Wayne Cochran - Last Kiss - 1st press on Gala

[geminigoth]

50's deathrock. 

[ayrtonsennathebest]

Before hearing this orginal version I only heard the J Frank and the Cavaliers version but this is very good. I liked it a lot.

[CaptainDesiderio]

I love this song..... But I think the car wreck sound effect in the beginning is just a bit tacky.

[lovelybabii20]

heard it on vampire diaries.......first heard it by gloria trevi....i finally found it hahaha

[lemonshe1690]

Pearl Jam - Last Kiss ... Theres a Version in Spanish too Ultimo Beso! WOW What a Sonnnggg!!!

[Revisional]

Hey - last heard Wayne Cochrane live at the Castaways in Calumet City, IL in 1966!!!

[dopefiendlarz133]

@tex6671 only likes the cover versions of the classics.

[tex6671]

THIS VERSION IS PURE GARBAGE.

[benkit49]

@tex6671 Your taste in music is pure garbage....this version is by the writer..

[laggar28]

I want to buy this record!!

[BT1ZER]

i got dizzy reading "GALA" over and over again

[abuiltmale]

I could never figure out why Wayne didn't play guitar on this song as he was a much better guitar player then the one on this record.

[Quaaludedude714]

I have replicated it - not too hard :} QC

[KPHiL25]

how come this wasnt a hit for him but it was for both pearl jam and j frank wilson?

[twinkie57401]

@KPHiL25

That's a great question! I wondered the same thing about Bad To Me by Billy J. Kramer. The Beatles wrote it.

[belladeballe]

@KPHiL25 I suspect it was the scream at the start of the song. That put me off, so it may have put others off as well?

[rorygg1]

wayne cochran is an original. he4's always been proud of being from georgia. i used to watch him on UPBEAT , out of cleveland. he was otis redding's best friend. big influence and inspiration for the blues brothers

[ACombineOfficer]

I personally like his later recording of this because of the background vocals that were added in plus his later recording seems a lot longer than this. It's amazing to see how much backing vocals can actually improve a song, of course this is doo wop we're talking about.  Still, this version is great.

[Lexolo999]

wikipedia said it was in 1963

[TheRonDennis]

WAYNE COCHRAN - ONE OF THE CONFEDERATE RECORDS ARTISTS from Macon Ga group of artists originally produced by Bobby Smith that made the big time- His now a Preacher in Miami!

[ter50]

Pearl Jam version is more soulful and much better

[ilovehedgehogs1]

Wonder if there is a marker in Barnesville,GA to signify where this accident took place,as I understand Wayne Cochran was living in that area at the time of the wreck.

[masterchief377]

@ilovehedgehogs1 Unfortunately not. I was born and raised here and I am a bit curious as to why Lamar County has not taken action to put up a marker. The accident took place at what now is the corner of Yatesville Rd and Ga Highway 3-41 South. The old gas station and car dealership are both still there, though the gas station is now a title pawn and the Ford dealership closed up last year.

[Mariana19DW]

pearl jam is much better...

but it's okay. okay, forget it. pearl rock much more than this guy

( and the lyrics have some differences )

[Fooy146]

the beat sounds too happy to be a sad song!

[brentsapp25]

Wow, I never even knew there was a version even before　Ｊ．　Ｆｒａｎｋ　Ｗｉｌｓｏｎｓ！！

[RichardA7XTovim]

Upps :X...wrong video comment Lo.OL

[RichardA7XTovim]

he seems to happy singing this...hes love died he should be sad...Original is much better!

[collect45]

@RichardA7XTovim This IS the original

[ThiloS08]

@RichardA7XTovim

It sounds so, yes. But I assume, this is faster than 45", so he sounds happier because of the record-speed (how ironic... )

[C0r3d33zNutz]

@RichardA7XTovim Yea this is the original

[jordanj0747]

@RichardA7XTovim His love didn't actually die. It was a song inspired by a nearby accident of four teenagers. It took a number of years to finish the song. Two i believe. The chorus was written long before the accident.

And the cheery mood was just the style of the times. I guess optimism just sounds odd in out times.

[ppn4rlife]

@ppn4rlife

[ppn4rlife]

@ppn4rlife I meant "IT" only got better with each cover.

[MalaiBotak]

@RichardA7XTovim You're forgiven. If you were patient enough you would realise that Wayne has a great voice and he cries in the end...

[butternutsquashpie]

@RichardA7XTovim

lmfao, this is blues music mate

no one is sad in this kind of music

they try to feel better by expressing their emotions in song

and making em happy

[redsojna]

i like the j franklin remake of this it makes me really sad as i hear it but its still nice

[kingreyrey]

This song was written in 1962 but release in 1963. This is the Gala label record so it is the original version but was rerecorded by Wayne Cochran in 1963 under the record label King.

[lennycb]

This song was written in 61 by Wayne Cochran and is the original "last kiss".

[SehSehMadre]

I find this version just a bit too fast-going for a song about a woman dieing in a horrific car crash..Nice tune though. :p

[VillageEddiot]

the pearl jam version is the best out there.

[J4N15]

Wow, this song is fucked up.

[ssssssspps]

the moster mash.

[edcrabb]

Sixteen-year-old Jeanette Clark was out on a date in Barnesville, Georgia on December 22, 1962, the Saturday before Christmas. She was with a group of friends in a 1954 Chevrolet. J. L. Hancock, also sixteen, was driving the car in heavy traffic and while traveling on Highway 341, collided with a Log Truck. Clark, Hancock, and another teenager were killed, and two other teens in the car were seriously injured. Cochran finished the song, which he titled "Last Kiss", and dedicated it to Clark.

[collect45]

Thank you for the interesting info.

[mapscannotcontainme]

@collect45

Another cool fact about the song is that Pearl Jam's cover, when it was released as a single, raised over 10 million dollars that went to relief for the crisis in Kosovo...I don't know about anybody else, but I find it kind of cool that a song that was originally inspired by and dedicated to the loss of someone in the early 1960s also helped raise money to save and improve thousands of lives after being one of the most popular songs in the world some thirty seven odd years later.

[Jamiemsm]

are you sure about the date December 22 1962? because im pretty sure that this song was made 1961 but not sure. :)

[blaznnoob]

@edcrabb The band that made this famous was J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers and this song was discovered by their manager Sonley Roush. And ironically, after releasing this song it became a big hit and they went on tour and they got n a car crash. Roush fell asleep at the wheel and collided head on with.....none other than a log truck (the same type of car that killed Clark in the writing of the song) Roush was killed instantly and the res of the band members were all severely injured.

[ladm112]

@edcrabb thanks for the info and wonder why Cochran let Wilson make a hit off the recording since he wrote the song.

[Frank200843]

@edcrabb was Wayne Cochran the original singer or was Frank J Wilson?

[UnseenCaller]

@edcrabb That's the wreck that has been told as the inspiration for the song, but according to wiki, the song was first recorded by Cochran in summer of *1961*. What's that old saying about believe 20% of what you hear or read...?

[todayisnotfriday]

@edcrabb that would makes sense if the song weren't released in 1961.

[Podevarius]

@edcrabb that can't be true. The song is from 1961. If the crash happened in 1962, it's just not possible.

[thereapurer]

@edcrabb The song was written and played first in 1961, before that accident. I think he did write it because he lived near a dangerous highway though.

[TMDPr0ducti0ns]

Very sad lyrics =(

good song

[romanfafe]

Pearl Jam's version is better

[Ninekitties]

@romanfafe NO!

J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers' version is still the best...1963!

[edcrabb]

@romanfafe

Frank J. Wilson's version didn't relaese until 1964. Wayne Chochran tried to sell the record him self by driving around to Radio Stations and getting them toplay it. That was done alot in the 50's. I know my father was in a band and they did the same thing.

[EnergizerBunny804]

obviously

[romanfafe]

obviously what? pearl jam better or 60's? xD

I think it varies from people to people... People who like 90's rock prefer pearl jam, the 60's lovers like J Frank Wilson

[EnergizerBunny804]

what do you mean obviously what, I was obviously agreeing with you

[peacekermit]

Wow! Thanks for posting the original.

[CrisVangel]

Good to hear the original version, thanks!

[hipnologo2000]

yo tengo ese disco

[SetiRabbit]

Pearl Jam's version was watever Ive always been a fan of J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers version, but I dig this being the original and all. Much respect

[jonlord77]

i love this song, by Pearl Jam too very good. hope your day was good.

[littleblackdrama]

sad words with a happy, cheery, melody. i like the wilson and cavliers version as well as pearl jam's.

[gracetx76109]

i like the song but its to fast he should have sang it slower

[Kreimmer]

its his version, at that time, that was the music. To hear it slower, we have eddie vedder.

[MrTiptoes1]

By the time Wayne made it to the Jackie Gleason show his voice was more like a nuked Joe Cocker that this. Not bad, but this song was donr better by others.

[jeanphilip123]

yea lol nirvane and pealr jam and ....alot more

[chalkeywhite1]

frank j wilson rules...

[joao790]

pearl jam version suits better to lyrics that are sad and this song  is too "happy"

[godfathertrevor]

You have to understand that before bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana, all music was typically upbeat. Society functioned quite differently back then.

[ckyfan969696]

what the fuck are you talking about?

have you ever listened to anything other than pearl jam and nirvana, aside from this song?

[godfathertrevor]

Those are examples.

Music before the late eighties and nineties typically came off as upbeat.

[godfathertrevor]

Notice the

"...LIKE Pearl Jam and Nirvana..."

[gusbakker]

agree!

[nepalskhero]

hey did ricky nelson sing it earlier or pearl jam??? I love the ricky nelson's one....

[teendude16]

J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers did this song, "Last Kiss, then later a group call, "Wednesday". did it later, we have them, and I don't know if Ricky ever did this song. Thx.

[Lala6687]

It's great but it's to upbeat for such a sad song.

[jedimind24]

i learned this song in grade 8 guitar.... ever since then ive been in love with it :)

[cec731]

yea but this was the sound back then nobody would listen to this song during that time period if it wasnt upbeat only johnny cash couldve pulled that off back then lol

[theknob500]

this is one of the most depressing songs that ive ever heard. just listen to the lyrics

[Undead6992]

you've never heard this song before? not even the Pearl Jam version?

[muchna]

this is one of favorite songs! i like the pearl jam version better though...its less up beat to go with the lyrics :)

[Manoloerdelbombo]

I love this song and the pearl jam version more.

[drnatasha88]

i loved the eddie vedder's verion....

[pru234]

I like this one better than the Pearl Jam version, it conveys more emotion.

[artemismaximus]

If you're into the Vedder version you may want to check out Spanish-language versions by Los Apson/Polo (called "Ultimo Beso") they're more in line with Vedder's sad version.

[settimane1]

I agree, I just listened to the Los Doltons Spanish version & even though I thought it a bit campy, it's actually pretty good...

[WhoahDudeProductions]

The sound effect at the beginning is in very bad taste. The song is good though.

[gaarix]

keep on listening to it i grew on this shit

[ismless]

I don't typically listen to this style, but saying it sucks because I like Pearl Jam more would be miguided. Theirs is also upbeat. Vedder obviously liked this version... Without this there'd be no covers. And whatever reason Wayne wrote the song is his. It's his art. Most of these 'matter of fact' posts sound like people just read about this guy on wikipedia.

[collect45]

Thank you very much for your comment, I completely agree with you.

[ppn4rlife]

@collect45 technology is better these days at least no one destroyed the song. It only got better with each cover

[ppn4rlife]

@collect45 technology is better these days at least no one destroyed the song. It only got better with each cover.

[blackscarlet512]

thank you very much,

i never knew who did the orginal,

[hebneh]

Never heard this before; didn't know it even existed. The car accident noises and screaming at the very beginning are interesting, in contrast to the generally cheerful beat and style of the performance.

Yeah, this was one of many death-rock songs popular from about 1960 to 1964.

Americans aren't aware of the hit Spanish-language versions of this song from South America, and/or Mexico.

"The cryin' tires, the bustin' glass..."

[blakeperry91]

is this song about his wife or daughter ?

[GrammyGang]

HIS DAUGHTER? are you serious?

[Anonym48486]

high school sweetheart

[lemonademoosejaw]

this song failed for him because of the way it is performed.

[jallan1407]

yes, he full out deep kissed his own daughter on the roadway. wtf man lol yur sick. whos daughter says "hold me darlin for a little while" to their own father?!?

[PimplySwede]

So this is the original song and artist? I had never heard this version before. I give Pearl Jam's a nine on a ten scale and Frankie's an eight on a ten scale.

Cochran should have worked harder on this one!

[anikimitsurugi]

thats the beauty of it, if you dont pay attention then you think its just happy go lucky and everything is great! but truely a sad song! makes people pay attention!

[imbrokedude]

is this the original?

[collect45]

Indeed

[pivotandFE]

this is to upbeat for the song Pearl Jam did ALOT better with the song

[karinebizz]

wow i didn`t even know pearl jam did a cover, that it was not the original! but i prefer the cover... this one sounds almost joyful... its a sad song...

[UnseenCaller]

This couldn't be from 1961 because Cochran wrote it after the car wreck that gave him the idea, which occurred during Christmas of 1962 in Barnesville, GA.

[xxxstrangerxLilithxx]

I love more the perl jam version but it is normal that emotion is missing, it is soul music, that style is often more rhythm than emotion, rock music is actually more emotional than soul music

[WersOner]

i thought the orginal was j. frank and the cavaliers....

damn me.

great songs, by everyone. love this song.

[UnseenCaller]

I think their version was better, though this one(the original) has a nifty sound from that period.

[gabbie32095]

pearl jam adds more feeling to it. :|

i usually like the original versions better, but this is exception. :/

[geladodelimao]

i agree

[tedchinook]

I agree as well. This has a rockabilly sound that just doesn't suit the words. If you didn't listen to the words and just pciked up on the rythym and his tone you would think it's about something upbeat.

[chrischrisdtsafg]

tru i like the one by frank his covers better then this one in my opinion

[aerosolchef]

Pearl Jam is terrible

[x0x0tayx0x0]

Pearl Jam is WAYYYYYYYYYYYY better than this...this is OKAY

[abuiltmale]

Back in the 70s Wayne would sing this song and do a much better job playing guitar then whoever played it in this guitar. He did this song much better in a live show.

[Woodchuck1536]

pearl jam gives it a waaay more somber tone which gives the song character. cochran sounds almost excited about it at times

[AnitaLife27]

LOVE IT! I love all versions of this song. Thanks for posting the original!

[LandoDaLover]

The original version is way better than the pearl jam version

[dejetoshc]

both versions are great!

[]'s

[Jezzmatezzz]

its true... both versions are great.. but pearl jam's version is just a little better :P

[aerosolchef]

Love this version

[AJest3r]

I miss the old popping vinyl sound...

Glad I have my record player still.

[Rockragge50s]

oo that sound its butiful:D have you de song

bob norris or bobby norris i dnt not real but the tracks name is yellow pages

[SirBasildeBrush]

Nice version. A rare one!

[tmkrjk]

I wanna hear "goin back to Miami".

[ksoadc7890]

I really hate when songs sound happy and the lyrics are depressing...it doesn't fit and it's not art to me...that's why i like pearl jam's version the best even though his voice isn't the best, he at least sings it with some emotion that matches the lyrics

[Freakshowthebeast]

Maybe, it was supposed to be like that. Maybe, Wayne wanted to show that nothing is so bad it can't have a upbeat soundtrack, so to say.

That, or you're just fucking stupid - Go die in a fire.

[ksoadc7890]

nah i doubt it

[a1rh3add]

nah, your just that stupid

[SalimNomDePlume]

lots of singers did that in the 80s. while it's strange that people like johnny cash and this singer wayne cochran sing such melancholy songs with upbeat tunes, just respect their styles! after all, they did write the songs so there's no need to be so hateful about them.

[ksoadc7890]

yeah i respect their styles...i just hate it lol it's not for me i guess

[a1rh3add]

Maybe your not that stupid : )

[thecapone45]

yeah i like pearl jams version better

[JodiHan28kyo]

FOr ME PEARLJAM's version is the best, though this original version is good, pearljam's version really express the meaning behind the lyrics, it is full of emotions and Eddie Vedder's voice is too damn ƒUCking HOT...

[Freakshowthebeast]

I could not tell what you tried to say. Try using the latin alphabet and doing proper capilalization.

[victoriakutch]

Lovely...

[Lexo94]

This songg is AWESOME. Pearl Jam does a great version.

[mwr0585]

Oh fuck no lol

[jknapper76]

Do you know how much this record is worth? I don't know much about 45's, but would consider this pretty valuable from what I'm reading on the comment board. Shame on the potty mouths. Seriously. Learn some tact..

[aftermathfool]

theres a better version of this, still sung and performed by wayne, but i think that version matches the song better

still great post, thank you for sharing!

[grannysmith1213]

it seems to jolly

[abuiltmale]

When I worked with Wayne in the early 70s, he said he wrote the song in 1956 on the back of a pick up truck in Macon Ga. No one could play guitar better on this song then Wayne. He had a guitar called the flying V. Not positive, but this sure doesn't sound like him playing guitar on this song.

[CelticFCDoberman]

AAAAAAARRRRGGHHHH!!! I won't be able to listen to Pearl Jam version without thinking bout this crap. UTTER SHITE!

[klugaa]

lol he says where with an over accented H

[beatum]

actually, all of these reasons for this song are myths. I was a member of Wayne's band when he wrote this song in 1961. He'd made the statement that he needed to write a "tragedy song"

after having heard two such songs on the radio on the way home from a gig. He said that that theme was becoming popular. He lived on Hwy 19 south of Thomaston , Ga where a lot of accidents occured. I inderstood that it refered to no certain accident. We played it for months before this recording was made.

[collect45]

Interesting, thank you for the info!

[aleone93]

i dont believe you for one fucking second u dickhead

[TheFlash180]

Your full of it. He wrote the song about a girl he knew, Jeanette Clark who died in car accident coming home from a date. The song dedicted to her and her mother

[jec9009]

i think this version and J. frank Wilson's versons are too upbeat. i like the cover Pearl Jam did better.

[gensai93]

there's something disturbing about how happy it sounds

[anaesthes1a]

I agree

[cmulwee001]

Other "sad" or serious songs that sound

"happy" would have to include CCR's "Bad Moon Rising" among others.

[randyrhoads4737]

is this the origonal writer?

[collect45]

Yes, it is.

[WoWAdvertisement]

look how great of a song this is so many diff versions and it truly is a good song i prob liek the cavliers ver.

[Jurianu87]

This the original version, in the 70's J. Frank Wilson makes his version and he become this song famous, in the 80's Alci Acosta, a colombian, makes his own version in spanish and in the 90's pearl jam makes a new version, i think this the best.

[jonijzone]

this is good, but i like pearl jam's version better:)

[rubenanny]

esta no es la cancion original!!! la verdadera la invento un grupo de peru!!! llamado los doltons.... en 1965

[peeppeepyeah]

no creo, está en del 63'... muchos grupos latinoamericanos hacian covers de rock & roll de los 50's y 60's