*JENNIE LEE*
An early Rock 'n' Roll "doo-wop" song. "Doo-wop" was a Rock style originating with Black vocal groups harmonizing to a beat. It got its name from the vocal harmony supporting the lead singer, which sometimes sounded like "doo-wop" or other nonsense syllables (listen to the Platters' recording of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and you can hear, behind the lead vocal, the syllables, "doo-wop" at the end of the first strain).
Many a girl I met or knew Oh, all my life I'd try for you A name so sweet as Jennie Lee Her heart is true and just for me Oh Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee I met her just a year ago My love for her will grow and grow Her bright eyes make a fire in me Now I cannot live without Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee Now If I were only seventeen There'd be no one left to bother me I'm gonna marry just wait and see To a sweet little girl named Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee Oh Jennie Lee Jennie Lee!An early Rock 'n' Roll "doo-wop" song. "Doo-wop" was a Rock style originating with Black vocal groups harmonizing to a beat. It got its name from the vocal harmony supporting the lead singer, which sometimes sounded like "doo-wop" or other nonsense syllables (listen to the Platters' recording of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and you can hear, behind the lead vocal, the syllables, "doo-wop" at the end of the first strain).
JENNY, JENNY
Little Richard (real name: Richard Penniman) was one of the first Rock and Roll artists, along with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. Elvis covered three of his hits, but nobody could match Richard's originals. He claims to have modeled his famous holler (usually before the instrumental break) on the Gospel cries of Marion Williams. White singers later modeled their cries on Richard's! Beatle, Paul McCartney wrote a song in homage to Richard's style, "I'm Down" (the b-side of "Help!") with a vocal to match. Note how "Jenny, Jenny" is essentially a blues souped up with a beat. That's how Rock 'n' Roll developed, as an uptempo blues, with happy instead of sad lyrics. Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" is also a blues and was recorded first by the blues singer, Big Mama Thornton. But Elvis so transforms the song that nobody would recognize its blues form anymore.Jenny Jenny Jenny, won't you come along with me, Jenny Jenny, ooh, Jenny Jenny (2) You know that I love, we could live so happily, Jenny Jenny, ooh, Jenny Jenny. Spinnin' spinnin' spinnin', spinnin' like a spinnin' top, Spinnin' spinnin', ooh, spinnin' spinnin' (2) Crazy little partner, you ought to see us reel and rock. Jenny Jenny, ooh, Jenny Jenny. Jenny Jenny Jenny, you know that you're my girl, Jenny Jenny, ooh, Jenny Jenny (2) You know that I'll need, I'll buy you diamond rings and pearl, Jenny Jenny, ooh, Jenny Jenny.
Poor Jenny
I took my little Jenny to the party last night At ten o'clock it ended in a heckuva *polite form of: hell of aIt's difficult to overestimate the influence of the Everly Brothers. A duo, Don and Phil, they blended bluegrass harmonies from their native Kentucky with a Rock beat and basically invented Rock harmony, which would later influence Simon & Garfunkel and four boys from Liverpool who first named themselves (after the Everly Brothers), The Foreverly Brothers and then changed their group's name to The Beatles. The rest is history. The Everly Brothers were masters at both uptempo songs and achingly beautiful ballads ("All I Have To Do Is Dream") and often had double-sided hits. Many of their uptempo records feature memorable acoustic guitar riffs that punctuate the end of each verse. "Poor Jenny" has such a riff, as does "Bye Bye Love" (their first hit) but the most memorable is surely the guitar riff on their second hit, "Wake Up, Little Susie." As for the song, "Poor Jenny," it's in the genre (kind) called tall tales, or exaggerated stories, told for comic effect, obviously intended for the teenage market.
fight When someone hit my Jenny she went out like a light Poor Jenny And then some *quickly
joker went and called the cops on *clown, fool, troublemaker
the phone So everybody scattered out for places unknown I couldn't carry Jenny so I left her alone Poor Jenny Well Jenny had her picture in the paper this morning She made it with a
bang According to the story in the paper *noise, splash
this morning Jenny is the leader of a teenage gang Jenny has a brother and *youthful troublemakers or criminals
he's hot on my trail Her daddy *chasing someone, like a dog
wants to ride me out of town on a rail *violently chase out
I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail Poor Jenny I went downtown to see her, she was locked in a cell She wasn't very glad to see me, that I could tell In fact, to tell the truth, she wasn't lookin' too well Poor Jenny Her eye was black, her face was red, her hair was a
fright She looked as though she'd *terrible
been a'cryin' half of the night I told *a-crying: crying
her I was sorry, she said "Get out of sight" Poor Jenny It seems a shame that Jenny had to go get apprehended, a heckuva fate *captured, caught **hell of a (polite)
This party was the first one she ever had attended It had to happen on our very first date Jenny has a brother and he's hot on my trail Her daddy wants to ride me out of town on a rail I hope I'll be around when Jenny gets out of jail Poor Jenny!
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