocou bateria e pandeiro.
A letra:
Good morning,
good morning Good morning, good morning Good morning
ah
Nothing to do to save his life call his wife in Nothing
to say but what a day how's your boy been Nothing to do it's up to
you I've got nothing to say but it's OK
Good morning, good
morning Good morning ah
Going to work don't want to go
feeling low down Heading for home you start to roam then you're in
town Everybody knows there's nothing doing Everything is closed
it's like a ruin Everyone you see is half asleep And you're on
your own you're in the street
After a while you start to smile
now you feel cool Then you decide to take a walk by the old
school Nothing is changed it's still the same I've got nothing
to say but it's OK
Good morning, good morning Good morning
ah
People running round it's five o'clock Everywhere in
town is getting dark Everyone you see is full of life It's time
for tea and meet the wife
Somebody needs to know the time,
glad that I'm here Watching the skirts you start to flirt now
you're in gear Go to a show you hope she goes I've got nothing
to say but it's OK
Good morning, good morning, good Good
morning, good morning, good Good morning, good morning, good Good
morning, good morning, good Good morning, good morning, good Good
morning, good morning, good Good morning, good morning, good Good
morning, good morning, good Good morning, good morning, good Good
morning, good morning, good
Escrita por
Neil Diamond, foi lançada em 25 de março de 1967 pela mesma Bang
Records de Brown Eyed Girl. Saiu num compacto que tinha You'l forget
no lado B. Chegou ao número 10 nos charts pop americanos.
Foi
regravada por Cliff Richard, em 1968, pelo Urge Overkill, em 1992,
cuja versão saiu no clássico Pulp Fiction, em 1994.
A letra:
Love you so
much Can't count all the ways I'd die for you girl And all
they can say is "He's not your kind"
They never
get tired Of puttin' me down And I never know When I come
around What I'm gonna find Don't let them make up your
mind
Don't you know Girl, you'll be a woman soon Please,
come take my hand Girl, you'll be a woman soon Soon you'll need
a man
I've been misunderstood For all of my life But
what they're sayin', Girl, just cuts like a knife "The
boy's no good"
Well, I finally found What I've been
looking for But if they get the chance, They'll end it for
sure Sure they would Baby, I've done all I could
It's up
to you Girl, you'll be a woman soon Please, come take my
hand Girl, you'll be a woman soon Soon you'll need a man Soon
you'll need a man.....
Escrita
por Van Morrison, foi gravada em 28 de março de 1967, no A & R
Studios, em New York City e lançada em junho de 1967 no compacto que
tinha Goodbye baby como Lado B e depois em setembro de 1967 no disco
Blowin' your mind. Foi produzida por Bert Berns. Chegou ao número 10
do Billboard HOT100. The Sweet Inspirations fizeram os backing
vocals. Com o fim de sua banda Them e do contrato com a Decca, Van
voltou pra Belfast. Uma vez lá, Bert telefonou pra ele chamando pra
NYC pra gravar umas musicas e assinar com ele um novo contrato.
Montou uma banda pra gravar. Na guitarra chamou Eric Gale, Hugh
McCraken e Al Gorgoni. No baixo, Russ Savakus, Paul Griffin no piano
e Gary Chester na bateria. A canção fala de um antigo amor. Paul
Williams a colocou no seu livro: : Rock and roll: the 100 best
singles”. No livro de 1989, The
Heart of Rock and Soul, The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever,
Dave Marsh colocou-a como número 386. Em 1999, Broadcast Music Inc.
Colocou-a como uma das top 100 songs of the century. Em 2000, foi
listada como número 21 da 100 greatest pop songs by Rolling
Stone/MTV. Também em 2000, VH1, disse que era número 49 das 100
Greatest Rock Songs. Em 2001, RIAA disse que era número 131 das
canções do século, uma lista de 365 canções do século 20,
escolhidas com significancia histórica em mente. Em 2010, foi
escolhida número 110 da lista da Rolling Stone das 500 greatest
songs of all time. Também foi escolhida número 79 das All time 885
greatest songs da rádio WXPN. Em 2007, foi colocada no Grammy Hall
of Fame. Acclaimed Music colocou-a como número 205 como greatest
song of all time e 11th
best song of 1967. É uma das 500 songs that shaped rock and roll, do
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
A
letra:
Hey,
where did we go? Days when the rains came Down in the
hollow Playin' a new game Laughin' and a-runnin', hey,
hey Skippin' and a-jumpin' In the misty morning fog with Our,
our hearts a-thumping and you
My
brown-eyed girl And you, my brown-eyed girl
And
whatever happened To Tuesday and so slow? Going down the old
mine with a Transistor radio Standing in the sunlight
laughing Hiding 'hind a rainbow's wall Slipping and sliding All
along the waterfall with you
My
brown-eyed girl You, my brown-eyed girl
Do
you remember when we used to sing? Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la,
la-la tee-da Just like that Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la,
la-la tee-da, la-tee-da
So
hard to find my way Now that I'm all on my own I saw you just
the other day My, how you have grown Cast my memory back there,
Lord Sometimes I'm overcome thinking 'bout it Laughin' and
a-runnin', hey, hey Behind the stadium with you
My
brown-eyed girl You, my brown-eyed girl
Do
you remember when we used to sing? Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la,
la-la tee-da Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da
Foi gravada em fevereiro e março de 1967 e lançada em
26 de maio de 1967 no disco Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club
Band.
John cantou e tocou orgao Hammond, gaita e tape loops.
Paul tocou baixo, backing vocal e guitarra solo. George Harrison
tocou gaita, pandeiro e fez backing vocals. George Martin tocou
piano, harmonium, orgao Lowrey, orgao Wurlitzer, Melllotron, orgao
Hammond, Glockenspiel e tape loops. Mal Evans tocou gaita. Neil
Aspinals tocou gaita e Geoff Emerick tocou tape loops.
A letra:
For the
benefit of Mr. Kite There will be a show tonight on trampoline The
Hendersons will all be there Late of Pablo Fanques Fair, what a
scene Over men and horses, hoops and garters Lastly through a
hogshead of real fire In this way Mr. K. will challenge the world
The
celebrated Mr. K. Performs his feat on Saturday at Bishops
Gate The Hendersons will dance and sing As Mr. Kite flies
through the ring, don't be late Messrs. K and H. assure the
public Their production will be second to none And of course
Henry The Horse dances the waltz
The
band begins at ten to six When Mr. K. performs his tricks without
a sound And Mr. H. will demonstrate Ten summer sets he'll
undertake on solid ground Having been some days in preparation A
splendid time is guaranteed for all And tonight Mr. Kite is
topping the bill
Escrita por
Antonio Carlos Jobim e Vinicius de Moraes, com letra em ingles de
Gene Lees, foi gravada por Frank Sinatra e Tm Jobim em 30 de janeiro
e 1 de fevereiro de 1967, no United Western Recorders, em Hollywood,
California e lançada em março de 1967. Trata-se da versão em
inglês de Corcovado.
Já havia
sido regravada em inglês ou instrumental apenas por Miles Davis,
Stan Getz, Tom Jobim, Joao Gilberto e Astrud Gilberto, Charlie Byrd,
Sergio Mendes, Doris Day, Henry Mancini, Cliff Richard, Ella
Fitzgerald, Art Garfunkel, Astrud Gilberto sozinha, Queen Latifah,
Diana Krall, Andrea Bocelli, entre outros artistas.
A letra:
Quiet nights of
quiet stars
Quiet chords
from my guitar Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts
and quiet dreams
Quiet walks by
quiet streams And a window looking on the mountains
And the sea,
how lovely?
This is
where I want to be
Here with you
so close to me Until the final flicker of life's ember
I who was lost
and lonely
Believing life
was only A bitter tragic joke, have found with you
Escrita Jim Morrison e Robbue Krieger,
foi gravada em maio e agosto de 1967 e lançada em setembro de 1967
no disco Strange Days. Também saiu em compacto com Unhappy girl no
Lado B.
Foi escrita quando Robbie Krieger subiu
com Jim Morrison para o topo do Laurel Canyon, no começo de 1967.
Morrison estava com depressão. A csnção fala sobre alienação e
sobre ser uma pessoa de fora.
Chegou ao número 12 dos charts pop
americanos. Morrison cantou, Ray Manzarek tocou orgao, piano e fez
backing vocals. Robby Krieger tocou guitarra e fez backing vocals.
John Densmore tocou bateria e fez backing vocals. Douglass Lubalm
tocou baixo.
Foi regravada pelo Echo and The
Bunnymen, Tori Amos, Evanescence, entre outros artistas.
A letra:
People are strange when you're a
stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked
when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're down
When
you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When
you're strange
When you're strange
People are strange
when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women
seem wicked when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven when you're
down
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When
you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're strange
When you're
strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No
one remembers your name
When you're strange
When you're
strange
When you're strange
Escrita John
Lennon, a parte da canção e Paul McCartney a parte do meio, foi
gravada em 19 e 20 de janeiro e 3, 10 e 22 de fevereiro de 1967, nos
estúdios da Abbey Road. Foi lançada no disco Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Hearts Club Band, em 26 de maio de 1967. John Lennon também escreveu
a melodia sozinho.
A letra de
John foi inspirada em artigos do dia a dia de jornais, incluindo a
reportagem da morte do herdeiro da Guinness Tara Browne. É a canção
número 28 da lista das maiores canções de todos os tempos da
revista Rolling Stone.
Foi
regravada por Jeff Beck, Barry Gibb, entre outros.
John cantou,
tocou violão e piano. Paul cantou, tocou piano e baixo. George
Harrison tocou violão e maracas. Ringo tocou bateria, congas e
piano. Além da orquestra inteira que tocou na gravação.
A letra:
I read the news
today, oh boy About a lucky man who made the grade And though
the news was rather sad Well, I just had to laugh I saw the
photograph
He blew his mind out in a car; He didn't notice
that the lights had changed A crowd of people stood and
stared They'd seen his face before Nobody was really sure if he
was from the House of Lords
I saw a film today, oh boy; The
English army had just won the war A crowd of people turned
away But I just had to look Having read the book
I'd
love to turn you on
Woke up, fell out of bed Dragged a comb
across my head Found my way downstairs and drank a cup And
looking up, I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my
hat Made the bus in seconds flat Found my way upstairs and had
a smoke And somebody spoke and I went into a dream
Ah I
read the news today, oh boy Four thousand holes in Blackburn,
Lancashire And though the holes were rather small They had to
count them all Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the
Albert Hall
Escrita por
John Phillips do The Mamas and The Papas, foi lançada em 13 de maio
de 1967 por Scott Mackenzie, no compacto que tinha What's the
difference como Lado B.
Scott
Mackenzie tocou violão e John Phillips tocou guitarra solo e violão
na gravação, Joe Orborn tocou baixo, Hal Blaine tocou bateria e
percussão, entre outros músicos. A gravação chegou ao número 4
no charts pop americanos e número 1 nos charts britanicos.
Tornou-se o
hino do movimento de contra-cultura dos anos 60s. Incluindo os
movimentos Hippie, anti guerra do Vietnã e o Flower Power. A canção
foi escrita em 20 minutos.
A canção
fala que se voce for pra San Francisco, deve colocar uma flor no
cabelo. Isso fez com que muita gente jovem quisesse ir pra San
Francisco no final dos anos 60s. Mais de 7 milhões de cópias foram
vendidas em todo o mundo. Foi amplamente tocada na Primavera de Praga
de 1968, na Tchecoslovaquia.
Petula Clark
gravou-a em 1967, entre outros artistas.
A letra:
If you're going
to San Francisco Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair If
you're going to San Francisco You're gonna meet some gentle people
there
For those who come to San Francisco Summertime will
be a love-in there In the streets of San Francisco Gentle
people with flowers in their hair
All across the nation Such
a strange vibration People in motion
There's a whole
generation With a new explanation People in motion People in
motion
For those who come to San Francisco Be sure to wear
some flowers in your hair If you come to San Francisco Summertime
will be a love-in there
If you come to San
Francisco Summertime will be a love-in there
Escrita por Chet Powers,
foi lançada em julho de 1967 pelos Youngbloods, no compacto que
tinha All my dreams blue como Lado B. A canção é um apelo à paz e
irmandade, apresentando a polaridade amor x medo e a escolha que deve
ser feita entre eles.
Já havia sido
originalmente lançada como Let's get together pelo Kingston Trio em
1 de junho de 1964. Depois foi regravada pelo We Five, em 1965. Essa
versão chegou ao número 31 dos charts pop americanos.
Depois, foi regravada pelo
Jefferson Airplane, em agosto de 1966.
A nossa versão, dos
Youngbloods, mudou o título somente pr Get Together.
Tambem foi regravada por
Dave Clark Five, em 1970, entre outros artistas.
A letra:
Love is but a song to
sing Fear's the way we die You can make the mountains ring Or
make the angels cry Though the bird is on the wing And you may
not know why
Come on people now Smile
on your brother Everybody get together Try to love one
another Right now
Some may come and some may
go We shall surely pass When the one that left us here Returns
for us at last We are but a moment's sunlight Fading in the
grass
Come on people now Smile
on your brother Everybody get together Try to love one
another Right now
Come on people now Smile
on your brother Everybody get together Try to love one
another Right now
Come on people now Smile
on your brother Everybody get together Try to love one
another Right now
If you hear the song I
sing You will understand (listen!) You hold the key to love and
fear All in your trembling hand Just one key unlocks them
both It's there at you command
Come on people now Smile
on your brother Everybody get together Try to love one
another Right now
Come on people now Smile
on your brother Everybody get together Try to love one
another Right now
Come on people now Smile
on your brother Everybody get together Try to love one
another Right now
Escrita por
Paul McCartney com algumas partes da letra escrita por John, foi
gravada em 9 de março de 1967 e lançada no disco Sgt. Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band, em 26 de maio de 1967.
O título e
a música sugerem otimismo, mas parte da canção tem um tom
negativo. O otimismo parte de Paul e o pessimismo parte de John. Paul
fala It's getting better all the time. Ai John fala Can't get any
worse.
John disse
que a parte que ele escreveu I used to be cruel to my woman, I beat
her and kept her apart from the things that she loved era ele mesmo.
Ele disse que era cruel e batia nas mulheres. Ele disse que virou um
pacifista pois é era homem violento.
Durante a
gravação de Getting better, John Lennon não estava passando bem e
o produtor George Martin levou-o pro teto. Só que ele havia tomado
LSD e Martin não sabia. Quando chegou e encontrou com George
Harrison e Paul no estúdio, voltaram correndo pra evitar que ele
caísse de cima do teto.
Paul cantou,
tocou baixo, piano elétrico e bateu palmas. John fez backing vocals,
tocu guitarra rítmica e bateu palmas. George Harrison fez backing
vocals, tocou guitarra solo, tambura e bateu palmas. Ringo tocou
bateria, congas e bateu palmas. George Martin tocou piano, pianet e
um virginal.
A letra:
t's getting
better all the time
I used to get mad at my school (No I can't
complain) The teachers who taught me weren't cool (No I can't
complain) You're holding me down (Oh), turning me round
(Oh) Filling me up with your rules (Foolish rules)
I've got
to admit it's getting better (Better) A little better all the time
(It can't get more worse) I have to admit it's getting better
(Better) It's getting better since you've been mine
Me used
to be angry young man Me hiding me head in the sand You gave me
the word, I finally heard I'm doing the best that I can
I've
got to admit it's getting better (Better) A little better all the
time (It can't get more worse) I have to admit it's getting better
(Better) It's getting better since you've been mine Getting so
much better all the time It's getting better all the time Better,
better, better It's getting better all the time Better, better,
better
I used to be cruel to my woman I beat her and kept
her apart from the things that she loved Man I was mean but I'm
changing my scene And I'm doing the best that I can (Ooh)
I
admit it's getting better (Better) A little better all the time
(It can't get more worse) Yes I admit it's getting better
(Better) It's getting better since you've been mine Getting so
much better all the time It's getting better all the time Better,
better, better It's getting better all the time Better, better,
better Getting so much better all the time
Escrita por Antonio Carlos
Jobim e Vinicius de Moraes, com letra em ingles de Norman Gimbel, foi
gravada em 30 de janeiro de 1 de fevereiro, no United Western
Recorders, em Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
Foi lancada no final de
marco de 1967 no disco Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos
Jobim. Foi a primeira musica do Lado A.
A letra:
Tall and tan and young and
lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking And when she passes,
each one she passes goes - ah When she walks, she's like a samba
that swings so cool and sways so gentle That when she passes, each
one she passes goes - ooh (Ooh) But I watch her so sadly, how can
I tell her I love her Yes I would give my heart gladly, But
each day, when she walks to the sea She looks straight ahead, not
at me Tall, (and) tan, (and) young, (and) lovely, the girl from
Ipanema goes walking And when she passes, I smile - but she
doesn't see (doesn't see) (She just doesn't see, she never sees
me,...)
Escrita por
Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger e John Densmore, foi
gravada entre maio e agosto de 1967, no Sunset Sound Recorders, em
Hollywood, California. E lançada em 25 de setembro de 1967 no disco
Strange Days.
Trata-se de
um épico de 11 minutos.
A letra:
Yeah, c'mon
When the music's over When the music's over, yeah When
the music's over Turn out the lights Turn out the lights
Turn out the lights, yeah
When the music's over When
the music's over When the music's over Turn out the lights
Turn out the lights Turn out the lights
For the music
is your special friend Dance on fire as it intends Music is
your only friend Until the end Until the end Until the
end
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection Send my
credentials to the House of Detention I got some friends inside
The face in the mirror won't stop The girl in the window
won't drop A feast of friends "Alive!" she cried
Waitin' for me Outside!
Before I sink Into the
big sleep I want to hear I want to hear The scream of the
butterfly
Come back, baby Back into my arm We're
gettin' tired of hangin' around Waitin' around with our heads to
the ground
I hear a very gentle sound Very near yet very
far Very soft, yeah, very clear Come today, come today
What
have they done to the earth? What have they done to our fair
sister? Ravaged and plundered and ripped her and bit her Stuck
her with knives in the side of the dawn And tied her with fences
and dragged her down
I hear a very gentle sound With your
ear down to the ground We want the world and we want it... We
want the world and we want it... Now Now? Now!
Persian
night, babe See the light, babe Save us! Jesus! Save
us!
So when the music's over When the music's over, yeah
When the music's over Turn out the lights Turn out the
lights Turn out the lights
Well the music is your special
friend Dance on fire as it intends Music is your only friend
Until the end Until the end Until the end!
Escrita por
Paul McCartney mas creditada à dupla Lennon e McCartney, foi gravada
em 23 de fevereiro e 21 de março de 1967, e lançada em 26 de maio
de 1967 no disco Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. É sobre uma
guarda de estacionamento que o narrador sente afeição por ela.
O termo
Meter Maid é como chamam as mulheres que checam os parquimetros nos
Estados Unidos, mas no Reino Unido até essa canção, ninguém usava
esse termo. A canção surgiu quando Paul levou uma multa perto do
Abbey Road e em vez de ficar com raiva, ele fez a canção. Ela se
chamava Meta Davies.
Paul cantou,
tocou baixo, piano, pente e kazoo. Johnfez backing vocals, percussão
vocal, violão ritmico, pente e kazoo. George Harrison fez backing
vocals, tocou violão ritmico, pente e kazoo. Ringo tocou nateria.
Shawn Phillips fez backing vocals. George Martin tocou piano.
Foi
regravada por Fats Domino, entre outros artistas.
A letra:
Aaaahhh...
Lovely
Rita meter maid Lovely Rita meter maid
Lovely Rita meter
maid Nothing can come between us When it gets dark I tow your
heart away Standing by a parking meter When I caught a glimpse
of Rita Filling in a ticket in her little white book In a cap
she looked much older And the bag across her shoulder Made her
look a little like a military man
Lovely Rita meter maid May
I inquire discreetly (Lovely Rita) When are you free to take some
tea with me? (Lovely Rita, maid, ah) Rita!
Took her out and
tried to win her Had a laugh and over dinner Told her I would
really like to see her again Got the bill and Rita paid it Took
her home I nearly made it Sitting on the sofa with a sister or
two
Oh, lovely Rita meter maid Where would I be without
you Give us a wink and make me think of you (Lovely Rita meter
maid) Lovely Rita meter maid, Rita meter maid (Lovely Rita meter
maid) Oh Lovely Rita meter meter maid (Lovely Rita meter maid) Ah
da, ah da (Lovely Rita meter maid)
Escrita por
Bobbie Gentry, foi gravada por ela em 10 de julho de 1967, na Capitol
Records, em Hollywood, California. Foi lançada em um compacto que
tinha Mississipi Delta no Lado b, no final de julho de 1967 e chegou
ao número 1 dos charts pop americanos, número 1 no Canadá, número
3 na Nova Zelandia e número 13 no Reino Unido . Se tornou um grande
hit internacional. É a número 412 das 500 maiores canções de
todos os tempos da revista Rolling Stone. Ela ganhou 3 Grammies com
essa gravação.
A canção
foi composta em uma narrativa de primeira pessoa. Billie Joe
McAllister pulou da Tallahatchie Bridge. Na música falam de suicídio
e outras tragedias que se mesclam com a banalidade diária e
conversas educadas.
A canção
começa com a narradora, seu irmão e seu pai voltando da lida diária
na fazenda. Estao indo pro jantar em casa. A mae avisa pra eles não
entrarem com os pés sujos de lama e avisa que Billie Joe McAllister
pulou da ponte.
Já na mesa,
o pai diz, Billie Joe nunca teve o juizo certo, passe o biscoito por
favor. E diz que tem muito trabalho pra fazer no dia seguinte. O
irmao fica mais chocado, comenta que viu Billie Joe outro dia, mas
não está tao chocado ao ponto de não comer outro pedaço de bolo.
O diálogo continua até que o ouvinte tem a certeza que Billie Joe
era o namorado da narradora.
Foi
regravada por Joe Dassin em francês no mesmo ano. Ficou chamada
Marie-Jeanne. Fala a mesma coisa, só que quem se mata é uma mulher
e o narrador é um homem. Marie-Jeanne Guillaume. Foi traduzida
também em sueco e em alemao.
Foi
regravada por Jaco Pastorius, Dave Bartholomew, Ella Fitzgerald,
Sinead O'Connor, e tantos outros artistas.
A letra:
It was the third of June, another
sleepy, dusty Delta day I was out choppin' cotton and my brother
was balin' hay And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to
the house to eat And Mama hollered out the back door, "Y'all
remember to wipe your feet." And then she said, "I got
some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge. Today Billie Joe
MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge."
And Papa said to Mama as he passed
around the black-eyed peas "Well, Billie Joe never had a lick
of sense. Pass the biscuits, please. There's five more acres in
the lower forty I've got to plow." And Mama said it was a
shame about Billie Joe, anyhow Seems like nothin' ever comes to no
good up on Choctaw Ridge And now Billie Joe MacAllister's jumped
off the Tallahatchie Bridge
And brother said he recollected when he
and Tom and Billie Joe He put a frog down my back at the Carroll
County picture show And wasn't I talkin' to him after church last
Sunday night? "I'll have another piece of apple pie. You
know, it don't seem right. I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on
Choctaw Ridge. And now you tell me Billie Joe's jumped off the
Tallahatchie Bridge."
Mama said to me, "Child, what's
happened to your appetite? I've been cookin' all morning and you
haven't touched a single bite. That nice young preacher, Brother
Taylor, dropped by today. Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on
Sunday. Oh, by the way, He said he saw a girl that looked a lot
like you up on Choctaw Ridge. And she and Billie Joe was throwing
somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge."
A year has come 'n' gone since we heard
the news 'bout Billie Joe And brother married Becky Thompson, they
bought a store in Tupelo There was a virus going 'round, Papa
caught it and he died last Spring And now Mama doesn't seem to
wanna do much of anything And me, I spend a lot of time pickin'
flowers up on Choctaw Ridge And drop them into the muddy water off
the Tallahatchie Bridge