Johnny Rivers, (aka John Henry Ramistella) was a New Yorker transplanted to Baton Rouge, LA, as a child. He had more genres than any singer I can think of, with the possible exception of Kenny Rogers. Some he did very well, some not so well, but he is one of my all-time favorites of the rock 'n roll era.
Last night while driving home from Portland I was playing some of my old tapes and Rivers' version of These Are Not My People came up. It sounds like a Bob Dylan song - about some naive young woman (presumably) who falls in with the wrong crowd and then realizes that when they tire of her, they're going to toss her aside.
The song was written by the great songwriter Joe South, whose own version is not quite the Phil Spector 'Wall of Sound' treatment that Rivers' version is. Neither version was a big hit in the USA; Rivers' single reached #55. Here is a C&W version by Freddy Weller that reached #5 on the country charts in 1969.
Here are the lyrics;
First your mama and your papa sent you to the finest schools
Never let it be said that their little darling was a fool
So with a credit card and your good name
You were drawn like a moth to the flame
To that crowd of the night where you more or less lost your cool
You had 20-20 vision and still you are walking round blind
And whether right or wrong, I'd still tag along behind
Now if you think that's reality
And girl that's where you wanna be
It's time to say, you go your way and I'll go mine
It's been a gas but I'm gonna have to pass
These are not my people
These are not my people
Looks like the end, my friend
I got to get in the wind, my friend
You found yourself naked in the world with no place to hide
Then you feel the pulse of your god and he has died
Now you're a rebel that's got no cause
Yeah, a tiger that's got no claws
They promised you the world on a string but you know they lied
You said you'd be back in a big black limousine
But you know I'm inclined to believe it's not the kind you mean
Cause when you fall down up off your cloud
And you're just a little face in the crowd
They're gonna throw you away like the last week's magazines
It's been a gas but I think I'm gonna pass
These are not my people
These are not my people
Looks like the end, my friend
I got to get in the wind, my friend
Looks like the end, my friend
I got to get in the wind
"Even Woodstock turned out to be a disaster. Everybody was stuck in the mud and people got sick." - Johnny Rivers
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