In the 1960s, McCallum recorded four albums for Capitol Records with music producer David Axelrod: Music...A Part of Me (Capitol ST 2432, 1966), Music...A Bit More of Me (Capitol ST 2498, 1966), Music...It's Happening Now! (Capitol ST 2651, 1967), and McCallum (Capitol ST 2748, 1968). The best known of his pieces today is "The Edge", which was sampled by Dr. Dre as the intro and riff to the track "The Next Episode", "M.I.A" by Missin' Linx, and "No Regrets" by Masta Ace.
McCallum did not sing on these records, as many television stars of the 1960s did when offered recording contracts. As a classically trained musician, he conceived a blend of oboe, English horn, and strings with guitar and drums, and presented instrumental interpretations of hits of the day. The official arranger on the albums was H. B. Barnum. However, McCallum conducted, and contributed several original compositions of his own, over the course of four LPs. The first two, Music...A Part of Me and Music...A Bit More of Me, have been issued together on CD on the Zonophone label. On Open Channel D, McCallum did sing on the first four tracks, "Communication", "House on Breckenridge Lane", "In The Garden, Under The Tree" (the theme song from the movie Three Bites of the Apple), and "My Carousel". The music tracks are the same as the Zonophone CD. This CD was released on the Rev-Ola label. The single release of "Communication" reached No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1966.
In recent years, McCallum gained renewed international recognition and popularity for his role as NCIS medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in the American television series NCIS.
Uptight
David McCallum Lyrics
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Baby, everything is all right, uptight, out of sight
I'm a poorman's son, from across the railroad tracks
The only shirt I own is hangin' on my back
But I'm the envy of every single guy
Since I'm the apple of my girl's eye
When we go out stepping on the town for a while
My money's low and my suit's out of style
Out of sight because my heart is true
She says baby everything is alright, uptight, out of sight
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight
I'm a pearl of a girl, I guess that's what you might say
I guess her folks brought her up that way
The right side of the tracks, she was born and raised
In a great big old house, full of butlers and maids
No one is better than I, I know I'm just an average guy
No football hero or smooth Don Juan
Got empty pockets, you see I'm a poorman's son
She says give her the things that money can buy
But I'll never, never make my baby cry
And it's all right, what I can't do
Out of sight because my heart is true
She says baby ev'rything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, ah ah ah ah
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight
David McCallum's song "Uptight" talks about the power of love and how it can make a person feel like everything is alright, even if they are facing financial struggles. McCallum shares that he is a "poorman's son" from across the railroad tracks, but he is the "envy of every single guy" because he is the "apple of [his] girl's eye." Although he may not have much money or fashionable clothes, his love for his girl is true, and that is all that matters. The song also highlights the contrast between his humble background and his girlfriend's privileged upbringing. She was born and raised on the right side of the tracks in a big house with butlers and maids, yet she still loves him for who he is, not for what he can give her. McCallum emphasizes that he may not be able to give her the things that money can buy, but he will never make her cry, and that's what truly matters.
Overall, "Uptight" is a feel-good song about the power of love and how it can overcome any materialistic obstacle. It teaches us that true love is not about how much money or material possessions we have, but rather about how we treat the people we care about.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, out of sight
Everything is going well, my life is full of excitement and positive energy
I'm a poorman's son, from across the railroad tracks
I come from a poor family that lives across the tracks
The only shirt I own is hangin' on my back
I only have one shirt, and it's the one I'm wearing
But I'm the envy of every single guy
Despite my humble beginnings, I have a girlfriend who is the center of attention and desire for all other men
Since I'm the apple of my girl's eye
My girlfriend loves me and thinks highly of me
When we go out stepping on the town for a while
When we go out for a night on the town
My money's low and my suit's out of style
I'm running low on cash and my suit is outdated
But it's all right if my clothes aren't new
It doesn't matter if my clothes aren't brand new
Out of sight because my heart is true
I have a true and honest heart, which is more important than material possessions
She says baby everything is alright, uptight, out of sight
My girlfriend reassures me that everything is good and full of excitement
I'm a pearl of a girl, I guess that's what you might say
My girlfriend is a wonderful and valuable person
I guess her folks brought her up that way
Her upbringing made her the great person she is
The right side of the tracks, she was born and raised
She comes from a wealthy and privileged family background
In a great big old house, full of butlers and maids
Her family has a large and luxurious home with many employees
No one is better than I, I know I'm just an average guy
Despite my humble beginnings, I know that I'm just as good as anyone else
No football hero or smooth Don Juan
I'm not a star athlete or a smooth ladies' man
Got empty pockets, you see I'm a poorman's son
I don't have much money, as I come from a poor family
She says give her the things that money can buy
My girlfriend wants material possessions that money can buy
But I'll never, never make my baby cry
I will never do anything to make my girlfriend cry or feel upset
And it's all right, what I can't do
I'm okay with not being able to provide everything my girlfriend wants
Out of sight because my heart is true
My true and honest heart is more important than material possessions
Baby ev'rything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight
My life is full of excitement and positivity, and everything is going well
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight
My life is full of excitement and positivity, and everything is going well
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, ah ah ah ah
Everything is going well, my life is full of excitement and positive energy
Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight
My life is full of excitement and positivity, and everything is going well
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Henry Cosby, Stevie Wonder, Sylvia Moy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind