Grank Funk Railroad: The Loco-Motion

Remarks:

This was one of the few cases where I thought a White cover was clearly better than the Black original. That was, until I wrote this post and carefully listened to different versions. Uh-oh!

The song was written by Carole King and her husband Gerry Goffin. They appeared in this space before for “Up on the Roof” (1962).

In the Anglosphere, there are three main versions of “The Loco-Motion”:

• 1962: Little Eva, R&B (US #1, UK #2, Australia -)
• 1974: Grand Funk Railroad, rock, (#1, -, #5)
• 1987-88: Kylie Minogue, dance-pop (a la Stock Aitken & Waterman) (#3, #2, #1)

Grank Funk Railroad blows away the others because the guitar solo in the middle of the song is that good.

Little Eva was Carole King’s maid. If you compare her version with Carole King’s version from 1980, their singing voice sounds amazingly alike. Too alike. It is not just me: Waterman, who worked on the Minogue version, believes it was Carole King herself who in fact sang on the record. So all three versions are White! And check out the video above – also lily-White.

See also:

• songs: the 1970s
• Gerry Goffin: Up on the Rookf
• also Stock Aitken & Waterman:
  • Donna Summer: This Time I Know It’s For Real
  • Princess: Say I’m Your Number One
  • Rick Astley: Never Gonna Give You Up
• White American music

Lyrics: 

Everybody’s doin’ a brand new dance now
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
I know you’ll get to like it if you give it a chance now
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
My little baby sister can do it with ease
It’s easier than learnin’ your ABCs
So, come on, come on, and do the Loco-Motion with me

You’ve got to swing your hips now
Come on
Jump up
Jump back
Oh well, I think you’ve got the knack

Woah, woah
Now that you can do it, well let’s make a chain now
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
A chuga-chuga motion like a railroad train, now
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
Do it nice and easy now, and don’t lose control
A little bit of rhythm and a lot of soul
So, come on, come on, and do the Loco-Motion with me

Woah, woah
Move around the floor in a loco-motion
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
Do it holdin’ hands if’n you get the notion
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
There’s never been a dance that’s so easy to do
It even makes you happy when you’re feelin’ blue
So, come on, come on, and do the Loco-Motion with me
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
So, come on, come on, and do the Loco-Motion with me
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
So, come on, come on, and do the Loco-Motion with me
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)
(Come on baby, do the Loco-Motion)

Source: AZ Lyrics.