Gloria (Them song)

"Gloria"
Single by Them
from the album The Angry Young Them
A-side "Baby, Please Don't Go"
B-side "Gloria"
Released November 6, 1964 (1964-11-06) (as B-side)
1965 (1965) (as A-side)
Format Vinyl 7"
Recorded 5 July 1964, Decca Three Studios, West Hampstead
Genre Garage rock, protopunk
Length 2:38
Label Decca (UK), Parrot (US)
Writer(s) Van Morrison
Producer Dick Rowe
Them singles chronology
"Baby, Please Don't Go"
(1964)
"Gloria"
(1965)
"Here Comes
the Night
"
(1965)
Audio sample
file info · help
Alternative cover
U.S. release
"Gloria"
Single by Van Morrison
from the album It's Too Late to Stop Now
A-side "Gloria"
B-side "Warm Love"
Released 1974
Recorded 1973
Length 4:16
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s) Van Morrison
Producer Van Morrison, Ted Templeman
Van Morrison singles chronology
"Caldonia"
(1974)
"Gloria"
(1974)
"The Eternal Kansas City"
(1977)
"Gloria"
Single by Van Morrison & John Lee Hooker
from the album Too Long in Exile
A-side "Gloria"
B-side "It Must Be You"
Released 1993
Recorded 1992
Length 5:19
Label Mercury, Polydor
Writer(s) Van Morrison
Producer Van Morrison
Van Morrison singles chronology
"Why Must I Always Explain?"
(1991)
"Gloria"
(1993)
"Have I Told You Lately" (With The Chieftains)
(1995)

"Gloria" is a rock song classic written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and originally recorded by Morrison's band Them in 1964 as the B-side of "Baby, Please Don't Go". The song became a garage rock staple and a part of many rock bands' repertoires. It is particularly memorable for its "G–L–O–R–I–A" chorus. It is very easy to play (three-chord) and thus is popular with those learning to play guitar. The song continues to be played by thousands of bands from famous recording artists to unknown garage bands. Humourist Dave Barry joked that "If you drop a guitar down a flight of stairs, it'll play 'Gloria' on its way to the bottom."[1]

One explanation for the timeless popularity of the song was offered in Allmusic's review by Bill Janovitz:[2]

The beauty of the original is that Van Morrison needs only to speak-sing, in his Howlin' Wolf growl, "I watch her come up to my house/She knocks upon my door/And then she comes up to my room/I want to say she makes me feel all right/G-L-O-R-I-A!" to convey his teenage lust. The original Latin meaning of the name is not lost on Morrison. Them never varies from the three chords, utilizing only dynamic changes to heighten the tension.

"Gloria" was rated number 69 on Dave Marsh's list in the 1989 book The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. He described the song as "one of the few rock songs that's actually as raunchy as its reputation."[3] In his book Rock and Roll: The 100 Best Singles, Paul Williams said about the two sides of the "Baby Please Don't Go/Gloria" recording: "Into the heart of the beast... here is something so good, so pure, that if no other hint of it but this record existed, there would still be such a thing as rock and roll.... Van Morrison's voice a fierce beacon in the darkness, the lighthouse at the end of the world. Resulting in one of the most perfect rock anthems known to humankind."[4]

Contents

History

Morrison said that he wrote "Gloria" while he performed with the Monarchs in Germany in the summer of 1963, at just about the time he turned eighteen years old.[5] He started to perform it for audiences at the Maritime Hotel when he had returned to Belfast and joined up with the Gamblers to form the band Them. He would ad-lib lyrics as he performed, sometimes stretching the song to fifteen or twenty minutes in duration. After signing a contract with Dick Rowe and Decca, Them went to London, where they had a recording session at Decca Three Studios in West Hampstead on 5 July 1964, including "Gloria" as one of the seven songs recorded that day. Besides Morrison, present were Billy Harrison on guitar, Alan Henderson on bass, Ronnie Millings on drums and Patrick John McCauley on keyboards. Rowe brought in session musicians Arthur Greenslade on organ, Jimmy Page on guitar, and Bobby Graham on drums, since he considered the Them members too inexperienced. There remains some dispute about whether Millings and McCauley were miked up, but Alan Henderson contends that Them constituted the first rock group to use two drummers on a recording.[6] Gloria was the B-side, when "Baby, Please Don't Go" was released in the U.K. on 6 November 1964. It was re-released in 1973 on the Deram label, but did not chart.

Appearances

Original studio recording by Them

Studio version with John Lee Hooker

Live versions by Van Morrison

Cover versions

"Gloria"
Single by Patti Smith Group
from the album Horses
B-side "My Generation"
Released 1976 (1976)
Format Vinyl 7"
Recorded Electric Lady Studios, 1975
Genre Punk rock
Length 5:57
Label Arista
Writer(s) Van Morrison, Patti Smith
Producer John Cale
Patti Smith singles chronology
"Hey Joe"
(1974)
"Gloria"
(1976)
"Pissing
in a River
"
(1976)
Audio sample
file info · help

Acclaim

In 1999, "Gloria" by Them received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.[14] In 2000, "Gloria" by Them was listed as number 81 on VH1's list of The 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time.[15] In 2004, "Gloria" by Them was ranked #208 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[16] "Gloria" was also included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll twice: by Patti Smith and by Shadows of Knight.[17]

In the media

Them's recording of the song appeared in an episode of TV series The Sopranos, "Pine Barrens", accompanying the appearance of Annabella Sciorra's character Gloria Trillo. "Gloria" by Them was played a number of times in the 1983 film The Outsiders and also sung whilst fending off the monster in the jukebox musical, Return to the Forbidden Planet. It was also professional skateboarder Jim Greco's song in the video "Baker 2g".

Charts

Them1

Chart (1965)[18] Position
Billboard Hot 100 93
Chart (1966)[18] Position
Billboard Hot 100 71

Shadows of Knight

Chart (1966)[19] Position
Billboard Hot 100 10

Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker

Chart (1993)[20][21][22][23] Position
Irish Singles Chart 17
UK Singles Chart 31
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 36
Australia 22
Netherlands 37

References

Notes

  1. ^ Lezard, Nicholas (2007-08-05). "Bob Dylan: the best DJ on the planet". The Independent. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20070805/ai_n19442109. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
  2. ^ Janovitz, Bill. "Gloria". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/song/t3122630. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
  3. ^ Marsh, Dave (1989). "The Heart of Rock and Soul". http://www.lexjansen.com/cgi-bin/marsh_xml.php?fn=66. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
  4. ^ Williams, Paul; Berryhill, Cindy Lee (December 1993). "Baby Please Don't Go / Gloria – Them (1964)". Rock and Roll: The 100 Best Singles (Hardcover ed.). United States: Entwhistle Books. pp. 71–72. ISBN 9780934558419. 
  5. ^ Heylin, p. 76
  6. ^ Turner, p. 46-49
  7. ^ "Dunwich Album Discography". bsnpubs.com. http://www.bsnpubs.com/chicago/dunwich.html. Retrieved 2008-10-31. 
  8. ^ "The History of Banned R&R". classicbands.com. http://www.classicbands.com/banned.html. Retrieved 2008-10-31. 
  9. ^ "The Sound + Vision Tour". littleoogie.com. http://www.littleoogie.com/david_bowie_tours/sound/page1.html. Retrieved 2009-10-15. 
  10. ^ "Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007". crossroadsguitarfestival2007.com. http://crossroadsguitarfestival2007.com/pbsgreatperformance.html. Retrieved 2009-10-09. 
  11. ^ "Bruce Springsteen, Hershey Park sweet review, 08-19-2009". springsteeninformationcenter.wordpress.com. http://springsteeninformationcenter.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/bruce-springsteen-hershey-park-sweet-review-8-19-08/. Retrieved 2009-08-19. 
  12. ^ "Music Review: Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown". ivorytowerz.com. http://www.ivorytowerz.com/2009/05/music-review-green-days-21st-century.html. Retrieved 2009-09-02. 
  13. ^ "Same old bad medicine and leather trousers as Bon Jovi turn up the heat". The Irish Times. 30 June 2011. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0630/1224299793269.html. Retrieved 27 December 2011. 
  14. ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Award". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. 1999. http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
  15. ^ "VH1 100 Greatest Rock Songs 51-100". rockonnet.com. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2000/vh1rocksongs2.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-01. 
  16. ^ "The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". rocklistmusic.co.uk. 2004-12-09. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#500Songs. Retrieved 2010-05-22. 
  17. ^ "500 Songs that shaped rock". infoplease.com. http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0150472.html. Retrieved 2010-11-03. 
  18. ^ a b "Them – Billboard charts". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5630. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 
  19. ^ "Shadows of Knight – Billboard chart". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r49102. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
  20. ^ "Van Morrison – Irish chart". Irish Recorded Music Association. http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
  21. ^ "Van Morrison – UK chart". http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=20826. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 
  22. ^ "Van Morrison – Billboard chart". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r170187. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 
  23. ^ "Van Morrison – charts". http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?key=73902&cat=s. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 

External links