I heard this song 40 years ago and have been searching for the last year for it on you tube. But after 40 years I got all the "key words" wrong. Like "do it to me Jane and why you never know and holdin' on 2 hundred dollar bills. thanks
@hunkydaboyz I always thought he was saying "third hand, Loren (Lauren?). I don't know...was there a pianist named Loren (Lauren) back then? Anyway,'third hand' means a piano player who's so good it's as if they played with three hands.
Don't want to take all the blame for that...But I was the buyer and the juke box programmer for what was arguably the biggest record wholesaler in phila at that time
This has to be one of the best songs of all time, and its a shame the record label which I believe was ABC didnt promote it better. I was 14 when MISSISSIPPI was released. John Phillips was one hell of a songwriter. For example KOKOMO was co written by him . As for hsi past he`ll have to take that up with the LORD.
John Phillips could write like a man posessed, his understanding of vocal harmony was unrivaled, and he was just an all around great musician, and as for this song, it was great both times I heard it on a.m. radio, then it sank like a stone! So, hwaj5300, thanks for the upload, You Tube thanks for the power and space, and John Phillips you may have had some family issues, but you were still a musical genius, hell yeah I love this song and it should have been HUGE!
As A DJ back then, I picked this song to make it into the "Top 10". I was disappointed when it didn't however it never stopped my love for the song. Glad I found it here and was able to listen to it again.
any chance of getting Holland Tunnel posted on youTube; it's also from the Wolfking of LA albaum. - a great and underrated song: first thing you do, drive on thru the holland tunnel, pay your toll to the soul on the other side; pick up ur ticket for the NJersey tpke and drive, baby drive; before too long you pull into the Howard Johnson, get ur steamed clams station nr. 9; check ur gas & oil, don't forget to be loyal and drive baby drive. pls post if have thankssss
@hwaj5300 I sincerely apologize, I mis-read the post!!!...Great song, Dude, thank you for posting it, and thank you, very much, for catching my mistake!
I always took into account how loaded he was when listening to the album and have been to enjoy it over the years. There is some lame stuff in there but there are also some nice pieces like Malibu People.
As for the "drum solo" he gave a lot of other people solos on the album, I always assumed it was his way of acknowledging Hal Blaine, one of the best, if not the best LA sessions drummers at the time.
Here's some fun facts ?????Did you know this guy had sex with his daughter! yeah look it up what a dirty dad he said, "down on the boyou why you never know just what your doin"
This was John's only solo hit, reaching.#32 over a 12 week chart run in the summer of 1970. He recorded it for his "Wolf King" album while still heavily addicted, which is why the rest of the album is nowhere as good as this genuine gem. Note that it appears to be cut together from three different takes. The first edit is at 1:58 when he appears to say "Chelsea" for no apparent reason. The second is at 3:18 when there is a brief out-of-context hard drum solo -- again for no apparent reason. ;
John experimented with a lot of different types of drugs, but his favorites were cocaine and heroin. 12 pages of his 1986 autobiography "Papa John" refer toi his heroin addiction; 30 document his bouts with cocaine. He's just a really sad case of a great talent who,was both a professional success and a personal failure. His flaws as a human being hurt the most important people in his life -- especially his wives and children. Did he eventually regret his actions? Yes -- I think so.
I think though that the words are "why you never know just what you're doin".
First heard this in early December 1970 having gone down to Raleigh, NC from DC to attend a party. Bought the album. Haven't tried yet, but will see if possible to get it on CD. Thanks so much for the wonderful story book you created to go with this even more wonderful song. Allen
I agree with you jstnxprsn1, youtube never stops amazing me, man i wish this was around when i was 17 back in to 70's, most of what i have searched for on youtube i have found, thank you Netscape for starting it all...
@MrBertla I would guess that, since he introduced everybody doing a solo in this song ie James Burton-dobro, and Joe Osborn-bass, he's probably referring to Larry Knechtel who was on piano.
Forgot to say .... this is a great song. I remember it being played on a jukebox, with other songs at the time like "Cherry Hill Park", "Green Eyed Lady:, and others. Good memories.
In the beginning he says "Hit it Hal".He was talking to Hal Blaine a well known session drummer.Hal drummed on 39 #1 hits.Google him.He is astounding.
This is how this song charted in Billboard Top 100 Entered charts on May 16 #83, May 23 #66, May 30 #64, June 6 #48, June 13 #42, June 20 #40, June 27 #39, July 4 #36, July 11 #34, July 18 #32, July 25 #35, Aug 01 #36.
Man, I remember when this tune came out, I think I was 14 or 15 years old.... I had the lyrics pop in my head earlier and just had to listen to it again, it's been years since I heard it last.. Thanks for posting it..
A major wrong word listed in the song. Anyone who hears knows it .... Down on the bayou boy ..... it ain't boy, it's why. Down on the bayou why you never know just what you're doin' ....
Down on the bayou, why, you never know just what you're doin'
Thanks Thor ---Mistake taken for what it is worth...This song was posted over 2 years ago and I still get remarks on a wrong word here and there. Or Maybe a misspelled word that eluded my detection. That is why I don't put the words in my videos any longer..
@tinkmars--I suspect this song did better in St Louis than other parts of the country. I remember KXOK playing the heck out of this song when I was in junior high.
@actionsub --Yeah, I guess they must have. I listened to KXOK mostly, and I definitely remember it well. I had it (still do...on the original Dunhill label, nearly mint) on a 45 and on c.d., but I come here to listen to it because this is a slightly longer version.
I checked a site that has scanned old KXOK surveys. I started at May, 1970 and found it listed for only one week...June 27, 1970 at position #26. I checked a few weeks after that just to make sure. I'm sure I heard it for more than just one week, so the DJays must have tried to get it to go somewhere and played it more than for just for the one week it was on the survey.
Sadly, Phillips was in terrible shape while making his solo album due to the out-of-control drug use which cost him his wife, family, fortune and career. "Mississippi" is a GREAT track. Sadly, though, the rest of the album truly IS junk. JP was a musicial genius -- destroyed by his inability to retain any sense of right or wrong in his life.
Actually, this recording WAS a hit, reaching #32 over a 12 week run beginning 5-16-70 as ABC Dunhill 4239. It was the only one of JP's solo releases to chart. It's off his only solo album, "Wolf King of L.A.", which Phillips described in his biography as a dud, even though it did reach #181 over 9 weeks on Billboard's LP charts.
Summer of '70..Just met my (now) ex-wife Gail..Long blond hair, hip-huggers (yeah, they were in style then)...Looked very much like the hitchhiker pictured in video...Wouldn't want to go back in time but am glad I had the experience then...
Hey, Aussies...ya got darn good taste in music!!! Here's to ya, mates!
I absolutely love this song. First heard it in June of 1970 and I loved it instantly. I even remember exactly where I was and what I was doing...driving home on a hot, cloudless day from my new job.
You all might be surprised to know that this charted pretty strongly all the way down here in Australia. We Aussies know a good song when we hear it!!!
Yes, this is a classic favorite! Too bad the charts did not agree! I am disappointed to hear about John's family issues, though. I just hope it all was just a dillusion from all the cocaine and such!
Hey, one time John was all tanked up driving his Cadillac and had an accident. He called up Michelle and told her he hit a pole. Hours latter she was still under the immpression that he hit a Pole.
I left a comment already a year ago, about this wonderful composition, Yesterday I found the extended "Wolfking" cd in Jerusalem and had not a moment of doubt to buy it; the whole album is great, it includes also the single version of Mississipy ;and 7 bonus tracks: Shady; Lonely children; Lady Genevieve; Black girl (that appears on Gene Clarks album "Two sides to every story" as "In the Pines"); The Frenchman;16mm baby; Larry Joe Hal and Me. Recommended Sound quality! Thanks for posting !
I have searched for this song for YEARS! It was my favorite in the spring of '70, my junior year post-prom picnic on the river north of Alton IL. Great times!
Great song, i heard this when i was only young and have heard it only a handful of times since, today was one of those times on the car radio, i didn't know the name of it but i typed a few lyrics into Google and up it came, i quickly came here and listened to it, i love this song, Thankyou soooo much, i went to itunes and downloaded it.
that won't let their copy-writes be infringed...take a lesson they too will soon learn that these post remind people of a time in their livesthat are usually precieved as " better".
Always did like this song and I remember it being played on the radio. In an interview with Michelle Phillips, she once said John was to 'messed up' to even promote this song and album.
Thanks a whole bunch for this. For some reason this song was going thru my head at work today and so I came home and checked Youtube - you're the man!
I was 18 and living in Louisville when this came out, and while I didn't care much for the town, I loved the river. Really meant a lot back then, still does.
Good gracious haven't heard this song in what...40 years?! Amazing what one stumbles on here in the middle of the night. Great job and thanks so much for posting this!
This wasn't a bit hit, but it reached 32 on the Billboard chart. It was in WRKO's rotation (Boston); I remember hearing it on a cheap pocket radio. A perfect "lost 45", since it didn't really sound like anything that was big in 1970.
i too listened to wrko. like glue. this song was in heavy rotation. i love it then and i still love it. it hasnt had any airplay in 35 + years. this is a slighly altered version.
A Cajun anything is from New Orleans, where Spanish people (aka Creoles) and French people from Arcadia (aka Arcadians) settled in the early years of this country. 'Arcadians' came to sound like "cajun", just as Indians were also called "Injuns".
John The Wolfking of LA - A Desert Island Classic it has been called many times & came out on Dunhill in 1970 - JP was influenced into this country scene by Gram Parsons & in 1969 they hit dirt with their Harleys on the freeway near LA -Great , great song!
Wow,its the summer of 1970 all over again listening to this.Last time i remember hearing this song was in the summer of 88 when my daughter was a baby i used to hear it on a local am station but not anymore.Thanks for posting this,oh man,thank GOD for youtube.... :)
This was played a TON in the Pittsburgh / Northern West Virginia area when it first came out. In 1991 I was programming an oldies station in Morgantown, WV and this came in on a Dick Bartley CD. It was an "unlisted track" on the CD & when I heard it I literally started shivering! Radio programmers of today can go and do all the "research" they want, but they can't research songs they never knew existed! As I continued to listen I noticed it's not the original version. Still great, though!
Thanks for posting this! I have the vinyl and I listen to this from time to time. I love this song, but wasn't he on drugs when he did this? He was such a great stylist and his songs were magic The Mamas and Papas are stil my favorite group and they wouldn't have been anything without him. Oh, and Cass too!!!! He truly was one of the great ones to come out of the sixties. Such a shame he died so young. Thanks again for the post. Take care, Grego
Always loved this song; and another of John was Holland Tunnel, got that on a cassette album I bought in Las Vegas in 1977. Musta worn that tape out I played it so much.
John Phillips is quoted in a documentary as saying that he "hated" this song. If so, I can't understand why. I enjoy it a lot and it looks like a bunch of others do, too.
I just heard this song on an oldies station in Chehalis, WA of all places the other day. I could not remember who it was at first, thinking Jerry Reed or Jim Stafford but knew the voice was not right. Glad to find out it was Papa John. I think it got a lot of play in the Northwest when I was a kid. Bayou referenced songs kind of had a hey day in the early 70's with Creedence, Tony Joe White, Jerry Reed, etc.
Another long-lost OBG (oldie but goodie) - but this version is a bit longer than the one I remember (my brother's 45). That one skipped from the second chorus of "And the Mississippi River runs...I don't hardly mind" into repetition of "Down on the bayou..." until fade out. About a half to a full minute shorter than this version - but no matter, still good to hear it. These days it hardly gets any airplay to speak of on the OBG stations.
great stereo sound,all that weed did something good back then
MrNitwit202 1 month ago
@MrNitwit202
Do you really think it was the weed that Produced this sound??????
Really ?
Thanks Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 3 weeks ago
Glen Campbell performed this once live on his Goodtime Hour variety show.
landrykkb 1 month ago
I heard this song 40 years ago and have been searching for the last year for it on you tube. But after 40 years I got all the "key words" wrong. Like "do it to me Jane and why you never know and holdin' on 2 hundred dollar bills. thanks
jackmackeral1 2 months ago
@jackmackeral1
To Me.....Words are only trivializing The important thing......The sound..Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 2 months ago
Nope, they don't write them like this anymore....
centralparocker 2 months ago
Third hand alone means the piano player plays it alone
garyiamsa 4 months ago
This song was a reasonable hit in Columbus, Ohio circa 1970, I remember it from my days at Ohio State.
UltraDroid1 5 months ago
@UltraDroid1
Not too big in Phila........But that didn't stop me from loving it
Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 4 months ago
At 1.13 whats 3rd hand alone mean ????
hunkydaboyz 5 months ago
@hunkydaboyz
I have no Idea .......But I love the sound
Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 5 months ago
@hunkydaboyz I always thought he was saying "third hand, Loren (Lauren?). I don't know...was there a pianist named Loren (Lauren) back then? Anyway,'third hand' means a piano player who's so good it's as if they played with three hands.
tinkmarz1 4 months ago
@tinkmarz1 ok , right , because he normaly says the name of the guy who plays the instrument , , i'll go back ands listen again
hunkydaboyz 4 months ago
Somehow, it was a hit here in Philadelphia. It got a lot of airplay here.
runway27r 6 months ago
@runway27r
Don't want to take all the blame for that...But I was the buyer and the juke box programmer for what was arguably the biggest record wholesaler in phila at that time
And i love it then
Thanks hwaj5300
hwaj5300 6 months ago
I love the snare drum! great post. thanks
brightchance1 7 months ago
@brightchance1
Thanks for your kind words
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 7 months ago
His hat and cloth style like Jay kay from jamiroquai ;}
Funkystyle123 7 months ago
@Funkystyle123
Don't know Jay kay.....Sorry
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 7 months ago
Louisville
KyplayaZ4lyfe 8 months ago
@KyplayaZ4lyfe
Picky.....Picky.....Picky
Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 7 months ago
@hwaj5300 haha i was only kidding. seriously thank you for the upload though =D
KyplayaZ4lyfe 7 months ago
This has to be one of the best songs of all time, and its a shame the record label which I believe was ABC didnt promote it better. I was 14 when MISSISSIPPI was released. John Phillips was one hell of a songwriter. For example KOKOMO was co written by him . As for hsi past he`ll have to take that up with the LORD.
ross1956a 8 months ago
@ross1956a
A little younger than I ...Ross........You know what goes around comes around
Thanks Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 8 months ago
I havent heard this song in a million yrs....thank you for posting!!!!!
mervrun 8 months ago
John Phillips could write like a man posessed, his understanding of vocal harmony was unrivaled, and he was just an all around great musician, and as for this song, it was great both times I heard it on a.m. radio, then it sank like a stone! So, hwaj5300, thanks for the upload, You Tube thanks for the power and space, and John Phillips you may have had some family issues, but you were still a musical genius, hell yeah I love this song and it should have been HUGE!
redsfanstu 8 months ago
I used to have this on a 45 rpm...
gitarzan1 9 months ago
@gitarzan1
I still do...Somewhere...Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 9 months ago
Louisville rather....
CommanderTipsy 9 months ago
this is a great song,I remember when it came out, early 70's
MrGUITARLEE 9 months ago
As A DJ back then, I picked this song to make it into the "Top 10". I was disappointed when it didn't however it never stopped my love for the song. Glad I found it here and was able to listen to it again.
k3sam 9 months ago
thanks for uploading this one.
navajopete 10 months ago
@navajopete
What can I say except I like it .....And your welcome
hwaj5300
hwaj5300 10 months ago
any chance of getting Holland Tunnel posted on youTube; it's also from the Wolfking of LA albaum. - a great and underrated song: first thing you do, drive on thru the holland tunnel, pay your toll to the soul on the other side; pick up ur ticket for the NJersey tpke and drive, baby drive; before too long you pull into the Howard Johnson, get ur steamed clams station nr. 9; check ur gas & oil, don't forget to be loyal and drive baby drive. pls post if have thankssss
unclewalt56 10 months ago 2
@unclewalt56
Sorry Walt .....Only have the 45 on this one
Thanks for asking
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 10 months ago
@hwaj5300 I sincerely apologize, I mis-read the post!!!...Great song, Dude, thank you for posting it, and thank you, very much, for catching my mistake!
TheLeemasters 11 months ago
This is so NOT Doo Wop!!!...You should learn your genres before making a ridiculous assumption.
TheLeemasters 11 months ago
@TheLeemasters
I never said it was in fact if you read it my intro to this song says "it is not "Doo Wop""
I don't know who did...
AS this is my site I assume all remarks are addressed to me unless it states otherwise
Thanks for your comment
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 11 months ago
,,,un clasico de rock country,,,desconocido,,,normal,,,,lo conocido es demasiado comercial,,,,,,espero guste,,,
1953zeppelin 11 months ago
@1953zeppelin
Thanks.......I think
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 11 months ago
Sort of reminds of "Ruby" by the First Edition.
gsnfan 1 year ago
I love this song. I love Papa John. I love the mamas & papas . Thanks for posting it
redhairedhoney 1 year ago
I actually bought this when it was out on a 45.........Never guessed that it was THE John phillips from the Mommas and Pappas.
les284 1 year ago
I always took into account how loaded he was when listening to the album and have been to enjoy it over the years. There is some lame stuff in there but there are also some nice pieces like Malibu People.
As for the "drum solo" he gave a lot of other people solos on the album, I always assumed it was his way of acknowledging Hal Blaine, one of the best, if not the best LA sessions drummers at the time.
rbhumes 1 year ago
@rbhumes
Good stuff Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
great ! thank u. always loved this one and u hardly hear it.
by the way, the line is "down on the bayou, 'why' you never know what you're doin'.
the word is why, not 'boy'
also, i believe trhat Lewisville should be Louisville.
thanQ
ttfn,
gemchecker
raykhuller 1 year ago
Here's some fun facts ?????Did you know this guy had sex with his daughter! yeah look it up what a dirty dad he said, "down on the boyou why you never know just what your doin"
bigA2tall 1 year ago
thanks for diggin' up this rare gem!!!
djgoose57 1 year ago
@djgoose57
It was my pleasure
Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
thanks for diggin' up this rare gem!!!
djgoose57 1 year ago
This was John's only solo hit, reaching.#32 over a 12 week chart run in the summer of 1970. He recorded it for his "Wolf King" album while still heavily addicted, which is why the rest of the album is nowhere as good as this genuine gem. Note that it appears to be cut together from three different takes. The first edit is at 1:58 when he appears to say "Chelsea" for no apparent reason. The second is at 3:18 when there is a brief out-of-context hard drum solo -- again for no apparent reason. ;
horarwgt 1 year ago
@horarwgt i'm pretty sure he's saying, "joseph," not chelsea, in reference to the bass player
ejectorerector 1 year ago
@ejectorerector
Agreed 100%
Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
@horarwgt
I kind of listened closely and he does say As Ejectorector says
The drums ........No apparent reason . Is one necessary?
Thanks Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
@hwaj5300 As for the drummer, it was Hal Blaine. And John introduces him at the very beginning of the song when he says "Hit it, Hal".
4string59 1 year ago
John experimented with a lot of different types of drugs, but his favorites were cocaine and heroin. 12 pages of his 1986 autobiography "Papa John" refer toi his heroin addiction; 30 document his bouts with cocaine. He's just a really sad case of a great talent who,was both a professional success and a personal failure. His flaws as a human being hurt the most important people in his life -- especially his wives and children. Did he eventually regret his actions? Yes -- I think so.
horarwgt 1 year ago
@horarwgt We all regret actions from our past of one variation or the other.
landrykkb 1 month ago
BWAAAhahaa there's something mighty horny & naughty in the lines
"Swamps all around make you feel kinda funny, don't they honey?
She crossed her legs and looked at me funny"
Pervs write really good lyrics
DancingSpiderman 1 year ago
Q (anybody): Is this the same John Phillips that was from The Mamas And The Papas?
DancingSpiderman 1 year ago
Thanks for posting another wonderful song from such a great era. You made my day....
pinepoint14 1 year ago
@pinepoint14
Your welcome Hope to make more (of your days that is)
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
I think though that the words are "why you never know just what you're doin".
First heard this in early December 1970 having gone down to Raleigh, NC from DC to attend a party. Bought the album. Haven't tried yet, but will see if possible to get it on CD. Thanks so much for the wonderful story book you created to go with this even more wonderful song. Allen
allenhahn 1 year ago
I agree with you jstnxprsn1, youtube never stops amazing me, man i wish this was around when i was 17 back in to 70's, most of what i have searched for on youtube i have found, thank you Netscape for starting it all...
RedrooAU 1 year ago
I am amazed. This is the forth or fifth impossible to find songI have found here. God, I love youtube. Thanks so much for posting this.
jstnxprsn1 1 year ago
@jstnxprsn1
Believe me it is hard for me to find a song in my collection that has not been done
So I just do my thing Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
what is third hand?
MrBertla 1 year ago
@MrBertla
Have no Idea..Maybe some of the smart people i have visiting my site can enlighten you
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
@MrBertla thought he said 3rd handle
hunkydaboyz 1 year ago
@MrBertla I would guess that, since he introduced everybody doing a solo in this song ie James Burton-dobro, and Joe Osborn-bass, he's probably referring to Larry Knechtel who was on piano.
4string59 1 year ago
@4string59
Sounds right to me.
Thanks hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
Forgot to say .... this is a great song. I remember it being played on a jukebox, with other songs at the time like "Cherry Hill Park", "Green Eyed Lady:, and others. Good memories.
ThorVonLomax 1 year ago
@ThorVonLomax
Not as big as those two but better for sure
Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
@OllieCarrillo801
Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
I recall when this song was on the charts, they played it a lot on AM back then.
Always liked it, it seemed very happy and very summertime.
The last time I heard it (prior to finding it here) was in May, 1982. I was driving cross-country to start a new life after my suddenly wife died.
I heard it on a station in North Dakota..
I hadn't heard it for 10+years and it made me smile.
Hearing it now, I'm amazed at how much I remember.
Great song.
bearcatowner 1 year ago
@bearcatowner
Thanks for sharing that Bearcatowner
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
In the beginning he says "Hit it Hal".He was talking to Hal Blaine a well known session drummer.Hal drummed on 39 #1 hits.Google him.He is astounding.
doglips1958 1 year ago
This is how this song charted in Billboard Top 100 Entered charts on May 16 #83, May 23 #66, May 30 #64, June 6 #48, June 13 #42, June 20 #40, June 27 #39, July 4 #36, July 11 #34, July 18 #32, July 25 #35, Aug 01 #36.
7777Mushroom 1 year ago
Man, I remember when this tune came out, I think I was 14 or 15 years old.... I had the lyrics pop in my head earlier and just had to listen to it again, it's been years since I heard it last.. Thanks for posting it..
Stormin024 1 year ago
A major wrong word listed in the song. Anyone who hears knows it .... Down on the bayou boy ..... it ain't boy, it's why. Down on the bayou why you never know just what you're doin' ....
Down on the bayou, why, you never know just what you're doin'
ThorVonLomax 1 year ago
@ThorVonLomax
Thanks Thor ---Mistake taken for what it is worth...This song was posted over 2 years ago and I still get remarks on a wrong word here and there. Or Maybe a misspelled word that eluded my detection. That is why I don't put the words in my videos any longer..
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
Those waters are all dead now thanks to BP,assholess
77pintoboy 1 year ago
@77pintoboy
Woah Pinto
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
Liner notes from Wolf King of LA, tells how Elvis almost did this song, but Colonel Parker didn't like Phillips, cause he as too much of a hippy.
evannyny 1 year ago
@evannyny
Good stuff to share.....His daughter claims to have had a Sexual relation with him. It looks like Colonel Parker was right .....HUMMMMMM
hwaj5300 1 year ago
@tinkmars--I suspect this song did better in St Louis than other parts of the country. I remember KXOK playing the heck out of this song when I was in junior high.
actionsub 1 year ago
@actionsub
Did next to nothing in the Philadelphia Area But I was a wanna be promotion man for records back then and had a lot of faith in this one
Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
@actionsub --Yeah, I guess they must have. I listened to KXOK mostly, and I definitely remember it well. I had it (still do...on the original Dunhill label, nearly mint) on a 45 and on c.d., but I come here to listen to it because this is a slightly longer version.
tinkmarz1 1 year ago
@actionsub
I checked a site that has scanned old KXOK surveys. I started at May, 1970 and found it listed for only one week...June 27, 1970 at position #26. I checked a few weeks after that just to make sure. I'm sure I heard it for more than just one week, so the DJays must have tried to get it to go somewhere and played it more than for just for the one week it was on the survey.
tinkmarz1 1 year ago
Sadly, Phillips was in terrible shape while making his solo album due to the out-of-control drug use which cost him his wife, family, fortune and career. "Mississippi" is a GREAT track. Sadly, though, the rest of the album truly IS junk. JP was a musicial genius -- destroyed by his inability to retain any sense of right or wrong in his life.
horarwgt 1 year ago
@horarwgt What was John Phillips' drug of choice?
DancingSpiderman 1 year ago
Actually, this recording WAS a hit, reaching #32 over a 12 week run beginning 5-16-70 as ABC Dunhill 4239. It was the only one of JP's solo releases to chart. It's off his only solo album, "Wolf King of L.A.", which Phillips described in his biography as a dud, even though it did reach #181 over 9 weeks on Billboard's LP charts.
horarwgt 1 year ago
Great song! John Phillips was such a great songwriter. Too bad it wasn't a big hit when it came out. It's got such a feel to it.
4string59 1 year ago
Not too big into John Phillips......Just loved this song. Agreed it is a great one
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 1 year ago
@4string59 They used to play this song at the roller skating rink (ring?). North Denver 1970. wow.
DancingSpiderman 1 year ago
Summer of '70..Just met my (now) ex-wife Gail..Long blond hair, hip-huggers (yeah, they were in style then)...Looked very much like the hitchhiker pictured in video...Wouldn't want to go back in time but am glad I had the experience then...
keyjack100 2 years ago
This song would have sounded better if he had done it with Cass, Michelle, and Denny.
sageofsuccess 2 years ago
Oh, and yeah...I live right next to the Muddy Mississippi...in good ol' St. Louis, Missouri (love my beautiful city).
tinkmarz1 2 years ago
Hey, Aussies...ya got darn good taste in music!!! Here's to ya, mates!
I absolutely love this song. First heard it in June of 1970 and I loved it instantly. I even remember exactly where I was and what I was doing...driving home on a hot, cloudless day from my new job.
tinkmarz1 2 years ago
What happens on the bayou stays on the bayou.
dingonutz 2 years ago 2
Great memories for us Aussies.
dingonutz 2 years ago
Comment removed
evannyny 2 years ago
You all might be surprised to know that this charted pretty strongly all the way down here in Australia. We Aussies know a good song when we hear it!!!
puppydoug 2 years ago
do it to me james
;)
;)
hippopotamus29 2 years ago
i wonder just what james was doing to him!!!
ejectorerector 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Is this song the story of how he ended up boffing his daughter?
CAWTEXCAWTEX 2 years ago
hearsay is destructive,ya stupid ass.
123PADDYCAKE 2 years ago
you sick fuck!
Renrooni 2 years ago
Oh, shut up and enjoy the damn song you Zolas! A good song is a good song. Now shut up and enjoy!
Ghoulardifan 2 years ago
Sick incestuous pedophile
DominoRyder 2 years ago
yep! burn in the hell, pervert musician !!!
KABAL1801 2 years ago
Yes, this is a classic favorite! Too bad the charts did not agree! I am disappointed to hear about John's family issues, though. I just hope it all was just a dillusion from all the cocaine and such!
Quazeymoto1 2 years ago 2
OMG!!! I haven't heard this song in almost 40 years! This song refreshes some wonderful memories! I loved the song then and I love it now.
BeatBuddy 2 years ago
having sex his daugther jhon shame on you sick fuck
iznet11 2 years ago
What a piece of work ! I've never heard this one !
spadinajack 2 years ago
Hey, one time John was all tanked up driving his Cadillac and had an accident. He called up Michelle and told her he hit a pole. Hours latter she was still under the immpression that he hit a Pole.
loosedeeee 2 years ago
@loosedeeee She was a blonde.LOL
doglips1958 1 year ago
is the lryic really "3rd hand alone" , sound like 3rd handle , whatever that means
hunkydaboyz 2 years ago
I left a comment already a year ago, about this wonderful composition, Yesterday I found the extended "Wolfking" cd in Jerusalem and had not a moment of doubt to buy it; the whole album is great, it includes also the single version of Mississipy ;and 7 bonus tracks: Shady; Lonely children; Lady Genevieve; Black girl (that appears on Gene Clarks album "Two sides to every story" as "In the Pines"); The Frenchman;16mm baby; Larry Joe Hal and Me. Recommended Sound quality! Thanks for posting !
caran26 2 years ago
We recieved a lot of airplay on this in the summer of 1970 and were in Eastern Canada.I loved it then and still love it now.
77pintoboy 2 years ago
Actually in certain areas of the country this got lots of airplay.I for one played the heck out of this plus the wolfking album cut April anne...
miketheshanmanmangan 2 years ago
In our hearts...... they are HITS
Alas by the charts............They are not
hwaj5300 2 years ago
I always loved this song when I was a teenager!!
MsIslandchick 2 years ago
I was just a little older
But still capable of loving it.
Thanks
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 2 years ago
What a time 1970 Summer top 40 WHB kansas city..... wow. Those were the days.
mopaint10 2 years ago
I don't think it made it that high in Phila.Area.but what a great song.
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 2 years ago
Damn sweet!
Thanks for posting, takes me back to '70 or was it 71?
mishajoel 2 years ago
Your Welcome
Hwaj53600
hwaj5300 2 years ago
I have searched for this song for YEARS! It was my favorite in the spring of '70, my junior year post-prom picnic on the river north of Alton IL. Great times!
piper54alpha 2 years ago
Glad you found me
Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 2 years ago
Great song, i heard this when i was only young and have heard it only a handful of times since, today was one of those times on the car radio, i didn't know the name of it but i typed a few lyrics into Google and up it came, i quickly came here and listened to it, i love this song, Thankyou soooo much, i went to itunes and downloaded it.
compactct1 2 years ago
Now if the "butt holes"
that won't let their copy-writes be infringed...take a lesson they too will soon learn that these post remind people of a time in their livesthat are usually precieved as " better".
and they purchase it.
Thanks for that
hwaj5300 2 years ago
Always did like this song and I remember it being played on the radio. In an interview with Michelle Phillips, she once said John was to 'messed up' to even promote this song and album.
confederationpark 2 years ago
I defiantly believe that
Harry
hwaj5300 2 years ago
Thanks a whole bunch for this. For some reason this song was going thru my head at work today and so I came home and checked Youtube - you're the man!
I was 18 and living in Louisville when this came out, and while I didn't care much for the town, I loved the river. Really meant a lot back then, still does.
pickrhead 2 years ago
Hi pickrhead
Your welcome for sure.If you really love the river
check out "old man river" by the flamingos on my site.
You may see pictures of parts of the river you love..
Thanks Hwaj5300
hwaj5300 2 years ago
I was 17 and living in StL...Yep! We had RIVER! I've loved this song ever since, and hardly ever hear it!
piper54alpha 2 years ago
I used to love this song..At the time, I never knew that it was the guy from the Mommas & the Papas..
les284 2 years ago
Good gracious haven't heard this song in what...40 years?! Amazing what one stumbles on here in the middle of the night. Great job and thanks so much for posting this!
Terran34685 2 years ago
Cheerful, catchy song written and sung by John Phillips. Underrated every which way.
bookkeeper57 2 years ago
I agree
hwaj5300 2 years ago
@bookkeeper57 Especially since John Phillips' Wolf King Of L.A. album has been out of print for far too long.
landrykkb 1 month ago
Thanx 4 posting! Enjoyed hearing it again!!
havarotti 2 years ago
You are definitely welcome
hwaj5300 2 years ago
A big thanks to Wayne Glenn 101.3FM
KTXR Springfield Mo.; for playing this one on Remember When this past Sunday night.
Wow this is what you get when you cross California music with Cajun Country music. I love it all...
trailboyus66 2 years ago
Might not have been a big hit but i remember it well and i was only 9
77pintoboy 2 years ago
This wasn't a bit hit, but it reached 32 on the Billboard chart. It was in WRKO's rotation (Boston); I remember hearing it on a cheap pocket radio. A perfect "lost 45", since it didn't really sound like anything that was big in 1970.
lrd9999 2 years ago
i too listened to wrko. like glue. this song was in heavy rotation. i love it then and i still love it. it hasnt had any airplay in 35 + years. this is a slighly altered version.
rainydaywoman1957 2 years ago 3
@lrd9999 Well..this was definitely a hidden gem in 1970 and even in the modern era!
landrykkb 1 month ago
thanksssssssssssssssssssssss
blackgrandprixgtx 2 years ago
This got a lot of airplay on AM radio when I was in school, I still remember how catchy it was. Haven't heard it in years, I just love the lyrics!
artlongjr 2 years ago
What is a cajun queen anyway?
sugarbaire 2 years ago
A Cajun anything is from New Orleans, where Spanish people (aka Creoles) and French people from Arcadia (aka Arcadians) settled in the early years of this country. 'Arcadians' came to sound like "cajun", just as Indians were also called "Injuns".
bookkeeper57 2 years ago
@bookkeeper57 I think it was Acadia..now Nova Scotia.
GloAnni 1 year ago
An obscure classic
bumperu 2 years ago
John The Wolfking of LA - A Desert Island Classic it has been called many times & came out on Dunhill in 1970 - JP was influenced into this country scene by Gram Parsons & in 1969 they hit dirt with their Harleys on the freeway near LA -Great , great song!
stalbot46 2 years ago
I would have loved to have heard Elvis's version of this but Colonel Tom Parker rejected the song from "some hippy".
davidswubc 2 years ago
Right: John Phillips was just another "hippy". Bad decision.
bookkeeper57 2 years ago
Wow,its the summer of 1970 all over again listening to this.Last time i remember hearing this song was in the summer of 88 when my daughter was a baby i used to hear it on a local am station but not anymore.Thanks for posting this,oh man,thank GOD for youtube.... :)
77pintoboy 2 years ago
This was played a TON in the Pittsburgh / Northern West Virginia area when it first came out. In 1991 I was programming an oldies station in Morgantown, WV and this came in on a Dick Bartley CD. It was an "unlisted track" on the CD & when I heard it I literally started shivering! Radio programmers of today can go and do all the "research" they want, but they can't research songs they never knew existed! As I continued to listen I noticed it's not the original version. Still great, though!
SkeebWilcox 3 years ago
Thanks for posting this! I have the vinyl and I listen to this from time to time. I love this song, but wasn't he on drugs when he did this? He was such a great stylist and his songs were magic The Mamas and Papas are stil my favorite group and they wouldn't have been anything without him. Oh, and Cass too!!!! He truly was one of the great ones to come out of the sixties. Such a shame he died so young. Thanks again for the post. Take care, Grego
grego26 3 years ago
I knew john, he frequented my restaurant when he was staying on long island one year. he was a wonderful person. 100 % great person.
fcgal55 3 years ago
She crossed her legs & looked at me funny.
Bronteboy67 3 years ago
Thanks for posting this....great tune, from a great time
1jtv 3 years ago
A forgotten little ditty, nice job.
secordman 3 years ago
its louisville......great song very cool vibe
shibe123 3 years ago
Always loved this song; and another of John was Holland Tunnel, got that on a cassette album I bought in Las Vegas in 1977. Musta worn that tape out I played it so much.
unclewalt56 3 years ago
John Phillips is quoted in a documentary as saying that he "hated" this song. If so, I can't understand why. I enjoy it a lot and it looks like a bunch of others do, too.
popkulturcraze 3 years ago
Bloody amazing! Thanks a lot!
DangerousBastard 3 years ago
A wonderful song , great to find it back !
caran26 3 years ago
Side B, flip, is also a good song.
Strongsong 3 years ago
I just heard this song on an oldies station in Chehalis, WA of all places the other day. I could not remember who it was at first, thinking Jerry Reed or Jim Stafford but knew the voice was not right. Glad to find out it was Papa John. I think it got a lot of play in the Northwest when I was a kid. Bayou referenced songs kind of had a hey day in the early 70's with Creedence, Tony Joe White, Jerry Reed, etc.
whipped77 3 years ago
I love jekiwe's comments...LOL!
Joyful tune, I never heard it before, love the musical arrangement...thx for uploading.
MarNegroDelaMariposa 3 years ago
Miss you JP
Plucken 3 years ago
Great song,great singer and songwriter; always loved it and still do !
Willywaw 3 years ago
Really enjoyed this lost classic! Thanks.
judyview 3 years ago
Certainly appreciate the post however is there a cleaner version of this one out there?
(by the way...love the video and particularly the "legs"......and the hitchin' rump) Good stuff man!
jekiwe 3 years ago
Another long-lost OBG (oldie but goodie) - but this version is a bit longer than the one I remember (my brother's 45). That one skipped from the second chorus of "And the Mississippi River runs...I don't hardly mind" into repetition of "Down on the bayou..." until fade out. About a half to a full minute shorter than this version - but no matter, still good to hear it. These days it hardly gets any airplay to speak of on the OBG stations.
smwca123 3 years ago
Great song! Thanks for posting. Just for the record, though, it's Louisville, not Lewisville.
vinylsingleman 3 years ago
Incidentally, found out this song reached #32 on Billboard's pop charts in 1970.
57Will 3 years ago
I do remember hearing this song somewhere many, many years ago, but not knowing who it was. Thanks for sending this!
57Will 3 years ago