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Saturday, January 1, 2011

121. Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter by Herman's Hermits 1965



In the early seventies as my record collection was growing I bought a lot of 2.99 albums from K-Mart on Burwood Highway. It was a short bicycle ride away and they had an extensive range of cut price albums. Cheap albums with hit single titles but turned out to be the actual albums such as "Pet Sounds" (sleeve notes by Ian Meldrum!) or the Kinks 'Something Else" Anyway I loved this sixties stuff even though it was only a few short years before but I didn't have the records then. One of my favourites was Herman's hermits greatest hits which contained this song.
It was kinda the first song I ever performed live. Camp Banksia. 1975 I was singing it while we walked through the bush. I felt dead comfortable singing it. it's quite monotone and suited my voice. Plus at the time I found using my English accent worked wonders meeting girls. They were always getting me to say "Rice Bubbles". So cute. If it helped I'd try it. I even contemplated going on Young Talent Time with it.
When little Murders recorded High school in 1979 I tried to emulate that dead guitar sound by putting masking tape over my guitar strings. The b-side Trouble With Love also was not that far removed from the chord structure on Mrs Brown.
In the late 90's when I was doing a lot of solo gigs with just me and an electric guitar I started performing it on stage. Slowed down with a dollop of angst. It's a fun song to sing. And it's quite sad really. he's lost his girlfriend and he goes round to her Mum's house. What for I don't know.
One day I got a message that Herman's Hermits had reformed and were going to cover one of my songs "After The Fire". Of course it never happened but what a blast that would of been.


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