#1 for week of August 25, 1962.
One of the most well known and near universally loved #1 hits from this year. "The Locomotion", sung by Little Eva and written by Goffin/King is one of those tunes that has managed to survive through the decades and be enjoyed by many new generations. But what ever became of the mysterious Little Eva herself?
Little Eva - real name Eva Boyd, was working as Carole King's babysitter, and upon discovering she could sing quite well, Goffin and King wrote what would become not only Eva's biggest hit song, but the song that would forever stereotype her as a dance music singer, for better or worse.
"The Locomotion" is musically a mini-wall of sound with lots of tenor/baritone saxes and a steady amount of handclaps and percussion. Vocally, Little Eva is augmented by a group of spirited backing vocals. The song has so many vocal, musical, and rhythmic hooks that it certainly can be placed in a class higher than most other dance-pop songs from the time period...and especially today for that matter!
Despite recording an equally good song as a followup, the under-appreciated "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby", Little Eva disappeared from music and for the rest of the 1960's. She didn't own the rights to her songs, and was then essentially in poverty. Luckily, she was able to bounce back and restart her singing career all the way until her premature death due to cancer in 2003.
So despite this being a song from a genre I love to ridicule, "The Locomotion" can join classic dance-specific songs such as "The Twist" and "Twist And Shout". These all contain such great melodies and hooks, that you can't help but sing or dance along to them.
Final Verdict - A classic song by an artist who deserved a whole lot more in life than she got. Give "Locomotion" and her aforementioned "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" a spin and I guarantee you'll enjoy them.
Coming Up Next - "Sheila" by Tommy Roe.
Until Next Time - Come on, come on, do the locomotion with Dr. Rock -
No comments:
Post a Comment