The Hollies – Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress
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Just great!
Can remember this blasting out over the speakers at pool parties my senior year at my fraternity
I never knew the title to that song. Can’t quote a lyric other than “lets get it on”. Yet I knew it instantly when it started.
Steve, Memory is playing tricks. These are the lyrics
Saturday night, I was downtown
Working for the FBI
Sitting in a nest of bad men
Whiskey bottles piling high
Bootlegging boozer on the west side
Full of people who are doing wrong
Just about to call up the DA man
When I heard this woman singin’ a song
A pair of 45s made me open my eyes
My temperature started to rise
She was a long cool woman in a black dress
‘Bout a 5’9″, beautiful, tall
With just one look I was a bad mess
‘Cause that long cool woman had it all
Whoo!
I saw her heading to the table
Well, a tall walking big black cat
When Charlie said, “I hope that you’re able, boy
Well, I’m telling you she knows where it’s at”
Well, suddenly we hear the sirens
And everybody started to run
A-jumping under doors and tables
Well, I heard somebody shootin’ a gun
Well, the DA was pumpin’ my left hand
And a-she was a-holding my right
Well, I told her, “Don’t get scared ’cause you’re gonna be spared”
I’ve gotta be forgiven if I wanna spend my livin’
With a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5’9″, beautiful, tall
Well, with just one look I was a bad mess
‘Cause that long cool woman had it all
Had it all, had it all
Had it all, had it all
Had it all, mmm
Had it all
Ah, she had it all
Yeah, she had it al
She was probably Jessica Rabbit in a different dress
https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&hs=GjF&sca_esv=7085e96b5b715798&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWII7DDkacyX-NhHlxPREUbVcSjr5Cg:1724346035702&q=Jessica+Rabbit&udm=2&fbs=AEQNm0A-5VTqs5rweptgTqb6m-Eb3TvVcv4l7eCyod9RtZW9874wvsYjTfpwMQKGHqKPG-IB7j9flyfH28tJSLVuVdcT1tesPpIhTR_8sOQ3FQrQWiVTfWhoIplDgGh5JzUv9F4u3riMB636EHR41DrkNY_uSRk347tLZsVeJqqyuWPTyXrtg-EYkFQYZqw6rWM1khGHS26HrYFGhj2QeE1uCS-2MrLbBw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi48LXHiYmIAxXmk4kEHXaZHpcQtKgLegQIEBAB&biw=1170&bih=574&dpr=1.56
Bob, I’d like to recommend Chi Coltrane’s 1972 “Thunder and Lightning” which blew me away the first time I heard it and still sends tingles down my spine. https://youtu.be/0IefcDO2s9Q
I love this song. One of the first lead licks I learned on my Guild T-100 back in the 70’s. But the original release had Allan Clarke on lead vocals and lead guitar who also co-wrote this with Roger Cook. This version has Terry Sylvester (I believe) on vocals and someone else on lead guitar. Allan Clarke had left the band just before his song started moving its way up the charts to the #2 slot (destined to be the band’s only platinum release). Clarke returned for a year or two and then departed again to start his “solo career”. Allan Clarke’s vocals and guitar are clearly the reason this version lacks that edge.