The Lovin' Spoonful 1864/1969 Rock Band

The Lovin' Spoonful

The Lovin' Spoonful sono un gruppo musicale pop rock attivo dalla metà degli anni sessanta.
Sono, assieme ai Beach Boys, The Beau Brummels e ai The Byrds, uno dei primi gruppi statunitensi che hanno cercato di contrastare la British invasion determinata dall'avvento del gruppo britannico dei Beatles.
Uno dei loro brani più conosciuti è Summer in the City, che il 13 agosto 1966 ha raggiunto la prima posizione nella classifica di Billboard Hot 100 per tre settimane, in Canada e Finlandia, la seconda in Olanda, la terza in Norvegia, la quinta in Germania e l'ottava nel Regno Unito. Il brano è stato incluso nel 1995 nei titoli di testa del film Die Hard - Duri a morire.
Secondo l'ex leader del gruppo, il cantante e armonicista John Sebastian, in virtù dell'essenza da jug band, la loro musica era inizialmente una risultante fra le sonorità blues di Mississippi John Hurt e il rock alla Chuck Berry.
Nel 2000 la band – che fa parte delle formazioni che si sono esibite nella trasmissione televisiva Top of the Pops – è stata inserita nella Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In chiusura delle loro esibizioni live i componenti del gruppo usano salutare il pubblico al grido di "Good-time music".

Carriera

La band è stata fondata nei primi anni sessanta al Greenwich Village, nella lower Manhattan, dove il suo leader John Sebastian era nato. Sebastian, che era cresciuto a stretto contatto con cantanti e musicisti, era figlio di un virtuoso suonatore classico di armonica a bocca e sfruttò l'onda lunga del revival della musica folk statunitense che si sviluppò fra la fine degli anni cinquanta per tutti gli anni sessanta.
Sebastian, che si alternava in sessioni musicali con Tom Rush e Fred Neil, fondò il gruppo dei Lovin' Spoonful con il chitarrista di origine canadese Zal Yanovsky che suonava in un gruppo folk-bohémien, The Mugwumps, impegnato in coffee house e piccoli club (gli altri due membri del gruppo sarebbero poi confluiti nei The Mamas & the Papas). Al gruppo si unirono poi Steve Boone al basso elettrico e Joe Butler alla batteria.
Dopo qualche tentativo di passare nella scuderia di Phil Spector (che prese in considerazione l'eventualità di diventare loro produttore), firmarono un contratto con l'etichetta discografica Kama Sutra.
A differenza di molti gruppi dell'epoca (i Beatles furono in questo senso un'eccezione), i Lovin' Spoonful suonavano tutti gli strumenti durante le loro registrazioni discografiche e a fianco di poche cover molte delle canzoni incise per il loro primo album erano di loro produzione.

Jug Band

A favorire l'affermazione dei Lovin' Spoonful sono stati brani di sapore folk pop divenuti hit da Top Ten quali Do You Believe in Magic, You Didn't Have to Be So Nice, e Daydream, che raggiunse la seconda posizione nella Billboard Hot 100".
Come gruppo con radici nello stile jug band, i Lovin' Spoonful riservarono al loro primo album una buona metà con standard di brani in questo stile rivisitati e modernizzati; e la loro popolarità ha contribuito ad accrescere anche quella di questa forma musicale tanto da esserne citati come esempio e fonte di ispirazione.
I successivi album presentavano invece canzoni originali anche se le radici jug band hanno sempre fatto capolino qua e là, particolarmente nel loro successo Daydream e nella meno conosciuta Money in cui una macchina per scrivere veniva usata a mo' di percussioni. Ebbero anche brani crossover, fra cui Nashville Cats, che evidenzia le sonorità tipiche di Nashville, che si posizionò all'ottavo posto nelle chart di musica country. Altri successi sono poi stati Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind (secondo posto in classifica nelle vendite discografiche), Six O'Clock e Younger Girl.

Summer in the City

L'unica loro canzone che ha raggiunto la prima posizione nella classifica Billboard Hot 100 è stata una canzone divenuta parte della colonna sonora dell'estate del 1966: Summer in the City, eseguita in diverse cover da molti artisti.
Ulteriore notorietà al gruppo è derivata dalla partecipazione di Joe Butler al posto di Jim Rado nel ruolo di Claude nella produzione a Broadway dell'opera rock Hair.
La canzone dei Lovin' Spoonful Pow! è stata impiegata come tema di apertura del primo film di Woody Allen, Che fai, rubi?, girato nel 1966.
John Sebastian ha composto la musica per il secondo film di Francis Ford Coppola Buttati Bernardo!, distribuito nello stesso anno, mentre i Lovin' Spoonful al completo hanno suonato negli altri brani che costituiscono la colonna sonora del film, compreso un altro hit, Darlin' Be Home Soon.

Tempi recenti

Yanovsky lasciò il gruppo subito dopo la registrazione dell'album colonna sonora You're a Big Boy Now, distribuito nel maggio 1967, probabilmente a causa di disavventure giudiziarie legate una storia di droga (fu arrestato a San Francisco per possesso di marijuana).
Tornato in Canada, Yanovski ha aperto un ristorante divenuto poi un locale di fama internazionale, lo Chez Piggy di Kingston (Ontario). Il locale è poi passato in gestione alla figlia. Il musicista fu in seguito rimpiazzato da Jerry Yester, già componente del Modern Folk Quartet, il cui arrivo ha portato ad un mutamento nel sound della band in chiave maggiormente pop.
Anche John Sebastian lasciò il gruppo agli inizi del 1968 per proseguire la carriera solista. Dopo la sua uscita, i Lovin' Spoonful hanno realizzato alla fine di quell'anno un nuovo album, Revolution '69. Il gruppo originale è tornato poi a riunirsi, ma solo brevemente, in occasione del film di Paul Simon del 1980 One Trick Pony.
Yanovsky è morto nel 2002 e Sebastian ha fatto sapere di non far più conto sulla possibilità di suonare ancora con i restanti membri del gruppo a causa delle differenze di vedute.
Gli altri componenti del gruppo – Boone, Butler e Yester (con Butler come cantante), coadiuvati da altri due nuovi membri, Mike Arturi e Phil Smith – proseguono nei loro tour mantenendo il nome originale del gruppo.

Nome

Il nome del gruppo dei Lovin' Spoonful è stato ispirato da alcuni versi di una canzone del cantante country-blues Mississippi John Hurt intitolata Coffee Blues. John Sebastian accredita dell'idea Fritz Richmond.

Formazione

Formazione originale

• Steve Boone - basso
• Joe Butler - batteria
• John Sebastian (fino al 1968) - chitarra, armonica a bocca
• Zal Yanovsky (fino al 1967) - chitarra

Formazione attuale

• Steve Boone - basso, tastiera
• Joe Butler - voce, chitarra, autoharp
• Mike Arturi - batteria
• Phil Smith - chitarra

Discografia

Singoli USA

Anno di distribuzione	Etichetta/N. catalogo	Titoli (Lato A/Lato B)	Billboard Top Singles	Cashbox
1965	Kama Sutra KA-201	"Do You Believe in Magic" / "On The Road Again"	9	8
1965	Kama Sutra KA-205	"You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" / "My Gal"	10	11
1966	Kama Sutra KA-208	"Daydream" / "Night Owl Blues"	2	1
1966	Kama Sutra KA-209	"Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?" / "Didn't Want To Have To Do It"	2	4
1966	Kama Sutra KA-211	"Summer in the City" / "Butchie's Tune"	1	1
1966	Kama Sutra KA-216	"Rain on the Roof" / "Pow"	10	9
1966	Kama Sutra KA-219	"Nashville Cats" /	8	10
		"Full Measure"	87	97
1967	Kama Sutra KA-220	"Darlin' Be Home Soon" / "Darling Companion"	15	15
1967	Kama Sutra KA-225	"Six O'Clock" / "The Finale"	18	15
1967	Buddah BDA-12	"As Long As You're Here" / "Ereh Er'uoy Sa Gnol Sa" (Zalman Yanovsky solo)	101	73
1967	Kama Sutra KA-231	"You're A Big Boy Now" / "Lonely (Amy's Theme)"	--	--
1967	Kama Sutra KA-239	"She Is Still A Mystery" / "Only Pretty, What A Pity"	27	16
1968	Kama Sutra KA-241	"Money" / "Close Your Eyes"	48	40
1968	Kama Sutra KA-250	"Never Goin' Back" / "Forever"	73	59
1968	Kama Sutra KA-251	"('Til I) Run With You" / "Revelation:Revolution `69"	128	--
1969	Kama Sutra KA-255	"Me About You" / "Amazing Air"	91	82
1970	Kama Sutra KA-505	"Younger Generation" / "Boredom"	--	--

Album USA (Kama Sutra)

Anno di distribuzione	Etichetta / N. catalogo	Titolo	Billboard Pop Albums
1965	Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8050	Do You Believe in Magic	32
1966	Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8051	Daydream	10
1966	Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8053	What's Up, Tiger Lily? (colonna sonora)	126
1966	Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8054	Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful	14
1967	Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8056	The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful	3
1967	Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8058	You're a Big Boy Now'' (colonna sonora)	160
1967	Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8061	Everything Playing	118
1968	Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8064	The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful, Vol. 2	156
1969	Kama Sutra KLPS-8073	Revelation: Revolution '69	--
1970	Kama Sutra KSBS-2011	John Sebastian Song Book Vol. 1	--
1971	Kama Sutra KSBS-2029	Once Upon A Time	--

Raccolte

(fra parentesi l'anno di distribuzione e l'etichetta discografica)

• What's Shakin' (1966 - Elektra EUK 250)
• The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful (1969 - Deluxe)
• More Golden Spoonful (1974)
• Daydream/What's Up Tiger Lily (doppio LP, 1977 - Kama Sutra)
• File (1977 - Pye)
• So Nice (1979 - 51 West)
• The Great Years (1979 - Mode)
• Pop History (197? - Polydorl)
• The Best in the West (1983 - Buddah)
• The EP Collection (1988 - See for Miles)
• Do You Believe in Magic/Everything Playing (1988 - That's Original)
• Collection Lovin' Spoonful (20 Hits) (1988 - Castle)
• All the Best of the Lovin' Spoonful (1988 - Pair)
• Greatest Hits (1988 - Hollywood)
• The Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful (1988 - Kama Sutra)
• 20 Greatest Hits (1989 - Big Time)
• The Lovin' Spoonful Anthology (1990 - Rhino)
• Summer in the City - 19 Great Songs (1991 - Huub)
• A Spoonful of Soundtracks (1991 - Repertoire)
• In the Movies (1991 - Sequel)
• Believe in Magic/Everything Playing (1992 - Castle)
• The Best... Lovin' Spoonful (1994 - Kama Sutra)
• The Lovin' Spoonful (1995 -Rhino)
• Do You Believe in Magic/Hums (1995 - Kama Sutra)
• The Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful (1996 - Music Club)
• Do You Believe in Magic & Other Hits (1997 - Rhino Flashback)
• Summer in the City (1997 - Collectables)
• Greatest Hits (1998 - Delta)
• The Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful (1998 - Camden)
• Best 28 (1998 - BMG/RCA)
• Collector's Edition, Volume 1 (1999 - Platinum Disc)
• Collector's Edition, Volume 2 (1999 - Platinum Disc)
• Collector's Edition, Volume 3 (1999 - Platinum Disc)
• Collector's Edition, Volume 1-3 (1999 - Platinum Disc)
• Lovin' Spoonful (2000 - Platinum Disc)
• French 60's EP Collection (2000 - Magic)
• Greatest Hits (2000 - Buddha)
• The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful (2001 - Paradiso)
• Platinum & Gold Collection (2003 - Buddah)
• The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful (2004 - BMG International)
• Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful (2004 - BMG International)
• Lovin' You (2005 - BCI Music)
• Singles A's and B's (2006 - Repertoire)

Trade ad for The Lovin' Spoonful's single "Do You Believe In Magic". 1965

The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and well known for a number of hit songs in the 1960s including "Summer in the City", "Do You Believe In Magic", "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?", and "Daydream".

Career

Formation and early years (1964–1965)

The band had its roots in the folk music scene based in the Greenwich Village section of lower Manhattan during the early 1960s. John B. Sebastian, the son of classical harmonicist John Sebastian, grew up in the Village in contact with music and musicians, including folk musicians who were involved with the American folk music revival of the 1950s through the early 1960s. Sebastian formed the Spoonful with guitarist Zal Yanovsky from a bohemian folk group called The Mugwumps (two other members, Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty, later formed half of the Mamas & the Papas), playing local coffee houses and small clubs. The formation of the Lovin' Spoonful during this period was later described in the lyrics of the Mamas & the Papas' 1967 top ten hit, "Creeque Alley".
Drummer Jan Carl and bassist Steve Boone rounded out the group, but Carl was replaced by drummer-vocalist Joe Butler after the group's first gig at The Night Owl in Greenwich Village. Butler had previously played with Boone in a group called The Kingsmen (not the hit group of "Louie Louie" fame). The group's first Night Owl performances were reportedly so bad that the club owner told them to go away and practice, so they practiced in the basement of the nearby Hotel Albert until they had improved enough to draw audience attention.
The group made its first recordings for Elektra Records in early 1965, and agreed in principle to sign a long-term deal with Elektra in exchange for a $10,000 advance. However, Kama Sutra Records had an option to sign the Lovin' Spoonful as recording artists as part of a previously signed production deal, and Kama Sutra exercised the option upon learning of Elektra's intent to sign the band. The four tracks recorded for Elektra were released on the 1966 various artists compilation LP What's Shakin' after the band's success on Kama Sutra.

Pop success (1965–1966)

The band worked with producer Erik Jacobsen to release their first single on July 20, 1965, "Do You Believe in Magic", written by Sebastian. Additionally, they wrote their own material (aside from a few covers, mostly on their first album), including "Younger Girl" (which missed the Hot 100), which was a hit for The Critters in mid-1966.
"Do You Believe in Magic" reached #9 on the Hot 100, and the band followed it up with a series of hit singles and albums throughout 1965 and 1966, all produced by Jacobsen. The Lovin' Spoonful became known for such folk-flavored pop hits as "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice", which reached #10, and "Daydream", which went to #2. Other hits included "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" (another #2 hit) and their only song to reach #1 on the Hot 100, "Summer in the City" (August 13–27, 1966). Later that year, the #10 hit "Rain on the Roof" and the #8 hit "Nashville Cats" (which went on to become a staple in the concerts of bluegrass legend Del McCoury) completed the group's first seven consecutive Hot 100 hits to reach that chart's top 10. The only other 1960s act to achieve that feat is Gary Lewis & the Playboys. Some years later, Bobby Weinstein and The Lovin' Cohens turned "Nashville Cats" into "Noshville Katz", a frequent Dr. Demento staple.
The Lovin' Spoonful was one of the most successful pop/rock groups to have jug band and folk roots, and nearly half the songs on their first album were modernized versions of blues standards. Their popularity revived interest in the form, and many subsequent jug bands cite them as an inspiration. The rest of their albums featured mostly original songs, but their jug band roots showed up again and again, particularly in "Daydream" and the lesser-known "Money" (which reached only #48, in 1968), featuring a typewriter as percussion.
Lovin' Spoonful members termed their approach "good-time music". In the liner notes of "Do You Believe in Magic," Zal Yanovsky said that he "became a convert to Reddy Kilowatt because it's loud, and people dance to it, and it's loud." Soon-to-be members of the psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead were part of the West Coast acoustic folk music scene when the Lovin' Spoonful came to town on tour. They credited the Lovin' Spoonful concert as a fateful experience, after which they decided to leave the folk scene and "go electric".^{[citation needed]}
At the peak of the band's success, the producers of the television series that later became The Monkees initially planned to build their series around the Lovin' Spoonful, but dropped the band from the project due to conflicts over song publishing rights. The band also gained an added bit of publicity when Butler replaced Jim Rado in the role of Claude for a sold-out four-month run with the Broadway production of the rock musical Hair. The Lovin' Spoonful's song "Pow!" was used as the opening theme of Woody Allen's first feature film, What's Up, Tiger Lily; the band also composed and played instrumental music for the film and appeared in some live performance sequences in the film (reportedly added during post-production without Allen's knowledge or consent). Shortly thereafter, John Sebastian composed the music for Francis Ford Coppola's second film, You're a Big Boy Now, and the Lovin' Spoonful played the music for the soundtrack, which included yet another hit, "Darling Be Home Soon". Both films were released in 1966. In addition, the Michelangelo Antonioni film Blow-up, also released that year, contained an instrumental version of the Spoonful song, "Butchie's Tune", performed by jazz musician Herbie Hancock.

Personnel changes (1967)

In early 1967, the band broke with their producer Erik Jacobsen, turning to Joe Wissert to produce the single "Six O'Clock", which reached #18 in the U.S.
Yanovsky left the band after the soundtrack album You're a Big Boy Now was released in May 1967, primarily due to a drug bust in San Francisco, in which he was arrested for possession of marijuana and pressured by police to name his supplier. He was a Canadian citizen and feared that he would be barred from re-entering the U.S., so he complied. The incident resulted in a public backlash from the counterculture against the band, with a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Free Press (according to music critic Ralph Gleason) "urging people not to buy Spoonful records and not to attend their concerts and, to the girls, not to ball them." Although Yanovsky went on to release a solo single and album, his musical career was severely harmed. He later left the music business and opened a restaurant, Chez Piggy, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The restaurant is now owned and run by his daughter.
It should be noted however, that Yanovsky, Sebastian and Boone all independently concurred in interviews that Yanovsky's sacking was down to Yanovsky's open disenchantment with the band's direction and Sebastian's songwriting. Sebastian's music was becoming "more personal" while Yanovsky desired a (probably unachievable) return to their early years club scene.
Yanovsky's replacement was Jerry Yester, formerly of the Modern Folk Quartet. Around this time, perhaps coincidentally, the band's sound became more pop-oriented.
The new line-up of the Lovin' Spoonful recorded two moderately successful Wissert-produced singles ("She Is Still a Mystery" and "Money"), as well as the 1967 album Everything Playing. Sebastian then left the group by early 1968 to go solo.

Final years (1968–1969)

The group was now officially a trio, and drummer Butler (who had previously sung lead on a few album tracks) became the group's new lead vocalist. Up to this point Sebastian had written (or co-written) and sung every one of the Lovin' Spoonful's hits; the band now turned to outside writers for their singles, and used a variety of outside producers. The band's last two Hot 100 entries, "Never Goin' Back (to Nashville)" written by John Stewart and "Me About You", were sung by Butler. In addition, "Never Goin' Back" only featured Yester and Butler's playing—the other musical parts were played by session musicians, which had not occurred since drummer Gary Chester played on Do You Believe In Magic. "Never Goin' Back" was the highest-charting single of the group's post-Sebastian career, topping out at #73.
With commercial success waning, the Lovin' Spoonful lasted only until early 1969. They split up following the release of their album Revelation: Revolution '69. In 1969 Boone produced an album for Mercury Records by a group known as The Oxpetals, a cosmic rock band inspired by The Moody Blues' "In Search of the Lost Chord". When the album failed to chart Boone bought a sailboat and lived aboard for the next 4 years in the Caribbean. In 1973 he moved back to Baltimore, Maryland, took over a recording studio built by engineer George Massenburg, and renamed it Blue Seas after a ship that was salvaged in the Caribbean. Blue Seas went on to record many well known artists, among them Lowell George and Little Feat, who recorded "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" there, Robert Palmer and The Seldom Scene. He went on the produce Live at Maguires Hill 16 by The Irish Times in Fort Lauderdale, Florida along with fellow producer Dan Obrien in 1994.
In 1970, following John Sebastian's 1969 solo performance at Woodstock, Kama Sutra issued the song "Younger Generation" as a single. Sebastian had closed his Woodstock set with the song. The single version was taken from the two-year-old Everything Playing album and credited to "The Lovin' Spoonful featuring John Sebastian"; it failed to chart.
In 1976, however, a solo Sebastian scored another No. 1 Hot 100 hit with "Welcome Back", the theme song to the ABC sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter.

Reunions, revivals, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction (1979–present)

The original group (Sebastian, Yanovsky, Butler and Boone) reunited briefly in the fall of 1979 for a show at the Concord Hotel in the Catskills for an appearance in the Paul Simon film One Trick Pony, which was released in October 1980.
In 1991, after a long-awaited settlement with their record company, Butler and Boone decided to start up the Lovin' Spoonful again with Jerry Yester. They were joined by Jerry's brother, Jim Yester (vocals and guitar), formerly of The Association. Sebastian and Yanovsky declined to participate. In March 1992 drummer John Marrella was added to the band to allow Joe Butler to concentrate on vocals. After a two-month rehearsal in the Berkshire Mountains, the group started touring, with Joe Butler now the most common lead singer. Keyboardist David Jayco was added in June 1992. Jim Yester left this new grouping in March 1993 and was replaced by guitarist Randy Chance. Jerry's daughter, Lena Yester (vocals and keyboards), replaced David Jayco at the same time. Randy Chance was sacked in June 1993 and was not replaced. Mike Arturi replaced John Marrella on drums in March 1997 and Phil Smith joined on guitar in 2000 replacing Lena Yester.
The original four members of the Lovin' Spoonful were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 6, 2000. All four original members appeared at the ceremony and performed "Do You Believe in Magic" and "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?".
Yanovsky died in 2002. Sebastian has stated that he no longer wishes to perform with the remaining members of the group because he wanted to move on when he left the group.
Jerry Yester was fired from the group in 2017 after being arrested on 30 counts of child pornography.
The current group, still led by Butler and Boone, continues to perform.

Legacy

John Lennon's personal jukebox was found to contain the Lovin' Spoonful record "Daydream." Interviewed about the find, John Sebastian revealed he had been given a Beatles rehearsal tape that contained Lennon singing "Daydream."
Paul McCartney has stated that "Good Day Sunshine" was "really very much a nod to The Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Daydream,’ the same traditional, almost trad-jazz feel. That was our favorite record of theirs. ‘Good Day Sunshine’ was me trying to write something similar to ‘Daydream.’"
Dave Davies of the Kinks has stated he and brother Ray Davies listened to the Lovin' Spoonful "above and beyond the Beatles". He cited the band "integrating lots of different elements - blues, country and folk music and a bit of rock."

Name

The band's name was inspired by some lines in a song of Mississippi John Hurt called the "Coffee Blues". John Sebastian and others in the jug-folk scene of the time such as Geoff Muldaur credit Fritz Richmond for suggesting the name.
The song "Coffee Blues" is a tribute to Maxwell House Coffee, which Hurt describes, "rapping" in the beginning of the song, as being two or three times any other brand, ergo, he only needs one spoonful to make him feel all right, what he describes as "my lovin' spoonful" in the song. The song is part of a group of songs with a long history in recorded blues that generally use the term "a spoonful" to suggest sex, and in some cases use of a drug such as cocaine. The term "lovin' spoonful" has been conjectured as referring to the amount of ejaculate released by a human male during a typical orgasm.

In popular culture

In the AMC television series Mad Men, which is set in the 1960s, the characters Sally Draper and Glen Bishop are fans of the band. The band's song, "Butchie's Tune," is featured in the penultimate episode of the series' fifth season. Jazz saxophonist Bud Shank released an album of jazz covers of Lovin' Spoonful songs A Spoonful of Jazz in 1967. In 2016 rock artist Richard Barone recorded a version of the Spoonful's "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?" featuring John Sebastian on harmonica and autoharp, and making a vocal cameo appearance.

The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer In The City (1966) - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5bUmx-hk-c

Lyrics

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city

All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head

But at night it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it'll be alright

And babe, don't you know it's a pity
That the days can't be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city

Cool town, evening in the city
Dressing so fine and looking so pretty
Cool cat, looking for a kitty
Gonna look in every corner of the city
Till I'm wheezing like a bus stop
Running up the stairs, gonna meet you on the rooftop

But at night it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it'll be alright

And babe, don't you know it's a pity
That the days can't be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city

All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head

But at night it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it'll be alright

And babe, don't you know it's a pity
That the days can't be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city

Songwriters: John Sebastian / Mark Sebastian / Steve Boone

Summer in the City lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, BMG Rights Management, Carlin America Inc

 

Lovin' Spoonful - Daydream - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7u5SdjDSQQ

 

 

Lyrics

What a day for a daydream
What a day for a daydreamin' boy
And I’m lost in a daydream
Dreamin' ‘bout my bundle of joy
And even if time ain’t really on my side
It’s one of those days for takin' a walk outside
I’m blowin’ the day to take a walk in the sun
And fall on my face on somebody's new mowed lawn

I've been havin’ a sweet dream
I been dreamin’ since I woke up today
It’s starrin’ me and my sweet dream
'Cause she's the one that makes me feel this way

And even if time has passing me by a lot
I couldn't care less about the dues you say I got
Tomorrow I'll pay the dues for droppin’ my load
A pie in your face for bein' a sleepy bulltoad

And you can be sure that if you're feelin’ right
A daydream will last along into the night
Tomorrow at breakfast you may pick up your ears
Or you may be daydreamin' for a thousand years

What a day for a daydream
Custom made for a daydreamin' boy
And now I’m lost in a daydream
Dreamin ‘bout my bundle of joy

Songwriters: John Sebastian

Day Dream lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, Carlin America Inc

 

TheLovinSpoonful

DoYouBelieveinMagic- YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y23WN9t_WVU

▶ 2:06

Mar 23, 2012 - Uploaded by Garr Land

Mix - The Lovin Spoonful - Do You Believe in MagicYouTube. What's My Line? - Andy Griffith; PANEL: Steve ...

LIVE!! The Lovin' Spoonful "Do You Believe In Magic" ~ 1965 - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8ifTS5NEsI

▶ 2:33

Feb 2, 2013 - Uploaded by zbestwun2001

Released in '65 this was a major hit for the Spoonful. Recorded at the Moulin Rouge in Hollywood on the ...

 

Younger Girl - Lovin' Spoonful - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b53EbA1NBRk

 

 

Lyrics

She's one of those girls,
Who seems to come in the spring.
One look in her eyes,
And you forget everything,
You had ready to say.
And I saw her today, yeah.

A younger girl
Keeps rollin' 'cross my mind.
No matter how much I try,
I can't seem to leave her memory behind.
I remember her eyes,
Soft dark and brown.
Said she'd never been in trouble,
Even in town
A younger girl
Keeps rollin' 'cross my mind.

No matter how much I try,
I can't seem to leave her memory behind.

A younger girl
Keeps rollin' 'cross my mind.

And should I hang around,
Acting like her brother?
In a few more years,
They'd call us right for each other.
And why, If I wait I'll just die, yeah.

A younger girl
Keeps rollin' 'cross my mind.
No matter how much I try,
I can't seem to leave her memory behind.
I remember her eyes,
Soft dark and brown.
Said she'd never been in trouble,
Even in town
A younger girl
Keeps rollin' 'cross my mind.

She's one of those girls,
Who seems to come in the spring.
One look in her eyes,
And you forget everything,
You had ready to say

Songwriters: John Sebastian

Younger Girl lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, BMG Rights Management, Carlin America Inc

The Lovin' Spoonful - Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sqXBB1ETU0

Lyrics

Did you ever have to make up your mind?
And pick up on one and leave the other behind?
It's not often easy and not often kind.
Did you ever have to make up your mind?

Did you ever have to finally decide?
And say yes to one and let the other one ride?
There's so many changes and tears you must hide.
Did you ever have to finally decide?

Sometimes there's one with big blue eyes, cute as a bunny,
With hair down to here, and plenty of money,
And just when you think she's that one in the world,
Your heart gets stolen by some mousy little girl,

And then you know you'd better make up your mind.
And pick up on one and leave the other behind.
It's not often easy and not often kind.
Did you ever have to make up your mind?

Sometimes you really dig a girl the moment you kiss her,
And then you get distracted by her older sister.
When in walks her father and takes you in line,
And says, "Better go on home, son, and make up your mind."

And then you bet you'd better finally decide.
And say yes to one and let the other one ride.
There's so many changes and tears you must hide.
Did you ever have to finally decide?

Songwriters: John Sebastian

Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, BMG Rights Management, Carlin America Inc