Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Dorsey was a childhood friend of Fats Domino before moving to Portland, Oregon when he was ten years old. He served in the United States Navy in World War II and then began a career in prizefighting. Boxing as a lightweight in Portland in the early 1950s, he fought under the name Kid Chocolate and was reasonably successful. He retired from boxing in 1955 and returned to New Orleans, where he opened an auto repair business as well as singing in clubs at night.
His first recording was "Lottie Mo", for the small Valiant label in 1958, and he also recorded for the Rex label. These efforts were unsuccessful, but around 1960 he was discovered by A&R man Marshall Sehorn, who secured him a contract with Fury Records, owned by Bobby Robinson. After meeting songwriter and record producer Allen Toussaint at a party, he recorded "Ya Ya", a song inspired by a group of children chanting nursery rhymes. It went to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Although the follow-up "Do-Re-Mi" also made the charts, later releases on Fury were not successful. Dorsey returned to running his repair business, but also released singles on the small Smash and Constellation labels in 1963 and 1964.
He was then approached again by Toussaint, and recorded Toussaint's song "Ride Your Pony" for the Amy label, a subsidiary of Bell Records. The song reached no.7 on the R&B chart in late 1965, and he followed it up with "Get Out Of My Life, Woman", "Working in the Coal Mine" – his biggest pop hit – and "Holy Cow", all of which made the pop charts in both the US and the UK. Dorsey toured internationally, and also recorded an album with Toussaint, The New Lee Dorsey in 1966. In 1970 Dorsey and Toussaint collaborated on the album Yes We Can; the title song was Dorsey's last entry in the US singles chart. It was later a hit for the Pointer Sisters under the title, "Yes We Can Can". With declining sales, Dorsey then returned to his auto repair business.
In 1976 Dorsey appeared on the album I Don't Want to Go Home by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, which led to more recordings on his own with ABC Records, including the album Night People. In 1980, he opened for English punk band The Clash on their US concert tour, and also toured in support of James Brown and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Dorsey contracted emphysema and died on December 2, 1986, in New Orleans, at the age of 61.
Dorsey's songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Petula Clark ("Ya Ya Twist," a 1962 French version of "Ya Ya") and Devo ("Working in the Coal Mine"). "Ya Ya" was also covered on John Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album. His version of the Allen Toussaint song "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" is referenced in the Beastie Boys' song lyrics for "Sure Shot" - "...everything I do is funky like Lee Dorsey." "Ya Ya" was spoken by Cheech Marin in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie, as he was waiting for his girlfriend.
Discography
Albums
Ya Ya (1962)
Ride Your Pony (1966)
The New Lee Dorsey (1966)
Working in the Coalmine (1967)
Yes We Can (1970)
Night People (1978)
Chart singles
"Ya Ya" U.S. Pop #7/R&B #1 (1961)
"Do-Re-Mi" U.S. #27/#22 (1962)
"Ride Your Pony" U.S. #28/#7 (1965)
"Get Out Of My Life, Woman" U.S. #44/#5/ UK #22 (1966)
"Confusion" UK #38 (1966)
"Working in the Coal Mine" U.S. #8/#5/UK #8 (1966)
"Holy Cow" U.S. #23/#10/UK #6 (1966)
"My Old Car" U.S. #97 (1967)
"Go-Go Girl" U.S. #62/#31 (1967)
"Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On)" U.S. #95/#33 (1969)
"Yes We Can - Part 1" --/#46 (1970)
"Night People" --/#93 (1978)
Night People
Lee Dorsey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting for something to happen
Night people hanging out, looking at each other
Waiting for something to happen
While the day world is sleeping
Night people are creeping, hanging out, looking at each other
When the day world stops moving
Night people start grooving, hanging out, looking at each other
Night people start coming, hanging out
Waiting for something to happen
Night people hanging out, looking at each other
Waiting for something to happen
You don′t get one thing without the other, we got to keep the world alive
If everybody went to sleep at the same time, how'd we keep the world alive?
In a word, we got the night people
Night people hanging out, looking at each other
Waiting for something to happen
Got to see who is with you
Who is with me, who is with who
We′re hanging out looking at each other
Got to see whatcha wearing, whatcha got
Whatcha sharing, hanging out
Waiting for something to happen
As the day world goes by
Night people doing fine, hanging out, looking at each other
When the day world starts humping
Night people start pumping, hanging out
Waiting for something to happen
Night people hanging out, looking at each other
Waiting for something to happen
Night people hanging out, looking at each other
Waiting for something to happen
Night people grooving, hanging out
Night people grooving, night people grooving
Night people grooving, night people grooving
Night people grooving
In "Night People" by Lee Dorsey, the singer describes a group of individuals who come alive during the night while the rest of the world sleeps. The night people are described as "hanging out, looking at each other, waiting for something to happen." The song acknowledges the necessity of people who are active during the night, as they keep the world alive while the rest of the world sleeps.
The singer goes on to describe the night people as a group that is trendsetting and fashionable. The lyrics suggest a focus on appearance and style, with lines like "got to see what you're wearing, what you got, what you're sharing." The night people are depicted as a tight-knit community, with lines like "got to see who's with you, who's with me, who's with who."
As the night goes on and the day world falls asleep, the night people continue to "groove" and come alive. The song suggests that without the night people, the world would not be able to function properly. The lyrics serve as a recognition and celebration of those who enjoy staying up and being active during the night.
Line by Line Meaning
Night people hanging out, looking at each other
Observing each other's actions while socializing
Waiting for something to happen
Anticipating a noteworthy event to occur
While the day world is sleeping
During the time when the daytime populace is resting
Night people are creeping, hanging out, looking at each other
Engaging in a relaxed, cautious manner while interacting with each other
When the day world stops moving
During a time when daytime activities have ceased
Night people start grooving, hanging out, looking at each other
Engaging in rhythmic movements while casually interacting with each other
When the day bees stop buzzing
During a period when daytime activities have ceased
Night people start coming, hanging out
Nighttime individuals begin to arrive and socialize
You don't get one thing without the other, we got to keep the world alive
All actions contribute to the overall state of things, so we must have a mix of daytime and nighttime activities to maintain balance
If everybody went to sleep at the same time, how'd we keep the world alive?
A hypothetical question proposing that a lack of diverse activity would be harmful to the world
In a word, we got the night people
The nighttime population plays an important role in the balance of activity throughout the day and night
Got to see who is with you
It is necessary to take note of who is present with you
Who is with me, who is with who
Identifying who is present with oneself and who is present with others
We're hanging out looking at each other
Socializing with mutual observation
Got to see whatcha wearing, whatcha got
Noting each other's clothing and belongings
Whatcha sharing, hanging out
Sharing experiences and ideas with each other while socializing
As the day world goes by
During the passage of time in the daytime world
Night people doing fine, hanging out, looking at each other
Nighttime individuals are content while observing and socializing with each other
When the day world starts humping
During a period of increased daytime activity
Night people start pumping, hanging out
Nighttime individuals also become lively and active during periods of increased daytime activity
Night people hanging out, looking at each other
Continuing to socialize while observing each other
Night people grooving, hanging out
Engaging in rhythmic movements and socializing
Night people grooving, night people grooving
Repeatedly engaging in synchronized movements and socializing
Writer(s): Allen Toussaint
Contributed by Maya A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
pyenapple
Literally true: if everybody went to sleep at the same time, the world would die. Night people are necessary for the survival of the species. Vive Le difference
piepelouse
Terrible ce son 👌🏽♥️
J.J. Dugan
so the Robert Palmer version was a cover! Could be Richie Hayward (or Chris Parker) on drums...Paul Barrere as well. Little Feat members were prominent on a few of his LPs, including 'Pressure Drop"...
A\V selections
… Allen Toussaint was the composer.
Carlos Alberto
Muito
Pedro De Toledo
Nice