This Is This

If this song doesn’t capture one of the greatest vocal performances in the history of popular music then what are any of us really doing?

In terms of delivering a great frontman performance, Louis Prima read the back of the box (once), threw it away, fixed a delivish twinkle in his eye and said through a steely grin: “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

Confessional. Self-effacing. Self-assured. Riding the horn solos like a wild fuck, building like an empire, then crushing all before it. The Romans should have done it like this.

The time is April 1956. The place is the Capitol Records Tower, which opened earlier that month.

It starts off like a piano bar number, a little rye, perhaps a shade Noel Coward.

The snare comes in after the second verse. It’s a great clean hard snare sound, not before and even then only halfway through the first chorus.

What were they thinking???

It’s a great clean, hard snare sound, almost like a military, deep marching band snare.

But here it comes. Bridge.

And I’ll sing her - sweet love songs…

And it draws no conclusions.

She will only be…

It shouldn’t work.

Bab de bo ze bad. Diddlybap.

Oh and it’s nobody. Cares for me there’s nobody cares for me.

Say again?

“Cares for me there’s“ ??

It shouldn’t work. But oh god how it does.

He shouts through the horn solo. “Let him blow! Let him blow!” The tenor sax is wailing and he’s backing off like anything could happen.

Where in the rules, right?

This is followed by the greatest trombone solo ever recorded. That’s James “Red” Blount.

Then it holds the same note for the staccatos while the sax changes notes.

Scat singing and chorus and (who’s with me?!) we’re going all in this time.

Baby. Honey. Sugar. Darling. I. Ain’t. Got. Nobody.

Keep up, and a straight face.

Gergious gergious.

Now wrap it up.

And that.

Is how.

It’s done.

Listen: Louis Prima - Just A Gigolo / I Ain’t Got Nobody

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So celebrate your differences and don’t worry what other people think. Do what you want so long as no one gets hurt and your intentions are good.
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