| "Long Tall Sally" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byLittle Richard | ||||
| from the albumHere's Little Richard | ||||
| B-side | "Slippin' and Slidin'" | |||
| Released | March 1956[1] | |||
| Recorded | February 7, 1956 | |||
| Studio | J&M (New Orleans, Louisiana) | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:10 | |||
| Label | Specialty | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Robert Blackwell | |||
| Little Richard singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Long Tall Sally" (audio) onYouTube | ||||
"Long Tall Sally", also known as "Long Tall Sally (The Thing)",[2][3] is arock and roll song written byRobert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, andLittle Richard and released on Richard's albumHere's Little Richard. Richard recorded it forSpecialty Records, which released it as a single in March 1956, backed with "Slippin' and Slidin'".
The single reached number one on theBillboardrhythm and blues chart, staying at the top for six of 19 weeks,[4] while peaking at number six on thepop chart. It received theCash Box Triple Crown Award in 1956. The song as sung by Little Richard is listed at number 55 onRolling Stone's list ofThe 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[5] It also ranked at number 45 onBillboard'syear-end singles of 1956.[6]
It became one of the singer's best-known hits and has become a rock and roll standardcovered by hundreds of artists,[7] includingElvis Presley,Fleetwood Mac,the Kinks andthe Beatles.
In 1999, the 1956Little Richard recording of "Long Tall Sally" on Specialty Records was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[8]
"Tutti Frutti" was a big hit for Little Richard andSpecialty in early 1956, reaching number two on theR&B charts.Pat Boone's cover version of the song from his albumPat Boone reached number 12 on thepop charts. Although this meant an unexpected cash income for the Specialty publishing firm,A&R man and producerRobert "Bumps" Blackwell and a proud Richard decided to write a song that was so up-tempo and the lyrics so fast that Boone would not be able to handle it. (Boone eventually did record his own version, however, which reached number 18.)[4]
According to Blackwell,[9] he was introduced to a little girl by Honey Chile, a populardisc-jockey. The girl had written a song for Little Richard to record so she could pay the treatment for her ailing aunt Mary. The song, actually a few lines on a piece of paper, went like this:
Saw Uncle John with Long Tall Sally
They saw Aunt Mary comin'
So they ducked back in the alley
Not wishing to upset an influential disc-jockey, Blackwell accepted the offer and took the idea to Richard, who was reluctant at first. Nevertheless, the line "ducked back in the alley" was exactly what they were looking for, and Richard kept practicing until he could sing it as fast as possible. They worked on the song, adding verses and a chorus, until they got the hit they wanted.[9] Enotris Johnson (1935–2015) was a local songwriter; her involvement in writing the song, and others, was uncertain until it was confirmed by her family after her death.[10] Featuring atenor saxophone solo byLee Allen (as did "Tutti Frutti"), "Long Tall Sally" was the best-selling 45 in the history of Specialty Records.
The recording session took place on February 7, 1956, atJ&M Recording Studio inNew Orleans,[11] owned byCosimo Matassa on the corner ofRampart and Dumaine whereFats Domino and many other New Orleans luminaries recorded. "Long Tall Sally", as well as many other Little Richard sides, was also recorded there.
The music was a fastuptempo number with Little Richard's hammering,boogie piano. Richard plays staccato straight eighth notes while drummerEarl Palmer plays a fastshuffle. The shuffle was the most common rhythm and blues beat; Richard added the straight eighth notes, much less common in that time, although now standard forrock music. Together this created an ambiguity in the ride rhythm—known to musicians as "playing in the crack" that came to characterize New Orleans (and alsoChuck Berry)rock and roll. In typical Little Richard style, he sang in thekey of F, in a raw, aggressive, exhilarating style with lyrics being about self-centered fun.[7]
Well, Long Tall Sally
She's built for speed
She's got everything that Uncle John needs
According toChris Morris'liner notes to the 2017 reissue ofHere's Little Richard:[11]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[12] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Long Tall Sally" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Swedish single sleeve | ||||
| Single bythe Kinks | ||||
| B-side | "I Took My Baby Home" | |||
| Released | February 7, 1964 | |||
| Recorded | January 20, 1964 | |||
| Studio | Pye, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter |
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| Producer | Shel Talmy | |||
| The Kinks UK singles chronology | ||||
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| The Kinks US singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Long Tall Sally" (audio) onYouTube | ||||
The Kinks started performing in early 1963 under various names, including the Ravens.[14][15] Their members at the time consisted ofRay Davies,Dave Davies,Pete Quaife and Mickey Willet.[16] Looking to branch out, the Kinks sought out a manager, and after a few unsuccessful meetings, they metLarry Page, who promised the group a certain degree of fame.[17] Page introduced the Ravens to American record producerShel Talmy along withthe Beatles' promoter,Arthur Howes, who was their tour manager.[17] Talmy managed to secure the group a recording contract withPye Records, who he previously had been collaborating with.[18] Shortly before signing, Willet left the group, upon which they hired drummerMick Avory who had placed an ad inMelody Maker.[19]
Towards the end of 1963, the Ravens also decided to change their name, becoming the Kinks instead.[20] Unsure of what material they should record as their debut single, Howes, who had heard the Beatles perform "Long Tall Sally" in Paris on January 16, suggested that the Kinks should record the number.[21] However, as the Beatles only performed the track live (and would not record it in the studio for another three months), Howes and Page both noted the commercial opportunity of putting the song on record before the Beatles had time to do so.[21][22][page needed] Page quickly instructed the band to learn the track and on 20 January, the group together with Talmy entered Pye Studios for the first time.[21][22][page needed] They recorded five songs that session: "Long Tall Sally", "I Took My Baby Home", "You Still Want Me", "You Do Something to Me" and "I Don't Need You Anymore".[23]Session musicianBobby Graham played drums on all five songs.[24]
The Kinks' version was a modernized arrangement of the song, omitting the frantic piano found in the original, along with moving away from R&B towards a contemporary rock sound.[25] The rhythm of the Kinks rendition also changes, instead being more similar to Little Richard's later hit "Lucille".[22][page needed] Unlike other versions, it features a "wailing harmonica solo" played by Ray.[26]Rob Jovanovic writes that their arrangement is similar to the Beatles version, right down to a couple of phrasings in some verses.[23] However, Thomas Kitts states that "theirMerseybeat arrangement zapped the energy from the song" and that Ray's vocals "lacked the necessary fire and punch of either Little Richard orPaul McCartney".[21] Kitts believes that Dave, "who might have sung with more abandonment", should have taken the lead vocals.[21]
The Kinks version would eventually be released through Pye Records on February 7, 1964, in the UK and later onCameo Records in the US on April 1, 1964.[26][27] The B-side was the Ray Davies original "I Took My Baby Home", which was a "beat-driven rhythm and blues" number.[26] Though Page advertised and promoted "Long Tall Sally" in the media via "an aggressive campaign", it would fail to reach theRecord Retailer charts.[21] It did, however, reach number 42 for a week inMelody Maker's Pop 30, giving the Kinks their first commercial success.[21][26] Following their breakthrough in America, "Long Tall Sally" managed to reach theBillboardBubbling Under Hot 100 chart in January 1965, staying there for two weeks and peaking at number 129.[28]
InDisc magazine,Don Nicholl gave the single three out of five stars.[29] He writes that despite the Kinks "dress to fit the title", they play "in the most conventional rock fashion, I'm afraid".[29] He states that he prefers Little Richard's original and calls "I Took My Baby Home" a better song.[29] InRecord Mirror, "Long Tall Sally" is described as "pounding stuff" and is considered a very commercial version of the song.[30]
According to band researcher Doug Hinman:[31]
The Kinks
Additional musician
| Chart (1964–65) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UKMelody Maker National Chart[32] | 42 |
| USBillboardBubbling Under Hot 100[28] | 129 |
| "Long Tall Sally" | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music cover | |
| Song bythe Beatles | |
| Released |
|
| Recorded | March 1, 1964 |
| Studio | EMI, London |
| Genre | Rock and roll |
| Length | 2:02 |
| Label |
|
| Songwriters |
|
| Producer | George Martin |
The Beatles were admirers of Little Richard, and regularly performed his songs during their live act. "Long Tall Sally" was the most durable song in their live repertoire, lasting from their earliest days asthe Quarrymen in 1957 through to their last public concert in August 1966. As with the majority of their Little Richard remakes,Paul McCartney sang lead vocals, as he could closely imitate Richard's vocal style.[33]
The group recorded "Long Tall Sally" atEMI Studios in London on March 1, 1964, during sessions forA Hard Day's Night, although it was ultimately not included on that album. The recording was produced by the Beatles' regular producer,George Martin, who also played piano on the track. Given the group's familiarity with the song, the recording was completed in a single take.[33]
In the United Kingdom, "Long Tall Sally" was released on the UK EPof the same name on June 19, 1964, but it had been released earlier on two overseas albums,The Beatles' Second Album in the United States on April 10, 1964, andThe Beatles' Long Tall Sally in Canada on May 11, 1964. Released as a single in Sweden, the song reached number two onTio i Topp in June and topped theKvällstoppen Chart in July and August.[34][35] It also reached number one in Denmark.[36] On March 7, 1988, the song appeared onPast Masters, a compilation album that compiles every song commercially released by the band that was neither included on the 12 UK studio albums nor the USMagical Mystery TourLP, making it appear for the first time to be included on a core catalogue album.
The song appears in the 1994 filmBackbeat. Upon viewing it,Paul McCartney was reported to say:
One of my annoyances about the filmBackbeat is that they've actually taken my rock 'n' rollness off me. They giveJohn "Long Tall Sally" to sing and he never sang it in his life. But now it's set in cement. ['Paul' sang Long Tall Sally in the Glasgow stage version]. It's like theBuddy Holly andGlenn Miller stories.The Buddy Holly Story does not even mentionNorman Petty, andThe Glenn Miller Story is a sugarcoated version of his life. NowBackbeat has done the same thing to the story of the Beatles. I was quite taken, however, withStephen Dorff's astonishing performance asStu.[37]
In addition to their studio recording of the song, the Beatles recorded "Long Tall Sally" forBBC radio broadcasts on seven occasions during 1963 and 1964.[38] Two of those versions have been officially released, on the compilation albumsLive at the BBC (1994) andOn Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 (2013). In addition, a studio version, prerecorded specially from the 1964 television specialAround the Beatles, was included on theAnthology 1 compilation (1995). The live albumThe Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl (1977) includes a 1964 concert recording of the song.
"Long Tall Sally" was the last song the Beatles performed live in front of a paying audience. It was a frequent set closer during their1966 tour—which would turn out to be their last—and they used it to close out their final show atSan Francisco'sCandlestick Park on August 29, 1966. The band asked their press officer,Tony Barrow, to make an audio tape recording of the concert for posterity. The recording has since circulated heavily among bootleggers, but the 30-minute tape ran out at the end of the second verse of "Long Tall Sally", meaning that the last moments of the Beatles' final paid performance are lost to history.[39]
According toIan MacDonald,[33] except where noted:
The Beatles
Additional musician
