w interview innerWORLD

What drives artists like Ray Char- les with Nathalie Cole or Celine Dion (both in 2004) or Bette Mid- dler (2005) to record their versions of Fever - a song that was already covered by just about everybo-

dy in the music business - from Kari Nevalainen , , James “Never know how much I love you Brown, Buddy Guy, The Doors, El- vis Costello, Burt Bacharach, Nina Never know how much I care Hagen, , Bill Wyman, , Chaka Khan, Greatful When you put your arms around me Dead, The Jam, The Neville Brot- hers, Tom Jones, Amanda Lear, I get a fever that’s so hard to bear , Isaac Hayes, Boney m., Suzy Quatro, Eno, T-bone Wal- You give me …” ker, David Cassidy, , Bobby blue bland, Sonny Stitt, Sa- rah Vaughan, Herbie Mann, Ken- ny Burrell or Jimmy Smith - just to name a few? Did they all think that Christian Rintelen: the fi nal, the ultimate version of fever has not yet been recorded? And why does a plethora of les- ser-known musicians believe they IWA: Fever’s been subject to count- CR: What an easy question to start with could actually really improve the less cover songs, but it’s not in Top 10, … ! Believe me, if I knew how to make a work of the great artists named many Beatles songs e.g. being cove- hit out of a song — I’d certainly not tell above - and risk to fail miserably? red even more frequently. Would you you, or anybody else! It’s well known, FEVER specialist Christian say that the popularity of Fever is of that today, hits are made. All it takes is Rintelen has some answers. the same origin as the popularity of ot- the right producer with the right artist her favourite cover songs? And if so, with the right record company with the what’s the origin? right promo … and of course with the

innerWORLD 66 nro 2/2007 innerWORLD 67 interview interview

right song, the song being the least important ingredient, as it so often CR: Now that’s a tough one … Otis a cat or a chick sings these words! seems. I doubt that the authors of Fever — and Eddie Blackwell has recorded and published Cooley — knew they had written a hit when fi rst recor- three different solo versions of “his” song IWA: Supposing the great popularity ded their song. But then again, why would Blackwell have published Fe- plus one together with . In of Peggy Lee’s or Elvis’ version could ver using ”Davenport” — his stepfather’s name — as a nom de plume? some way, I consider these recordings be explained by American inhibited You don’t do this without having a hunch that Fever could be a hit. “originals” because who, if not the com- middle-class sexuality in the poser, is entitled to record the “original” and . Why does the song appeal IWA: Can you think of something specifi c to Fever that could explain version? But Blackwell’s versions were people in other cultures and later ge- its widespread use as a cover? Just anything? Flexibility? recorded after - and clearly infl uenced nerations? CR: I’ll take a wild guess: It was a combination of being at the right time at by - Little Willie John’s, Peggy Lee’s and CR: I think it’s the mixture — lascivious- the right place. Just look what happened to the song in the fi rst couple of Elvis’ success. For me, Little Willie John’s ness and double-entendre. Just listen to years: It was fi rst recorded as a rhythm’n’bluesy soul ballad by Little Willie Fever is the original and the most infl u- and R&B of Eisenhower era, these John in 1956 and became a minor hit in the R&B-charts, best ranking ential for all later Blues and R&B ver- songs are chocked full of more or less 14 or so. In the same year, , the bass player for Peggy Lee, sions. To all other versions, Peggy Lee’s obvious sexuality in their language. Nina Frank Zappa and whatnot, heard the song blues joint and told Peggy Lee re-arranged Fever is the most infl uential Simone’s “I want some sugar in my bowl” Although written for other mu- about it. She rearranged, and rewrote the song into the swinging tune and ever. comes to mind. From that perspective sicians, Otis Blackwell recorded published Fever in 1958. The song became an instant jazz standard. Two years Fever is just another cat in a dark alley. his songs (not only Fever) on later Elvis Presley was released from the Army and desperately needed to get his IWA: Does one need to ask what the several occasions. On “The- song is about? Blunt sexual love? IWA: Say something clever about the se are my songs”, there’s one career going again. He recorded Fever with a R’n’R beat for his 1960 comeback version, on “Searchin’” there’s . Within four years Fever went from soul to jazz to rock’n’roll — al- Sweetness of it? Evolutionary psycho- music of Fever. another one and on “They cal- ways fi nding a new public that liked the typi- c a l logy? Something else? CR: What do you want me to say … That led it rock’n’roll” there are even two different versions. The groove of fever. But to answer your question: CR: Which version are you talking the bass should be heard as a heart beat most interesting though is “We I think it’s Peggy Lee’s stripped-to-the-bone about? .. hehe … The original ”black” full of anticipation, intensifying and with Wrote’Em & We Sing’Em”. On arrangement … most probably the fi rst drum this 1961 LP the writer, Eddie version is about sex, longing for sex those small changes in rhythm that we Cooley, sings Fever produced & bass recording … with only a bass, a simp- and ”fever all through the night”. Peggy all know too well. That the good versions and accompanied by the com- le drum, and some fi nger snapping. It was Lee sanitized, or bleached, if you like, manage to let you feel this heat building poser, Otis Blackwell. so simple, it just begged to be covered. A the lyrics and replaced the longing with up both with the singer’s voice - not the mixture of coolness and emotion, lasciviousness. And Elvis truly earns his lyrics! -, and the interplay between bass as Jonathan Fischer writes in his nickname ”the Pelvis” with a super-sexy and drum. That crappy versions in com- liner notes to a Fever sampler. version — the cooler the fever, the hot- parison combine a bored singer with a ter the sizzle. But very obviously, Eddie lukewarm rhythm section. IWA: How many of the cover Cooley ain’t no when it versions are simply riding on comes to great lyrics. IWA: Something like that … the ingenuity of the original CR: It’s essential that the singer Fever, or of the early covers, IWA: In the end of the song, the pro- has to either cry out or understate or the other way round, how tagonist says, in one variant of the ly- the fever, the rhythm section in- many are done for more artistic reasons, rics: “Now you’ve listened to my story cluding the fi nger snapping have reworking it to exemplify new approach to music? / Here’s the point that I have made / to be just a hair behind the singer CR: Of my collection I rated 130 with four or fi ve stars. I’d say 70 or so Cats were born to give chicks fever to make the whole soup sizzle, and can claim some kind of originality. And about the same number of ver- …” Point? What point? Isn’t the whole strings should have a tendency to sions are … well, crap and fi ller. song just one damn point? turn coolness into syrup. As for tem- CR: Of course! But isn’t life about repro- po, any speed between Elvis’ live IWA: What’s your 2 cents on the ’original’ version issue? What’s the duction and the accompanied fever?! and La Lupe’s Spanish interpreta- most infl uential version ever? But what a difference it makes whether tions make a superb fever.

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IWA: Of the many styles with CR: Hmm… maybe 15? Hard to tell because when I de- Or how Peggy Lee sanitized the lyrics, which Fever’s been performed cided to get seriously feverish I discovered at least ten adding Pocahontas and other Ameri- which, in your mind, is least sui- LPs with Fever in my collection which I didn’t remember. cana and at the same time stripped the ted to the song? song to the bare essentials. Interesting IWA: And how many you own right now? CR: I don’t think that there will also, how incredibly quick versions in ot- ever be a great classical rendition CR: I think I’m up to 395 now. her languages - Kuume, Fieber, Fièvre, of Fever. And the various a capel- Fiebre, Feber etc. - appeared in the time la Fevers aren’t really feverish. IWA: Any idea how many more there are around? ? shortly after Peggy Lee published her version — none of them being worth to IWA: Fine, Christian, let’s CR: I know of a few that I don’t yet have. And I want a write home about except for La Lupe’s move on to Why did YOU version by , by Prince, by Shaggy, by red hot Spanish Fiebre. Or how popular choose Fever, of all the Muddy Waters and by Chuck Berry, … none of those have Madonna’s version was in the gay com- songs in the universe? But recorded Fever to my knowledge, but one never knows! munity — which also adored Peggy Lee. before that I’d like to know whether you’ve al- Or Lizzy Mercier Descloux who recor- ways collected something? Butterfl ies, stamps, IWA: Is it diffi cult nowadays to fi nd new versions? How ded her French version under the title the bottle tops etc.? do you fi nd them? Tumour — only to die of cancer 20 years CR: As a kid, I collected remarks for bad behaviour in CR: The web has made the search much, much easier later aged 48. Or, or or… Christian Rintelen school. Besides Fever, I’m not so much a collector but than in the times of fax and overseas calls. i-tunes, sion I know of. And Otis Blackwell’s 1976 IWA: The most humorous version(s) (Swiss, 49 years) lives more the prototypical guy who can’t let go, of books, Amazon, gemm.com and youtube.com are some of blues-rocky version on ”These are my you’ve got? in Zurich, Switzerland, records, cameras, vacuum tubes, pick-ups etc. the spots where I continue to stumble across new ver- songs”, because that’s how he meant and makes his living as sions. CR: I think the Oscar goes to … Fieber ■ Fever to be sung. a freelance writer. If not IWA: Why then Fever? by Herbert Knebel’s Affentheater from Go and download the complete ex- writing copy or walking CR: That’s a story worth telling! In the early 90s I edi- IWA: Just any version or do you restrict yourself to 1995. Great music and insanely weird ly- cel fi le/list of Christian’s collected the dog (Guru Labrador, some criteria? rics. ted a HiFi mag and Elvis’ Fever was one of my test re- versions of Fever on: http://www. 17 months), he listens to cords—if a speaker, amp, turntable or whatnot couldn’t CR: In general I collect any version I fi nd. But I do IWA: The most melancholic one(s)? rintelen.ch/e/fever.html all kinds of fever … mu- make my feet tap, it wasn’t worth listening. And good not need all the 18 re-re-mixes of Madonna’s Fever. sic, builds tube amps systems made the fi nger snapping an experience per CR: Some versions of Kuume, Finnish, (have a look at his web- se. When I wrote about Elvis’ fi nger snapping in a re- IWA: What have you learned, if anything, about the song have the Kaurismäki-melancholia. site to see which), rides view, I received letters claiming, these weren’t fi ngers whilst collecting new versions? his V-twin, sips ristret- but wooden sticks… I listened to another pressing of IWA: The most idiotic one(s)? CR: Fever is also a perfect example for the musi- tos ... or sleeps. In an ”Elvis is back”—and was fl oored: The LP pressed in the CR: I could very well live without Aman- cal black/white segregation in the US of A. Starting earlier life, he published late 70s was so incredibly over-EQ’d that the fi ngers re- da Lear’s disco version — which takes with Otis Blackwell who wrote more than 1000 songs, a Hi-Fi magazine (“HiFi ally sounded like wooden sticks! stupidity to a new, and admittedly almost among them “”, “Return to Sender”, “Don’t Scene Schweiz”) and I have about fi ve or six different ingenious level. organized the European be cruel” or “”, who was at the time of pressings of ”Elvis is back” and Triode Festivals ETF.03, writing Fever a hired song writer not even getting the $ IWA: Finally, … your top fi ve recor- I like the scratchy mono version ETF.04 and ETF.05. His 50.00 per week he was promised. In a 1979 interview dings? The ones you’d take with you best — played of course with a shrinks as well as most he said “I began to write under my stepfather’s name, vintage Mono-SPU! to the moon, and why? of his friends think he’s John Davenport. I felt that if the publishing went through CR: Little Willie John because he was nuts, and his Brazilian IWA: How many recordings of Joe Davis I wouldn’t see any of the royalties.” Next in line the fi rst. Peggy Lee in a live version be- wife is inconsolable for Fever did you have before you Little Willie John who died in prison for allegedly killing cause she made the song famous. Elvis not (yet) having found decided to go for collecting a guy twice his size in a bar brawl — and with James Presley because his fever is about as a Bossa Nova, Samba them in a more serious man- In addition to Tuomari Nurmio, at least four Brown being so sad about John’s untimely death that cool and hot as it gets. or just plain Portuguese ner? Finnish artists have recorded Fever: Kaija he recorded his own, absolutely killer version of Fever. because it’s just the most feverish ver- Kärkinen, Pave Maijanen, Laila Kinnunen. version of “Fever”. ■ innerWORLD 70 nro 2/2007 innerWORLD 71