Gee (The Crows song)
| "Gee" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Crows | ||||
| B-side | "I Love You So" | |||
| Released | March 1953 | |||
| Recorded | February 1953 | |||
| Genre | Doo-wop, rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:14 | |||
| Label | Rama | |||
| Songwriter(s) | William Davis, Viola Watkins | |||
| Producer(s) | George Goldner | |||
| The Crows singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Gee" is a song by American
Song
The song starts with a few bars of wordless vocals:[2]
- duh-duda-duh-duda-duh-duda-duh-duh-duba
followed by the lead vocal;
- Skibbity-bop mm dada, well oh-ho mama, why I love that girl.
then the group:
- Love that girl!
The vocals are upbeat making use of harmonies and nonsense syllables, in a manner resembling enthusiastic street-corner singing. This is accompanied with a modified jump blues instrumental backup, a catchy melody, and Charlie Christian-like guitar solo.[5]
History
The Crows formed in 1951 as a typical street corner doo-wop group and were discovered at Apollo Theater's Wednesday night talent show by talent agent Cliff Martinez, and brought to independent producer George Goldner who had just set up tiny new independent Rama Records label.[6]
The Crows were the first group signed and the first to record. The first songs they recorded were as back-up to singer and pianist Viola Watkins. The song "Gee" was the third song recorded during the first recording session, on February 10, 1953. It was put together in a few minutes by group member, William Davis, with Viola Watkins also being credited as co-writer.[2] Watkins also played piano on and co-arranged the song.[7] It has been suggested that the guitar break, based on the traditional Scottish tune "The Campbells Are Coming", may have been played by session guitarist Lloyd "Tiny" Grimes.[2]
The song was first released as the B-side of a ballad, "I Love You So". However, radio stations began turning it over and playing "Gee", first in Philadelphia and later in New York and Los Angeles. By January 1954 it had sold 100,000 copies, and by April entered the national R&B and pop charts, rising to number 2 R&B and number 14 pop.[2] Although the song became a huge hit in early 1954, a year after it was recorded, the Crows were a one-hit wonder, as none of the follow-up records released had any chart success. The group broke up a few months after "Gee" dropped off the Hit Parade.[5]
Legacy
The Crows were one of the first doo wop groups and one of the first "bird" groups. "Gee" was one of the first rock and roll hit records.[5] It has also been called the first rock and roll record because it was an original composition and had a quick dance beat.[8]
Although the Orioles' song "Crying in the Chapel" is frequently called the first R&B record to crossover to a big white audience, it is actually a cover of a country song. "Gee" and its B-side "I Love You So" are considered seminal, as it is an original song by an all but amateur group. It encapsulated all that has been written later about neighborhood kids singing on corners, and retains an amateurish feel.[9]
According to Bruce Eder at
"Gee" by the Crows walked in on in the spring and summer of that year [1953], and the music world was never the same. There would be better records than "Gee," even from Goldner's labels, but it was recognized as the first R&B single to get a significant part of its sales and chart success from purchases by white teenagers - the first rock & roll single.
Covers
American surf rock duo Jan and Dean released the song in 1960 on their album, The Jan & Dean Sound.
The Hollywood Flames released a version of the song as a single in 1961 that reached number 26 on the US R&B chart.[11]
The Pixies Three (Mercury 72250) with lead vocal by Debby Swisher, reached number 87 on Billboard and number 79 on Cashbox in 1964.
The Beach Boys recorded a brief, idiosyncratic adaptation of the song as part of the unfinished concept album Smile. It was included on Brian Wilson's 2004 solo recording of the album in medley with "Our Prayer" as the introductory piece to "Heroes and Villains".
In popular culture
- The Crows' recording features in the American Crime fiction film Kitten with a Whip (1964).
- The Crows' recording features in the American comedy-drama film American Graffiti(1973).
- The Crows' recording features in the American teen musical romantic comedy film Cry-Baby (1990).
References
- ^ Warner, Jay, American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 to Today (2006), published by Hal Leonard Corporation, at page 137
- ^ ISBN 0-571-12939-0.
- ^ Gee by The Crows
- ^ American Singing Groups, page 138
- ^ a b c "The Crows". history-of-rock. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
- ISBN 0-306-80503-0.
- ^ Viola Watkins at Allmusic.com
- ISBN 0-306-80683-5.
- ISBN 0-679-73728-6.
- ^ Biography of George Goldner by Bruce Eder, Allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2014
- ^ The Hollywood Flames, "Gee" chart position Retrieved February 4, 2016.
