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.
Movin' On
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got up this morning, I got an aching head
Been sleepin' on the floor ‘cause there's people in my bed
I've been sleepin', sleepin' on the floor, it's so sad
Think I'll pack up my belongings and get myself another new pad.
The sun is getting hot, burning on my back
I should be swimming, swimming in the deep blue sea
Getting plenty of fresh air instead of working in a factory.
Well, I took my guitar and some bread and some clothes
And I started off down the road
I kept walking all day until the sun went down ..
Went down, yeah, deep down, melting and sinking into the ground
The watery sky, the tears in its eyes as it sank through the clouds and began to die.
I got down to the coast before the morning tide
I done one hundred miles and it only took three rides
I'm so happy just a sitting here by the sea
The only thing I'm missing is some female company.
Rolling in the sand, having lots of fun
Watching all the ladies just lazing in the sun
Well, I got one and she had two good friends as well
I’m gonna buy a bottle of gin and get them as drunk as hell.
Well, sitting on the beach drinking ‘round by the fire
I played the guitar and sang a tune
Everybody's happy just a dancing around ..
Dancing around, fooling around, the blood in their veins beginning to pound
Pounding away, the night into day, the morning appears warming the ground.
Well, he’s sleeping on the beach and the fuzz come along
They said : ‘You move, you gotta move on’
‘You can't stay here just drinking that beer’
‘You gotta move, you gotta move on’
‘Come on everybody, stop a hanging around’
‘You gotta move, you gotta move on’
‘We'll give you ten minutes and you better be gone’
‘You gotta move, you gotta move on’
‘Come on, everybody, we’ll follow the sun’
‘You gotta move, you gotta move on’
‘Dum di da ..’
‘We gotta move, we gotta move on’
‘Dum di da ..’
‘We gotta move, we gotta move on’
‘We gotta move, move, we gotta move on’
‘Da da di da …’
The lyrics of Mungo Jerry's "Movin' On" describe the story of a man who wakes up with a terrible headache, only to realize that he has been sleeping on the floor because there were people in his bed. He then decides to pack his belongings and start searching for a new place where he can comfortably sleep. While walking under the sun, he questions his purpose in life and wishes to be swimming in the deep blue sea instead of working in a factory. So, he takes his guitar and some necessities, sets off down the road, and keeps walking until the sun sets.
He eventually gets to the coast the next morning, having covered one hundred miles in three rides. He finds joy in sitting by the sea, but the only thing missing is some female company. He meets a woman and her two friends who he later convinces to drink gin with him. They start dancing and having a good time until the police show up and ask them to leave. The lyrics suggest that they eventually find a new place to continue with the merry-making.
Line by Line Meaning
Got up this morning, I got an aching head
I woke up feeling terrible this morning.
Been sleepin' on the floor ‘cause there's people in my bed
I couldn't sleep in my own bed because someone else was in it.
I've been sleepin', sleepin' on the floor, it's so sad
I had to resort to sleeping on the floor, which made me feel miserable.
Think I'll pack up my belongings and get myself another new pad.
I'll move out and find another place to live.
The sun is getting hot, burning on my back
The sun was beating down on me.
Wonder what I'm doing still searching for a flat
I'm questioning why I'm still trying to find a new place to live.
I should be swimming, swimming in the deep blue sea
I should be enjoying some leisure time by the ocean.
Getting plenty of fresh air instead of working in a factory.
It would be better for me to get some fresh air instead of working in a factory all day.
Well, I took my guitar and some bread and some clothes
I packed some essentials, including my guitar.
And I started off down the road
I began my journey.
I kept walking all day until the sun went down ..
I walked for the entire day, until it got dark.
Went down, yeah, deep down, melting and sinking into the ground
The sun set and disappeared below the horizon.
The watery sky, the tears in its eyes as it sank through the clouds and began to die.
The sky appeared to be crying as the sun sank below the clouds.
I got down to the coast before the morning tide
I arrived at the coastline before the tide changed.
I done one hundred miles and it only took three rides
I traveled one hundred miles with the help of only three rides.
I'm so happy just a sitting here by the sea
I'm very content just sitting by the ocean.
The only thing I'm missing is some female company.
I would enjoy some female companionship.
Rolling in the sand, having lots of fun
I'm enjoying myself by rolling around in the sand.
Watching all the ladies just lazing in the sun
I'm observing women sunbathing.
Well, I got one and she had two good friends as well
I met a woman who was with two of her friends.
I’m gonna buy a bottle of gin and get them as drunk as hell.
I plan to buy alcohol for the women and get them extremely drunk.
Well, sitting on the beach drinking ‘round by the fire
We are sitting on the beach, around a fire, drinking alcohol.
I played the guitar and sang a tune
I played my guitar and sang a song.
Everybody's happy just a dancing around ..
Everyone is enjoying themselves, dancing around.
Dancing around, fooling around, the blood in their veins beginning to pound
People are dancing and having fun, their adrenaline increasing.
Pounding away, the night into day, the morning appears warming the ground.
We've danced through the night into the morning, and the earth is beginning to warm up.
Well, he’s sleeping on the beach and the fuzz come along
I'm sleeping on the beach when the police arrive.
They said : ‘You move, you gotta move on’
The police tell me I need to leave.
‘You can't stay here just drinking that beer’
They inform me that I'm not allowed to drink alcohol there.
‘Come on everybody, stop a hanging around’
The police tell everyone to leave.
‘We'll give you ten minutes and you better be gone’
The police give us ten minutes to leave the area.
‘Come on, everybody, we’ll follow the sun’
The police suggest we find somewhere else to go.
‘Dum di da ..’
N/A
‘We gotta move, we gotta move on’
We need to leave this place and move on.
‘Da da di da …’
N/A
Contributed by Logan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Hftr_232dhs
Strange as always but good!