“00indivdual 1969 Collage Excerpts” Copyright 2018 00individual TLL
From the March 31, 1970 album, “It Ain’t Easy”
Mama Told Me Not To Come
Three Dog Night, led by vocalists, Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny “Roses and Rainbows” Hutton, were a spirited Funk-inspired Rock Band who became serious hitmakers and Rock Icons.
Three Dog Night’s hits include: Harry Nilsson’s “One” (US #5), the Gerome Ragni-James Rado-Galt MacDermot composition “Easy to Be Hard” (US #4) from the musical Hair, Laura Nyro’s “Eli’s Comin'” (US #10), Randy Newman’s “Mama Told Me Not to Come” (US #1), Paul Williams’ “Out in the Country” (US #15), “The Family Of Man” (US #12), and “An Old Fashioned Love Song” (US #4), Hoyt Axton’s “Joy to the World” (US #1) and “Never Been to Spain” (US #5), Arkin & Robinson’s “Black and White” (US #1), Argent’s Russ Ballard’s “Liar” (US #7), Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Lady Samantha” and “Your Song”, Daniel Moore’s “Shambala” (#3), and Leo Sayer’s “The Show Must Go On” (US #4).
“Mama Told Me Not To Come” was written by the always witty, clever, and hard rockin’ when he wants to, Randy Newman. Newman was gifted with the ability to really poke pointed fun at serious issues, at and on, every level. The subjects and issues usually boiled down to levels of ignorance. And while everyone sang along happily, Randy smiled.
Which brings the focus on one of his early songs written for Eric Burdon as far back as 1966; “Mama Told Me Not To Come” became a very successful Billboard #1 hit by Three Dog Night and the very first #1 song played on the July 4, 1970 broadcast of American Top 40 with Casey Kasem.
Beyond the obvious that is plainly-stated in the lyrics, there was a very timely vibe created by this song. The vibe was not only a parallel between the lyrics and 00individual’s current 1970 reality, but the music itself seemed very psychedelic to experienced ears. The perfectly-paced looney tempo gave the song an “already on drugs” feel – a woozy kinda cool – whereby with stoned eyelids half-closed one saw clearer than they ever had before.
00individual remembers cruisin’ the beach towns on acid listening to the car radio, and even before the vocals for MTMNTC could start, the beginning strains of the fuzzy organ intro of this song became an ambient vibe trigger of psychedelic rockin’ days and nights of the summer of 1970 and beyond.
Told from a surprised, semi-naive viewpoint, this song had a much deeper feel to experienced Psychonauts as the lyrics took on descriptions of an average weekday/workday fun night.
Mama Told Me Not To Come
(Popular radio version)
“Want some whiskey in your water Sugar in your tea
What’s all these crazy questions they askin’ me
This is the craziest party there could ever be
Don’t turn on the lights, ’cause I don’t want to see
Mama told me not to come, oh lord Mama told me not to come
She said, That ain’t the way to have fun, no
Open up the window Let some air into this room
I think I’m almost chokin’ From the smell of stale perfume
And that cigarette you’re smoking ‘Bout scared me half to death
Open up the window, sucker Let me catch my breath
Mama told me not to come, oh lord Mama told me not to come
She said, that ain’t the way to have fun, son That ain’t the way to have fun, son
(Instrumental)
The radio is blastin’ Someone’s knocking at the door
I’m lookin’ at my girlfriend She’s passed out on the floor
I seen so many things I ain’t never seen before
I don’t know what it is Somebody shut that door
Mama told me not to come, oh lord Mama told me not to come
She said, that ain’t the way to have fun, son That ain’t the way to have fun, son.”
Memo
To: Mama
Re: Not to Come
Advice rejected.
Psychonauts, Hippies, Counter-Culturists and Individuals did not need nor heed non-experienced outsiders advice. That was one of the first of many realities that was revealed by experimenting with drugs: the ability to avoid the BS and streamline one’s life and make room for important advice and information to be considered.
People who had experienced that of which they spoke, who spoke truth, and had no axe to grind, no benefit to lie, were revered. With the new lens of bustability provided by Marijuana and Psychedelics; the self-serving phonies were spotted immediately.
Unfortunately, those who knew the least proclaimed to know the most. It was like nuns teaching sex education; who are you going to listen to, a nun or a hooker, if about drugs, a cop or your dealer, if about the Vibe, your parents or your friend, and if about the truth, any authority figure or your dog.
For most, other than those few who mastered the art of “Sincerity, and once you fake that, you’re in.” – sizing-up anyone’s bullshit level was easy. Easier still once one had dropped their own egotistical ways.
And besides, that was just one of the many ways to have fun.
Yes, that’s the way to have fun, son.
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For those who do not know the meaning of a Three Dog Night would cerainly appreciate it on a cold night when not one, nor two, but three dogs up on the bed were needed to keep you and them warm ‘n’ toasty throughout the night.
“How cold was it last night? It was a three dog night.”
This is Tribal Truth, 00individual has been sleeping with dogs for decades.
No double entendre intended.
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