levipatrick

<p>I sure do love these background singers.</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://www.songfacts.com/img-artalbums-145-5a9e5194377b487ee273a2ebc19dd579.png"></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Album:&nbsp;</strong>Greatest Hits (<a href="https://www.songfacts.com/browse/years/1966" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">1966</a>)</p><p><br></p><ul><li>This is Johnny Rivers' only American chart topper. He co-wrote it with Lou Adler. Marty Paich, who arranged for Mel Torme and Ray Charles, did the string arrangement.</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>Johnny Rivers: "I had this tune I'd been working on, and I kept playing it for Lou. It took me about 6 months to finish. We cut it with Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborn and Hal Blaine. I did my vocal performances live with the band. I sat and played my guitar and sang. There weren't any overdubs. So we said it could use some singers and maybe some strings. That's the time we got together with (arranger) Marty Paich."</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>This was a change of direction for Johnny Rivers, who had tired of the upbeat Go-Go sound that provided him with his early hits. However, he found his record company reluctant to tamper with a winning formula. He recalls, "Al Bennett and those guys were goin' Man. don't start comin' out with ballads. You're gonna kill your career. You got a good thing goin' with this funky trio rock sound, stay with that." (above 2 courtesy: Quotes from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.johnnyrivers.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">www.johnnyrivers.com</a>)</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>This was covered by Eels on his 2006 live album&nbsp;<strong>Eels With Strings: Live At Town Hall</strong>.</li></ul><p><br></p>