On the record
By Casey Gillis on Mar. 27, 2008
By Bradford Brady and John Maron
Q: Did Elvis Presley ever sing the song “Patches?” I know Clarence Carter did, and I thought Elvis did, too. If Elvis did, where can I get a copy?
A: “Patches” was jointly composed by Ronald Dunbar and General Norman Johnson, and was a 1970 hit for Clarence Carter. It tells the sentimental story of “Patches,” the oldest child of a hard-luck Alabama sharecropper whose dying admonition to his son was to take care of the family after he died. Whenever times got rough, Patches would remember his dead father’s plea and that would help him get through. Ronald Dunbar was one of the writers working for the Invictus Records label that was created by brothers Eddie and Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. Collectively known as Holland-Dozier-Holland, the trio was responsible for writing and arranging many of the great Motown songs of the 1960s. Dunbar later produced many of Parliament’s and Funkadelic’s records with George Clinton. Johnson was one of the founding members of the R&B group, Chairmen of the Board. Although the song has been recorded by many other artists, including as a duet by B.B. King and George Jones, we cannot find any references to the song having been recorded by Elvis. He did, however, record a song called “Patch It Up,” which was used as the B-side to the 1970 single, “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me.”
Q: It seems that lately I hear the Beatles’ “Across the Universe” everywhere. There was the movie last year and then last week it was on American Idol. When I hear it, I always wonder about the words right before the line, “Nothing’s going to change my world.” What are the words, and what do they mean?
A: According to John Lennon, he started writing “Across the Universe” after listening to his wife, Cynthia, talk end lessly about something. With her words going through his head and unable to sleep, he went downstairs and began writing the first line of the song … “Words are flowing out like endless rain in a paper cup.” Thus, “Across the Universe” was born. The song was recorded in February 1968 at a time when the Beatles were under the influence of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The words “Jau Guru Deva Um” are roughly translated as “all glory to Guru Dev” or “give thanks to Guru Dev.” Guru Dev was the teacher of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Many versions of “Across the Universe” have been released. The first version to be released was included on the charity album “No One’s Gonna Change Our World.” The second version was included on the “Let It Be” album. With choral and orchestra music added to the original recording by producer Phil Spector, this is the version that is most familiar to fans. Another version, stripped of all the extra music, was included on 2003’s “Let It Be … Naked.” Lately, the song has experienced a renaissance. In addition to giving its name to the 2007 movie musical, “Across the Universe” was the song recently selected by NASA to be beamed across space to mark the space agency’s 50th
anniversary.
What’s the name of that song? Where are they now? What does that lyric mean? Send questions to or visit http://www.musicontherecord.com. Brady and Maron are freelance music writers based in Raleigh, N.C.
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