Dorset and Colin Earl had previously been members of The Good Earth. Soon after recruiting Paul King and Mike Cole, they made their national debut at the Hollywood Festival at Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire in May 1970, the week their first single, "In the Summertime" was released. They stole the show and the record topped the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks, made number one in almost every other country around the world, and to date has sold around 23 million copies. After John Godfrey replaced Cole, their second single "Baby Jump" also topped the UK chart in March 1971. A third hit, "Lady Rose" (also in 1971), gave the group the image as a band for producing summertime based hits.
In time Dorset found the group's good-time blues and jug band repertoire a little restricting, and in 1972 he released a solo album Cold Blue Excursion, with his songs backed by strings and brass and, in one instance, a jazz band. His intention to broaden the group's appeal by recruiting a drummer led to King and Earl trying to sack him, but the management, regarding Dorset as inseparable in the public eye from Mungo Jerry, fired them both instead. Dorset and Godfrey, the bassist, recruited new members and presented a new sound, heard on the fourth album Boot Power. King and Earl went on to form the King Earl Boogie Band.
Mungo Jerry's hits continued through to 1976 with "Open Up" (Top Twenty in Europe and number one in Brazil); "Alright Alright Alright" (a rewrite of an old French hit for Jacques Dutronc, and again a major hit worldwide reaching the Top 3 in the UK); "Wild Love"; "Long Legged Woman Dressed In Black"; "Hello Nadine" (European hit and Top Five in Canada); and "It's a Secret" (European hit).
In 1975 Earl, who had played piano with Foghat in between, returned to play keyboards, and percussion player Joe Rush, part-time member of the band in earlier days, also came back for a while.
The group's line-up has changed constantly over the years. Among those who have played with them are bassist Bob Daisley, drummers Dave Bidwell, Paul Hancox and Boris Williams, guitarist Dick Middleton and keyboard/accordion player Steve Jones. They have remained particularly popular throughout Europe. Mungo Jerry was the first western band who had live TV gigs, in all countries behind the Iron Curtain. Their famous "Golden Orpheus" gig in Bulgaria, also gave them a lot of new fans.
In 1980 another Dorset song, "Feels Like I'm in Love", originally written for Elvis Presley, and recorded by the band as a B side of a single, became a British number one hit for Kelly Marie. They remained successful with overseas hits like "On A Night Like This", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Sunshine Reggae" (British version by Mungo Jerry & Horizon). But Dorset had to wait until 1995 for a real comeback, when "In the Summertime" was recorded by reggae vocalist Shaggy, who topped the charts worldwide. The last UK chart entry for Mungo Jerry was "Toon Army", a song for Newcastle United F.C. in 1999.
In 1983 "Mungo Jerry" Ray Dorset was part of the blues supergroup Katmandu, which recorded A Case For The Blues, with guitarist Peter Green, formerly of Fleetwood Mac, and keyboard player Vincent Crane, formerly of Atomic Rooster and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
In 2003, with German musicians, Dorset recorded Adults Only album under the name Mungo Jerry Blues Band, widely acclaimed as one of the best of his career. 2005 saw him performing with three Mungo Jerry line-ups: The British Mungo Jerry Band (pop/rock), the German Mungo Jerry Blues Band (blues/rock) and Mungo Jerry & the Goodtime Gamblers (jug/blues/skiffle).
Also in June 2005, Ray Dorset had a gig again as a duo with Mike Cole - the original double bass player from the early Mungo days - as a highlight of the "35 Years Of Mungo Jerry" event in both Newcastle and Stoke.
In March 2006 Mungo Jerry released their new single "Mr Midnight" from Phantom of the Opera on Ice (http://www.plazarecords.co.uk); produced by Roberto Danova - who had mixed in the past the old continental Mungo Jerry hits "Lana" and "It's a Secret" - and is well-known for his work with rock and pop music, in combination with big orchestras.
In the Summer Time
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can stretch right up and touch the sky,
When the weather's fine,
You got women, you got women on your mind.
Have a drink, have a drive,
Go out and see what you can find.
If her daddy's rich, take her out for a meal.
Speed along the land,
Do a ton, or a ton and twenty five.
When the sun goes down, you can make it,
Make it good in a lay-by.
We're not grey people, we're not dirty, we're not mean.
We love everybody, but we do as we please.
When the weather's fine
We go fishing or go swimming in the sea.
We're always happy,
Live's for living, yeah, that's our philosophy.
Sing along with us, dee-dee-dee-dee-dee.
Da-da-da-da-da...
Yeah, we're happy happy, da-da-da-da-dah.
When the winter's here, then it's party time.
Bring a bottle,
Wear your bright clothes. It'll soon be summertime.
And we'll sing again,
We'll go drivin' or maybe we'll settle down.
If she's rich, if she's nice,
Bring you're friends and we'll all go into town.
Mungo Jerry's song "In the Summertime" is an upbeat and carefree tune that speaks of the joys of summertime living. The song encourages listeners to enjoy the sunshine and the freedom that the season brings. The lyrics speak of stretching up to touch the sky, going out to explore the world, and having fun with friends, all while enjoying the warmth and beauty of summertime.
The first stanza of the song focuses on the joy of being outside in warm weather. The singer encourages listeners to take advantage of the weather and to reach for the sky. He speaks of the distractions and pleasures that the season brings, including having women on one's mind. The second stanza speaks of driving, speeding, and living life to the fullest. The singer encourages listeners to take risks and live life according to their own desires. The third stanza speaks of a carefree and fun-loving lifestyle. The singer asserts that his group is happy and that they live life to the fullest. They enjoy fishing and swimming in the sea and express love for all.
Line by Line Meaning
In the summertime when the weather's high,
During the summer, when the weather is warm and sunny,
You can stretch right up and touch the sky,
It feels like you can reach up and touch the sky due to the happiness and freedom of the season.
When the weather's fine,
When the weather is good,
You got women, you got women on your mind.
You have women that you are interested in, on your mind.
Have a drink, have a drive,
Drink alcohol and drive around, possibly searching for adventure.
Go out and see what you can find.
Explore and discover new things, people or places.
If her daddy's rich, take her out for a meal.
If the woman you are interested in comes from a wealthy family, take her out to a fancy dinner.
If her daddy's poor, just do as you feel.
If the woman you are interested in comes from a poor family, do what feels right to you, regardless of societal norms.
Speed along the land,
Drive fast on the open road,
Do a ton, or a ton and twenty five.
Drive at a speed of 100 or 125 miles per hour.
When the sun goes down, you can make it,
As the sun sets, you can achieve what you have set out to do.
Make it good in a lay-by.
Find a spot by the side of the road and have a good time.
We're not grey people, we're not dirty, we're not mean.
We are not dull, filthy, or malicious.
We love everybody, but we do as we please.
We have love for everyone, but we live for ourselves and our own enjoyment.
When the weather's fine
When the weather is good
We go fishing or go swimming in the sea.
We enjoy activities such as fishing or swimming in the ocean during good weather.
We're always happy,
We are always content and joyful.
Live's for living, yeah, that's our philosophy.
We believe that life is meant to be lived and enjoyed to the fullest.
Sing along with us, dee-dee-dee-dee-dee.
Join in with us and sing along.
Da-da-da-da-da...
Yeah, we're happy happy, da-da-da-da-dah.
We are very happy people.
When the winter's here, then it's party time.
During the winter season, we like to party and have a good time.
Bring a bottle,
Bring an alcoholic drink.
Wear your bright clothes. It'll soon be summertime.
Dress in bright colors and enjoy the winter season because summer will come soon after.
And we'll sing again,
We will continue to sing and enjoy ourselves.
We'll go drivin' or maybe we'll settle down.
We may continue to drive around or stop and relax for a while.
If she's rich, if she's nice,
If a woman is wealthy and kind,
Bring you're friends and we'll all go into town.
Bring your friends and we will all go into town together.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: RAY DORSET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@carepackage2214
I'm illegally watching this in the winter
@Christian-wu8lq
Same
@steezgawdextraswa6906
Same i hate Winter 😭
@ivaivaiva0
me too. The best song for winter time! :)
@ivyg6178
Me too :(
@RealMiia
same here
@FamiliaPOPA13
Who is listening in 2024? ❤
@allenwatkins4972
I am.
@FamiliaPOPA13
@@allenwatkins4972 👍
@MrCome4numb
me. dee dee dee dee dee