LOOSE! VOL. 7 - The In & Out Crowd

 LOOSE! VOL. 7 - The In & Out Crowd

The LOOSE series focuses on what goes on when the lights go off—and sometimes what comes off!  These are songs about the ins & outs of romantic entanglements.  

There’s no shortage of cover bands milking misaligned music styles, but The Cleverlys are a cut above other bands who do unusual versions of rap songs.  Look no further than their bluegrass treatment of The Shape Of You.  Richard Cheese rigorously revamps the rap classic Gin & Juice (and should probably have to give Bill Murray a cut of his royalties).  Atlanta Georgia’s The Coolies deconstruct Cecilia which (regular readers know) gets my vote for the dirtiest song to ever hit the top ten.  Dread Zeppelin does the same until the juice runs down their leg in Lemon Song.

When The Stray Cats returned rockabilly to the charts, lots of artists rushed through the door they kicked open with their brothel creepers.  Few had as pure a pedigree as Billy Burnette who was the son of rockabilly royalty.  His uncle and his father and were the songwriters Johnny & Dorsey Burnette of The Rock ’N’ Roll Trio fame. His Rockin' With Somebody New is proof that proud parentage doesn’t protect you from infidelity.  Chuck Berry showed he had some gas left in the tank, and some stink on his finger with his live version of Reelin' & Rockin’ from the film American Hot Wax.

Making their first appearance on JOKONKY are The Carpetbaggers.  Cincinatti’s favorite sons serve up Sin Now, Pray Later.  There’s an undercurrent of infidelity in this installment, as R.B. Greaves, Cher, & Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show are done dirty by their significant others.  The blues aren’t always about being cheated on… Big Joe Turner, Big Maybelle & Barbecue Bob are all bragging about the good lovin’ they’re getting.

While he came across as a southern gentleman, Tom Petty was a rock star for his entire adult life, so he definitely got up to some getting down.  He suggests the children leave the room for his live rendition of Hang On Sloopy.  Question Mark & The Mysterians were a rocking’ live unit from the mid-sixties into the mid-nineties.  In later years, Question Mark sang his original lyrics for I Need Somebody, replacing you captivate me with you masturbate me.

Prince was known for his Dirty Mind, and when Rick James asked a girl to Give It To Me Baby he was persistent.  Richard Berry flat out insisted that his dates be into the hereafter.  In Oh, Oh!  Get Out Of The Car, he makes it clear that if his date isn’t here after what he’s here after, she’s going to be here after he’s gone!