Comments on: Oh she may get wooly, women do get wooly, because of all the stress...

Oh she may get wooly, women do get wooly, because of all the stress...

kirkaracha — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:33:05 -0800

Try a Little Tenderness. Otis Redding owns the song, but it's had an interesting history. Ruth Etting, Bing Crosby [mp3], and Ted Lewis [Windows Media] recorded the song (with more lyrics) in the early '30s. An instrumental version was the opening theme for Dr. Strangelove. Tennessee Ernie Ford did the song on his variety show. And then there was Jack Webb's deadpan Dragnet-style version [Amazon sample].
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By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:34:35 -0800

Otis Redding was inspired by early '60s versions by Aretha Franklin [Amazon sample] and Sam Cooke [Rhapsody] Drummer Al Jackson Jr. transformed the song by doubling the beat in rehearsal. Three Dog Night's version [music only; "foggy dress"?] was a minor hit in 1969. Alison Moyet live on David Letterman. Duckie danced to Otis' version in Pretty in Pink (1986). Sixteen-year-old Andrew Strong's version was the high point of The Commitments (1991). Shirley Bassey belted the standards version in 1997 [Caution: contains "zany" comedy bit]. Paul Giamatti and Arnold McCuller teamed up in Duets (2000; Andre Braugher lip-synched). Tim Robbins mangled the lyrics in Bull Durham (see post title), but I couldn't find it online, and there's a referece to that scene in The Upside of Anger when Kevin Costner's character is upset at a wedding singer messing up the words.

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:45:18 -0800

That is so weird. Guess what song I was whistling at work this morning?

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:48:04 -0800

Thanks for the post, I didn't actually know just how old this song was. I'm pretty sure I've heard a Rod Stewart cover as well, but I rather dislike Stewart and I'm not gonna go searching the internet for links at this hour of the morning! Oh and thanks for giving the drummer some with your Al Jackson link. Jackson is quite simply one of the groovingest drummers ever in the history of the drum set.

By: mss

mss — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:09:04 -0800

I've listened to the own link a few thousand times over the years as it was done on the Stax Voltl Live in Paris album and though somewhat disappointed it wasn't the version with Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd, (bad sound) and Sam & Dave joining in at the end, some how I never realized there was a filmed version. Thanks.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:02:10 -0800

I've always thought that Sinatra's version was the definitive rendition -- probably because I knew the Sinatra version before that of Otis. My aunt used to sing it to me as a very young child. I prefer Otis's version, but I'll always have much love for Frank's.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:04:40 -0800

Coincidentally, I see that I added that first Otis link to my youtube favourites just yesterday, along with Sam Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come

By: dhammond

dhammond — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:31:26 -0800

As a big fan of Andre Braugher, it's beyond weird to see him lip-synching to this one.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:43:13 -0800

That is so weird. Guess what song I was whistling at work this morning? posted by ZenMasterThis Isn't this sort of thing normal for a Zen master?

By: Frank Grimes

Frank Grimes — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:29:33 -0800

These "covers" may surprise you as well: http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2615

By: travosaurus

travosaurus — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:44:37 -0800

Otis has a very energetic, spirited live version available on some of his compilations and things. You can almost feel him sweating and jumping around it is so good.

By: travosaurus

travosaurus — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:49:48 -0800

I am a doofus. I just re-checked, and that's the link you posted. Thanks for finally letting my see it.

By: Wolof

Wolof — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:03:31 -0800

Thanks for this, v. educational! Yeah, Al Jackson had it in spades. And every other suit.

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:49:36 -0800

Y'all forgot Percy Sledge also covered it.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:18:57 -0800

I knew about Percy Sledge's version, but didn't post it 'cause the arrangement's similar to Otis' (and I didn't post the Frank Sinatra one because I had the Bing Crosby).

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:41:34 -0800

And presumably you didn't link to the Three Dog Night version cause they're kinda creepy, but here it is anyway, as long as we're getting all completist here.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:42:33 -0800

Oops. Soon as I posted that I saw you did link to it...

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:43:36 -0800

But I think that's "funky" dress. Funky, as in, old and worn out.

By: oats

oats — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:01:33 -0800

I caught the tail end of this song the other day while scanning around on my car radio, and was struck by how much it sounds like he's singing "...a little Internet, a little Internet..."

By: psmealey

psmealey — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 06:58:06 -0800

Women don't get wooly. No one gets wooly. Women get weary. God, I hate it when people get the words wrong!