Not to be deterred, by this simple twist of fate, Brian quickly moved on to ABC Records, in 1961, sharing their short pop roster with The Impressions and Ray Charles, where he cut a string of chart records with the NY writing/production team of Gary Geld and Peter Udell. In 1961, the top twenty "Let Me Belong To You" and "I'll Never Stop Wanting You. Then in 1962, "Ginny Come Lately," went to #21 in the U.S. while reaching #5 in England and top ten all over Europe. This was followed that same year by "Sealed With A Kiss," reaching #3 in the U.S. and England, top ten in Germany, and another world wide hit. He also recorded German versions of both songs.
Brian was constantly on the road, appearing on American Bandstand often, once hosting the show, as well as the Saturday Night Show, and many popular local TV music shows around the country, as he put on endless miles doing bus tours, including The Caravan of Stars ("as many miles as anyone" says Dick Clark) and one nighters. In 1963, he headlined a tour in England with Little Eva, appearing on TV shows Thank Your Lucky Stars and Jukebox Jury as well as the live BBC radio show Saturday Club, where he heard and became an early Beatles fan. And while doing several annual tours in South America with Neil Sedaka during Carnaval, he heard the early Bossa Nova artists. He was never without his acoustic Martin guitar and was always open to, and absorbing new musical influences and changes.
His following early "country-rock" chart singles (which John Fogerty told him were "ahead of their time") included in 1962, the #25 single "Warmed Over Kisses (Left Over Love)," "I may Not Live To See Tomorrow" and in 1963, "I'm Afraid To Go Home." About this time, Brian performed an engagement in Greenwich Village at the Cafe Wha? with a young comedian named Richard Pryor. He then moved on to Philips Records, where in 1966 he recorded an album produced by Snuff Garrett with the musical assistance of now legendary musicians Leon Russell and JJ Cale, which included the top twenty singles, "The Joker Went Wild" and "Run,Run,Look And See." He went on to record two albums and chart singles for DOT Records, including his 1969 hit remake of the Thomas Wayne song "Tragedy." In 1970, Brian cut his third Gold Record with the Curtis Mayfield/Impressions song "Gypsy Woman," which went to #3 in the U.S. and sold well over 3 million internationally, followed by his tenth album with six original songs and another hit single, a version of Jackie Wilson's classic "Lonely Teardrops," which he co-wrote or co-produced with Del Shannon on UNI Records.
Vocally & artistically Brian is called "chameleonesque" for all his musical changes, having produced Hits for five different labels & successfully recorded everything from Novelty to Pop Ballads; to Folk Rock and Country Rock; to Pop Rock and Pop Soul, over more than a decade, but quite modestly having spent more than half of his life on the road and in the studio both writing and living his music, Brian feels he has just begun to Rock! In 1975, while on a tour of Indian Country in the Southwest with the Native American rock group XIT, he learned that ABC/Anchor Records in England had reissued his original recording of "Sealed With A Kiss" b/w "Ginny Come Lately," due to popular demand, and it surprised everyone by becoming a hit again, thirteen years later, the second time around!..going to #7 in England as well as charting again in Europe.
In the late seventies, with songwriting partner Rosmari, he turned his focus to writing and they spent a couple of years in New Orleans working with legendary writer/producer/artist, Allen Toussaint, which resulted in the album "In A State Of Bayou" on Private Stock Records, including three original songs. He later recorded a couple of original songs with help from members of The Band, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson at their Malibu studio, Shangri-La, and then joined Rick on one of his solo shows. In the early 1980's Brian's recording of "Ginny Come Lately" was included on the soundtrack album Lemon Popsicle 5 from the British movie Baby Love. The release in Germany of "Brian Hyland, Original Favorites" LP/CSS, was a partial collection of his Hit singles, however after twenty seven years Rhino Records released the first Brian Hyland Greatest Hits on LP/CSS in March of 1987. It includes fourteen of the twenty-two hot 100 chart singles Brian scored over an eleven year period from 1960 to 1971. Other releases include: an LP of Brian's Germann language recordings on Bear Family Records in Germany; a 16 track CD on Warners in Germany, "The Golden Gate Collection;" a CD3 on Old Gold Records in England; a CD3 on MCA Records in the U.S.; a 20 track CD "Let Me Belong To You," MCA Germany; a 27 track CD on Euro; "the Bashful Blond" in England; another English CD on Music Club; And available on CD in the U.S. and Canada, a release in May 1994 on MCA, "Brian Hyland, Greatest Hits" an 18 track CD including hits from all five labels!
While recording three duets for the album "Albert West and Friends" on Cherry Records & the Dutch charts, Brian performed on TV shows in Germany, Belgium and a Dutch TV special in Aruba. He also made two separate appearances on the U.S. TV show "Rock & Roll Palace" with Wolfman Jack; on Nashville Now, including a special from the Caymon Islands; and "The Daniel O'Donnel Show" in Dublin. He continues to tour around the U.S. and the world with songwriting partner Rosmari and their favorite rock drummer, son Bodi, performing classic Rock & Roll. . new & Gold!
While continuing to write new music and record, they are also compiling material for a book about the long and winding Rock & Roll road . .Among others, Brian has contributed original pen & ink art to the Rock Art Auction for AmFar; to the Rock & Roll Cookbook for the National Music Foundation; performed for the Special Olympics; recorded on annual Christmas Albums for Children's Hospitals nationwide and a song for "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer; The Movie."
In his Mac Music Studio, STONE BUFFALO TRAX Brian plays an acoustic Taylor guitar, a custom '68 Fender Telecaster, a custom "Vintage" '57 Fender Stratocaster, a custom Cort Bass, a Roland U20 keyboard/Synth, and Harmonica. They are currently writing and recording at home in California , continually adding to an archive of classic R&R, as well as a trilogy of CD's beginning with "Turquoise Moon" for independent release.
STONE BUFFALO ©2001
As of 2009, Brian Hyland continues to perform in the U.S. & Internationally, with his wife Rosmari on background vocals and percussion, and their son, Bodi, assisting on drums.
Triple Threat: Vol 2
Now Available August 2010!!!
..:::Another Blue Christmas (EP):::..
Now Available December 2010!!!
Check it out! http://t.opsp.in/Mv5C
More can be found at:
http://www.BrianHyland.com
http://www.youtube.com/OfficialBrianHyland
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Hyland/398661075532
http://www.myspace.com/brianhylandmusic
http://twitter.com/Brian_Hyland
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Brian+Hyland
Cozy Little Compact Car
Brian Hyland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I told her baby don't go far
I'll be over right away
In my cozy little compact car
When I saw her with a crowd
My heart fell like a falling star
When he asked them all to come
I found it hard to grin
As they started to climb in
Lucy, Frank and Jim and Mary Sue
Oh, Dick and Harry and Leaore
And before I closed the door
A half a dozen more jammed in there too
Started rollin' down the road
A-squeakin' like an old guitar
What a way to spend a date
In my cozy little compact car
There wasn't room to sneeze
Just elbows, arms and knees
As we passed the drugstore on the square
And then I thought I'd scream
When she saw the football team and said
"Come on there's lots of room to spare"
My girl was so close it was fun
We were like olives in a jar
And we go out every night
With the whole gang packed in tight
In my cozy little compact car.
The song "Cozy Little Compact Car" by Brian Hyland is a humorous portrayal of a young couple attempting to have a romantic date in a small car, only to be interrupted by a crowd of friends who tag along for the ride. The singer, the male, calls his girlfriend to come see him, assuring her of his arrival in his comfy little car. However, upon reaching the scene, he finds her surrounded by friends and struggles to keep his cool. They all pile in and pack the car, with barely any room left for movement, making for a bumpy ride. Despite the nuisance, it seems like the couple enjoys the company of their friends and the fun they have together.
The lyrics of this song are reflective of the era from which it came, when cars were increasingly becoming a symbol of mobility and social status for young people and the romanticization of the automobile lifestyle was at its height. The car, in this case, serves as a centerpiece for the social gathering, overshadowing the romance but creating a fun and lively atmosphere. The humor of the song is very effective, taking the stress and woes of teenage romance and turning them on their head with a playful tune. Overall, the song is a lighthearted and fun representation of youth and cars, showing the importance of both in young people's lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Called my baby on the phone
I picked up the phone to call my girlfriend.
I told her baby don't go far
I requested my girlfriend not to go far away from my place.
I'll be over right away
I assured her that I would reach promptly.
In my cozy little compact car
I planned to go to my girlfriend's place in my small and cozy car.
When I saw her with a crowd
Upon reaching her place I saw her with a group of people.
My heart fell like a falling star
I felt disheartened seeing her with the group.
When he asked them all to come
I became anxious when she invited the whole group along with us.
In my cozy little compact car
Even though my car was small, there were a lot of people to fit in.
I found it hard to grin
Even though I wanted to smile, I couldn't find the reason.
As they started to climb in
As the group members started to pile up into my car.
Lucy, Frank and Jim and Mary Sue
Some of the people who joined us in the car were Lucy, Frank, Jim, and Mary Sue.
Oh, Dick and Harry and Leaore
Others joining us included Dick, Harry, and Leaore.
And before I closed the door
Before I completely shut the car door, some more people squeezed themselves inside the car.
A half a dozen more jammed in there too
Six more people found space inside the cramped car, making it difficult to move.
Started rollin' down the road
We began to move down the road.
A-squeakin' like an old guitar
The car was making a lot of noise, similar to an old guitar.
What a way to spend a date
Going out like this seemed like an unpleasant way of spending a date.
In my cozy little compact car
Even though the car was small, we had to uncomfortably adjust to fit everyone in.
There wasn't room to sneeze
The car was so cramped that there wasn't any space to sneeze.
Just elbows, arms and knees
Everyone had to sit with their elbows, arms, and knees cramped together.
As we passed the drugstore on the square
While driving, we crossed a drugstore located in the square.
And then I thought I'd scream
I felt extremely uncomfortable and thought I would scream.
When she saw the football team and said
When my girlfriend saw a football team passing by, she invited them to join us.
"Come on there's lots of room to spare"
She convinced the football team by saying they would be comfortable in the car as there was plenty of room.
My girl was so close it was fun
Despite the cramped conditions, I found it fun being so close to my girlfriend.
We were like olives in a jar
We were squeezed together like olives in a jar.
And we go out every night
We continued to go out every night with the same group of people.
With the whole gang packed in tight
Every night, we went out with the same group of people all packed inside my small car.
In my cozy little compact car.
Despite the initial discomfort, we continued to have fun in my cozy little compact car.
Writer(s): Alfred Roy
Contributed by Mila K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.