{"id":1755,"date":"2011-08-23T11:57:30","date_gmt":"2011-08-23T16:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/funky16corners.lunarpages.net\/?p=1755"},"modified":"2012-02-22T12:52:07","modified_gmt":"2012-02-22T17:52:07","slug":"jerry-leiber-1933-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/?p=1755","title":{"rendered":"Jerry Leiber 1933 – 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber
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\n <\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Listen\/Download – Alvin Robinson – Down Home Girl<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/del><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – The Coasters – Down Home Girl <\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/del><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – The Coasters – Soul Pad <\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/del>
\nGreetings all.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sweet weeping jeebus I am bummed, on account of last night, as I was settling in for my rest word came down that one of my all-time musical idols, Jerry Leiber<\/strong> had passed away.<\/p>\n

If the name is not immediately familiar, pair it with that of Mike Stoller<\/strong>, and then step off the curb into an abyss of rock\u2019n\u2019roll, R&B and soul history, where the pair stand astride the past 50 plus years as a mighty colossus of songwriting and production.<\/p>\n

To say that Leiber\/Stoller songs were a huge part of my musical mindset would be a giant understatement.<\/p>\n

As I sit here writing this tribute, with the Coasters<\/strong> version of \u2018Down Home Girl\u2019 playing on a loop in my headphones, tears welling up in my eyes, I think of how much Leiber and Stoller\u2019s work, from the Coasters on up through Miss Peggy Lee<\/strong> (see Iron Leg<\/strong> next Monday) has meant to me.<\/p>\n

Though both of them hailed from the East Coast, Leiber and Stoller came together in Los Angeles in the early 50s where their songwriting empire (using that word to denote a kingdom as opposed to merely a financial construct<\/em>) came into being, where their earliest successes formed a veritable cornerstone of 50s R&B, with \u2018Kansas City\u2019 and \u2018Hound Dog\u2019 (the proceeds of which probably yielded enough hundred dollar bills to compact them into solid blocks and build a literal foundation).<\/p>\n

They went on to work with the Robins,<\/strong> which begat the Coasters<\/strong> for whom L&S created almost two dozen chart hits, on to the Drifters<\/strong> (There Goes My Baby, On Broadway), Ben E King<\/strong> and countless others.<\/p>\n

The pair also had their own labels for a time, with the Red Bird\/Blue Cat\/Tiger axis that brought us the Dixie Cups, Shangri Las, Alvin Robinson, Ad Libs, Bessie Banks, Evie Sands,<\/strong> and many more.<\/p>\n

The thing that always grabbed me about their best work as songwriters\/record crafters was the fact that they were almost unequalled in the amount of gritty joie de vive that they could pack into the grooves of a three-minute record.<\/p>\n

Though the Coasters were always known for the comedic feel of their 45s, the records they made with L&S were far more sophisticated than \u201cfunny\u201d. They were kinetic, explosive, sexy, and manic, layered with heart and soul.<\/p>\n

Though their collaboration (which often expanded to include other songwriters like Artie Butler, Phil Spector<\/strong> or Mann and Weil<\/strong>) could be described as symbiotic, the lion\u2019s share of the lyrics were created by Jerry Leiber.<\/p>\n

Of all the classics they created, none resonates with me more than \u2018Down Home Girl\u2019.<\/p>\n

I first encountered the original recording by Alvin Robinson many years ago on a comp of New Orleans soul and though I came away from that record wanting to know more about many of the artists, none of the songs kicked me in the ass like \u2018Down Home Girl\u2019.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t think of a finer bit of pop poetry:<\/p>\n

Lord I swear the perfume you wear<\/strong>
\n Was made out of turnip greens<\/strong>
\n And everytime I kiss you girl<\/strong>
\n It tastes like pork and beans<\/strong>
\n Even though you’re wearin’ them<\/strong>
\n Citified high heels<\/strong>
\n I can tell by your giant step<\/strong>
\n You been walkin’ through the cotton fields<\/strong>
\n Oh, you’re so down home girl<\/strong><\/p>\n

Everytime you monkey child<\/strong>
\n You take my breath away<\/strong>
\n And everytime you move like that<\/strong>
\n I gotta get down and pray<\/strong>
\n Don’t you know that dress of yours<\/strong>
\n Was made out of fiberglass<\/strong>
\n And everytime you move like that<\/strong>
\n I gotta go to Sunday mass<\/strong>
\n Oh, you’re so down home girl<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, you’re so down home girl<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’m gonna take you to the muddy river<\/strong>
\n And push you in<\/strong>
\n Just to watch the water roll on<\/strong>
\n Down your velvet skin<\/strong>
\n I’m gonna take you back to New Orleans<\/strong>
\n Down in Dixieland<\/strong>
\n I’m gonna watch you do the second line<\/strong>
\n With an umbrella in your hand<\/strong>
\n Oh, you’re so down home girl<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’m with ya baby<\/strong>
\n You’re so down home<\/strong>
\n Ow! Yeah, too much<\/strong>
\n Outta sight<\/strong>
\n You’re so down home girl<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fact that Leiber and Stoller thought to have Alvin Robinson,<\/strong> an obscure New Orleans guitarist and singer (who just happened to have a remarkable voice) deliver such a vivid, lascivious, funny set of lyrics is one of the great musical intersections of their long, stellar career.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a record that these many years later I still find new things to love every time I listen to it. Robinson\u2019s vocal is up to the task (and then some) of delivering one of Leiber\u2019s finest lyrics, packed with subtle twists and turns.<\/p>\n

The Coasters remarkable 1967 two-sider of \u2018Down Home Girl\u2019 and \u2018Soul Pad\u2019 was almost a half-decade past their last hit, and despite its obvious quality, did not return them to the charts.<\/p>\n

Their slightly funky take on \u2018Down Home Girl\u2019 shows a more relaxed side of the group, but their old selves still manage to poke through here and there.<\/p>\n

\u2018Soul Pad\u2019 is \u2013 at least in my opinion \u2013 one of Leiber\u2019s funniest lyrics with references to Thelonious Monk<\/strong> and psychedelics, and the arrangement by Mike Stoller is perfection.<\/p>\n

Jerry Leiber may not be with us any longer, but the music he created over more than 60 years will live forever. I know that sounds like a clich\u00e9 (and it is, really<\/em>), but it\u2019s also true.<\/p>\n

You know that somewhere, long after we\u2019re all gone, some space amoeba in the far reaches of the universe will be splitting over and over again to the reverberations of a Leiber and Stoller song, pulsing on radio waves, galloping through the ether.<\/p>\n

As it should be.<\/strong><\/p>\n

See you all on Friday with a tribute to the mighty Nick Ashford.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peace<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Larry<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n


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Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber   Listen\/Download – Alvin Robinson – Down Home Girl Listen\/Download – The Coasters – Down Home Girl Listen\/Download – The Coasters – Soul Pad Greetings all. Sweet weeping jeebus I am bummed, on account of last night, as I was settling in for my rest word came down that one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[58,14,87,40,24,69,64,12,18],"tags":[166,41,169,164],"class_list":["post-1755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cover-songs","category-funky16corners","category-leiber-and-stoller","category-new-orleans-funk","category-northern-soul","category-original-versions","category-rb","category-soul","category-soul-45","tag-funky16corners","tag-new-orleans","tag-northern-soul","tag-soul"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMKgo-sj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1755"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1934,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1755\/revisions\/1934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}