On the record, Aug. 27
By Susan Pugh on Aug. 27, 2008
By Bradford Brady and John Maron
Q: I heard Steely Dan’s “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” on the radio today, and the DJ said the piano intro was stolen from another song. What song was he talking about? I love that song, and I would like to hear this other song.
A: The piano sequence that opens the song comes directly from jazz pianist Horace Silver’s 1964 song “Song for My Father.” Born in Norwalk, Conn., in 1928, Silver started his career by touring with Stan Getz in 1950. In 1955, the first album released under Silver’s name, “Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers,” was released. With this album, he was recognized as the leader of the “hard bop” style of jazz music. For the next three decades, Silver recorded many albums and influenced many other artists. His 1964 album, “Song for My Father,” includes the title track, which was used as the model for the intro of Steely Dan’s biggest hit, “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.”
Q: Can you tell me if the “Lucky Man” Greg Lake sings about is a real, historical person or just a figment of his imagination?
A : Arguably Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s most popular song, “Lucky Man,” was actually lucky to be included on the band’s 1970 self-titled debut album. ELP, as the band was to be called by fans, started in 1969 when keyboardist Keith Emerson met bassist/vocalist Greg Lake when their respective bands, the Nice and King Crimson, played a few shows together. During a sound check, the two happened to improvise a melody and enjoyed playing together. At the time, both bands were in various stages of disintegration, so Emerson and Palmer decided to form their own band around the concept of a keyboards-bass-drum trio. One of the drummers they considered initially was Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. This flirtation with Mitchell actually led to serious discussions with Hendrix himself about joining the band (to be known as Hendrix, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, or HELP), but his death ended that discussion. Emerson and Lake finally settled on Carl Palmer of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. They immediately began recording the tracks of their debut album. After they completed the tracks they had written, they realized that they were one song short and had nothing else prepared. It was then that Greg Lake dusted off an acoustic ballad he had written as a 12-year-old boy about a hero who went to war and was tragically killed. The song struck a chord with FM radio, and became the group’s first and most-enduring hit. We have found no indication that the song was written about any specific real person.
Q: It has been reported that several lines in the song “Only Wanna Be With You” by Hootie and the Blowfish came directly from a song by Bob Dylan. If this is true, which lines are they? Also, did Dylan ever sue the band?
A : Yes, the song does include lines from Dylan’s song “Idiot Wind” from his “Blood on the Tracks” album. The lines are, “I shot a man named Gray, Took his wife to Italy, She inherited a million bucks, And when she died it came to me, I can’t help it if I’m lucky.” It has been reported on various Internet sources that Dylan did take legal action in 1995 and an out-of-court settlement was reached.
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.
COMMENTS