Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: Difference between revisions
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*It was recorded by [[The Mauds]] in 1967, with lyrics by [[Curtis Mayfield]]. It has now become a [[jazz standard]] performed by both beginner and advanced jazz musicians. |
*It was recorded by [[The Mauds]] in 1967, with lyrics by [[Curtis Mayfield]]. It has now become a [[jazz standard]] performed by both beginner and advanced jazz musicians. |
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*It was also released in February of 1967 by [[Larry Williams and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson]] with new lyrics, on the album "[[Two for the Price of One]]". These lyrics were used on The Buckingham's hit. |
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*It was also recorded by [[Willie Mitchell (musician)|Willie Mitchell]] in 1968 as the B-side of his single "[[Soul Serenade (song)|Soul Serenade]]." This version was sampled by rapper [[GZA]] on the title track of his 1995 album ''[[Liquid Swords]]''. |
*It was also recorded by [[Willie Mitchell (musician)|Willie Mitchell]] in 1968 as the B-side of his single "[[Soul Serenade (song)|Soul Serenade]]." This version was sampled by rapper [[GZA]] on the title track of his 1995 album ''[[Liquid Swords]]''. |
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*It was also recorded by [[Buddy Rich]] in 1968 on the album "[[Mercy, Mercy (album)|Mercy, Mercy]]." |
*It was also recorded by [[Buddy Rich]] in 1968 on the album "[[Mercy, Mercy (album)|Mercy, Mercy]]." |
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Revision as of 02:14, 24 October 2018
| "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" | |
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| Song |
"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" is a jazz song written by Joe Zawinul in 1966 for Julian "Cannonball" Adderley and his album Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at 'The Club'. The song is the title track of the album and became a surprise hit.[1] "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" went to #2 on the Soul chart and #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[2]
| "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "You Are Gone" |
Original version
The original version was performed by: Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone), Nat Adderley (cornet), Joe Zawinul (piano, electric piano), Victor Gaskin (bass) and Roy McCurdy (drums).
Buckinghams cover
"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" has been re-recorded numerous times, most notably by The Buckinghams, who reached # 5 in August 1967, adding lyrics to the tune. Musicians on the Buckingham's version included James Henderson, Lew McCreary and Richard Leith on trombone, Bill Peterson, Bud Childers on trumpet, John Johnson on sax, Lincoln Mayorga on Wurlitzer electric piano, Dennis Budimir on guitar, Carol Kaye on bass, and John Guerin on drums.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Other cover versions
- It was recorded by The Mauds in 1967, with lyrics by Curtis Mayfield. It has now become a jazz standard performed by both beginner and advanced jazz musicians.
- It was also released in February of 1967 by Larry Williams and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson with new lyrics, on the album "Two for the Price of One". These lyrics were used on The Buckingham's hit.
- It was also recorded by Willie Mitchell in 1968 as the B-side of his single "Soul Serenade." This version was sampled by rapper GZA on the title track of his 1995 album Liquid Swords.
- It was also recorded by Buddy Rich in 1968 on the album "Mercy, Mercy."
- It was also released by Lenny Breau in 1969 on the album "The Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau – Live!"
- It was also recorded by Kenny G in 1982 on his self-titled album "Kenny G"
- It was also recorded by Stanley Clarke, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Biréli Lagrène on the 2015 album D-Stringz.
- The theme of the song on the original recording is performed by Joe Zawinul himself playing it on a Wurlitzer electric piano previously used by Ray Charles.[8]
Theme
The first part of the theme is played two times and is completely made of notes from the major pentatonic scale of the first degree.
Structure and chord progression
The tune is in the key of B-flat major and has a 20-bar structure with four distinct sections. The chord progression is mainly made of dominant-seventh chords on the first, fourth and fifth degrees, giving the song a bluesy feeling although it does not follow a typical blues progression. The subdominant (IV) chord in the beginning section emphasizes this bluesy feeling. In the second section, the tonic chord alternates with a second-inversion subdominant chord, creating a parallel to the I-IV-V progression (in which the tonic moves to the subdominant).
References
- ^ in Feb. 1967. "This album gave birth to a Top Ten single of the title tune, much to the astonishment of many..." Michael Cuscuna 1995 Capitol Reissue CD liner notes
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 24.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1967-08-05. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1967/Top 100 Songs of 1967". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
- ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1967". Tropicalglen.com. 1967-12-23. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
- ^ Keyboards (german keyboard magazine), 06/2007 http://www.keyboards.de.
External links
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