Original album notes by FZ on “Cruising with Ruben & The Jets”
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This is an album of greasy love songs & cretin simplicity. We made it because we really like this kind of music (just a bunch of old men with rock & roll clothes on sitting around the studio, mumbling about the good old days). Ten years from now you’ll be sitting around with your friends someplace doing the same thing if there’s anything left to sit on.
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Album notes by Gail Zappa
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In residency at the Garrick Theater in New York in 1967, Frank was MERELY 26 years old (and I was all of 22 and pregnant with Moon!). Consider the profusion of his musical constellation and invention. “Absolutely Free”, “Lumpy Gravy”, “We’re Only in It for the Money”. In so many ways, the music he was committing to recordings appeared to be a reflection of certain facets of a then very vogue-ish Big Bang theory. But to him, the usefulness of that concept was only a stem cell in his idea of the origin(s) of everything being in response to one particular all inclusive vibration - the BIG NOTE. Just like that Big Note, his music was ever-expanding, ever diverse and uniquely independent of all other coordinates of its selves, filling its own absence, exactly as one can imagine the universe itself filling its own void.
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On one axis we hear one of these uniquely independent coordinates - an homage to the music of his high-school selfhood - “Cruising with Ruben & The Jets”. Some may see it as sating a simple desire to make his own way in the art of this particular aspect of music, or, even, providing an opportunity for the band (that band!) to do something most of them loved too well. But they are “R - O - N - G, Wrong”, as he would say. It is L, O, V, E, that makes this record go ‘round. His gratitude to so many artists such as Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Howlin’ Wolf, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, the Velours, the Medallions, Don Julian & The Meadowlarks, Don & Dewey, and the altitude of the esteem in which he held them is well-established. These are among those featured in his record collection of 45s - the one and only thing he made sure survived my job of packing all of our belongings for the move to New York! This is the stuff of teen-age legend - the thrall, the threnodies, the three and four part harmonies, the keys to the kingdom of sociological and panchromatic ▶ sexual edification.
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Later, in 1968, in our L.A. living room, newly acquired and unfettered by furniture, Frank took me in his arms and taught me his slow version of the bop and we danced our way through this album and eventually this record collection, at mach 33 1/3 and 45 rpms.
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Album notes by Cheech Marin - July 11, 2009
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One Summer Night I met Frank Zappa (That’s why I had to get my khakis pressed ▶)
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The year was 1966 and I was starting my junior year in college. I had just met a beautiful girl named Sara whose parents went sailing just about every weekend to Catalina. That left us a lot of time and room for experimentation, if you know what I mean. Sara was much more sophisticated than I was because she was younger and went to public school. As a Catholic school student I was prepared for anything that happened here in the Twelfth Century (Thanks Biff Rose). However I was a musician and had been in choirs, duos, trios and bands since I was five years old and was the kettledrum-playing star of the Christmas pageant in kindergarten. Currently I was in a band that changed it’s name every time we played. We were “The Joint Chiefs of Stash”, “Patterns and Colors”, “The Force”, “Captain Shag Nasty and the Loch Ness Pickles” and “Mother Fletcher’s Blues Brothers” among others. Everybody said we should make a record.
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One Friday evening I arrived at Sara’s house eager for a weekend of experimentation. Before we could get to it Sara said: “I just bought this new record” and handed me the cover to “Freak Out!”. “Cool, put it on”. From the first notes of “Hungry freaks, daddy”, I was stopped in my tracks. We played all four sides of the double album (a novelty in those days) over and over and over again. It was the first time in my life that I let anything get in the way of experimentation.
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By the end of the weekend we had the whole album memorized. When Sara’s parents finally returned Sunday night they found two kids sitting on the couch staring at the stereo instead of two kids running around trying to find their clothes. On the way home that night I was still trying to make sense of what I had experienced and the only thought that kept repeating itself was “I am not alone”.
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Nobody before had put these high and low musical elements together in a way that was comical and deep and scary and greasy pachuco. Right around the same time I had discovered an improvisational acting troop called “Instant Theater”. It was headed by Rachel Rosenthal and King Moody. They had the same scary, funny vibe. Every time I went to see them I didn’t know if I was going to get out alive. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention were the same kind of thrill ride except with Doo-wop and kazoos.
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I started hanging around Hollywood a lot. Mostly because a band that had started in my Fraternity as “The Rockwells” suddenly turned into “The Leaves” and had a monster hit with ♫ “Hey Joe”. It became the newer, hipper ♫ “Louie Louie”. Jim Pons, the bass player and my fraternity brother, would eventually go on to play bass with both the Turtles and the Mothers.
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“Something’s happening here” ▶
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About a year later I saw an ad in the “Free Press” that announced that Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention would be playing in Orange County, enemy territory. That’s it, I was there. About five of us crammed into a VW Bug and got on the freeway. Concerts were a lot more informal in those days. As a matter of fact they were so informal that you didn’t know if they were really going to take place until you were actually there. Five joints later we got there and it was actually on.
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There were no seats in the hall so we just wandered around while the first band was on which I think was the GTOs in their first attempt at doing something musical. I stood and watched for a while and then turned to walk away and there he was. The man himself, Frank Zappa. He was just standing there at the edge of the crowd talking casually to a little group of kids. He was barefoot. Cool. I stood back and waited for my chance. Finally one of the kids walked away and I made a beeline. “Hey, Frank”, he looked up and nodded. This was my big chance, what was I going to say. It was now or never. Either shit or get off the pot. “Hey Frank”. “Yeah”. “Uhh, uhh… I used to be in a band called ‘Rompin’ Ritchie and the Rockin Reubens’” (a total fucking lie). He tilted his head up and looked at me. “Oh yeah, really. What did you play?” “I was the singer”. “Oh yeah, you any good?” “Yeah, I’m great”. He looked me up and down. “You know I’m putting together a kind of satirical oldies group. You want to audition?” “Sure”. “You know where I live, the Log Cabin in Laurel Canyon”. “Sure, everybody does”. “Be there tomorrow at say, eleven”. “Cool”. “I gotta go do the show. See you tomorrow”.
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I guess I saw the rest of the show, but I don’t remember anything about it because I was in another world. I was going to audition for Frank Zappa. I was going to be in some Mothers-like band with my hero. I was on my way.
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I didn’t sleep the whole night and I got to Laurel Canyon an hour early the next day. I parked at the Canyon Store and got some coffee and watched the freaks go in and out. Finally an hour passed and I drove up to the Log Cabin, Tom Mix’s old house. I knocked on the front door and eventually it creaked open. One of the GTOs peered out. It was Miss Whatever the One with the Black Hair was named. She smiled. “I’m here to see Frank”. Wordlessly she opened the door wider and motioned me in.
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There was already an audition going on in the living room, but it was for guitar players. Don Van Vliet otherwise known as Captain Beefheart was running through guitar players for his band. Frank nodded to me and indicated that I should chill. He was sooo cool. He was Frank Zappa. They didn’t chill in those days so I did whatever was the equivalent until the last guitar player finished. There was only one so it wasn’t long. After he left there was some hip inside musician talk between Captain Beefheart and Frank. “What do you think?” “I dunno, what do you think, its your band”. “I dunno, I’m hungry. I’ll catch you later”. Captain gave me a sort of hip nod as he left. I guess he figured if I was there I must be cool. Frank had a few more words with Ian Underwood, another musician from his band (I recognized him from the album cover even though he wasn’t wearing a dress) and then he turned to me.
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“So they tell me you’re a singer. What oldie would you like to sing?” “Do you know ‘Over the mountains, cross the sea’?” “I think we can fake it. What key?” “Try D”. “One of my favorites” said Frank hiply. He told Ian to play a one-four-five in triplets. Ian wasn’t Chicano enough to know the original song, but he could manage the formula under Frank’s able direction. I started to sing. One of the consistent things I can do as a singer is stay on key. This seemed to please Mr. Zappa because he nodded in time. I remembered a great majority of the words and finally it ended. Frank smiled and said: “Do you know any songs with a falsetto part?” “How about ‘Pretty lil angel eyes’?”. “It’s your funeral” nodded Frank sagely. He took over the piano from Ian and played the intro and I jumped into the song. Halfway through I saw a few more of the GTOs girls peek out of their cubbyholes and smile. I was on my way to the top of the charts. I hit the falsetto part and stayed in tune, but I didn’t know where to end it because the record just fades so I just started to fade until Frank suddenly stopped.
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“OK, leave me your number, thanks for coming over”. And that was it. I don’t know if Frank ever called me or not because the next day I left for Canada and wouldn’t be back for three years. I forgot to tell him that part. Oh well, we would meet again.
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✄ Darling, darling, please hear my plea
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God only knows what your loving does to me
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Cheap thrills, in the back of my car
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Cheap thrills, how fine they are
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Cheap thrills, ✄ up and down my spine
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I need it, I need it, ‘cause it feels so fine
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Now
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Cheap thrills, all over the seat
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Cheap thrills, your kind of lovin’ can’t be beat
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Cheap thrills, up and down my spine
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I need it, I need it, ‘cause it feels so fine
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Now
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills, I can’t wait another day
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Cheap thrills, you gotta try to sneak away
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Cheap thrills, up and down my spine
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I need it, I need it, ‘cause it feels so fine
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills, set fire to my soul
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Cheap thrills, like a ✄ story untold about…
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Cheap thrills, up and down my spine
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I need it, I need it, ‘cause it feels so fine
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills, in the back of my car
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Cheap thrills, how fine they are
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Cheap thrills, up and down my spine
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I need it, I need it, ‘cause it feels so fine
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Cheap thrills, all over the seat
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Cheap thrills, your kind of lovin’ can’t be beat
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Cheap thrills, up and down my spine
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I need it, I need it, ‘cause it feels so fine
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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Cheap thrills
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[Repeat]
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Love of my life, I love you so
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Love of my life, don’t ever go
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I love you only, love, love of my life
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Love of my life
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Stars in the sky, they never lie
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Tell me you need me, don’t say goodbye
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I love you only, love, love of my life
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Stars in the sky, they never lie
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Tell me you need me, don’t say goodbye
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I love you, darling, I love you only
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Don’t ever leave me, don’t make me, don’t make me, don’t make me lonely
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Please don’t leave me!
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Love of my life, I love you so
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Love of my life, don’t ever go
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I love you only, love, love of my life
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Stars in the sky, they never lie
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Tell me you need me, don’t say goodbye
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I love you, darling, I love you only
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Don’t ever leave me, don’t make me, don’t make me, don’t make me lonely
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Please don’t leave me, a-ah!
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Love of my life, I love you so
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Love of my life, don’t ever go
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I love you only, love, love of my life
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Love of my life
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Love of my life
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Love of my life
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Love of my life
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When I won your love I was very glad
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Every happiness in the world belonged to me
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Then our love was lost, you went away
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Now I shed my tears in lonely misery
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I know now you never really loved me
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Oh, it hurts me now to think you never really cared
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I sit and ask myself a thousand times, try and find
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What really happened to the love that we shared
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How could I be
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How could I be
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Be such a fool
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Such a fool
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How could I be
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Be such a fool
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How could I be
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How could I believe
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Be such a fool
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All those lies
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How could I be
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You told me?
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Be such a fool
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How could I be
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How could I be taken in
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Be such a fool
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By your
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How could I be
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Sweet face?
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Be such a fool
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You spoiled our love
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You ruined my life
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I’m so tore down
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I’m a terrible disgrace
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But there will come a time you’ll regret the way, ah
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You treated me as if I was a fool and didn’t know
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The many times you lied about your love for me
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Someone is gonna know your love is just a show
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How could I be… be such a fool?
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How could I be… be such a fool?
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How could I be… be such a fool?
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How could I be… be such a fool?
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How could I be… be such a fool?
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How could I be… be such a fool?
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How could I be… be such a fool?
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How could I be… be such a fool?
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When I’m dancing with Deseri
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Oo-ooo, Deseri
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All the boys are jealous of me
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Deseri
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I’m as happy as I can be
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Oh, Deseri
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I’m as happy as I can be
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Oo-ooo, Deseri
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Whenever I’m with Deseri
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Deseri
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She saves her lovin’ just for me
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Oh, Deseri
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I will never be untrue
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I will never ever make her blue
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She’ll never sigh, cry, sit and pine, we will share a love divine
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Deseri is mine
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I’m as happy as I can be
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Oo-ooo, Deseri
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Whenever I’m with Deseri
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Deseri
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‘Cause she saves her lovin’ just for me
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Oh, Deseri
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Deseri oo-ooo
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Deseri, the first day we met
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Deseri oo-ooo
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I’ll never forget
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Deseri oo-ooo
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I saw you walking down the street
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✄ My heart skips a beat
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Deseri oo-ooo
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Deseri
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I told you of my love for you
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Deseri oo-ooo
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Deseri
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But there’s nothing
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Deseri oo-ooo
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Nothing you would do
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The one for me
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I said, please hear my plea
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Deseri oo-ooo
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My-y Deseri
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Come dance with me
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Deseri oo-ooo
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Please hear my plea
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Deseri oo-ooo
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Oh, Deseri
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Deseri oo-ooo
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Come along with me
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You came
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Deseri oo-ooo
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Aa-aah Deseri
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We went to the dance that night
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I held you so tight
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Deseri oo-ooo
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My-y Deseri
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Deseri oo-ooo
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And I know
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My-y Deseri
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That our love will last
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Deseri oo-ooo
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Thru the years
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Deseri
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Forever, holding each other, for cram
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Got no place to go
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No love left for me to give
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Why should I pretend I like to roam from door to door?
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I guess that I’ll just kill myself, I just don’t care no more
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I’m not satisfied
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Everything I’ve tried
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I don’t like the way
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Life has been abusing me
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Who would care if I was gone?
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Who needs me to care for them?
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Why should I just sit and watch while the others smile?
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I just wish that someone cared if I was happy for a while
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I’m not satisfied
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I’m not satisfied
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Everything I’ve tried
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Everything I’ve tried
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I don’t like the way
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I don’t like the way
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Life has been abusing me
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I’m not satisfied
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I’m not satisfied
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Everything I’ve tried
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I don’t like the way
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Everything I’ve tried
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Life has been abusing me
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I’m not satisfied
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I’m not satisfied
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Everything I’ve tried
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Abusing me
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I’m not satisfied
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I’m not… I’m not satisfied
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Everything I’ve tried
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I’m not satisfied
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I’m not satisfied
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I… I… I…
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Everything I’ve tried
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Oh, Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
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Baby don’t you know now
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
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The way you do the bop
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Like a spinning top
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The Pachuco hop
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And the L.A. Slop
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You make a street car stop
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At the soda shop
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And my eyeballs pop
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When I see my…
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
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Mama, don’t you know now
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
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The way you boogie all night
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You’re my heart’s delight
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You know I wish I might
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Get a tiny bite of your…
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna Jelly Roll
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Got to have it
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And… eeeh!
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Got to… oh, Jelly Roll
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop
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Tch tch tch
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Ah-ahh
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Gimme… I got to have it
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Got to have it
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop
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Sha-la-la-la sha-la-la-la
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Lemme have…
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Got to have it
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
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Baby don’t you know now
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
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The way you do the bop
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Like a spinning top
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The Pachuco hop
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And the L.A. Slop
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You make a street car stop
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At the soda shop
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And my eyeballs pop
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When I see my…
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
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Mama, don’t you know now
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
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The way you boogie all night
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You’re my heart’s delight
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You know I wish I might
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Get a tiny bite of your…
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
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Got to… Got to…
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop
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Got to…
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Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
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Oh, I need…
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Your Jelly Roll Gum Drop
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Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
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Got to have Jelly Roll Gum Drop
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Jelly Roll! Jelly Roll! Jelly Roll! Jelly Roll!
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Got to have…
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Jelly Roll Gum Drop
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Jelly Roll! Jelly Roll! Jelly Roll! Jelly Roll!
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Aaaah
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Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
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For you, I could do anything
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For your love, my heart cries
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Take my heart, my love, my everything
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For so long I’ve needed your love
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Oh, when… when you first came to me
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I-I-I-I-I doubted your love
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But now you mean everything to me
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And each day I love you more
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[Instrumental]
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For you, I could do anything
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For your love, my heart cries
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Take my heart
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Take my heart
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My love, my everything
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Take my love
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For so long
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Take my heart
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I’ve needed you
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Take my love
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Take my heart
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Take my love
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Take my heart
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Take my love
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Take…
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You surely must be trying to break this heart of mine
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I thought you knew I loved you and we’d share a love so fine
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But later that night, a padlock on my door
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Clothes out on the street, don’t want my love no more
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And I cried
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I-I-I cried
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Oh, ✄ I cried
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I cried
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My heart out
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Cried
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I cried
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My heart out
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Later that night
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You surely must be trying to break this heart of mine
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I thought you knew I loved you and we’d share a love so fine
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But later that night, you threw a padlock on my door
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You threw my clothes out on the street, ‘cause you don’t want my love no more
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And I cried
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I-I-I cried
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I cried
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I cried
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My heart out
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Cried
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My heart out
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Later that night
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Don’t go, baby. Don’t put me out on the street. You threw my best sharkskin suit out on the lawn, right on top of some dog waste (✄ I hold in my hand three letters from the stages of your fine, fine, super-fine career…) and my best white shirts with the Mr. B. collar laying all over the front lawn. Where’s my cuff links? Lemme back in dere. Dere? Ha!
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“There’s no room to breathe in here”
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“That’s alright, honey. You can come out of the closet now”
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You didn’t try to call me
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Why didn’t you try? I’m so lonely
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No matter who I take home, I keep callin’ your name
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And you… (I need you so bad) you’re The One, babe
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Tell me, tell me, who’s lovin’ you now
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‘Cause it worries my mind and I can’t sleep at all
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I stayed home on Friday just to wait for your call
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And you didn’t try, you didn’t try, you didn’t try, you didn’t try to call me
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Why didn’t you try? I’m so lonely
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I’m so lonely!
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No matter who I take home, I keep callin’ your name
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And you… (I need you so bad) you’re The One, babe
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Tell me, tell me, who’s lovin’ you now
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‘Cause it worries my mind and I can’t sleep at all
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I stayed home on Friday just to wait for your call
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I can’t say what’s wrong or what’s right
|
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All you’ve gotta do is call me, babe
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You make me feel so excited, girl!
|
I got so hung up on you from the moment that we met
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That no matter how I try, I can’t keep the tears
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From running down my face, I’m all alone in my place
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You didn’t try to call me
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You didn’t try to call me
|
You didn’t try to call me
|
You didn’t try to call me
|
You didn’t try to call me
|
You didn’t try to call me
|
It was September, the leaves were gold
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That’s when our hearts knew that ✄ story untold
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We were young lovers
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We were young lovers
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Strolling near the fountain of love
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Fountain of love
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Fountain of love
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Fountain of love
|
Fountain of love
|
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Do you remember? I held you so near
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Our love’s glowing ember so precious and dear
|
We were young lovers
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Lovers
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Strolling near the fountain of love
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Fountain of love
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Fountain of love
|
Fountain of love
|
Fountain of love
|
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We made a wish
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Lo-o-o-o-ove
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And threw in a coin
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And since that day
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Lo-o-o-o-ove
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Our hearts have been joined
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So all you, young lovers
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Lo-o-o-o-ove
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Wherever you are
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The fountain of love is not very far
|
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We’ll go on dreaming of that golden day
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And remember the fountain is not far away
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We were young lovers
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Lovers
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Strolling near the fountain of love
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Fountain of love
|
Fountain of love
|
Fountain of love
|
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Lo-o-ove
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We made a wish
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And threw in a coin
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Lo-o-ove
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And since that day
|
Our hearts have been joined
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Lo-o-ove
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So all you, young lovers
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Wherever you are
|
The fountain of love is not very far
|
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Fountain of love, oooo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
|
Wee-ooh
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[Repeat]
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Boppa dooayyydoo
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Boppa dooayyydoo
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Boppa dooayyydoo
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Boppa dooayyydoo
|
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No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
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Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
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It makes me cry to see you go-o-o-oo-oh
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Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
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No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
It makes me cry to see you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
|
Left me here to cry alone
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
With a bottle of juice & a pork chop bone
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
It makes me cry to see you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
|
Gave my money all to you-oo
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
You took my watch ▶ and pawned it too-oo
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
Three gold teeth and one glass eye
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
Didn’t have the nerve to say goodbye
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
And someday you’ll have to pay
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
I ain’t such a fool that I would let you go
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
And treat me this way
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
I ain’t going to let you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
And someday you’ll have to pay
|
I ain’t going to let you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
I ain’t such a fool that I would let you go
|
And treat me this way
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
I ain’t going to let you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
I ain’t going to let you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
Any way the wind blows, is-a fine with me
|
Any way the wind blows, it don’t matter to me
|
‘Cause I’m thru with the fussin’ and-a fightin’ with you
|
I went out and found a woman who is gonna be true
|
She makes me, oh, so happy, now I’m never ever blue
|
|
Any way the wind blows, is-a fine with me
|
Any way the wind blows, it don’t matter to me
|
‘Cause she treats me like she loves me and she never makes me cry
|
I’m gonna stick with her till the day I die
|
She’s not like you, baby, she would never ever lie
|
|
Any way the wind blows, is-a fine with me
|
Any way the wind blows, it don’t matter to me
|
Now I’m gonna go away and leave you standin’ at the door
|
I’ll tell you this, baby, I won’t be back no more
|
‘Cause you don’t even know what love is for
|
Any way the wind blows
|
Any way the wind blows
|
Oh, any way
|
The wind blows
|
Any way
|
The wind blows
|
Mmm-mm-mmm-mmm
|
Mmm-mm-mmm-mmm
|
[Ray Collins] If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
I tried to make you happy, I gave you all my love
|
There’s nothing left for me to do but cry
|
|
If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
I tried to make you happy, I gave you all my love
|
There’s nothing left for me to do but cry
|
|
Ooo oo-ooo ooo oo-ooo ooo oo-ooo
|
Stuff up the cracks, turn on the gas, I’m gonna take my life
|
(Sss-stuff it!)
|
|
If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
I tried to make you happy, I gave you all my love
|
There’s nothing left for me to do but cry
|
|
If you decide to leave me
|
If you decide to leave me
|
I’ll cry
|
If you decide to leave me
|
I’ll cry!
|
O-oh, I’ll cry
|
If you decide to leave me
|
I’ll cry!
|
I-I-I’ll cry
|
If you decide to leave me
|
O-oh, don’t go
|
If you decide to leave me
|
Don’t le-ee-ee-ee-eave me
|
If you decide to leave me
|
If you decide to leave me
|
If you decide to leave me
|
Don’t go
|
If you decide to leave me
|
O-oo-oh, don’t go
|
|
[Instrumental]
|
Oh, Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
Baby don’t you know now
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
The way you do the bop
|
Like a spinning top
|
Bop bop bah
|
The Pachuco hop
|
Bop bop bah
|
And the L.A. Slop
|
Bop bop bah
|
You make a street car stop
|
Bop bop bah
|
At the soda shop
|
Bop bop bah
|
And my eyeballs pop
|
Bop bop bah
|
When I see my…
|
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
Mama, don’t you know now
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
The way you boogie all night
|
You’re my heart’s delight
|
You know I wish I might
|
Get a tiny bite of your…
|
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna Jelly Roll
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
And… eeeh!
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Tch tch tch
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Sha-la-la-la sha-la-la-la
|
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
Baby don’t you know now
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
The way you do the bop
|
Like a spinning top
|
The Pachuco hop
|
And the L.A. Slop
|
You make a street car stop
|
At the soda shop
|
And my eyeballs pop
|
When I see my…
|
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
Mama, don’t you know now
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
The way you boogie all night
|
You’re my heart’s delight
|
You know I wish I might
|
Get a tiny bite of your…
|
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Got to…
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
Oh, I need…
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Your Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Got to have Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Aaaah… aaaah
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
Got to… Got to…
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Boppa dooayyydoo
|
Boppa dooayyydoo
|
Boppa dooayyydoo
|
Boppa dooayyydoo
|
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
It makes me cry to see you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
It makes me cry to see you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
|
Left me here to cry alone
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
With a bottle of juice & a pork chop bone
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
It makes me cry to see you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
|
I gave my money all to you-oo
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
You took my watch ▶ and pawned it too-oo
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
Three gold teeth and one glass eye
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
Didn’t have the nerve to say goodbye
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
|
Boppa dooayyydoo
|
Boppa dooayyydoo
|
Boppa dooayyydoo
|
Boppa dooayyydoo
|
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
And someday you’ll have to pay
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
I ain’t such a fool that I would let you go
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
And treat me this way
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
Boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo boppa dooayyydoo
|
I ain’t going to let you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
I ain’t going to let you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
And someday you’ll have to pay
|
I ain’t such a fool that I would let you go
|
I ain’t going to let you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
And treat me this way
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
I ain’t going to let you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
No, no, no, no, no, no, no-o-o-oo-oh
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
You know you treat me funky, baby
|
I ain’t going to let you go-o-o-oo-oh
|
[Ray Collins] If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
I tried to make you happy, I gave you all my love
|
There’s nothing left for me to do but cry
|
|
If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
I tried to make you happy, I gave you all my love
|
There’s nothing left for me to do but cry
|
|
Ooo oo-ooo ooo oo-ooo ooo oo-ooo
|
Stuff up the cracks, turn on the gas, I’m gonna take my life
|
(Sss-stuff it!)
|
|
If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
If you decide to leave me, it’s all over
|
I tried to make you happy, I gave you all my love
|
There’s nothing left for me to do but cry
|
|
If you decide to leave me
|
If you decide to leave me
|
I’ll cry
|
If you decide to leave me
|
I’ll cry!
|
O-oh, I’ll cry
|
If you decide to leave me
|
I’ll cry!
|
I-I-I’ll cry
|
If you decide to leave me
|
O-oh, don’t go
|
If you decide to leave me
|
Don’t le-ee-ee-ee-eave me
|
If you decide to leave me
|
If you decide to leave me
|
If you decide to leave me
|
Don’t go
|
If you decide to leave me
|
O-oo-oh, don’t go
|
Don’t leave me
|
|
[Instrumental]
|
[FZ] We released a single from the album “Ruben & The Jets”, a song called “Deseri” ▲. And it made the Top 40, it became #39 on KIOA in Des Moines, Iowa.
|
But only because the label says Ruben & The Jets, not The Mothers of Invention. The disc jockey there had never heard of the Mothers of Invention, but he thought that Ruben & The Jets was a great new group. And we recently played in Philadelphia and a disc jockey in that city had explained to me that they played the record, he knew who the Mothers were, but they had never announced that… Ruben & The Jets was actually the Mothers. They had always been announcing th— the single under the name of Ruben & The Jets. They’ve been receiving SERIOUS FAN MAIL at that radio station, piles of which I have stashed in my suitcase, saying things like: “Ruben & The Jets is the greatest group since”… what was it? “Danny & The Juniors”.
|
Makes you feel real good.
|
|
[FZ] Well, you know what happened when the first pressings of this record was sent out to radio stations it didn’t say Mothers of Invention on it, it said Ruben & The Jets, there was no mention of the group. And that’s probably why the record got played in the first place. It was only the second batch of pressings that had any credit to the Mother… Mothers of Invention on the single. You see, when we send records to radio stations, especially radio stations in the South and Southwest, we sometimes receive them back. Chopped up. We’ve received several albums from radio stations in that area, they chop them up with a hatchet and put ‘em in an envelope and send ‘em back.
|
[Warren Duffy] That’s for real?
|
[FZ] Yep
|
[Warren Duffy] Can’t believe it
|
[FZ] Well, you know how they are
|
|
[FZ] Well, I don’t think that my intent is to be 100% radical all the time. We made “Ruben & The Jets” because I really love rhythm & blues. I like that kind of music. And I always wanted to make an album of it, you know. Ever since I was in high-school. So, there it is!
|
|
[FZ] In fact, an interesting anecdote might be inserted here about the time the album was sent to the program director at radio station KRLA in Los Angeles. Uh… He received a copy of the album, which of course mentions the name Mothers of Invention on it in small print, so he didn’t uh… he wasn’t fooled the way the other radio stations were fooled into playing our record. So, he knew that it was the Mothers of Invention and therefore just put the album aside completely, you know, didn’t even bother to listen to it. Until one night he was at home and he got drunk. And he decided: “What the heck, I’ll play this thing and get these guys off my back”. So he put it on the record player and heard that it was 1950s LOVE MUSIC. Woke his wife up and they danced all night to it, and he called the office the next day, raving. You know, it affects the… he was about 29 years old… affects that age group very strongly, because they can remember that era, and have a lot of uh… glandular-tinged nostalgia for that sort of music.
|
[Warren Duffy] You say “they”. Is that part of your era too?
|
[FZ] Oh, of course. I happen to like the “Ruben & The Jets” album very much. I uh… and I like that type of music and we’re cutting another “Ruben & The Jets” album next week at Criteria Studios in Miami. We’ll be sitting around there for a few days before we work a job in Miami, so we booked the studio and we’re going in and record the songs in the same manner that they were recorded in the 50s. The “Ruben & The Jets” album was recorded in a very contemporary way, sort of track by track and very carefully stereo’d out and… everything very organized. In the olden days they used to dump you into a room and stick a microphone somewhere in there and after a few hours of moving people around the room to get the proper balance, they would come up with a nice old-time rhythm & blues record. We’re going to use more than one microphone at this next recording session but we do hope to record the band just all sitting around in the room and we’re probably gonna make up some of the songs in the studio. Because after all, boy-girl situations are timeless.
|
|
[FZ] Well, I… I didn’t make conscious imitations of vocal group styles but there are certain cliché uh… elements that were directly lifted like… there’s part of the fade out from ♫ “Earth angel” superimposed on part of ♫ “The rite of spring” in one of those things. And uh… I-I think that the best harmonizing group from the old days was the Moonglows. They really had it down. But tha— that wouldn’t be one of my favorite groups because they were so sharp, you know, so precise that it was almost like they were unreal, you know. I-I went for groups tha— that really sang out of tune and… and really cried, like ♫ “Valarie” by Jackie & The Starlites is a real good one.
|
La-la la-la-la la-la
|
La-la la-la-la la-la
|
La-la la-la-la la-la
|
La-la la-la-la la-la
|
|
Although you don’t want me no more
|
Oh, but it’s alright, alright with me
|
You know, you’re gonna need me someday
|
Oh, you’re gonna need me, when I’ll run away
|
|
Oh, Valarie
|
Valarie
|
Valarie
|
Valarie
|
Valarie
|
Can’t you hear me?
|
Valarie
|
Don’t you need me?
|
|
Ah ah ah! Valarie!
|
Valarie
|
Valarie!
|
Valarie
|
Can’t you hear me?
|
Valarie
|
Don’t you need me?
|
Valarie
|
|
I know you don’t want me no more
|
But it’s alright, alright with me
|
Valarie!
|
Valarie!
|
Valarie! Valarie!
|
Valarie! Valarie!
|
|
Oh oh, Valarie!
|
Ahh! Valarie!
|
I’m on my knees!
|
Begging you: “Please!”
|
|
I know you don’t want me
|
You don’t want me
|
And you don’t love me no more
|
|
Valarie
|
Oh, Valarie
|
Valarie
|
Valarie! Valarie! Valarie!
|
Ow! Ooh! Ah! Ooh! Ah!
|
Ah-hhh! Ah
|
Oh, Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
Baby don’t you know now
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
The way you do the bop
|
Like a spinning top
|
Bop bop bah
|
The Pachuco hop
|
Bop bop bah
|
And the L.A. Slop
|
Bop bop bah
|
You make a street car stop
|
Bop bop bah
|
At the soda shop
|
Bop bop bah
|
And my eyeballs pop
|
Bop bop bah
|
When I see my…
|
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
Mama, don’t you know now
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
The way you boogie all night
|
You’re my heart’s delight
|
You know I wish I might
|
Get a tiny bite of your…
|
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna Jelly Roll
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
And… eeeh!
|
Oh, Jelly Roll!
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Tch tch tch
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Sha-la-la-la sha-la-la-la
|
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
Baby don’t you know now
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
The way you do the bop
|
Like a spinning top
|
The Pachuco hop
|
And the L.A. Slop
|
You make a street car stop
|
At the soda shop
|
And my eyeballs pop
|
When I see my…
|
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
Mama, don’t you know now
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, got my eyes on you
|
The way you boogie all night
|
You’re my heart’s delight
|
You know I wish I might
|
Get a tiny bite of your…
|
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop, I wanna… I wanna…
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Got to…
|
Bop bop bah… bop bop bah
|
Oh, I need…
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Aaaah
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Aaaah
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Jelly Roll Gum Drop
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Got to… Got to…
|
Did-dee did-dee bop bop did-dee
|
Jelly Roll bop bop bah
|
[Les Carter] Some of the great sounds from out of the past. It’s time actually for an unoff— unofficial commercial. And uh… this is a commercial for an album called “Ruben & The Jets”.
|
[FZ] It’s a secret greasing
|
[Les Carter] It’s a secret greasing?
|
[FZ] Yeah
|
[Les Carter] And this commercial has not been paid for, which, I might add, violates all the rules of the Federal Communications Commission.
|
[FZ] That’s it, stick it to ‘em. Tell ‘em how avant-garde you are! The music can start?
|
[Les Carter] It’s on already
|
[FZ] Oh, I can’t hear it. Oh, can I… can I hear it while I’m doing this?
|
[Les Carter] No way for you to hear it, Frank, you just have to…
|
[FZ] Oh, start it again, I wanna make it perfect
|
[Les Carter] OK
|
[FZ] Well, at least get close to it
|
[Les Carter] OK, we’re gonna start that again
|
[FZ] Here we go. This is our greasing.
|
[Les Carter] OK, I think it’s about ready to start, Frank, if you’re ready.
|
|
[FZ] RUBEN SANO was 19 when he quit the group to work on his car. He had just saved up enough money to buy a 53 Nash and four gallons of gray primer. His girlfriend said she would leave him forever if he didn’t quit playing in the band and fix up his car so they could go to the drive-in and make out. There was already 11 other guys in the band so when he quit nobody missed him except for his car when they had to go to rehearsal or play for a battle of the bands at the American Legion Post in Chino. They are all still good friends even today. The other main guys in the band, NATCHO, LOUIE, PANA & CHUY, still come over to RUBEN’S house on Tuesday or Wednesday to listen to his collection of Richie Valens records & also ♫ “Eddie my love”. Generally speaking, they save ♫ “Cherry pie” & ♫ “Work with me, Annie” till the late part of the evening so they can have something to hum on the way home or to Burger Lane. Some of them continue to hum & pop their fingers even the next day, working in the car wash.
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Now that they have gotten their big break in show business each one of the main guys in the group voted at the band meeting to keep the name “RUBEN on the JETS” not only because it sounds real fine & gives it class, but also because it makes it real sharp. RUBEN even likes it too & thinks it is real sharp. All the guys in the band hope that you are sick & tired like they are of all this crazy far out music some of the bands of today are playing. They hope you are so sick & tired of it that you are ready for their real sharp style of music. They are good socially acceptable young men who only want to sing about their girlfriends. They want everybody to start dancing close back together again like 1955 because they know that people need to love & also want to hold on to each other. Even holding hands is OK to them. They want you to hold hands and dance the bop & fall in love to their music.
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One of the main guys in the band was telling me a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about how only about half the guys in the band ever show up at rehearsals most of the time: “IF THE PEOPLE WOULD JUST HEAR MY PLEA I WOULD GIVE EVERYTHING JUST TO SING THE SONGS THAT WAS TURNING ME ON IN HIGH-SCHOOL”.
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RUBEN HAS 3 DOGS
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BENNY, BABY & MARTHA
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Love of my life, I love you so
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Love of my life, don’t ever go
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I love you only, love, love of my life
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Stars in the sky, they never lie
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Tell me you need me, don’t say goodbye
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I love you only, love, love of my life
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Stars in the sky, they never lie
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Tell me you need me, don’t say goodbye
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I love you, darling, I love you only
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Don’t ever leave me, don’t make me lonely
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Love of my life
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Love of my life, I love you so
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Love of my life, don’t ever go
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I love you only, love, love of my life
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Love of my life
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Love of my life
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Love of my life
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