A Certain Girl
"A Certain Girl" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
R&B | ||||
Length | 2:42 | |||
Label | Minit | |||
Songwriter(s) | Naomi Neville a.k.a. Allen Toussaint | |||
Ernie K-Doe singles chronology | ||||
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"A Certain Girl" is a rhythm and blues song written by Allen Toussaint, with the credit listed under his pen name Naomi Neville. New Orleans R&B singer Ernie K-Doe recorded it in 1961. Minit Records released the song as the B-side of "I Cried My Last Tear".
The single became a double-sided hit on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 record chart, with "A Certain Girl" reaching number 71 (and "I Cried My Last Tear" number 69) during on December 4, 1961.[1] Neither song appeared on Billboard's Hot R&B sides chart.
Over the years, K-Doe's original "A Certain Girl" has been included on several compilations[2] and a variety of musicians have recorded versions of the song.[3]
The Yardbirds rendition
Background
"A Certain Girl" was one of the first songs recorded by English
Recording and release
With
In March 1964, a second attempt was made at Olympic Studios in London that yielded the master recording. Produced by manager Giorgio Gomelsky, the song was planned as the A-side for the Yardbirds' first single; however, their version of "I Wish You Would" (recorded during the same session) was used instead, with "A Certain Girl" becoming the B-side.[7] The single was released by EMI subsidiary Columbia Graphophone Company in May 1964.[8] In August, Epic Records released the single in the US, but it failed to chart (both songs were included on the Yardbirds' first Epic album For Your Love (1965)).[9]
Reception
Although "A Certain Girl" is a brief 2:15, Clapton manages a nearly half-minute guitar solo that Gomelsky describes as a "fat and fuzzy guitar riff".[10] Yardbirds biographer Alan Clayson compared it to "high-velocity flash ... his break has almost a separate life from the rest of the number."[11] Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty felt that the song was "too clean, too sparkling and it even had a hint of 'novelty song'" perhaps due to Gomelsky's production and the repeated "yeah" interjections.[12] In his autobiography, Clapton described the early recordings as sounding "pretty lame. We just sounded young and white ... I felt just that we were falling short of the mark in some way."[13] However, music journalist Cub Koda was more indulging: "If you can get past the Andy Hardy backups, you have a pretty catchy ditty [that] must have caught the ears of Warren Zevon".[14] Future Yardbird Jimmy Page provided the lead guitar for a 1964 version by English group the First Gear (included on Jimmy Page: Session Man, Vol. 1 (1989)).[15]
Versions by other artists
Warren Zevon recorded "A Certain Girl" in 1980, with Jackson Browne on backing vocals. Released as a single from his album, Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School,[16] it reached number 57 on the Hot 100[17] and number 57 on the Cash Box Top 100.[18] In Canada, it reached number 61.[19] Record World called it a "a hot rocker" and said that "Waddy Wachtel provides the guitar sparks and the Jackson Browne/Rick Marotta chorus is cute & catchy."[20]
The 2002 re-release of Better Late Than Never, the 1996 debut album by The Slackers, features a cover of the song as a previously unreleased bonus track.
The song's writer Allen Toussaint performed the song as a part of a medley of some of his hits in the 2005 documentary film Make It Funky!. It presents a history of New Orleans music and its influence on rhythm and blues, rock and roll, funk and jazz.[21][22]
References
- ^ "Ernie K-Doe: Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ "Ernie K-Doe: A Certain Girl – Appears On". AllMusic. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ "1,000+ song search results for A Certain Girl". AllMusic. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ Clayson 2002, pp. 66–67.
- ^ a b Russo 2016, p. 22.
- ^ Gomelsky & Cohen 2002, p. 15.
- ^ Gomelsky & Cohen 2002, pp. 17–18.
- ^ Russo 2016, p. 27.
- ^ Clayson 2002, p. 196.
- ^ Gomelsky & Cohen 2002, p. 18.
- ^ Clayson 2002, p. 7.
- ^ McCarty 2018, p. 92.
- ^ Clapton 2007, p. 48.
- ^ Koda 2001, p. 25.
- ^ Sendra, Tim. "Jimmy Page: Session Man, Vol. 1 – Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Warren Zevon: Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^
ISBN 0898201055.
- ISBN 1563083167. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "RPM Weekly – RPM Top Singles (51–100)". RPM. May 24, 1980. Retrieved June 13, 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 8, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ProQuest 1370090.
- OCLC 61207781. 11952.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-7679-2536-5.
- Clayson, Alan (2002). The Yardbirds. San Francisco: ISBN 0-87930-724-2.
- OCLC 62367983. SNAD 905 CD.
- OCLC 781357622. R2 79825.
- ISBN 978-0244966508.
- Russo, Greg (2016). Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up. Floral Park, New York: Crossfire Publications. ISBN 978-0-9791845-7-4.
External links
- Greenwald, Matthew. The Yardbirds: "A Certain Girl" – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- "I Wish You Would / A Certain Girl" at Discogs: List of the Yardbirds single releases
- Warren Zevon - A Certain Girl on YouTube