The band initially consisted in 1969 of Steve Marriott (formerly of Small Faces; lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Peter Frampton (from The Herd; lead guitar), Greg Ridley (from Spooky Tooth; bass) and Jerry Shirley (from The Apostolic Intervention; drums).
The joining of all these fairly known players resulted in Humble Pie being considered a bit of a “supergroup”. Worried about great expectations, the group began working together in secret at Marriott's cottage in Moreton, Essex. Signed to Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate Records, their debut single "Natural Born Boogie" was rushed out in 1969 and was a UK number five hit; it was quickly followed by the album As Safe As Yesterday Is, praised as a progressive album in the vein of Small Faces. Their second album Town and Country was also released in 1969 and featured a more acoustic sound. Humble Pie concerts at this time featured an acoustic set followed by an electric set, an approach that would become popular decades later.
1970 saw the financial collapse of Immediate, a switch to A&M Records, and a change in band management. The albums Humble Pie and Rock On, both released that year, alternated between progressive rock and boogie rock excess. A concert at the Fillmore East in NYC was captured on Perfomance Rockin' The Fillmore (1971); it is considered one of the best live rock albums of its era, with Marriott, Frampton, and the rest of the group in fine form. The loud-quiet-loud epic "I Don't Need No Doctor" was an FM radio hit in the United States, propelling the album to the group's biggest commercial success yet.
However, Frampton had already left the band by the time of the album's release, to pursue a solo career that would become extremely successful later in the 1970s. With Dave "Clem" Clempson replacing Frampton, Humble Pie moved towards an even harder sound at the urging of manager Dee Anthony, emphasizing Marriott's blues and soul roots.
Smokin' (1972) had a minor hit in "Thirty Days in the Hole" and was reasonably successful commercially based on the group's constant touring. As a premiere US concert attraction, they traveled in a customized private jet, and partook in all forms of the rock n roll excess available to formerly working class musicians that rose to fame and riches in this era, even hiring The Blackberries, a trio of black backup singers including Vanetta Fields formerly of The Ikettes. Nevertheless the band's extended, long form concert boogie jam rock style was unable to break them into the mainstream radio. Eat It (1974) was three sides of mostly R&B covers and one side live, and while appreciated by their core fans, did nothing to expand the group's audience. The group staged the Goodbye Pie Tour in 1975 and essentially broke up.
In 1980 Marriott, divorced, and with financial problems in the UK, relocated to Atlanta Georgia and revived Humble Pie with Shirley, adding Bobby Tench (from Jeff Beck Group) on guitar and Anthony "Sooty" Jones on bass. Two albums with a more modern heavy metal sound were released but the effort soon fell apart. In 1991 Marriott and Frampton began collaborating again, with another Humble Pie rebirth possibly in the offing, but an unfortunate house fire took Marriott's life before anything tangible could materialise. http://rockandrollgarage.com/the-tragic-story-of-steve-marriott-death/
All Shook Up
Humble Pie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm itching like a man on a fuzzy tree
My friends say I'm actin' wild as a bug
I'm in love, all shook up
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
My hands are shaky and my knees are so weak
Can't seem to stand on my own two feet
I'm in love, I'm all shook up
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Please, don't ask me what's on my mind
I'm a little mixed up but I'm feelin' fine now
It’s only one cure for this body of mine
That's to have the girl that I love so fine.
Touched my hand, what a chill I do got
Her lips are like some kind of vulcano’s top
I like to think that she's my buttercup
I'm in love, I'm all shook up, baby
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I’m all shook up.
The Humble Pie's song All Shook Up portrays a character who is going through a bundle of nerves and feels overwhelmed. With the repetition of the phrase "yeah, yeah, yeah", the singer describes a feeling of excitement, nervousness, and euphoria that results from being in love. The character's body language portrays the physical manifestations of being in love. His hands are shaky and knees are weak, and he cannot seem to stand on his own two feet, which emphasizes his intense emotions.
The singer's friends notice that he is acting out of the ordinary, like someone who is wild as a bug. This phrase is used to represent an extreme state of agitation, which is an exaggeration of the singer's feelings. It's evident that the character's symptoms are a result of him being in love. However, he does not know precisely how to articulate his feelings. Therefore, he asks his friends not to inquire about what's on his mind. He admits to being a little mixed up but ultimately feels fine. Lastly, the singer believes that the lady he loves is his buttercup, which solidifies his strong emotions towards her.
Line by Line Meaning
Bless my soul, what's wrong with me ?
I can't believe what's happening to me. Something strange is going on.
I'm itching like a man on a fuzzy tree
I feel like I have bugs crawling all over me.
My friends say I'm actin' wild as a bug
My behavior is out of control according to my friends.
I'm in love, all shook up
The cause of my behavior is love, which has affected me deeply.
My hands are shaky and my knees are so weak
I feel physically weak and unable to control my own body.
Can't seem to stand on my own two feet
I'm unsteady and feel like I might fall over at any moment.
Who do you thank when you have such luck ?
I'm amazed at my good fortune to be in love, but can't explain how it happened.
Please, don't ask me what's on my mind
I'm so confused that I can't even articulate my thoughts.
I'm a little mixed up but I'm feelin' fine now
Although I'm confused, I'm still feeling good because of my love.
It’s only one cure for this body of mine
The only thing that can help me is to be with the one I love.
That's to have the girl that I love so fine.
My love for this girl is the only thing that can bring me peace.
Touched my hand, what a chill I do got
The touch of my love sends shivers down my spine.
Her lips are like some kind of vulcano’s top
Kissing her is like being near an erupting volcano. It's intense and overwhelming.
I like to think that she's my buttercup
I see her as my sweet and cherished partner in love.
I'm in love, I'm all shook up, baby
My love has totally consumed me and I'm not able to control myself.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I can't help but express my excitement for this love and how it makes me feel.
I’m all shook up.
The love I feel has caused me to be completely overwhelmed and disoriented.
Contributed by Sadie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
larry geetar
+fibes55 Marriott was certainly as good (or great) a singer as most of his
peers (maybe better than many)also a fine player. In a perfect world,
Humble Pie would have big as The Faces with Rod or Beck from
the Truth and Rough And Ready eras. Maybe as big as Zep, even. To me,
it seems they did not have a distinctive sound or style, one that grabbed a
listener's ear so you could say yeah, that's Humble Pie. The frequent per-
sonnel changes really hurt them. With Frampton they were developing
their own sound but when he left they became just another Brit Rock band.
I liked Clem a lot but let's face it, not as good as Frampton. So that devel-
opment got pushed aside. Although Steve Marriott had a voice very
similar to Plant and just as searing, it was not as instantly recognizable.
Rod did not have that kind of power but he had something else: a style.
Better dynamics and control of voice made him a better singer. Also,
he sang with groups who were already on the way to fame and he put
them over the top. He became ROD STEWART, while Steve Marriott be-
came, well, Steve Marriott. R.I.P.
fibes55
Yes Seeker, I remember the 72 gig vividly. SMOKIN' had been recently released and the jury was still out on Frampton's replacement. All my buddies and I were 17 year old know-it-alls and thought nobody could replace Frampton. They opened up with 30 DAYS IN THE HOLE and Clem blew the stadium apart. Their sound was absolutely ferocious! I saw Frapton not long after that at the Academy of Music in NYC. He became enormously successful but I always felt The Pie was him at his best.
Bicho Maledetto
Haven't heard of that song before... sounds AWESOME!!!
1400deadwood
Humble Pie sure could belt out those songs with the type of fiery high energy that you just don't see in today's Rock groups anymore.
Jenette Blowycky
wonderful!! Good R & R, not heard today! Love it!!!
wmjdovensky
Thank You For All The Humble Pie Postings. All Nicely Done with Quality Sound.
weberrob959
The combination of Frampton and Marriott was blending of two hugely talented artists. Still feel the Pie was at it's best with Frampton & Frampton with the Pie. There are some great cuts on "Smokin" but the album is missing "a whole feel" from previous Pie albums - try to imagine Marriott singing "I'm In You" - doesn't work does it!
pearlthegirl
way different than elvis' version but both are equally good
wmjdovensky
Thank You For All The Humble Pie Postings. All Nicely Done with Quality Sound.
Johnny John
what do you say about a band that sounds like a herd of elephants on the run? and with a voice like marriots? this band just flat out rocks !!!!!!!!
TheGraveyardDog
So hard to believe that something this awesome and kick-ass would have been released in 1981, with a note on the back of the record jacket that reads "This record should be played at loud volume," I love the early to mid 70's feel that it has. Top notch!! Crank this shit up, dammit!! PLAY IT TWICE, TOO NICE!!!! Groovy, far out, dy-no-mite, etc., etc., etc. Crank the damn shit up!!! Let 'er rip!! Whatcha waitin' for?!?!