Interview Innerworld
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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 Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee, 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, Madonna, Bill Wyman, Shirley Horn, 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 Tina Turner, Isaac Hayes, Boney m., Suzy Quatro, Eno, T-bone Wal- You give me …” ker, David Cassidy, Quincy Jones, 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 — Otis Blackwell and Eddie Blackwell has recorded and published Cooley — knew they had written a hit when Little Willie John 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 Eddie Cooley. 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 1950s poser, is entitled to record the “original” and 1960s. 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- blues 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, Max Bennett, 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 jazz 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 album. 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 Chuck Berry 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. innerWORLD 68 nro 2/2007 innerWORLD 69 interview interview iinterview 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.