Time of the Season

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"Time of the Season" is a song by The Zombies, featured on the 1968 album Odessey and Oracle. The song was written by keyboard player Rod Argent and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 1967. Several other songs from Odessey and Oracle were released as singles prior to "Time of the Season." Columbia Records supported the album and its singles at the urging of new A&R Rep, Al Kooper. One of the singles Kooper pushed for was the quite-uncommercial sounding "Butcher's Tale," which he and Columbia thought might catch on as an anti-war statement, at the time a popular trend. "Time of the Season" was only released at Kooper's urging, after previous singles flopped, and made its breakthrough in 1969, over a year after the band split up.

The song's characteristics include the unique voice of lead singer Colin Blunstone, the memorable bass riff, and Rod Argent's fast-paced psychedelic improvisation. The lyrics are an archetypical depiction of the emotions surrounding the Summer of Love. It is famous for its call-and-response verses "What's your name? (What's your name?)/Who's your daddy? (Who's your daddy?)/(He rich?) Is he rich like me?".

[edit] Pop culture occurrences

• It was sung by Blake Lewis on the sixth season of American Idol on March 20, 2007.
• The song is the source of the widespread provocative use of the phrase "Who's your daddy?", as popularized in the late 1980s and early 90's by syndicated radio shock jock "The Greaseman".
• This song was played in the background in an episode of The Simpsons, more specifically episode AABF02 ("D'oh-in In the Wind") in which Homer briefly becomes a hippie.
• Also used in the Friends episode "The One With the Flashback". The song plays in a dream sequence where Rachel fantasizes about Chandler.
• It was also featured in the Thomas Vinterberg movie Dear Wendy from 2005.
• The song is played during a car ride scene in the 1990 film Awakenings starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. The song is also featured on the film's soundtrack.
• It featured in one scene of Shanghai Knights.
• It featured in one scene of NBC's miniseries "The '60's" (1999), albeit anachronistically, in a scene dated to late 1965.
• The song was used on an episode of NBC's American Dreams, episode 3-5: "So Long, Farewell," which originally aired on Sunday, October 24, 2004.
• In 2006, C&C used the song in an ad campaign for Bulmers Original Cider.
• In Sprite's 2006 Sublymonal advertising campaign, a chorus of flowers with human faces perform an a capella version of the song's opening.
• During the 2006 playoffs, the New York Mets played it in Shea Stadium as the team took the field.
• It was also used in the South Park episode, The Mexican Staring Frog Of Southern Sri Lanka when Jimbo and Ned flashback and tell about when they met in Vietnam.

[edit] Cover versions

• Dave Matthews Band included the song occasionally on their 2005 Summer tour & it was consequently released on the CD and DVD Weekend on the Rocks later that year. It continues to be a crowd favorite on the road, & was last performed at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV, on Friday, March 23, 2007.
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me - 8. Time of the Season - Big Blue Missile with Scott Weiland.
• Tanya Donelly has covered the song live touring Lovesongs for Underdogs.
• Kurt Elling covers the song in a duo with Cassandra Wilson on The Messenger
• Brooklyn hardcore hip hop rapper, Necro, sampled the song in his X-rated song "Who's Ya Daddy?".
• Ben Taylor, the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon, covered the song on his album "Famous Among the Barns."
• The Twilight Singers have covered the song live on at least one occasion (see video on YouTube).