Classic Pop Icons

Little Richard’s great 1950s rocker “Good Golly, Miss Molly” is Song of the Week on Classic Pop Icons. “Good Golly, Miss Molly” was released in January 1958 on single, backed with Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey,” and also appeared on Little Richard’s self-titled second album.

“The frantic cat at his vigorous best” is how Billboard magazine described Little Richard’s performance when spotlighting the single in January 1958. They were right. “Good Golly, Miss Molly” is one of the finest recordings of the rock ‘n’ roll era by a singer who inspired both his contemporaries and subsequent generations of rock ‘n’ roll performers.

It’s the flawless vocal that elevates the single to classic status, but the superb piano intro, played by Little Richard himself, also deserves a mention. It is in fact very strongly inspired by Ike Turner’s piano intro to the 1951 single “Rocket 88,” but Richard takes it to another level, playing with much more attack.

Little Richard – “Good Golly, Miss Molly”

Little Richard & Tom Jones – “Good Golly, Miss Molly”

Little Richard guested on the second season of “This is Tom Jones” in November 1969 and the pair duetted on a great version of “Good Golly, Miss Molly.”

Authorship

“Good Golly, Miss Molly” was written by John Marascalco and Robert “Bumps” Blackwell. The pair had also collaborated on “Ready, Teddy” and “Rip It Up.” Blackwell had been instrumental in bringing Little Richard to Art Rupe’s Specialty Records in 1955. He also produced the sessions at which some of Richard’s best tracks were recorded, including “Good Golly, Miss Molly.”

Recording date/location

“Good Golly, Miss Molly” was recorded at J&M Studios, New Orleans, LA on October 15, 1956. The top ten hit “Jenny, Jenny” was recorded on the same day.

Musicians

The following musicians played on “Good Golly, Miss Molly”:

• Little Richard – vocals, piano
• Edgar Blanchard – guitar
• Frank Fields – bass
• Lee Allen – tenor sax
• Alvin “Red” Tyler – baritone sax
• Earl Palmer – drums.

As leading New Orleans session musicians, these guys played on many classic tracks by artists such as Fats Domino, Sam Cooke and Roy Brown. Earl Palmer had a particularly varied career, playing on records as diverse as Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba,” the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” and many of Sam Cooke’s big hits.

Chart performance

“Good Golly, Miss Molly” reached number 10 on Billboard’s Top 100 chart (the forerunner to the Hot 100) in March 1958 and peaked at number eight on the UK singles chart.

Covers

Swinging Blue Jeans – “Good Golly, Miss Molly”

The success of the Swinging Blue Jeans’ 1964 single “Hippy Hippy Shake” demanded a follow-up, so the band turned to the similar “Good Golly, Miss Molly” in the hope of striking gold again. This is a pretty solid cover which reached number 43 in the US and just missed the top ten in the UK.

Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Good Golly, Miss Molly”

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s blues rock interpretation of “Good Golly, Miss Molly” opened side two of the band’s 1969 album “Bayou Country.” The band succeeded in putting their own stamp on the song, which is driven forward by a catchy guitar riff, but it doesn’t flow as well as the piano-led original.

“Good Golly, Miss Molly” was a clear inspiration for Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1970 hit single “Travelin’ Band,” which also appeared on the album “Cosmo’s Factory.” Those who owned the publishing on “Good Golly, Miss Molly” thought the similarities were too evident and filed a plagiarism lawsuit, which was settled out of court.

There will be a new Song of the Week on May 16.

Little Richard’s “Good Golly, Miss Molly” is available on ACE Records reissue of “Little Richard – Vol 2” and various compilations, including “The Very Best of Little Richard.”

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