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Mustang Sally (song)
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Wikipedia article
"'Mustang Sally'" is a rhythm and blues (R&B) song written and first recorded by Mack Rice in 1965. It was released on the Blue Rock label (4014) in May 1965 with "Sir Mack Rice" as the artist.Singles reviews Spotlights. Billboard Mar 27, 1965 page 65 The song uses an AAB layout with a 24-bar structure.
It gained greater popularity when Wilson Pickett covered it the following year on a single, a version that was also released on the 1966 album, 'The Wicked Pickett'. Also in 1966, John Lee Hooker recorded an entirely different song with a similar title "Mustang Sally & GTO."
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of 'The Muscle Shoals Sound: 3614 Jackson Highway'.'The Muscle Shoals Sound: 3614 Jackson Highway' (liner notes). CD. Rhino Records. 1993.
*Gilbert Caples tenor saxophone
*Charlie Chalmers tenor saxophone
*Tommy Cogbill bass guitar
*Roger Hawkins drums
*Jimmy Johnson rhythm guitar
*Ed Logan tenor saxophone
*Gene "Bowlegs" Miller trumpet
*Chips Moman lead guitar
*Floyd Newman baritone saxophone
*Spooner Oldham organ
*Wilson Pickett lead vocals
*The Sweet Inspirations backing vocals
History
Rice was visiting singer Della Reese, who was considering buying a new Lincoln Continental for her drummer and band leader Calvin Shields for his birthday. Rice and other band members were teasing Shields about the pending gift, and Shields replied that he did not want a Lincoln; he wanted a Ford Mustang. Rice had never heard of the Mustang, which had just come out, but he teased Shields about wanting a smaller car. He decided there might be a song in the situation, changing it to be about a woman who doesn't want to do anything but ride around in her new car. Rice called the early version "Mustang Mama," but changed the title after Aretha Franklin suggested "Mustang Sally" because he used the name Sally in the chorus.
Rice got part of the chorus from the children's game song (recorded by various artists) "Little Sally Walker," versions of which include the lyrics "Ride Sally ride, wipe your weepin' eyes," with variations. His variation goes, "All you wanna do is ride around, Sally/Ride, Sally, ride/One of these early mornings/You're gonna be wipin' your weepin' eyes."
In the liner notes for 'The Rascals Anthology', Felix Cavaliere states that The Young Rascals recorded "Mustang Sally" and "Land of a Thousand Dances" before Pickett and that Atlantic Records "copped those two songs from them and gave them to Pickett" to record. When Cavaliere does his flashback concerts, he also recounts how Rice thanked him for having been the B-side of the Young Rascals' hit, "Good Lovin'," explaining that the royalties were paid by records sold thus, the B-side writer was paid for an equal number of sales as the A-side.
Popular versions
Rice's version made it to No. 15 on the U.S. R&B charts in 1965. Pickett's version climbed to No. 6 on the R&B charts and No. 23 on the Pop charts in 1966, No. 4 in Canada on the (RPM) charts, and No. 28[https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Creeque%20Alley Wilson Pickett - "Mustang Sally" at UK Singles Chart Stats.] OfficialCharts.com in the UK Singles Chart on its original release and No. 62, when it was released again in 1987.
In 2004, 'Rolling Stone' ranked Wilson Pickett's recording of the song at No. 434 on a list of 'Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song dropped seven spots to No. 441, when the magazine published its 2010 update of the list."[http://cbs2chicago.com/entertainment/rolling.stone.songs.2.1721498.html 'Rolling Stone' Updates '500 Greatest Songs' List] ". (June, 2010). 'CBS'. Retrieved 2010-5-29
Popular culture and covers
* Buddy Guy recorded the song in 1991, featuring Jeff Beck. Mustang Sally by Buddy Guy & Jeff Beck (YouTube)
* The song featured prominently in the 1991 film 'The Commitments' and appears on the film's soundtrack album, sung by Andrew Strong. It was released as a single from the album and reached No. 63 in the UK Singles Chart, No. 43 on the Australian charts and No. 17 on the New Zealand charts. In 2022 it was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
* When astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space on the Space Shuttle 'Challenger' in 1983, many in the crowd attending the launch wore T-shirts printed with a play on the lyric, "Ride, Sally Ride."
References
Category:1965 songs
Category:1966 singles
Category:Atlantic Records singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Jerry Wexler
Category:Songs written by Mack Rice
Category:Songs about cars
Category:Wilson Pickett songs
Category:The Rascals songs
Category:The Coasters songs
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