Nashville Cats - Lovin' Spoonful

[fladawg2011]

Once this ear worm gets in your head it will NEVER leave. I heard this song 40 years ago and I still walk around the house singing this. I even walk down Broadway in Nashville singing this silly ditty. And yes we all love Nashville cats!!

[gino066]

at :48 or so.. that's a cigarette.. right?

[thegoonies1999]

My Dad loved this song and introduced me to it. Thanks Dad, love and miss you!

[smoketuff1]

10 people don't even have a spoonful of lovin', what a shame=)

[BabyPuma124]

Nashville kitties!!  Love it.

[BoyJewish]

This was easily their best song.

[Cre8Thought41]

John Sebastian can write the songs. One of the great rock and roll writers. JS rocks.

[kjchicago1]

Sounds kinda Johnny Cash-like

[wingman572]

now lets have a beer!

[elamite66]

My favortie by the Lovin' Spoonful was "Summer in the City" where he wrote about something he knew about since he was from NY Not that I don't like his other great songs

[spacepatrolman]

@elamite66 eric clapton said he patterned tales of brave ulysees after summer in the city

[elamite66]

@spacepatrolman that's interesting I don't really see it but it's been a long time since I listened to either song maybe I'll do just that

[kurtmanerz]

@elamite66 His brother Mark and a guy named Steve Boone wrote 'Summer,' it turns out

[rainharper62]

I remember first hearing this song as a teenager--It made me laugh then & then i heard it again-(now in my 50's) a few months ago while driving thru nashville-It brought a smile to my face!--(You might not understand it if you aren't a musician yourself)....lol...thank you for posting this-hadn't heard it in years!!

[asyrenda]

To he Nashville Cat at Nationals

[elamite66]

I hate to be petty but everyone knows those yellow Sun Records are not from Nashville but Memphis what with Elvis, Carl, Johnny, Jerry Lee, Ike Turner, and many more Sun was where country and R&B came together maybe not for the first time but early on and explosively

[SirDcitykity]

@elamite66 You don't hate to be petty; you revel in being petty. Nashville fits the meter, tenor, and soul of the song and is close enough for poetry work to work. It is a song in praise of Southern guitar pickin' not a documentary.

[elamite66]

@SirDcitykity I said I hate to be petty and I do but there is a tremendous difference between Nashville the center of country music and Memphis one of the main centers of R&B Memphis had the first black radio station in the US Sun did not have any "picking" I wouldn't be overly surprised if John didn't know Sun records started with all black R&B and then Elvis recorded each Sun record with an R&B side and country song but no picking none at all talk about being petty your reply is petty

[elamite66]

@SirDcitykity It just occurred to me that the offending word to you is Nashville I never made any comment on the city my comment had to do with Sun and as I said civily and politely in my original reply the comment was not even directed at you and as I can't remember the exact wording of the comment I was replying to it's moot What are you a poetry major? meter, tenor and SOUL since you chose not to keep this correspondence on a civil level Fuck You Faggot direct from NY

[elamite66]

@SirDcitykity I hate to be nasty but you bring it out in me keep going and we can take it farther I made no statement that Nashvile was incorrect but Sun Records which John growing up in NY never saw as a kid We're talking about a rock and roll song not Byron Bacon or Shakespeare Obviously you love to not only be petty but nasty as well 

[layneXoX]

mark stoermer tweeted this! lol

[80sVidLover]

I always thought this was Creedance or The Band....heard the song a lot, but only recently did the guy on the radio say who it was by..... Learn something new everyday!

[Featureman]

I used to play that on KBMI in Henderson NV back in 1966 or 1967. I was a deejay there. This song still sounds great. That was a wonderful musical era.

[Smallville357]

@Featureman

you lucky bugger.....sometimes i feel i was born in the wrong generation....music back then actually made sense and had meaning....its no wonder why ppl these days dont like hey?

[redfordforpresident]

Dedicated to the Washoe County deputy sheriffs, who protect the torturers of kittens and cats. A special place in hell for you and your bad seed kids -- see the movie and its remake The Night of the Living Dead. That goes double for Washoe County District Attorney Dick Gammick.

[iceburgelolliepop]

just another '2nd tier' act...like three dog night 'n' several others

[spacepatrolman]

@iceburgelolliepop 3 dog night [ now 2 dog night since they threw chuck negron out of the group for being a dope addict for 28 years] didnt write anything the spoonful wrote everything

[harhainen]

i hate redenecks becouse their opinion on weapons but their music really kicks in!

[billabong4202]

thats one odd lookin cigarette hes smokin in that picture

[voinavarell]

Nice job!



[shivaillusions]

clean as country water....

[MreViewer]

Wonderful!

[LappyMc]

Great song, great video. Well done, sir. Or ma'am. In any event, thank you.

[andrez03]

One of the supreme pop groups from the MID-60s.

[dbrinkm1]

Great pics !!! love the cats.....and the song ! John did and outdoor one man concert at a nice park in rockford ill in c 1985

[banklikefrankwhite1]

i didn't grow up with bands like this (i'm 30) but..either way

these guys have so many incredible songs that cover many many styles

without a doubt one of the most under rated bands of all time

[carroll1956]

GREAT SONG......AND GREAT VIDEO TO GO ALONG WITH IT. WE WERE LUCKY TO GROW UP WITH GROUPS LIKE THIS.....TODAY'S MUSIC IS CRAP.

[LSD0Moon]

simple, but a fucking amazing song

[carroll1956]

@LSD0Moon agreed  I was lucky to grow up with bands like this. I feel sorry for today's youth and the crap music they have.

[johnnyventure]

I saw John Sebastian play solo in 1972 twice and he was the warmest, most heart grabbing performer I had ever seen. He helped to

launched my own 25yr musical career!

[37terraplane]

Want to see the great ZAL YANOVSKY inducted into the new GUITAR HALL OF FAME, in COOPERSTOWN, NY? Visit our FB page, and click "like!" Thanks, Arlen Roth, Founder

[Ken4Pyro]

What has bothered me about this song since the first time I heard it in the 60's, was that Sun Records where Elvis got his start, is not in Nashville, but Memphis. I know, I know, I know, John B was just writing a song not a documentary. But still....ya know? Anyway, it's a great tune, and I love the guitar work.

[whosthatlittleoldman]

did they write this?

[bbear8]

@whosthatlittleoldman yes, it's a John Sebastian original.

[doug244a]

Johon Sebastian rote the song. He was also a part of the Lovin Spoonful

[whosthatlittleoldman]

@doug244a thanks!

[redfordforpresident]

@whosthatlittleoldman If you remember your Greek mythology studies, the muses write all the songs and books and create all the best sculptures and paintings.

[Cyclist0623]

@whosthatlittleoldman yes, they did. The story behind it is that they were in Nashville, mid-60's, to do a show as part of one of their tours. Put up at some hotel, there was a guy in the lobby, guitarist, country, hired to play the lounge there. Just some guy. But he could play stuff like none of them could, he was really good, but just some guy dong a hotel lobby. So they were inspired by how many really good pickers there were in Nashville, and wrote this tune.

[spacepatrolman]

@Cyclist0623 the mistake of this song is Sun records didnt have fingerpicking that was a rock and roll label other records had country fingerpicking the picture of them for this video standing by the basement was in the new york times

[tommieparch]

@spacepatrolman Johnny Cash may not have agreed with you..

[spacepatrolman]

@tommieparch ok he was on sun

[elamite66]

@spacepatrolman I just got castigated for bringing up the point you did and the fact that Sun was in Memphis and started with black R&B and blues and grew into Rock and Roll the Proffessor claimed "I reveled in pettiness" lucky for you he didn't read the second page of comments or you might have caught it instead of me

[spacepatrolman]

@elamite66 somebody said something to me about that johnny cash was on sun/ but there is more fingerpicking on a lovin spoonful record than a johnny cash record

[redfordforpresident]

@whosthatlittleoldman Zeus, the Greek God of Creativity, writes all the songs. We all learned that in high school. And it's on the SAT tests. Zeus writes those too -- the SAT tests.

[zourz44]

@redfordforpresident, Hahaha your comment made my day!

[Mr70Cyclone]

Great slide show, I think I had that 45 at the end.

[landrykkb]

I have no idea for the life of me if this ever did appear on the country charts in the day,but it easily would if it were released today.

[MrSluggo666]

It's true ,some of those Nashville cats are the best !

[nashtndawg]

Wrong John, there's 113,052 guitar pickers in Nasvhille... :))

[kukaburr]

Super tune on the pop and country stations back then Good stuff. I love it.

[libraryquiet]

John Lennon, John Sebastian, John Phillips, John Forgerty...., what's next in this sequence?

[london2z]

@libraryquiet John Denver?

[libraryquiet]

@london2z I forgot my original comment. When I read it and then looked at your reply again I gave out a good laugh.  I don't know why but yeah...., ok that's a good one.

[DavidRck]

my podaitrist was singing this when he was performing a procedure on my toe + internet points

[FLHTP07]

LOng time since I heard this one. Thanks for posting the music.

[phenrontin]

i heard this song once and said "dude this fucking sucks" and for the past week its just pounded this inside of my head. Now i can't stop listening to it. weird how that works

[jake83777]

This should be on the local oldies channel but it's not...Shame on them as this song is the jam in my jellyroll, whatever the H-E-double hockey sticks that means

[Funkyfreshboy2000]

Well Bugsycline, you came and saw me, having five steady nights on Broadway in Nashville!! Guess what? Nashville sucks!!!!!!!!! Tourist paridise and none of them expect to see real music!!!! This song paints a false image of Nashville and I'm leaving town because it sucks here!!!!!

[earnhardtfanthree]

Through a Marantz SR930 Hooked up to an ADC Sound Shaper Two and a pair of Marantz HD 880's and a pair of Bose 201's...this is optimality of internet coolness...

EF3. :)

[ReneeNme]

My all time favorite tack of Lovin' Spoonful ... YeeHaaaaaaaa !!!

[wookie20f]

The best!

[rainharper62]

play it again sam!! Great funny song & totally true!!! We got more guitar pickers, dobro, mandolin, fiddle players, banjo players & some of the best in the world here in nashville!! (we also have a lot of wanne-bees)....lol...that's ok !!

[ratmotor396]

Thanks Desmon...

The lyrics, production value and string pickin', and the tribute to the "...mothers from Nashville..." are a hoot!

"Yeah, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two gitar cases in Nashville

And any one that unpacks his guitar can play

Twice as better than I will"

I feel like a good pastrami Reuben after listening to this. Think I'll go see what Nashville Katz has On Special.

[goster777]

great tune!! Fo Sho

[docpete1968]

WHAT A TUNE I STILL LIKE SUMMER IN THE CITY MORE

[rogiet3]

@docpete1968 Check out on youtube Rusty Shackle's Cold hearted Town

[docpete1968]

I am a Yankee not to be mistaken for a CARPET BAGGER !!!!!!!!! i LOVE THIS MUSIC !!!!

[docpete1968]

This True Country !!!! Toatally Nashville I Love it and I am a YANKEEE !!!!!!!!!

[terrbass]

@docpete1968 I heard this song by Homer and Jethro. check it out.

[docpete1968]

@terrbass THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS i SURE WILL TAKE A LISTEN TO HOMER AND JETHRO !!!!

[Larrymh07]

"Yeah, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two

Guitar cases in Nashville

And any one that unpacks his guitar could play

Twice as better than I will" This lyric always brings a smile...and reminds me of what a mediocre guitar picker I really am!

[MrBuckwilliam]

brilliant song! :)

[gdholmfirth]

About 1978 when John was in Nashville as the opening act for Steve Martin I got the chance to ask him, "And what did you mean by the music and the MOTHERS from Nashville?" He just smiled.

[DougPatton1]

@HippieCalle: Dude, R & B In Texas before R n R was called 'Cat Music'. Pick it...

[DougPatton1]

Sebastian & dudes got one lil thang wrong - yellow Sun records from Memphis. Pick it...

[jimbronxny]

gotta love the Spoonful...

[HippieCalle]

Cats is just a slang for dudes.

[shocktower70]

Remember listening to this on an 8 track, waiting for my buddy Richard to come out of the store where he worked with a bottle of Cherry Brandy.....Yeah bout' 17

[ndhudecz]

I never knew either

[jimwest1968]

Lovin' Spoonful

Nashville Cats

Nashville Cats, play clean as country water

Nashville Cats, play wild as mountain dew

Nashville Cats, been playin' since they's babies

Nashville Cats, get work before they're two

[belliose]

@jimwest1968, Thanks for posting the lyrics. This is as great as any song that has ever been written. This song shows John B's humor and wit at its finest.

[jimwest1968]

Well, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two Guitar pickers in Nashville And they can pick more notes than the number of ants On a Tennessee anthill Yeah, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two Guitar cases in Nashville And any one of them Texas guitars could play Twice as better than I will Yeah, I was just thirteen, you might say I was a Musical proverbial knee-high When I heard a couple new-sounding tunes on the tubes And they blasted me sky-high

[BaySweetwater]

Heeheehee. "Texas guitars".

Actually, it's:

And any one that unpacks his guitar could play . . . "

[jimwest1968]

And the record man said every one is a Yellow Sun Record from Nashville And up North there ain't nobody buys them And I said, but I will And it was Nashville Cats, play clean as country water Nashville Cats, play wild as mountain dew Nashville Cats, been playin' since they's babies Nashville Cats, get work before they're two Well, there's sixteen thousand eight hundred twenty one Mothers from Nashville

[jimwest1968]

All their friends play music, and they ain't uptight If one of the kids will Because it's custom made for any mother's son To be a guitar picker in Nashville And I sure am glad I got a chance to say a word about The music and the mothers from Nashville And Nashville Cats, play clean as country water Nashville Cats, play wild as mountain dew Nashville Cats, been playin' since they's babies Nashville Cats, get work before they're two (Pick It)

[balletgirl9510]

I love the Lovin' Spoonful! Brings back so many memories as a child! :)

[AnthonysDen]

My favorite song by the Lovin' Spoonful,with 'Daydream' right behind it.Nice to hear this one again.Thanks partner!

[heycolslaw]

I love the rhythm of the words& how he chooses which ones go together the best.that's a sign of a more- than- adequate song-writer. I doff my hat to thee, John Sebastian!

[alika207]

I never knew the Lovin' Spoonful did this! Awesome!

[hanayo9]

Clkassic L.Spoonfull Track + Great + Clever Vid Thanks

[steve7138]

Funny song, those scalawag Yankees from NY City, imitating southerners (ha-ha). But if a southerner imitates New York music (is there such a thing?) the yankees call it "racist." (double standards between Tennesseans and New Yorkers).

[losthombre]

AHH the days! Thanks for posting!!

[elevatorbabe8]

i never heard anything about "Texas" in this song... he says "Tennessee anthill"... but that's about it.  yes, they are one of the most underrated bands, ever. i also love "Jugband Music"... search it and see if u agree!

[ClarenceOlsen1]

A Great Country Song.

[captainsoul1953]

Nashville Texas?....Johns obvious mistake which he later admitted...a great tune from great lp

Jim

[Carus0e]

@captainsoul1953

Where does he say anything about Texas?

The "Tennessee anthill" reference indicates they know their geography. However, the "Yellow Sun record from Nashville" line is a little off, Sun Studio is in Memphis, Tenn

[Jaybird1103]

Sun Studio is located in Memphis. However, in 1969, two years after "Nashville Cats" was released, Shelby Singleton, a Nashville record producer, wound up buying the Sun Records catalog, so Yellow Sun records from Nashville wouldn't be true until '69.

[wasthere1]

I had the Lp Hums of the Loving Spoonful and this was on it. It's the best Lp they did. Check it out! It's now on CD. Nice song.... great cut. I bought it as a cut corner for $1.00 at a Kmart or something in Iowa. In around 68 or 69.

[skeptyky]

MON TITRE PREFERE DES LOVIN' , very goodddd  JOHN SEBASTIAN LE LEADER

[MegaCaveboy]

Very clever.

[jb92034]

Wonderful song-great memories --thanks

[llieber100]

This vid is ADORABLE!! I've always been a major Spoonful fan and can never get enough of John Sebastian!!! Thanks for posting. CUTE!

[ryantunks]

One of the most underrated bands in the history of Rock n Roll!!!

[lordlollipop]

@ryantunks Underrated?  They were huge.

[ryantunks]

@lordlollipop I meant "musicianshiply"

[goster777]

@ryantunks yes, I agree , very underrated!! They Rock!!!

[redfordforpresident]

@ryantunks Speak for yourself. I have never underrated The Lovin' Spoonful.

[jimwest1968]

Well, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two

{Due to limitation of the number of characters YouTube permits, lyrics are slightly out of order, Refrain comes first, then this opening section, and picks up with ... Guitar cases in Nashville.}

Guitar pickers in Nashville

And they can pick more notes than the number of ants

On a Tennessee anthill

Yeah, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two

[jimwest1968]

(Refrain) Nashville Cats, play clean as country water Nashville Cats, play wild as mountain dew Nashville Cats, been playin' since they's babies Nashville Cats, get work before they're two Guitar case in Nashville And any one of them Texas guitars could play Twice as better than I will Yeah, I was just thirteen, you might say I was a Musical proverbial knee-high When I heard a couple new-sounding tunes on the tubes And they blasted me sky-high And the record man said every one is a Yellow Sun

[757optim]

There's no mention of "Texas". The lyric is "Any one who unpacks his guitar can play twice as better than I will".

[yedon68]

big hit in '67...?

[jimwest1968]

Record from Nashville And up North there ain't nobody buys them And I said, but I will And it was {Refrain} Well, there's sixteen thousand eight hundred twenty one Mothers from Nashville All their friends play music, and they ain't uptight If one of the kids will Because it's custom made for any mother's son To be a guitar picker in nashville And I sure am glad I got a chance to say a word about The music and the mothers from Nashville {Refrain}

[hartclan]

Could anyone identify the pedal steel player and the (no doubt) telecaster player ? Ta !

[crowspeaks]

that's zal yanovsky as far as i know.

[spacepatrolman]

No ,john sebastian played pedal steel on this after only practising the thing for 15 minutes [ after all he plays guitar ,harmonica ,autoharp piano...].

[crowspeaks]

wow! - i didn't know that... you sure?

[spacepatrolman]

I know this absolutely for a fact .

[crowspeaks]

amazing - thanks.

and hats off, John!

[spacepatrolman]

If you go to new york city go to mannys music store on 48th street and look at the picture of the lovin spoonful on the wall [and the pictures of the hollies ,searchers kenny burell, jimi hendrix ...] and go to the song writers hall of fame on 42nd street and look at the plaque of john sebastion on the wall [and the plaques of burt bacharach , brian wilson... ] .

[2manystrats]

the song says there are 1352 guitar pickers in Nashville.

[terrafirma91]

Nashville probably has more guitarists within it's city limits than any other city, or country, on earth. And they play superbly, too.

[y0utubemetube]

great song.luv the pics of the cats.I wonder if they're from nashville?Is it true that there's still a lot of guitar pickers hanging about in nashville nowdays?

[MrsEdwardCullen547]

luv this song

:)

[jazzertapper]

noooo, stay faithful...u luv edward cullen. ull hurt his feelings ='( dont wanna do that =}

[bugsycline]

I'm pretty sure the maker of this vid has never stepped foot onto broadway or printers alley for that matter...

[DesmonJones]

I went to broadway this weekend actually, But, why exactly fo you say that?

[DesmonJones]

*do you

[bugsycline]

so was I! went and saw Jipsy, shawn and hobby and the time Jumpers...

why would I say that? where's the pictures of nashville?

[DesmonJones]

oh yeah, I guess I'm just n00b. Yeah, I usually make this quickly when I'm bored. City limits sign was closest I got. Here, maybe I'll put one with just pictures of Nashville.

[geezzerboy]

@bugsycline So? Get a life. Quit listening to Glenn Beck.

[MsMcQLV]

@bugsycline

Don't really care - when I click on a link on You Tube it to listen to the music, not see whatever video is there.

[mc2NY]

Zal Yanovsky was a VERY overlooked and underrated guitar player...very tasty, creative, versatile and even funny in some of the stuff he threw in.

[DesmonJones]

I agree!

[oddingaa]

@DesmonJones From wiki: In 1967, he was arrested in the United States on a marijuana-related charge. In exchange for not being deported, Yanovsky gave the name of his dealer, and as a consequence was ostracized by the music community

[beatlehead1]

@DesmonJones me 2

[bookkeeper57]

The whole group was innovative. Sebastian introduced things like the auto harp and glockenspiel on their album cuts.

[700kotchi]

@mc2NY So true . He opened a restaurant here in my hometown called Chez Piggy. Great success. RIP to him and his wife Rose. The restaurant is still open.

[Lambtonboy]

I had the opportunity to mee Zal back in '94 at his restaurant Chez Piggy in Kingston, Ontario. He was still cool, very laid back. His restaurant was this awesome 200 year old former livery. His one assistant took me, my wife and sons on a tour of the place. Zal died too young at the age of 58....r.i.p. Zally.

[caran26]

Desmond you really did also here a wonderful job, also with the video. Another gem from Hums...I wished somebody would put the tracks of "Cheapo cheapo productions Real Live John Sebastian on YouTube, I never saw it on cd, did you ? Your Spoonful video's deserve a lot of viewers!

[zourz44]

Nice one :-)

[skeptyky]

J'ADORE CE TITRE , des lovin',depuis 67 ,toujours autant de plaisir ,un petit régal !!

[spacepatrolman]

that picture of the group at 0:30 is the one used in the new york times magazine

[ras977]

Great video Des.