The Little Black Egg

Last updated
"The Little Black Egg"
Song by The Nightcrawlers
from the album The Little Black Egg
Released1965
Recorded1965
Genre
Length2:45 [5]
Label Lee [6]
Songwriter(s) Chuck Conlon[ citation needed ]

"The Little Black Egg" is a song first performed by Daytona Beach, Florida garage band The Nightcrawlers in 1965. [5] It was a minor hit in both the US and Canada, reaching number 85 on the US Billboard charts in 1967, [7] while doing slightly better in Canada, where it hit number 74. The song has been since covered by multiple artists including Inner City Unit, The Lemonheads, Neighb'rhood Childr'n, Tarnation, The Primitives and The Cars. It was The Nightcrawlers' only hit. [8]

Contents

Original recording

The song was written in 1965 for an Easter concert, in which the band opened for The Beach Boys. [9] The song was originally recorded in 1965 by sound engineer Lee Hazen and released on Hazen's record label Lee Records; [6] the 1965 release became a regional hit in The Nightcrawlers' home state of Florida and in the Midwest. [5] The song was re-released on Kapp Records in 1966, [6] finally charting nationally in both the US and Canada early the following year. Allmusic reviewer Matthew Greenwald describes the song as a "slightly bizarre nursery rhyme", with lyrics about a rotten bird's egg. [5] Other explanations[ by whom? ] claim the song referenced miscegenation in segregated Florida.

Other versions

"The Little Black Egg" was included in the influential compilation album Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 , on the 1998 CD reissue, as a bonus track.

Ohio punk band The Pagans recorded the song in the late 1970s. In 1981, during recording sessions for Shake It Up , members of The Cars recorded a version featuring Ric Ocasek on lead vocals. [10] The song was later stripped of Ocasek's vocals and re-sung by fashion model Bebe Buell, whom Ocasek had befriended. [10] The version with Buell's vocals was included on her 1981 EP Covers Girl; [11] the Cars' version was released on 1995's Just What I Needed anthology. [12]

Other recordings of "The Little Black Egg" include a 1985 version by garage rock band The Rattlers, on their only full-size album, Rattled!; a 1991 version by The Primitives, released on their Galore album; [13] a 1993 version by The Lemonheads, released on their Into Your Arms CD single; [14] a 1966 version by The Music Explosion featuring lead singer Jamie Lyons, available on their Anthology CD; [15] and a 1997 version by the Paula Frazer-led country band Tarnation, released on their Mirador album. [16] Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the Tarnation version of "The Little Black Egg" as a highlight of Mirador. [16]

The Minus 5 covered it on the 2000 release In Rock .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cars</span> American pop-rock band

The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes (keyboards), and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals, and Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter and leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ric Ocasek</span> American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer (1944–2019)

Richard Theodore Otcasek, known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock band The Cars. In addition to his work with The Cars, Ocasek recorded seven solo albums, and his song "Emotion in Motion" was a top 20 hit in the United States in 1986. Ocasek also worked as a record producer for artists such as Motion City Soundtrack, Suicide, Bad Brains, Weezer, Nada Surf, Guided by Voices, and No Doubt. In 2018, Ocasek was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Orr</span> American musician (1947–2000)

Benjamin Orzechowski, known professionally as Benjamin Orr, was an American musician best known as the bassist, co-lead vocalist, and co-founder of the rock band The Cars. He sang lead vocals on several of their best-known songs, including "Just What I Needed", "Let's Go" and "Drive". He also had a moderate solo hit with "Stay the Night".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bebe Buell</span> American model and singer

Beverle Lorence "Bebe" Buell is an American singer and model. She was Playboy magazine's November 1974 Playmate of the Month. Buell moved to New York in 1972 after signing a modeling contract with Eileen Ford, and garnered notoriety after her publicized relationship with musician Todd Rundgren from 1972 until 1978, as well as her liaisons with several rock musicians during that time and over the following four decades. She is the mother of actress Liv Tyler, whose biological father is Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Todd Rundgren is Liv's legally adoptive father.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just What I Needed</span> 1978 single by The Cars

"Just What I Needed" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their self-titled debut album (1978). The song, which first achieved radio success as a demo, took inspiration from the Ohio Express and the Velvet Underground. The song is sung by bass player Benjamin Orr and was written by Ric Ocasek.

<i>Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology</i> 1995 compilation album by The Cars

Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology is a two-disc, career-spanning compilation album of songs by the American new wave rock band the Cars. It features most of the band's singles, as well as many album tracks, non-album B-sides and unreleased songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Times Roll</span> 1979 single by the Cars

"Good Times Roll" is a song by American rock band the Cars released as the first track from their 1978 debut album The Cars. Written by Ric Ocasek as a sarcastic comment on rock's idea of good times, the song features layered harmonies courtesy of producer Roy Thomas Baker.

"Bye Bye Love" is a song by the American Boston-based rock band The Cars. The song appears on the band's 1978 debut album The Cars. It was written by singer/songwriter/bandleader Ric Ocasek and sung by bassist Benjamin Orr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Nightcrawlers</span> American garage rock band

The Nightcrawlers were an American garage rock band formed in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Best Friend's Girl (song)</span> 1978 single by the Cars

"My Best Friend's Girl" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their 1978 self-titled debut album on Elektra Records, released on June 6 of that year. Written by Ocasek as a song about something that "probably ... happened to a lot of people," the track found radio success as a demo in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's All I Can Do</span> 1979 single by the Cars

"It's All I Can Do" is a song by the American rock band the Cars. It is the third track from their 1979 album Candy-O. It was written by the band's leader and songwriter Ric Ocasek, and features bassist Benjamin Orr on vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emotion in Motion (song)</span> 1986 single by Ric Ocasek

"Emotion in Motion" is a song by Ric Ocasek, the main songwriter and lead vocalist for The Cars. It was featured on his second solo album, This Side of Paradise, and released as a single in late 1986. The tune topped the Album Rock Tracks chart and reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song features Tears For Fears' frontman Roland Orzabal as a guest musician. It was Ocasek's only top 40 hit as a solo artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonight She Comes</span> 1985 single by the Cars

"Tonight She Comes" is a 1985 song by American rock band the Cars from their Greatest Hits album. It was released as a single in October 1985, reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1986. The song reached number one on the Top Rock Tracks chart, where it stayed for three weeks.

"Candy-O" is a song by the American rock band the Cars, the title track of their 1979 album Candy-O. Written by Ric Ocasek, the song was not based on a real person. The song features a prominent guitar solo by Elliot Easton and lead vocals by bassist Benjamin Orr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double Life (song)</span> 1979 single by the Cars

"Double Life" is a single by the American rock band the Cars from their second album Candy-O. Written by Ric Ocasek, the song was almost left off the album. The song was released as the third single from the album in 1979, but did not chart.

"Funtime" is a song written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie, first released by Iggy Pop on his 1977 album entitled The Idiot. It reflects Iggy and Bowie's growing fascination with the German music scene, and bears marked similarities to "Lila Engel" by krautrock band Neu!. It has since been covered by multiple artists including Blondie, Boy George, Bebe Buell, Peter Murphy, R.E.M. and The Cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cruiser (song)</span> 1981 single by The Cars

"Cruiser" is a song by American new wave band The Cars, from their 1981 album Shake It Up.

<i>Move Like This</i> 2011 studio album by the Cars

Move Like This is the seventh and final studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on May 10, 2011. The album was their first since 1987's Door to Door, and the only one without bassist and vocalist Benjamin Orr, who had died of pancreatic cancer in 2000. The album reached the top ten of the Billboard 200 and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart; a single from the album, "Sad Song", reached number 33 on the Billboard Rock Songs chart. Following the release of the album, the band launched an 11-city tour of North America. Move Like This was Ric Ocasek's last studio appearance before his death in September 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gimme Some Slack</span> 1981 single by the Cars

"Gimme Some Slack" is a song by the American rock band the Cars from the album Panorama. The song was written by bandleader Ric Ocasek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Since You're Gone</span> 1982 single by the Cars

"Since You're Gone" is a song by the American rock band the Cars. It was released as the second single from their fourth album, Shake It Up.

References

  1. ↑ Chusid, Irwin (2000). Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music. Chicago Review Press. p. 24. ISBN   978-1-55652-372-4.
  2. ↑ Leszczak, Bob (2014). Who Did It First?: Great Rock and Roll Cover Songs and Their Original Artists. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 127. ISBN   978-1-44223-322-5.
  3. ↑ LaBate, Steve (December 18, 2009). "Jangle Bell Rock: A Chronological (Non-Holiday) Anthology… from The Beatles and Byrds to R.E.M. and Beyond". Paste . Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  4. ↑ Farr, Jory (2001). Moguls and Madmen. Simon and Schuster. p. 263. ISBN   978-0-74322-893-0.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Greenwald, Matthew. "The Nightcrawlers: The Little Black Egg". allmusic . Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 Poe, Randy (September 1, 2006). Skydog: the Duane Allman story. Backbeat Books. p. 20. ISBN   0-87930-891-5.
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (June 1, 2004). Joel Whitburn's top pop singles 1955-2002. Record Research Inc. p. 511. ISBN   0-89820-155-1.
  8. ↑ Jancik, Wayne (1998). The Billboard book of one-hit wonders. Billboard Books. p. 223. ISBN   0-8230-7622-9.
  9. ↑ "The Nightcrawlers - Sally in Our Alley (1966)"
  10. 1 2 Milano, Brett (1995). Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology (Media notes). The Cars. Rhino Records. pp. 16–17.
  11. ↑ Buell, Bebe; Bockris, Victor (July 19, 2002). Rebel Heart: An American Rock 'n' Roll Journey. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 368. ISBN   0-312-30155-3.
  12. ↑ Prato, Greg. "The Cars: Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology". allmusic . Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  13. ↑ "The Primitives: Galore". allmusic . Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  14. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "The Lemonheads: Into Your Arms (CD Single)". allmusic . Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  15. ↑ "The Music Explosion: Anthology (Sundazed)". allmusic . Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  16. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Tarnation: Mirador". allmusic . Retrieved January 24, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.