I Hear You Knocking
"I Hear You Knocking" | ||||
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Single by Smiley Lewis | ||||
B-side | "Bumpity Bump" | |||
Released | July 1955 | |||
Recorded | 1955 | |||
Studio | J&M, New Orleans, Louisiana | |||
Genre | New Orleans R&B | |||
Length | 2:23 | |||
Label | Imperial | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dave Bartholomew[1] | |||
Producer(s) | Dave Bartholomew | |||
Smiley Lewis singles chronology | ||||
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"I Hear You Knocking" (or "I Hear You Knockin'") is a rhythm and blues song written by Dave Bartholomew. New Orleans rhythm and blues singer Smiley Lewis first recorded the song in 1955. The lyrics tell of the return of a former lover who is rebuffed.
"I Hear You Knocking" reached number two on the
Background
Several earlier blues and
However, when popular jump blues bandleader Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five recorded the song as "Keep A-Knockin'" in 1939,[6] the single's credits listed "Mays-Bradford" (Bert Mays and Perry Bradford). In 1957, Little Richard recorded it with the songwriter listed as "R. Penniman", Richard's legal name, although Bert Mays and J. Mayo Williams were later credited as songwriters.[2]
Beginning with his signing by the Los Angeles–based Imperial Records in 1950, Smiley Lewis was one of the main proponents of the emerging New Orleans rhythm and blues style, along with Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, Dave Bartholomew, and Professor Longhair.
Original song
Smiley Lewis recorded "I Hear You Knocking" with Dave Bartholomew's band at J&M Studios in New Orleans, owned by Cosimo Matassa. Bartholomew is listed as the producer and songwriter, along with Pearl King (a Bartholomew pseudonym; the maiden name of his wife). He claims that he wrote it "in the backseat of a car coming out of San Francisco".[7] "I Hear You Knocking" uses a modified twelve-bar blues arrangement, in which the progression to the IV chord is repeated:[8]
I | I | I | I7 | IV | IV | I | I7 | IV | IV | V | V |
It has been notated in 4/4 time in the key of C with a moderate tempo.[9] Instrumentally, the song is dominated by piano triplets in the style of Fats Domino, played by Huey "Piano" Smith.[10] The lyrics echo some of the lines from the earlier songs:
You went away and left me long time ago
Now you're comin' back knockin' on my door
I hear you knockin', but you can't come in
I hear you knockin', go back where you been
"I Hear You Knocking" was released as a single by Imperial Records in 1955. It entered Billboard's R&B charts[11] on September 3, where it spent eighteen weeks and reached number two.[12]
First cover versions
Also in 1955, actress and pop singer
Dave Edmunds version
"I Hear You Knocking" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dave Edmunds | ||||
B-side | "Black Bill" | |||
Released | November 1970 | |||
Recorded | 1970 | |||
Studio | Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:48 | |||
Label | MAM | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dave Bartholomew | |||
Producer(s) | Dave Edmunds | |||
Dave Edmunds singles chronology | ||||
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Official Audio | ||||
"I Hear You Knocking" on YouTube |
Welsh singer and guitarist Dave Edmunds recorded "I Hear You Knocking" in 1970 after originally planning to record "Let's Work Together" by Wilbert Harrison, but finding it had been recorded by Canned Heat.[15][dead link] He recalled:
Then an album of Smiley Lewis was released on United Artists in Britain, and they played "I Hear You Knocking" on the radio in Britain while I was driving along. I thought, "hang on", the two songs have identical format. You could use the same backing track for both songs. It's just a simple 12-bar thing. So I thought, I'll do that.[15][dead link]
Recording
Edmunds recorded the song at
Release and charts
The recording was the first single to be released on
Edmunds performed the song, with the Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, on the 2008 Jools' Annual Hootenanny.[25][26]
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See also
- List of number-one singles from the 1970s (UK)
- List of number-one singles of 1970 (Ireland)
References
- ^ Lewis's single (see image) credited only Bartholomew as the songwriter.
- ^ a b
Birnbaum, Larry (2012). Before Elvis: The Prehistory of Rock 'n' Roll. Lanham, Maryland: ISBN 978-0-8108-8629-2.
- ^ Paramount Records (catalogue number 12662); Sliwicki, Susan (4 July 2010). "James Wiggins Came 'Knocking' Long Before Little Richard Did". Goldminemag.com. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ Vocalion Records (catalogue number 1223)
- ^ Columbia Records (20228)
- ^ Decca Records (7609)
- ^ a b c Hannusch, Jeff; Black, Adam (1991). "They Call Me the Fat Man ..." (Box set booklet). Fats Domino. Hollywood, California: EMI Records USA. p. 34. E2-96784.
- ^ "I Hear You Knocking, by Smiley Lewis". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing. 3 February 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ Lewis' 1955 recording is in the key of E.
- ^ According to Matassa, "Most people think Fats Domino played his own piano but he didn't always. Huey 'Piano' Smith did the piano work on many of Fats' records. He also did the piano intro on Smiley Lewis's 'I Hear You Knockin'".
Aswell, Tom (2010). Louisiana Rocks!: The True Genesis of Rock and Roll. Gretna, Louisiana: ISBN 978-1-58980-677-1.
- ^ At the time, Billboard published three separate charts. Whitburn (1988), p. 13.
- ^ a b
ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ a b
Dahl, Bill (1996). "Smiley Lewis". In ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
- ^ Molanphy, Chris (November 19, 2022). "Angry Young Men Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ a b Wiser, Carl. "Dave Edmunds". Songfacts. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ "Dave Edmunds: Still Rockin' at 65". BBC South East Wales. April 14, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ^
Rolling Stone (2004). "Dave Edmunds". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York City: ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ a b
ISBN 978-0-87930-653-3.
- ^ Dave Edmunds (1970). "I Hear You Knocking" (Musical recording). England: MAM Records. Event occurs at 1:16. MAM 1.
- ^ a b "Dave Edmunds – Singles". Official Charts. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^
ISBN 978-1-85984-376-5.
- ^ "John Lennon's last interview, December 8, 1980". 1980.
- ^
Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins. p. 278. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ Billboard.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ "Jools' Annual Hootenanny - Jools' 16th Annual Hootenanny - 2008". ontelly.co.uk.
- ^ "Dave Edmunds - I Hear You Knocking (Jools Annual Hootenanny 2008)" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Go-Set National Top 60". Go-Set. March 27, 1971.
- ISSN 0315-5994 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Hear You Knocking". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ISBN 1563083167. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Top Singles for 1971". Go-Set. 1971.
- Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved August 12, 2018.