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.
Lana
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Forget how I've got your name
No lie, your face's got me.
Expensive clothes appear to be
your taste, dont want no money
Single girl, don't look away - your left hand bears no jewelry
Oh Lana! Lana! Lana! Lana! ...
Your father picks you up at night
His car is always gleaming
When I send a smile your way
You make you do not see me.
saw you with a man last night
He looked to be your brother
So now I speak to you - OK,
I wish to be your lover.
Oh Lana! Lana! Lana! Lana! ...
I only live my life for you...
My blood is of so many colors,
The ring on my hand - solid gold.
No good I was born a gypsy.
My mother a queen, I was told.
If I were a candy man,
If I were I tailor,
If I have to travel ...
If I were a jailer.
Or a begger on the street
I could be a genius,
Or I coul be a ...
Oh Lana! Lana! Lana! Lana! ...
I only live my life for you...
I only live my life for you
I give my very life to you
to shower you in diamonds
Build a house, upon a hill
with fir trees all around us
sipping cognac by the love
our flames
Kissing your sweet tender lips
maybe we'll make love here
Oh Lana! Lana! Lana! Lana! ...
Mungo Jerry's song "Lana" tells the story of a man who has fallen for a woman named Lana whom he sees at the station bar. He is drawn to her appearance, her expensive clothes and her left hand that bears no jewelry. He watches her and admires her as she is picked up by her father in a gleaming car. He tries to catch her attention with a smile, but she seems to ignore him. Later, he sees her with a man who looks like her brother and decides to speak to her. He confesses his wishes to become her lover and live his life only for her.
The song speaks to the universal human desire for connection and the lengths that one will go to gain the affection of another. The singer is seemingly willing to do anything to be with Lana, including showering her with diamonds and building a house upon a hill. The lyrics also allude to the singer's diverse background and the feeling of being an outsider or a "gypsy." Overall, "Lana" is a romantic and hopeful song that speaks to the beauty of love and the lengths we will go to achieve it.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen you in the station bar drinking strong black coffee
I noticed you in the station bar drinking coffee, which got my attention.
Forget how I've got your name
I have no recollection of how I came to know your name.
No lie, your face's got me.
I am being honest, your face has captivated me.
Expensive clothes appear to be your taste, dont want no money
I can tell from your clothing preferences that you enjoy luxury, and I don't intend on impressing you with my wealth.
Single girl, don't look away - your left hand bears no jewelry
I can see that you are single, and from the absence of jewelry on your left hand, I assume you are not engaged or married.
Your father picks you up at night, His car is always gleaming
I notice that your father always picks you up in his clean and polished car at night.
When I send a smile your way, You make you do not see me.
Whenever I try to get your attention, you seem to ignore me or not notice me.
saw you with a man last night, He looked to be your brother
I spotted you with a man last night, who appeared to be your brother.
So now I speak to you - OK, I wish to be your lover.
I'm taking this opportunity to express my interest in becoming your partner.
My blood is of so many colors, The ring on my hand - solid gold.
My ancestry is of different ethnicities and my ring is made of pure gold.
No good I was born a gypsy, My mother a queen, I was told.
Unfortunately I was born into a gypsy family, however, my mother was a queen, or so I was told.
If I were a candy man, If I were a tailor, If I have to travel ..., If I were a jailer. Or a begger on the street, I could be a genius, Or I coul be a ...
If I were a confectionery seller, or even a tailor, I'd travel the world, or work as a prison guard, or beg on the street. I could be anyone or do anything.
I give my very life to you to shower you in diamonds, Build a house, upon a hill with fir trees all around us, sipping cognac by the love our flames, Kissing your sweet tender lips, maybe we'll make love here
I am willing to dedicate my life to you, my love. I will provide you with diamonds and build us a home on a hill with beautiful fir trees surrounding us. We will enjoy each other's company with drinks and passion, as well as intimate moments together.
Oh Lana! Lana! Lana! Lana! ... I only live my life for you...
Oh Lana! Lana! Lana! I live my life solely for you and no one else.
Contributed by Emma P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mikeendres6155
I'm 27, with a 3500 record collection and only 3 Mungo Jerry albums. probably the only time you'll here me say this, but america sucks sometimes! two huge songwriters/musicians that never made it big in The US Mungo Jerry, and Chris Rea. Both I consider heroes. I've been listening to Mungo Jerry (ray dorset) pretty much since i was born (thanks dad) and almost entirely for the past 6 months. Sometimes I just go on these sprees where I can't stop. but why would I? Rays a f****ING god!!! man what I would give to see him play, I'm really hoping I can get to Europe and see him before it's too late. oh and those chops? been growing mine for 6 months and I'm only at elvis presely level, Mungo Jerry level takes some serious dedication!! scrawny little white guy like me would probably need a perm to pull the fro off tho.
@kimjrgensen5224
Yes - love this song!
@christophemounier3832
Amazing 70's... And awesome Mungo Jerry !!
@quit293
Yup I'm checking out other songs Ray is very underated talented songwriter.
@belakiss9808
I can really this man!
@martinemasson6284
Oh supet! Je l'ADORE🤩
@kimjrgensen5224
Love this song - and the wonderful video!
@marcmickey84
Thank you Kim ;) - stop by anytime
@Mark2405
Great to see Lana back Marc - I may be in love!!
@johnmacdonald4226
Where has Mungo been all my life? Never heard of them until yesterday.