It amused me to see this ad on TV and recognize the song. Well, really, I only knew the music...I never could understand the words! I just looked it up and apparently "Going Up The Country" has been called the unofficial anthem of Woodstock, the big music festival in 1969. I just happened to have the closed captions on when the commercial came on, so now I know the lyrics! The lyrics were written by Alan Wilson, the lead singer of Canned Heat, an American blues band. (Sadly, Alan Wilson died just one year after Woodstock at the age of 27.) The music was adapted from a blues song written by Henry Thomas. (I just researched Mr. Thomas and now, I want to make a film on HIS life! Okay now, I see that I will have to do another post JUST about the blues...look out for it!)
Is anyone else just now finding out about song lyrics that everyone else knows? Anybody? Or is it just me? Let me know!
"I'm going up the country, baby don't you want to go?"
As much as you love music I'm amazed that you didn't know this song. Maybe you are too young.
ReplyDeleteThe song was very familiar to me, the music that is! Had no clue what they were saying! As much as I loved Creedence Clearwater Revival, I had a hard time with those words too! Too young? Yeah, that must be it. LOL!
DeleteI could never understand those mumbled lyrics either -- thanks for cluing me in! Better late than never, lol.
ReplyDeleteYes, Debra! Now you see the reason for those closed captions on our TV! Richard and I very often have to put those on because we have trouble understanding some of the mumbled words whether it is the news or our favorite TV shows! No problems with our British shows, except a few of those from Scotland, that accent can be tough!
DeleteImagine my sister and I as kids, singing along to ABBA and Beatles songs at the top of our voices - without really knowing English, let alone understanding what we were singing!
ReplyDeleteOnly much later did I "get" the lyrics of many songs I loved as a kid.
Hey! I am also remembering that the Beatles did some of their songs in German, "She Loves You" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand"!
DeleteOf course, they honed their skills in Hamburg, as you well know!
It's always great to learn something new. They're have been many songs that I really never know what all the words are and like you were familiar with only the music. I love that walking path.
ReplyDeleteEven though I might not have been able to understand the words, that never stopped me from singing the songs! LOL!
DeleteOur walking trails at Panola are AWESOME! They are for bikes too, but since it is so hilly, it is not that busy.
Love that song. Today having lyrics at the stroke of a key is such a help. Years ago, if you didn't have the album cover, you guessed at the lyrics and often got them totally wrong.
ReplyDeleteAnd you can bet that I got a lot of the lyrics wrong! Yes, now kids can just type anything into a search engine and BAM, they have the answer!
DeleteI never thought about that song but today is the anniversary of the opening of Woodstock.
ReplyDeleteCathy
Hey Cathy! Thanks for telling me that! I knew it was in the summer of 1969 but that is all I remember about it.
DeleteA very finely made bike trail
ReplyDeleteThat trail is wonderful. It is 20 miles long and goes through some beautiful woods. We have a favorite spot which is a ridgeline and it leads to a serpentine bridge that is over a sweet creek. Up the country enough for me!
DeleteNo, i never knew the lyrics, either. There are several that i’ve finally learned thanks to the internet and being able to look them up.
ReplyDeleteYou know how much I love music so being able to learn more about songs on the internet is something that really interests me!
DeleteMy son? I will tell him something that I have learned, but he already will know it all, the lyrics, the songwriter, the artist, you name it! He got his smarts from his Dad, guess you could guess that one! LOL!
Fabulous number - "We might even - leave the USA". Loved Canned Heat (but obviously far too young to know them until very recently).
ReplyDeleteI know, I love the lyrics. My son is still in this 20's and he knew more about this song than I did! :-)
DeleteIf you like laid back blues, it's hard to beat JJ Cale. He was so laid back he was almost horizontal.
ReplyDeleteTHanks, Mike. That might come in handy if I ever do my post about the blues!
DeleteI have to admit it. I just hate it when a commercial uses one of my old favorites. It just isn't right to use a great song to hawk products.
ReplyDeleteReally? I like to hear a good melody anyway that I can. Of course, I want it to be used in a respectful way, of course.
DeleteIf you don't like songs hawking products, you are in the wrong country! Thinking about that, they used "In The Mood" for a Heinz ketchup TV ad, and it was so good to hear that song! I am grateful for good songs whenever I can get them.
Besides, those songs might be your favorites, but maybe some little kids might like hearing "In The Mood" or "Going Up The Country", they might only know them from commercials.
Great song.
ReplyDeleteI thought so and that is why I have it here, although just a snippet of it. Maybe if folks don't know it, it will make them look up the original.
DeleteRemember the song but it was never a stand out for me. Couldn't really get into Canned Heat much at all or Country Joe and the fish or Janis Joplin. Liked Hendrix, Melanie, CSN and Young, The Who, Joan Baez. Never heard any Grateful Dead songs until fairly recently on TV and was amazed how mellow and sedate the songs were as I always imagined them to be a hard psychedelic rock band with very edgy lyrics having a name like that. A real surprise when I did finally hear them. Sort of laid back folk country. Not what I expected at all.
ReplyDeleteI really do like most of the music from the 60's. Some of the 70's music, not so much. And the 80's! I enjoyed that music very much, it was a fun time for tunes. Laid back folk country, that sounds good to me!
DeleteI still love the music of Canned Heat. I've a couple of their CDs....great band.
ReplyDeleteI just talked with my son and he said he thought that the lead singer's voice was very interesting. When I told him that he had died so young he was surprised. I told him he would already know that if he would just read my blog! LOL!
DeleteLike you, I've never really understood the words to the song, nor did remember it was associated with Woodstock. There are several songs I think of connected to the festival...WAR, what is it good for ..absolutely nothing. Joan Bias singing Amazing Grace and others, but not this one. LOL
ReplyDeleteHey Sandy! Thanks for your comment! You know, I remember a lot of lyrics from the songs from the 1960's but hey, I can't remember them all! Of course, I can't seem to remember any of the important stuff for 2018! :-)
DeleteWAR and Amazing Grace, both great songs. x