Friday, October 10, 2008

Southern Nights

Currently working through a particularly unshakeable earworm - Allen Toussaint's 'Southern Nights' (1975).

Glen Campbell took it to number one on the pop and country charts in 1977 - here he is performing it live in short shorts, with a little help from a friend.



Compare the hit version to the Toussaint original - with eerie lead vocals run through a Leslie speaker...



Meanwhile the Lawrence Welk version from 1979 makes the song sound like Huey Long might have used it as his campaign theme in the thirties...

1 comment:

Michael said...

That original is spectacular! I've never heard it before but the Campbell version was a huge radio hit. One I couldn't help but know note for note.