WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
Boomer Anthems: Long Cool Woman In a Black Dress
byVanderleunonSeptember 20, 2018
Believe it or not, the lyrics to the song actually appear in this video.
Bart Herbison: I’ve always wanted to talk to you about “Long Cool Woman.” Was there ever a bigger hit in history where people don’t understand the words?
Roger Cook: That is wild, isn’t it? Allan loved all that slapback echo on his voice.
BH: This is the Hollies.
RC: Yeah. And that’s the reason you can hardly understand the words. And, of course, the words are a kind of a little English-y. We wrote it in England about the bootlegging days in the ’30s in America. … We’d just gone out and had a skinful ourselves, you know? We came back to the office and thought it was fun to write a song about — What did they call it when they banned drinking?
BH: Prohibition.
RC: Prohibition! So, we wrote a song about Prohibition and all the bad people surrounding it. The FBI raiding and this (woman) singing at the bar. (The narrator) doesn’t want her to get in trouble. So he kind of saves her….
Saturday night I was downtown
Working for the FBI
Sitting in a nest of bad men
Whiskey bottles piling high
Bootlegging boozer on the west side
Full of people who are doing wrong
Just about to call up the DA man
When I heard this woman singing a song
A pair of 45’s made me open my eyes
My temperature started to rise
She was a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5’9″ beautiful tall
With just one look I was a bad mess
Cause that long cool woman had it all
I saw her heading to the table
Well a tall walking big black cat
When Charlie said “I hope that you’re able boy”
Well I’m telling you she knows where it’s at
Well then suddenly we heard the sirens
And everybody started to run
Jumping under doors and tables
Well I heard somebody shooting a gun
Well the DA was pumping my left hand
And she was holding my right
Well I told her, “Don’t get scared
cause you’re gonna be spared”
Well I’m gonna be forgiven
If I wanna spend my living
With a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5’9″ beautiful tall
With just one look I was a bad mess
Cause that long cool woman had it all
Had it all, had it all, had it all…
My wife (also a long cool woman in a black dress) sent me the link a couple days ago. I could not resist forwarding it to Gerard. Perfect for American Digest.
Casey K. I said the exact same thing to my wife last evening.
Probably my new favorite in music since I now know the lyrics and history of how the piece was made. Fantastic guitar and bass lead-in. The vocal is beyond comparison. In my opinion of course.
Superb video work as well-
CharlesSeptember 21, 2018, 9:57 AM
UT 1971. Great song!
CallmelennieSeptember 21, 2018, 10:00 AM
Sorry, Gerard but I truly believe that the notions “song by The Hollies” and “boomer anthem” are so inimical and discordant that they shouldn’t appear together in the same 10,000 word essay … let alone in the title of an internet posting
Now take “Baba O’Reilly” .. please ….. and give that the boomer anthem treatment. You probably dont appreciate it, as it was THE anthem for your goofy kid brother — you know, the one who was born in the mid-Fifties. Just take our word for it totally awesome, ma-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-n.
Sam L.September 21, 2018, 10:14 AM
I never knew the words. Clearly, it makes no difference. LOVE the song.
My husband was in a band that played all over the country in the 70’s. Mostly the small to medium clubs that existed at that time. He played keyboards, B3 mostly. This was one of the few songs he sang solo. He never knew all the words. As long as people heard “long cool woman in a black dress” and “bad mess” it didn’t seem to matter.
SkorpionSeptember 21, 2018, 2:57 PM
Meh. The Hollies had FAR better singles, like “Look Through Any Window” and “Bus Stop.”
This one always sounded like a blatant ripoff of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
just a five nine beautiful tall
One of the many cool toonz in my senior jr of high school, 1972.
senior yr jeez
Great song.
Almost as good as “Born to Be Wild,” another anthem.
Fall ’72… Sat in Ohio Stadium and watched Archie Griffin’s first play from scrimmage. He tore up our opponent that day. Wake Forrest?
More corruption by the FBI. Sniff.
My wife (also a long cool woman in a black dress) sent me the link a couple days ago. I could not resist forwarding it to Gerard. Perfect for American Digest.
Casey K. I said the exact same thing to my wife last evening.
Probably my new favorite in music since I now know the lyrics and history of how the piece was made. Fantastic guitar and bass lead-in. The vocal is beyond comparison. In my opinion of course.
Superb video work as well-
UT 1971. Great song!
Sorry, Gerard but I truly believe that the notions “song by The Hollies” and “boomer anthem” are so inimical and discordant that they shouldn’t appear together in the same 10,000 word essay … let alone in the title of an internet posting
Now take “Baba O’Reilly” .. please ….. and give that the boomer anthem treatment. You probably dont appreciate it, as it was THE anthem for your goofy kid brother — you know, the one who was born in the mid-Fifties. Just take our word for it totally awesome, ma-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-n.
I never knew the words. Clearly, it makes no difference. LOVE the song.
Finally!! I literally had no idea on half of the words in this great song.
But at least I never thought Hendrix sang “scuse me while I kiss this guy”.
Lennie, how do you know my kid brother is goofy and was born in the mid 50s?
My husband was in a band that played all over the country in the 70’s. Mostly the small to medium clubs that existed at that time. He played keyboards, B3 mostly. This was one of the few songs he sang solo. He never knew all the words. As long as people heard “long cool woman in a black dress” and “bad mess” it didn’t seem to matter.
Meh. The Hollies had FAR better singles, like “Look Through Any Window” and “Bus Stop.”
This one always sounded like a blatant ripoff of Creedence Clearwater Revival.