The Little Black Egg

"The Little Black Egg"
Song by the Nightcrawlers
from the album The Little Black Egg
Released1965
Recorded1965
Genre
Length2:45[5]
LabelLee[6]
Songwriter(s)Chuck Conlon[citation needed]

"The Little Black Egg" is a song first performed by Daytona Beach, Florida garage band the Nightcrawlers in 1965.[5] It was a minor hit in both the US and Canada, reaching number 85 on the US Billboard charts in 1967,[7] while doing slightly better in Canada, where it hit number 74.[8] The song has been since covered by multiple artists including Inner City Unit, the Lemonheads, Neighb'rhood Childr'n, Tarnation, the Primitives and the Cars. It was the Nightcrawlers' only hit.[9]

Original recording

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The song was written in 1965 for an Easter concert, in which the band opened for the Beach Boys.[10] The song was originally recorded in 1965 by sound engineer Lee Hazen and released on Hazen's record label Lee Records;[6] the 1965 release became a regional hit in the Nightcrawlers' home state of Florida and in the Midwest.[5] The song was re-released on Kapp Records in 1966,[6] finally charting nationally in both the US and Canada early the following year. AllMusic reviewer Matthew Greenwald describes the song as a "slightly bizarre nursery rhyme", with lyrics about a rotten bird's egg.[5]

Other versions

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"The Little Black Egg" was included in the influential compilation album Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 on the 1998 CD reissue, as a bonus track. [citation needed]

Ohio punk band the Pagans recorded the song in the late 1970s. In 1981, during recording sessions for Shake It Up, members of the Cars recorded a version featuring Ric Ocasek on lead vocals.[11] The song was later stripped of Ocasek's vocals and re-sung by fashion model Bebe Buell, whom Ocasek had befriended.[11] The version with Buell's vocals was included on her 1981 EP Covers Girl;[12] the Cars' version was released on 1995's Just What I Needed anthology.[13]

Other recordings of "The Little Black Egg" include a 1985 version by garage rock band the Rattlers, on their only full-size album, Rattled!; a 1991 version by the Primitives, released on their Galore album;[14] a 1993 version by the Lemonheads, released on their Into Your Arms CD single;[15] a 1966 version by the Music Explosion featuring lead singer Jamie Lyons, available on their Anthology CD;[16] and a 1997 version by the Paula Frazer-led country band Tarnation, released on their Mirador album.[17] AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the Tarnation version of "The Little Black Egg" as a highlight of Mirador.[17]

The Minus 5 covered it on the 2000 release In Rock.

References

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  1. ^ Chusid, Irwin (2000). Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music. Chicago Review Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-55652-372-4.
  2. ^ Leszczak, Bob (2014). Who Did It First?: Great Rock and Roll Cover Songs and Their Original Artists. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-44223-322-5.
  3. ^ LaBate, Steve (December 18, 2009). "Jangle Bell Rock: A Chronological (Non-Holiday) Anthology… from The Beatles and Byrds to R.E.M. and Beyond". Paste. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  4. ^ Farr, Jory (2001). Moguls and Madmen. Simon and Schuster. p. 263. ISBN 978-0-74322-893-0.
  5. ^ a b c d Greenwald, Matthew. "The Nightcrawlers: The Little Black Egg". allmusic. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Poe, Randy (September 1, 2006). Skydog: the Duane Allman story. Backbeat Books. p. 20. ISBN 0-87930-891-5.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (June 1, 2004). Joel Whitburn's top pop singles 1955-2002. Record Research Inc. p. 511. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  8. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 11, 1967" (PDF).
  9. ^ Jancik, Wayne (1998). The Billboard book of one-hit wonders. Billboard Books. p. 223. ISBN 0-8230-7622-9.
  10. ^ "The Nightcrawlers - Sally in Our Alley (1966)"
  11. ^ a b Milano, Brett (1995). Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology (Media notes). The Cars. Rhino Records. pp. 16–17.
  12. ^ Buell, Bebe; Bockris, Victor (July 19, 2002). Rebel Heart: An American Rock 'n' Roll Journey. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 368. ISBN 0-312-30155-3.
  13. ^ Prato, Greg. "The Cars: Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology". allmusic. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  14. ^ "The Primitives: Galore". allmusic. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  15. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "The Lemonheads: Into Your Arms (CD Single)". allmusic. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  16. ^ "The Music Explosion: Anthology (Sundazed)". allmusic. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  17. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Tarnation: Mirador". allmusic. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
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