This is the third of a series of posts (the second one is here) that focus on the cover songs Dylan is performing on the current Outlaws Tour. This post is on Mr. Blue, by The Fleetwoods.
Mr. Blue is the most interesting cover so far. The others I’ve discussed, Little Queenie and My Babe, were more predictable. Everybody knows Dylan is a fan of both Chuck Berry and Little Walter. Mr. Blue feels a bit more out of the blue, like when he started doing all those Sinatra-type albums a few years ago.
Only at first glance though. Yes, it does seem a bit incongruous that the author of complex songs such as, say, It’s All Right, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding), would be interested in simple songs like Mr. Blue. On the other hand, Dylan was born in 1941, which means he would have spent his formative years listening to the radio when doo-wop was still pretty much in its prime. So really, it should be no surprise.
In this interview, Dylan discusses how how doo-wop, big band, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll all fit together, at least for him.
Mr. Blue went to number one in 1959. I won’t go into the background of the group. Here’s their wiki page. Their other smash hit, Come Softly to Me, is my personal favorite.
I listened to my Dad’s record collection a lot when I was a kid. His very small collection included, luckily for me, Merle Haggard’s Greatest Hits, a Johnny Cash record, and Elvis’ Golden Records.
Dad also liked doo-wop, especially The Ink Spots, The Platters, and The Mills Brothers. Dad wasn’t big on father/son time, but I do remember listening to those records together. I can’t say I ever really liked them much. Maybe I would have if he had had a copy of Mr. Blue and Come Softly To Me; those are some catchy tunes.
The original male singer, Gary Troxel, was involved in a significant child custody Supreme Court ruling. Here’s a link to a Times article about the case.
Ok, I’ll finish this up with all I could find (not much) about Dylan’s connection with doo-wop.
Here’s Dylan fooling around a bit, doing a parody of doo-wop with Ramblin’ Jack. It’s not much, but kind of charming.
Dylan and The Band spoofing A Teenage Prayer. From the Basement Tapes period, Bootleg Series Vol. 11.
Dylan included a version of Rodgers and Hart’s Blue Moon, sort of in doo-wop style, on Self Portrait. It’s not half bad. Here’s a nice live doo-wop version.
Dylan included a few doo-wop’s in his The Philosophy of the Popular Song, including the well-known My Prayer, a hit for the The Platters and covered by many other artists. Here’s the painting Dylan chose to accompany his essay on My Prayer.
Dylan has mentioned that he’s a Platters fan. Here’s what he says in The Philosophy about the lead singer, and The Platters.
The guy in The Platters, Tony Williams, is one of the greatest singers ever. Everybody talks about how Sam Cooke came out of gospel to go into the pop field. But there’s nobody that beats this guy. He took his spirituality with him into the pop world. You couldn’t picture this guy getting shot, bare-naked in a hotel room.
The Philosophy of the Modern Song p. 184
The Platters don’t need back-alley blues full of flatted notes and double entendres, they carry their soul with a cooler-than-thou-looseness, offhand and urbane, exuding hipness the way James Dean exhaled cigarette smoke, and they broadcast from a station out among the stars where it is always twilight time.
He also writes about It’s All in the Game, and Blue Moon.
Dylan offers some sage thoughts on love in the Game write-up.
As for the game of love, sometimes if you are a spectator or onlooker you can understand or see a game a lot better than the people who are playing it.
The Philosophy of the Modern Song p. 145
The Philosophy of Song p. 241
That’s all folks. Next up, The Fool, by Stanford Clark.
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