Two Versions of The Classic Porter/Hayes Composition

• Listen to this song on youtube: Sam and Dave, The Blossoms
• Listen to these 45s in a Spotify playlist here  with other 45s from the blog (though note, spotify doesn’t have all / many of the songs featured on the site so some playlists may be incomplete or feature slightly different versions than the original 45s I’m referring to here.
• This song is available on Musical Episode #013: Singles Mixer v. 4

Listen to this track in the Singles Mixer Volume Four Podcast

Are you looking for as much talent as possible in one song and two sides of vinyl?  Well, you just might have it here!  Today’s song is “You Got me Hummin'” one of the more suggestive songs to come out of 926 E McLemore up to that point (though, it’s really just Double Dynamite humming- I think there are much more ‘suggestive’ lyrics that are just more easily buried).  A classic Hayes-Porter composition from the golden era of Stax, this record has all the hallmarks of the Jones/Cropper led house band with (I assume) Issac dropping somee piano accents that gives the song a little extra character.  This record, for Sam & Dave, came in their first wave of big hits and you can feel the momentum of their success even in a mid-tempo track like such as “You Got Me Hummin.”

The second version of the same song is performed by the elusive Blossoms.  A group that, in retrospect is so heavily loaded with talent and hits that it’s baffling they’re not a household name.  The Blossoms, during the period this record was cut, were comprised of Darlene Love, Fanita James and Jean King.  The Blossoms had (maybe) most famously recorded “He’s A Rebel” with Phil Spector but lost out on the recognition when he attributed the recording to The Crystals.  In addition to losing this opportunity at gaining rightful recognition they were also responsible for backing vocals on a wide range of hits and supported such talents as Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, The Ronettes and many more. 

If you haven’t seen the doc 20 Feet From Stardom, definitely check it out, it tells the story of The Blossoms and many others who were so critical to so many great records and performances but often weren’t given the attention they deserved.

Full disclosure: I’m actual partial to the flip side of The Blossoms record, a track called “Tweedle Dee” but that can wait for another day.

There you have it: two great versions of a great song back to back, face to face.  Hope you enjoy them!

-Snack Attack

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