This is a pleasant bit of baroque-psych whimsy from the Birmingham group that ultimately gave birth to the Electric Light Orchestra. It first appeared in September 1967 as the B-side to the Move's also-excellent "Flowers in the Rain" and--in a different version--as the A-side of the Idle Race's first single. It was the Move's version, however, that caught on with the listening public.
(Trivial aside: Idle Race singer Jeff Lynne, of course, would later join Wood in the Move and the two of them ultimately formed ELO. It's a confusing family tree/discography. Anyway...)
Wood's lyrics, telling of a nextdoor girl who is "round the bend," are cheerfully absurd, somewhat in the style of the Who's "Happy Jack." Spotting her, in her "silver-clad bikini/Singing, dancing round her fruit tree," our narrator wonders: "Could i calm her down by throwing stones at her/If only I could make the right approach to her/Think i'd rather tame a tiger/Turn those lemons into cider/Still I'd like to get beside her."
Not a lick of sense to it. Not that we mind, what with the exquisite harmonies on the choruses and mini string symphony on the middle eight. It's an amazing little arrangement, reminding us how much imagination and effort went into pop music of this era. And for a B-side at that!
Availability:
The Move
More on the Move
Previous Best Song Ever
No comments:
Post a Comment