| "K. C. Loving" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byLittle Willie Littlefield | |
| B-side | "Pleading at Midnight" |
| Released | 1952 (1952) |
| Recorded | Los Angeles, August 12, 1952 |
| Genre | R&B |
| Label | Federal |
| Songwriter | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller |
| Official audio | |
| "K. C. Loving" onYouTube | |
"Kansas City" is arhythm and blues song written byJerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1952.[1] First recorded byLittle Willie Littlefield the same year, as "K. C. Loving", the song later became a chart-topping hit when it was recorded byWilbert Harrison in 1959. "Kansas City" is one of Leiber and Stoller's "most recorded tunes, with more than three hundred versions",[2] with several appearing in the R&B and pop record charts.
"Kansas City" was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, two nineteen-year-old rhythm and blues fans fromLos Angeles. Neither had been toKansas City, but were inspired byBig Joe Turner records.[3]
I'm goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come (2×)
They got a crazy way of lovin' there, and I'm gonna get me some
I'm gonna be standing on the corner, of Twelfth Street and Vine (2×)
With my Kansas City baby, and a bottle of Kansas City wine
Through a connection to producerRalph Bass, they wrote "Kansas City" specifically forWest Coast blues/R&B artistLittle Willie Littlefield.[2] There was an initial disagreement between the two writers over the song's melody: Leiber (who wrote the lyrics) preferred a traditional blues song, while Stoller wanted a more distinctive vocal line; Stoller ultimately prevailed. They taught the song to Littlefield atMaxwell Davis' house, who arranged and provided the tenor sax for the song.[2] Littlefield recorded the song in Los Angeles in 1952, during his first recording session forFederal Records, aKing Records subsidiary. Federal's Ralph Bass changed the title to "K. C. Loving",[4] which he reportedly considered to sound "hipper" than "Kansas City". Littlefield's record had some success in parts of the U.S., but it did not reach the national chart.
In 1955,Little Richard recorded two rather different versions of "Kansas City", both of which were not released until years later.[5] The first version, which was close to the original song, was released in November 1970, on the compilation albumWell Alright!. Little Richard substantially re-worked the song for his second version, particularly the refrain starting with words "Hey, hey, hey, hey; Hey baby, hey child, hey now". It was released in late 1958 onThe Fabulous Little Richard and in April 1959 as a single.[6]
On May 9, 1956, Little Richard recorded "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey", also known as "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (Goin' Back to Birmingham)",[5] which was similar to a part of the second version of "Kansas City" recorded six months earlier. Credited to Richard, it was released in January 1958 as the B-side of "Good Golly, Miss Molly" and in July 1958 onLittle Richard.[6]
| "Kansas City" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byWilbert Harrison | |
| B-side | "Listen, My Darling" |
| Released | April 1959 (1959-04) |
| Recorded | New York City, March 1959 |
| Genre | R&B[7] |
| Length | 2:22 |
| Label | Fury |
| Songwriter | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller |
| Producer | Bobby Robinson |
| Official audio | |
| "Kansas City" onYouTube | |
In 1959, after several years of performing Littlefield's "K. C. Loving",Wilbert Harrison decided to record the song. In March 1959, afterLittle Richard's version was released, Harrison, with a trio including guitaristWild Jimmy Spruill, recorded it in a New York studio for producerBobby Robinson ofFury Records.[8] "Kansas City" was released on a single by Fury later that year.
Although the song's arrangement varied little from Littlefield's, it "struck such a solid shuffle groove that it was unforgettable", with inspired rhythm and solo guitar work by Spruill.[3][9] Harrison's song was issued with Leiber and Stoller's original name, "Kansas City", but changed the refrain to "They got some crazy little women there, and I'm gonna get me one"[4] and dropped one twelve-bar section.
Shortly after the song's release, several other versions appeared.Billboard magazine's pop song pick of the week for March 30, 1959, listed five different releases of "Kansas City": Harrison's and versions byHank Ballard andThe Midnighters,[10] Rocky Olson,[11] Rockin' Ronald & the Rebels,[12] and a reissue by Littlefield.[13] A week later, the magazine announced the single release of a version by Little Richard. Although Ballard's and Richard's versions both appeared in the lower reaches of theBillboard charts, Harrison's was a runaway hit, reaching number one in both the R&B and pop charts, where it remained for seven weeks,[14] and became one of the top selling records of 1959.[15] In Belgium, the single reached numbers 18 in Flanders[16] and 24 in Wallonia.[17] Harrison also recorded ananswer song to the same tune as "Kansas City", called "Goodbye Kansas City", which was released on a single by Fury Records in 1960.
| "Kansas City" / "Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" | |
|---|---|
 1964 German single picture sleeve | |
| Song bythe Beatles | |
| from the albumBeatles for Sale | |
| Released |
|
| Recorded | October 18, 1964 |
| Studio | EMI, London |
| Genre | Rock and roll |
| Length | 2:38 |
| Label |
|
| Songwriters | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller,Richard Penniman |
| Producer | George Martin |
In October 1964,the Beatles recorded Little Richard's "Kansas City" (titled "Kansas City"/"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey"), a song they beganperforming in Hamburg during Spring 1961.[18]
Paul McCartney discovered the track in the first half of 1959 when Little Richard's 1955 medley "Kansas City"/"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" was re-released as a45 in Britain. McCartney revered this particular rendition and was unaware of Wilbert Harrison's version.[19] The Beatles' earliest performance of the song can be dated to the early summer of 1960 with its appearance on aset list McCartney copied to a piece of scrap paper.[20]
During their first professional recording session in June 1961, the Beatles likely recorded the song withTony Sheridan, though outtakes of this track likely no longer exist.[21] The Beatles made their first appearance on television on August 22, 1962, performing "Some Other Guy" and "Kansas City"/"Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey" atThe Cavern Club.[22] The audio is the earliest surviving instance of McCartney's "Little Richard voice", which Beatles historianMark Lewisohn notes is "impressive",[23] with "the high notes sung loud, strong, melodically and excitingly for two and a half minutes."[24] The song is again heard during their December 1962 performance at theStar-Club in Hamburg,[25] officially released in 1977 asLive! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962.[26] They recorded the medley for aBBC Light Programme on July 16, 1963, released in 1994 onLive at the BBC.[27]Musicologist and writerIan MacDonald describes this rendition as "one of the highlights of this generally mediocre collection, featuring a strong McCartney vocal and an attacking Harrison solo."[28]
A month before recording the track in the studio, they performed it during a September 17, 1964 concert atKansas City Municipal Stadium, a one-time addition to their usualsetlist.[29][30][page needed][31] MacDonald writes, "the reaction it drew ensured its place on the LP."[32]
On Sunday, October 18, 1964, during a day off from their 1964 UK Tour, the Beatles recorded a medley of "Kansas City"/"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey".[33] While rehearsing the song, McCartney found some parts difficult to sing. He later recalled thatJohn Lennon pulled him aside and encouraged him, saying, "Come on man, you can do it better than this, get up there!".[34] Recorded in only two takes, take one was marked "best".[33] Each take includes a different guitar solo fromGeorge Harrison, indicating heimprovised.[35] Harrison plays hisCountry Gent guitar and Lennon plays his 1958Rickenbacker 325 Capri.[36] ProducerGeorge Martinoverdubbed a piano contribution on hisSteinway andRingo Starr provided the drums.[36] Lewisohn describes the part as "barely discernible on record."[33] Martin and engineersNorman Smith and Tony Clark mixed the track for mono and stereo on October 26.[37]
The track differs from Little Richard's in its simplified walking bass and triplet piano chords, which MacDonald writes, "[imparts] a sassy swing to a performance let down only by its lightweight mono mix."[32] MacDonald concludes that it is "one of the Beatles' best covers."[38]
The Beatles released the track in the UK on December 4, 1964, on their albumBeatles for Sale. Release in the US came the following year on June 14, 1965, onBeatles VI.[32] As part ofCapitol Records' "Starline" series, the track was theB-side of "Boys" on an October 1965 single.[39]
The Beatles released take two on the 1995 compilation albumAnthology 1,[35] a version MacDonald calls "only slightly less successful".[28] This version does not include Martin's piano overdub.[28] A live version, recorded in Hamburg in December 1962, is included on the 1977 releaseLive! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962.[26] Other live versions appear on the albumsLive at the BBC andOn Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 and in the filmLet It Be. The Beatles appeared on the American television programShindig! performing the medley live in October 1964.
McCartney released his own recording of "Kansas City" on his 1988 cover albumCHOBA B CCCP, though it was only available in the Soviet Union until 1991.
| "Kansas City" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byJames Brown | ||||
| from the albumLive at the Apollo, Volume II | ||||
| B-side | "Stone Fox" | |||
| Released | 1967 (1967) | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 2:59 | |||
| Label | King | |||
| Songwriter | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | |||
| Producer | James Brown | |||
| James Brown charting singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio video | ||||
| "Kansas City (Live At The Apollo Theater, 1967)" onYouTube | ||||
James Brown recorded a version of "Kansas City" in 1967. The single reached number 21 on the R&B chart and number 55 on the Hot 100 singles chart.[40]. An instrumental version was featured on the 1968 albumJames Brown Plays Nothing But Soul entitled "Buddy E" and a later, funkier version with many returning musicians appears on the 1975 albumEverybody's Doin' the Hustle & Dead on the Double Bump. Brown recorded live performances of the song for his albumsLive at the Apollo, Volume II (1968),Say It Live and Loud (1998; recorded 1968) andLive At Home With His Bad Self (2019; recorded 1969), and in his concert filmsJames Brown: Man to Man andLive at the Boston Garden. This was also James Brown's first single to be reissued byPolydor Records.
At Brown's request, singerMarva Whitney performed "Kansas City" at the conclusion of his public funeral in Augusta, Georgia in 2006.[41]
In 2001, Harrison's "Kansas City" received aGrammy Hall of Fame Award[42] and it is included on theRock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".[43] At various times, Harrison's and the Beatles versions have been played over the loud speakers atKauffman Stadium followingKansas City Royals baseball games.[44]
In 2005,Kansas City adopted "Kansas City" as its official song, dedicating "Goin' to Kansas City Plaza" in the historic18th and Vine Jazz district. Due to redevelopment, the "12th Street and Vine" intersection mentioned in the song no longer exists, but a park roughly in the shape of a grand piano and with a path in the shape of atreble clef exists at the former location, marked by a commemorative plaque. Some versions have substituted "Eighteenth and Vine" for "12th Street and Vine," which sings just as well, and recognizes Kansas City's jazz history.[45][46]
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)In Harrison's hands, "Kansas City" is a perfectly amiable R&B rumble.
