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.
Looking For My Girl
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Searchin' for someone who ain't there,
Feelin' quite worried as time went by,
By and by
I talked to Jesus, I spoke to God,
I still couldn't find out quite enough,
What is the answer does it lie here in my head,
What is the answer?
Does it lie here in my head?
What is the question?
What has been said?
Too many people try to run me up a creek,
Whole lot of fuss about nothin',
Runnin' here, runnin' there, run behind a tree,
Why? Oh why?
I'm just looking for my .......
The lyrics of Mungo Jerry's "Looking For My Girl" convey the feeling of being lost and searching for someone who is not there, resulting in a feeling of anxiety and confusion. The singer is looking for his girl, but cannot find her, leaving him homesick and worried about the state of their relationship. The repetition of the phrase "by and by" serves to reinforce the passage of time and the increasing sense of despair as he continues to look for her.
The second stanza of the song is particularly significant as it demonstrates the singer’s emotional state. He is so desperate to find his girl that he speaks to both Jesus and God in his search for answers. However, even their guidance cannot help the singer find the answers he is looking for.
The third stanza begins with the line "Too many people try to run me up a creek," which could be interpreted as others interfering in the search for his girl, creating unnecessary drama and distraction. This distracts the singer from his search and leaves him questioning why he bothers searching at all.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of confusion and anxiety about the state of a romantic relationship, and portrays the search for closure as both desperate and frustrating.
Line by Line Meaning
I felt rather homesick lookin' for my girl,
Feeling lonely and unhappy while searching for a missing loved one.
Searchin' for someone who ain't there,
Trying to find a person who is not present or available.
Feelin' quite worried as time went by,
Becoming increasingly concerned as time passes without finding the person he is looking for.
By and by
Eventually or over time.
I talked to Jesus, I spoke to God,
Appealing to a higher power for guidance and answers.
I still couldn't find out quite enough,
Not receiving a clear or complete answer despite seeking divine guidance.
What is the answer does it lie here in my head,
Questioning whether the solution to his problem is within his own thoughts and ideas.
Why ? oh why ?
Expressing deep frustration and confusion about the situation.
What is the answer?
Continuing to search for a solution to his problem.
Does it lie here in my head?
Wondering if the answer is something he already knows or has thought of before.
What is the question?
Expressing uncertainty about what he is even searching for or trying to solve.
What has been said?
Wondering if any information or clues have been provided about the missing person.
Too many people try to run me up a creek,
Feeling overwhelmed or misled by others trying to help or hinder his search.
Whole lot of fuss about nothin',
Expressing frustration about excessive activity or attention without any meaningful results.
Runnin' here, runnin' there, run behind a tree,
Describing a frantic and disorganized search process.
Why? Oh why?
Continuing to express confusion and desperation regarding the situation.
I'm just looking for my .......
Stating the primary goal of the search and expressing determination to continue the search until the missing person is found.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DORSET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
emily linderssen
Yeah, I love this song.
Wilson Webster
Thanks Margo for coming to my channel. It's good to have you around here. Greetings from Rio de Janeiro!