Harpers Bi… Read Full Bio ↴Harpers Bizarre is the name of two separate musical acts.
Harpers Bizarre was an American pop-rock band of the 1960s, best known for their Broadway/choirboy sound and their remake of Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)."
Career
Harpers Bizarre was formed out of The Tikis, a Californian band who enjoyed some local success with Beatle-like songs in the mid 1960s. In 1967, record producer Lenny Waronker got a hold of the Simon & Garfunkel song "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)," determined to make it into a single. The Tikis recorded it, with the arrangement featuring extended harmonies reminiscent of the work of Brian Wilson or even the Swingle Singers. The song was released under a new band name, "Harpers Bizarre" (a play on the magazine "Harper's Bazaar"), so as not to alienate The Tikis' fanbase. The Harpers Bizarre version of the song reached #13 on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1967, far exceeding any success that The Tikis thus far had.
The success of the single prompted Harpers Bizarre to record their debut album. At this point the band consisted of Ted Templeman (vocals, drums, guitar); Dick Scoppettone (born 5 July 1945; vocals, guitar, bass); Eddie James (guitar); Dick Yount (bass, vocals) and John Petersen (born 8 January 1942; drums, percussion, vocals). Petersen had previously already enjoyed a brief spell of success as member of the Beau Brummels; James left shortly after the first recording sessions and was replaced by Dick Young. Under the guidance of producer Lenny Waronker (and Templeman, who emerged as the leader of the group), Harpers Bizarre developed a unique sound which experimented with heavy vocal layering. Most of Harpers Bizarre's recordings are cheerful and airy, both in subject matter and musical accompaniment often with string and woodwind arrangements, resulting in a psychedelic Broadway/Baroque pop sound.
In addition to covering several old standards (including Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" and Gordon and Warren's "Chattanooga Choo Choo"), Harpers Bizarre also recorded the work of several contemporary songwriters, including Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks and Harry Nilsson.
None of the subsequent singles, however, achieved the same level of success as their debut, and the band broke up shortly after their last album was released in 1969.
In 1976, a partial reunion of the group occurred (without Templeman) to record an album, As Time Goes By, that is often overlooked in Harpers Bizarre discographies.
Discography
Feelin' Groovy (1967)
Anything Goes (1968)
Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre (1968)
Harpers Bizarre 4 (1969)
As Time Goes By (1976)
Harpers Bizarre is also the name of an group of Harp Players from Cornwall, UK. 'Harpers Bizarre' Harp ensemble was formed in 2004 by Sarah Deere-Jones plus Sarah herself, who runs the Cornwall Harp Centre.Their first performance was at the Penventon Hotel in Redruth, Cornwall in November 2004 before going on to release their first CD 'A Cornish Pastiche' of new and traditional harp tunes.
Knock On Wood
Harpers Bizarre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I do, I will surely, I will lose a lot
For your love is better than any love other I've know
It's like thunder, lightning
The way you love me is frightening
I better knock on wood
Baby
I got superstitious about you, but I can't take change
You got me spinning, baby, spinning in a trance
But your love is better than any other love I've known
It's like thunder, lightning
The way you love me is frightening
You better knock on wood
It's no secret, but that woman fills my loving cup
She sees, so ready, that I get enough
And her love is better than any other love I've known
It's like thunder
It's like lightning
The way you love me is frightening
I better knock on wood
Baby
Better, yes, better
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) yes, I better
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) oh, knock on wood
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) you know I would, would
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) it's no secret
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) no, oh, better
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) hangin' above me
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) I can't leave her
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) oh no, baby
Knock on wood, woo!
The lyrics to Harpers Bizarre's song "Knock On Wood" describe the fear of losing a good thing. The singer expresses gratitude for the love they've found, acknowledging that it's better than any other love they've known. However, the intensity of the love is also a source of fear. The singer admits to feeling superstitious and believes that they need to knock on wood to avoid losing this wonderful thing they've found. The love is described as thunder and lightning, both powerful and potentially dangerous. There is a sense of being under a spell or in a trance, but also the recognition that this love fills their "loving cup."
The repetition of "you better knock on wood" throughout the song underscores the fear of losing this love. It becomes a sort of mantra, a reminder to be grateful and to acknowledge the good fortune of finding such a wonderful partner. The line "it's no secret" suggests that others might recognize how lucky the singer is to have this love, but the fear of losing it is ever-present. Overall, the song is a reminder of the power of love and the need to cherish and protect it.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to lose the good thing that I've got
I'm afraid of losing the great relationship I have with my significant other.
If I do, I will surely, I will lose a lot
If we break up, I'll lose a lot more than just my partner. I'll also lose my love and happiness and maybe even my will to live.
For your love is better than any other love I've known
The love that I share with you is the best that I have ever received from anyone and it means the world to me.
It's like thunder, lightning
Your love is powerful and intense which makes me feel both frightened and amazed at the same time.
The way you love me is frightening
You love me in such an intense and passionate way that it scares me sometimes.
I better knock on wood
I need to ensure that our relationship endures and hope that nothing goes wrong between us by knocking on wood.
I got superstitious about you, but I can't take change
I became quite superstitious about you and our relationship and I'm scared of changing anything in fear of losing what I have with you.
You got me spinning, baby, spinning in a trance
Your love has me feeling dizzy and mesmerized and I can't stop thinking about you.
It's no secret, but that woman fills my loving cup
There's no mystery about it, my partner is the one who satisfies me completely and fills me with love and joy.
She sees, so ready, that I get enough
My partner ensures that I have everything I need, especially love and affection so that I can thrive in our relationship.
And her love is better than any other love I've known
The way that my significant other loves me is incomparable to the love I've experienced before, it's the best that I've ever known.
Better, yes, better (yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) yes, I better
That's right, our love is better and enduring, so I have to do what's best to ensure it lasts, which is knocking on wood.
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) oh, knock on wood (yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood)
I really must knock on wood to keep the good luck and charm that has kept our love for so long.
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) you know I would, would (yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood)
I always keep thinking and hoping that our love will last forever so I would indeed knock on wood to make sure it does.
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) it's no secret (yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood)
It is known that knocking on wood is a common practice that is used for good luck and I want to try every trick in the book to make our love last.
no, oh, better (yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) hangin' above me (yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood)
I'm sure that there is some piece of wood in the area which can be found somewhere so that I may knock on it to ensure that the luck keeps hanging over our love.
(yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) I can't leave her (yes you better knock, knock, knock on wood) oh no, baby
I can't just leave my partner like that, the good thing we have going on needs to be prolonged to make sure we stay happy forever.
Knock on wood, woo!
I need to knock on wood for a better future and to celebrate the great thing we have going so that it never grows old and lasts until the end of time.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: EDDIE FLOYD, STEVE CROPPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind