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AMERICAN WOMEN
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Burton Cummings
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1970
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1
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[Q]
Randy Bachman: "I’m onstage with the Guess Who and I break a string on my '59 Les Paul. I don’t have a tech or a spare guitar, I don’t even have a tuner. We are the broke Guess Who playing a curling rink with plywood on the ice. Burton Cummings says we have to take a break, so I kneel in front of his piano — I don’t want to stand up because everyone is looking at the stage — and I play a couple keys in order to tune my two lowest strings. Then I start to do this riff, and begin to think, oh, this is pretty good. And the audience, who was all talking at that point, their heads just snapped around when I started to play that riff, so the last thing I want is to forget it.
Still playing, with my head I motion to our drummer, Garry Peterson, to get back to the stage, then I get our bass guitarist, Jim Kale, and Burton is the last guy to get to the stage. By that point we’re playing this riff for a couple minutes, so I yell out to Burton to sing something. He doesn't know what to sing so he plays a solo on the piano, then I tell him again to sing something, because I know if you put any lyrics to a song you’ll remember the riff. So Burton sings "American woman, stay away from me," and we write that song onstage in about four or five minutes.
We played it every night, recorded it two weeks later and it went on to become a number one album and rock the world. When it’s played on the radio today, either from us or the Lenny Kravitz version, people still turn it up. There is no drug like this. When I play this song and the audience recognizes what it is, I get that same zap I got back then. It’s a drug you can't buy, you have to earn it. I've earned it, so now I'm here to share." (2013, Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap)
[I]
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[P]
(Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, Gary Peterson)
Burton Cummings – lead vocals, organ, piano, rhythm guitar, flute, harmonica
Randy Bachman – lead/rhythm guitars, tambourine, backing vocals
Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
Garry Peterson – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: RCA Mid-America Recording Center, Studio B, Chicago, Illinois
W S A
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NO TIME
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Burton Cummings
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1970
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5
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[I]
Composed by guitarist Randy Bachman and lead singer Burton Cummings, the song is basically a Dear John letter stating, "No time left for you". There are two versions of the song. The original 1969 recording was done for The Guess Who's album Canned Wheat. But it is the 1970 re-recording (as featured on the American Woman album) that was released as a single and is the better-known version. This one is slightly faster in tempo and has the two verses transposed. (Wikipedia)
[P]
(Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings)
Burton Cummings – lead vocals, organ, piano, rhythm guitar, flute, harmonica
Randy Bachman – lead/rhythm guitars, tambourine, backing vocals
Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
Garry Peterson – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: RCA Mid-America Recording Center, Studio B, Chicago, Illinois
W
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ALBERT FLASHER
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Burton Cummings
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1971
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29
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[Q]
Kurt Winter: "We were doing a live radio interview in Vancouver with Terry David Mulligan and outside the studio there was a light that said 'Alert' that was flashing when the studio was on air. We were yakking away and Burton was scribbling and wrote 'Alert Flasher' and then he wrote 'Albert Flasher.' It must have been some kind of Freudian slip. We looked at it and thought right away that's a pretty neat name for a tune. He wrote the song around it."
[P]
(Burton Cummings)
Burton Cummings - lead vocals, piano
Kurt Winter - lead guitar
Greg Leskiw - lead guitar
Jim Kale - bass
Gary Peterson – drums
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: ??
Recorded at: at RCA's Mid-America Recording Center, Chicago, Ill., USA, Mar 1971
W
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THESE EYES
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Burton Cummings
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1969
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6
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[Q]
: "Burton Cummings and I used to meet every Saturday morning at his grandmother's house, Granny Kirkpatrick, on Bannerman Avenue in the North End of Winnipeg to write songs. We each kept these Hilroy notebooks with us all week and would jot down any ideas for songs we came up with. Then we'd show each other what we had and see if we could come up with a song. So Burton listened to my two cords and my words to 'These Arms'. " ()
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[I]
Bachman had the original piano chords with an original title of "These Arms". Cummings changed the title to "These Eyes" and added the middle eight. ()
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[P]
(Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings)
Burton Cummings - lead vocals, piano, keyboards
Randy Bachman - guitars
Jim Kale - bass
Garry Peterson - drums, percussion
Produced:
Engineered:
Recorded at:
W S
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SHARE THE LAND
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Burton Cummings
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1970
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10
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[Q]
Burton Cummings: "I went to LA during the month of January and it was about forty below when I left home. And I get there and everything was fine, it was about seventy above. I was on my holiday, I had a little money to spend, I was in LA, AMERICAN WOMEN had just come out and everything to me was going really well. I was really on top. But I'd watch the news every day and everything was really screwed up. I didn't sit down and say, 'I'll write a flag-waving, peace, togetherness song.' It just came out. I played it for the band about five or six months before we recorded it and nobody liked it."
Burton Cummings: “’Share the Land’ still has optimism for the future and when I look out at the crowd, everyone holding hands and wanting to believe we are inherently good, the message still makes sense to me. The lyrics could have been written last night.” (2013:Toronto Standard)
[P]
(Burton Cummings)
Burton Cummings - lead vocals, piano
Kurt Winter - lead guitar, backing vocals
Greg Leskiw - lead/rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Jim Kale - bass
Gary Peterson - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: RCA's Mid-America Recording Center, Chicago, Ill., USA.
W
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LAUGHING
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Burton Cummings
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1969
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10
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[I]
: "" ()
: "" ()
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[P]
(Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings)
Burton Cummings – lead vocals,organ, piano, rhythm guitar, harmonica, flute
Randy Bachman – lead/rhythm guitars, backing vocals, sitar
Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
Garry Peterson – drums, percussion, congas, tablas, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: John Woram
Recorded at: RCA Studio A, New York, New York, New York, USA, 1969
W S
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NO SUGAR TONIGHT
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Burton Cummings
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1970
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--
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[I]
According to Randy Bachman, the inspiration for the song arose after an incident when he was visiting California. He was walking down the street with a stack of records under his arm, when he saw three "tough-looking biker guys" approaching. He felt threatened and was looking for a way to cross the street onto the other sidewalk when a car pulled up to the men. A woman got out of the car, shouting at one of them, asking where he'd been all day, that he had left her alone with the kids. The man suddenly was alone and his buddies walked away. Chastened, he got in the car as the woman told him before pulling away: "And one more thing, you're getting no sugar tonight". The words stuck in Bachman's memory. (Wikipedia)
[P]
(Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings)
Burton Cummings – lead vocals, organ, piano, rhythm guitar, flute, harmonica
Randy Bachman – lead/rhythm guitars, tambourine, backing vocals
Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
Garry Peterson – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: RCA Mid-America Recording Center, Studio B, Chicago, Illinois
W
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CLAP FOR THE WOLFMAN
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Burton Cummings
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1974
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6
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[Q]
Burton Cummings: “He was a radio legend … way before MTV we were on The Midnight Special a couple of times and they took a shine to us because we were a pretty good live act. The Midnight Special was all live. So if you went on there and was lame live, you weren’t asked back. When we were on the first time they loved us, so we went back a second time and hung out with Wolman a little bit and got to be friendly. Billy and Kurt were writing a song called “Clap for Napoleon.” Napoleon being a CB handle, when the big CB/trucker thing was a rage in the 70’s. …everybody had a handle. So they were going to write a song about a trucker’s handle, and I said I love this riff but if we made this lyrically about the Wolfman it would have a universal appeal. So they agreed with me and I went home that night and banged out the lyrics and sure enough it was a top five record. Wolfman was a great guy, we hung out a lot and he used to come MC our shows back in The Guess Who days. One time we did a show in Honolulu at the HIC Honolulu International Center … It was Aerosmith first, The Guess Who and Wolfman was the MC. I still remember Tyler running around and yelling … “Where’s the Wolfman! Where’s the Wolfman!”” (2013:Examiner)
[P]
(Burton Cummings, Bill Wallace, Kurt Winter)
Burton Cummings – lead vocals, keyboards
Kurt Winter – guitars
Don McDougall – guitars, backing vocals
Bill Wallace – bass, backing Vocals
Garry Peterson – percussion
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: RCA's Studio A in Hollywood, California, USA;
..... and the Sound Stage, Toronto, 1973 - 1974
W S
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UNDUN
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Burton Cummings
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1969
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22
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[I]
It was written by Randy Bachman after hearing Bob Dylan's "Ballad in Plain D", which included the phrase "she was easily undone". Bachman's song tells the story of a girl whom he had seen at a party who slipped into a coma after dropping acid. The song takes its structure from new jazz guitar chords Bachman had learned from his friend and neighbor Lenny Breau. (Wikipedia)
[P]
(Randy Bachman)
Burton Cummings – lead vocals,organ, piano, rhythm guitar, harmonica, flute
Randy Bachman – lead/rhythm guitars, backing vocals, sitar
Jim Kale – bass, backing vocals
Garry Peterson – drums, percussion, congas, tablas, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: John Woram
Recorded at: RCA Studio A, New York, New York, New York, USA, 1969
W S
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GUNS, GUNS, GUNS
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Burton Cummings
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1972
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70
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[Q]
Burton Cummings: "There were these thirty guys, all dressed like Elmer Fudd, coming to our country to kill our ducks and deer because they had already killed all theirs. I became really pissed off and the song echoes that sentiment"
[P]
(Burton Cummings)
Burton Cummings - lead vocals, piano, keyboards, harmonica
Greg Leskiw - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Kurt Winter - lead guitar, backing vocals
Jim Kale - bass, backing vocals
Garry Peterson - drums, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: RCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California, USA, 1972
W
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DANCIN' FOOL
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Burton Cummings
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1975
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28
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[I]
: "" ()
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[P]
(Burton Cummings, Domenic Troiano)
Burton Cummings – lead vocals, piano, keyboards
Domenic Troiano – guitars, mandolin, background vocals
Bill Wallace – bass, background vocals
Garry Peterson – drums, percussion, background vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Dennis Smith
Recorded at: Sound Stage, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 1974
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HAND ME DOWN WORLD
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Burton Cummings
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1970
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17
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[P]
(Kurt Winter)
Burton Cummings - lead vocals, piano
Kurt Winter - lead guitar, backing vocals
Greg Leskiw - lead/rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Jim Kale - bass
Gary Peterson - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: RCA's Mid-America Recording Center, Chicago, Ill., USA.
W S
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GLAMOUR BOY
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Burton Cummings
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1973
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--
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[Q]
Burton Cummings: “(directed at) David Bowie …absolutely! He came along and changed everything. It bothered me a lot at first because we weren’t a glam band. We wore the same clothes onstage that we wore all day and while we were travelling. We never dressed up and had dancers and crazy costumes and pyrotechnics; we were all about the music. We used to dress like Kurt Cobain. We never played the glamour game. Then all of a sudden Bowie came along and it was Ziggy Stardust and makeup and costumes …and it really threatened me. And I also saw that he was making tons of money … for $25,000 you could look like a woman tonight … that’s where that came from, it was just a jab at what was changing so drastically.” (2013:Examiner)
[P]
(Burton Cummings)
Burton Cummings – lead vocals, piano
Kurt Winter – guitars
Don McDougall – guitars, backing vocals
Bill Wallace – bass, backing Vocals
Garry Peterson – percussion
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: ??
Recorded at: Jack Richardson, 1973
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RUNNIN' BACK TO SASKATOON
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Burton Cummings
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1972
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96
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[I]
The band never recorded a studio version of the song and the hit single version is the live recording from May 22, 1972 which was edited/shortened from 6m24s to 3m27s for AM radio airplay. Places mentioned in the song are Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Moosomin, Saskatchewan, Red Deer, Alberta, Terrace, British Columbia, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Saskatoon, and Hong Kong. (Wikipedia)
[P]
(Burton Cummings, Kurt Winter)
Burton Cummings - lead vocals, piano, flute, guitar and harmonica
Kurt Winter - lead guitar, backing vocals
Don McDougall - guitar, backing vocals
Jim Kale - bass, backing vocals
Garry Peterson - drums, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian, Dennis Smith
Recorded at: Paramount Theater, Seattle, Washington, May 22, 1972
W
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STAR BABY
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Burton Cummings
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1974
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39
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[Q]
Burton Cummings: “'Star Baby' was on the Billboard charts for over six months. But it happened regionally, it didn’t hit nationally. It spent 32 weeks on the Billboard charts, which is a ridiculous amount of time. It was on the chart more than any of my other records. But it never made it past #30 on Billboard but because of the regional success it stayed hovering around #30 for six months. My God, that’s two careers nowadays. (laughs) People are up bopping and dancing when we do that one. One of our roadies was having an affair with Bonnie Bramlett [from the rock group Delaney and Bonnie], who was opening for us way back in the ‘70s. When I wrote it I was trying to see Bonnie through our roadie’s eyes and what he might say to her. It was finished really quickly. I wrote that in about 20 minutes." (2011:Pop Entertainment)
[P]
(Burton Cummings)
Burton Cummings – lead vocals, keyboards
Kurt Winter – guitars
Don McDougall – guitars, backing vocals
Bill Wallace – bass, backing Vocals
Garry Peterson – percussion
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: RCA's Studio A in Hollywood, California, USA;
..... and the Sound Stage, Toronto, 1973 - 1974
W
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HANG ON TO YOUR LIFE
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Burton Cummings
|
1971
|
43
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[I]
Lead singer Burton Cummings says that he wrote the lyrics to this song after getting a very severe case of sunburn while in Hawaii. (Songfacts)
[P]
(Burton Cummings, Kurt Winter)
Burton Cummings - lead vocals, piano
Kurt Winter - lead guitar, backing vocals
Greg Leskiw - lead/rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Jim Kale - bass
Gary Peterson - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: RCA's Mid-America Recording Center, Chicago, Ill., USA.
W S
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RAIN DANCE
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Burton Cummings
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1971
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19
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[Q]
Kurt Winter: "Burton phoned me up one night and said, 'Why don't you come over and we'll write a couple of tunes.' For some reason while I was driving the car over I started singing, 'Don't you want a rain dance with me.' He had this other part and I had this rain dance part. Se we figured we'd do 'Don't you want a rain dance.' like singing a round, like 'Row, row, row your boats' and when we put it all together it seemed to work. Greg, Jim, and I sang the round on stage."
[P]
(Burton Cummings, Kurt Winter)
Burton Cummings - lead vocals, piano, saxophone
Greg Leskiw - guitar, banjo, backing vocals
Kurt Winter - guitar, backing vocals
Jim Kale - bass
Garry Peterson - drums, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: ??
Recorded at: RCA's Mid-America Recording Center, Chicago, Illinois, 1971
W
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BUS RIDER
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Burton Cummings
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1971
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--
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[I]
This was a main song for a trio called Brother, who were made up of Kurt Winter, Bill Wallace and Vance Masters. All three members of Brother wrote the song, but when The Guess Who recorded it, lead singer Burton Cummings made sure Winter got the sole writing credit, since he was a member of The Guess Who. Wallace and Masters did receive financial compensation under this agreement. (Songfacts)
[P]
(Kurt Winter)
Burton Cummings - lead vocals, piano
Kurt Winter - lead guitar, backing vocals
Greg Leskiw - lead/rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Jim Kale - bass
Gary Peterson - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: RCA's Mid-America Recording Center, Chicago, Ill., USA.
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SOUR SUITE
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Burton Cummings
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1971
|
50
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[I]
Cummings said it took between two and three days to write the song. Its lyric about being "back in 46201" refers to the zip code for Indianapolis. Cummings took it from the return address of a letter sent to him by a female fan. (Wikipedia)
[P]
(Burton Cummings)
Burton Cummings - lead vocals, piano, saxophone
Greg Leskiw - guitar, banjo, backing vocals
Kurt Winter - guitar, backing vocals
Jim Kale - bass
Garry Peterson - drums, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: ??
Recorded at: RCA's Mid-America Recording Center, Chicago, Illinois, 1971
W
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ROSANNE
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Burton Cummings
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1975
|
105
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[I]
The track "Rosanne" was apparently written about the one time girlfriend of Burton's very good friend Gary "Big Daddy" MacLean. (Wikipedia)
[P]
(Burton Cummings, Domenic Troiano)
Burton Cummings – lead vocals, keyboards
Domenic Troiano – guitars, backing vocals
Bill Wallace – bass Guitar, backing vocals
Garry Peterson – drums, backing vocals
Produced: Jack Richardson
Engineered: Brian Christian
Recorded at: March 1975
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