MC5 had a promising beginning that earned them a January 1969 cover appearance in Rolling Stone magazine and a story written by Eric Ehrmann before their debut album was released. They developed a reputation for energetic and polemical live performances, one of which was recorded as their 1969 debut album Kick Out the Jams. Their initial run was short-lived, though. In 1972, just three years after their debut record, the band came to an end. Often cited as one of the most important American hard rock groups of that era, their three albums are regarded by many as classics.
Tyner died of a heart attack in late 1991 at the age of 46. Smith also died of a heart attack, in 1994 at the age of 45. The remaining three members of the band reformed in 2003 with The Dictators' singer Handsome Dick Manitoba as its new vocalist, and this reformed line-up occasionally performed live over the next nine years until Davis died of liver failure in February 2012 at the age of 68.
In 2022, Kramer announced that a tour would take place that spring, and that a new MC5 studio album with producer Bob Ezrin would also be released later that year with original MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson playing on two tracks. In 2023, Kramer announced that the album would be released in the spring of 2024. Kramer died in February 2024, leaving Thompson as the only surviving original member of the band.
Tutti Frutti
MC5 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tutti frutti, oh rutti,
Tutti frutti, oh rutti,
Tutti frutti, oh rutti,
Tutti frutti, oh rutti,
Wop bop a loo bop a lop bam boom!
I got a gal, named Sue, she knows just what to do,
She rocks to the East, she rocks to the West,
She is the gal that I love best,
Tutti frutti...
I got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy,
Got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy,
She knows how to love me, yes indeed,
Boy you don't know what she's doin' to me,
Tutti frutti...
The lyrics to MC5's song Tutti Frutti are a nod to the original song of the same name by Little Richard. The phrase "Tutti frutti, oh rutti" is a play on "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom," which is a phrase that Little Richard famously used in his version of the song. The lyrics go on to describe two different women that the singer is involved with, named Sue and Daisy.
The repetition of the phrase "Tutti frutti" throughout the song serves as a kind of cathartic release for the intense emotions the singer is feeling. The lyrics are unapologetically sexual and celebrate the physical pleasure the singer is experiencing with these women. The line "Boy you don't know what she's doin' to me" highlights the taboo nature of the relationship, as the singer is presumably male and his lover is female.
Overall, the lyrics to Tutti Frutti are a celebration of sexual desire and the thrill of passion. The phrase "Tutti frutti" is used as a kind of shorthand for the intense emotions and physical pleasure that the singer is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
Tutti frutti, oh rutti,
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm
Wop bop a loo bop a lop bam boom!
An exclamation to express joy and enthusiasm
I got a gal, named Sue, she knows just what to do,
I have a girlfriend named Sue who is skilled in pleasing me sexually
She rocks to the East, she rocks to the West,
She moves her body in a sexually suggestive manner in any direction I desire
She is the gal that I love best,
I prefer her over any other woman
I got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy,
I have another girlfriend named Daisy who is highly sexually attractive
She knows how to love me, yes indeed,
She is highly skilled in pleasuring me sexually
Boy you don't know what she's doin' to me,
I am experiencing such intense pleasure from her that you cannot comprehend
Tutti frutti...
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dorothy Labostrie, Joe Lubin, Richard Penniman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tim Hurley
on The Pledge Song
Found this outfit called "Sonic Hits" for free streaming.
Pretty impressed with the depth of their catalog and none of those serenity busting ads.