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.
On a Sunday
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Friday we just sit and dream,
On a Saturday you know, that your time is free
See a movie, see a car race, see an old friend, see a new place,
It's time to make love an' be free,
No working next day, lay in bed an' sleep
Go to a party, have plenty of wine,
A new love is there, it's got to be found,
Just get it together, you know there's plenty around
On a Sunday when you wake up, read the papers, then you get up
An' go for a drink down the road
Talk about things, an' ask all your friends back home
Watch football on the T.V., hear some new sounds on the settee,
An' cuddle up close to your girl,
Soon be Monday, an' time to be back at work
The lyrics of Mungo Jerry's "On a Sunday" depict a typical week's structure with the days characterized by mundane work, unfulfilled desires, and a longing for free time. Monday-to-Friday are working days, and Friday is just spent daydreaming about the weekend's delights. The weekend arrives with Saturday offering freedom and leisure, as one can watch a car race, see an old friend, visit a new place, have a good time, and make love. Sunday is more relaxed, one can wake up late, read the papers, and go for a drink down the road. One can have conversations with the friends, watch soccer on T.V., and cuddle up to one's loved one before preparing to return to the weekly grind.
The song reflects the joy of anticipation for the weekend, the romanticism of riding out with a loved one, and a yearning for the freedom to explore the world. The lyrics depict the ideal weekend, where one could experience new things, meet new people or rekindle an old flame. However, the song also eloquently captures the melancholy that comes with the end of the weekend, the dread of the upcoming Monday and the struggle to get back into the monotony of work.
Line by Line Meaning
On a Monday, on a Tuesday, on a Wednesday, on a Thursday, Friday we just sit and dream,
Every day of the week is the same old grind, while we just look forward to Friday when we can relax and dream about a better life.
On a Saturday you know, that your time is free
Finally, it's the weekend and we have some free time to do what we want, without the pressures of work or responsibility.
See a movie, see a car race, see an old friend, see a new place, It's time to make love an' be free, No working next day, lay in bed an' sleep
We have the freedom to explore new things, visit friends and lovers or just take the time to relax and recharge, knowing that we won't have to get up and go to work the next day.
No need to worry, just have a good time, Go to a party, have plenty of wine, A new love is there, it's got to be found, Just get it together, you know there's plenty around
Don't worry about anything - there's always something to enjoy or someone new to meet. Go to parties, have fun, and maybe even find a new love interest.
On a Sunday when you wake up, read the papers, then you get up An' go for a drink down the road Talk about things, an' ask all your friends back home
Sunday is a day for relaxation and reflection. We can catch up on the news, head to the pub, chat with friends and reminisce about home.
Watch football on the T.V., hear some new sounds on the settee, An' cuddle up close to your girl, Soon be Monday, an' time to be back at work
We can watch a game, listen to music and snuggle with our loved ones, but Monday is always lurking around the corner, reminding us that the weekend is almost over and it's time to get back to work.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAY DORSET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James McCambridge
Mungo just make you smile. So many great songs delivered with real feeling. Love 'em.
ACU5TIC
Brilliant! I've never seen that one before,great memories,really captured the weekend feeling back then,cheers.
Grace Young
The more I hear, the more I love!
marc mickey
Hi Grace - i can send you some MP3 Fils if you want them - this is marc from MungoVision - im having trouble with my account so just leave a comment not a reply and i will get back to you - have a great weekend-marc - ps - ray dorset (mungo Jerry ) is a good friend of mine ;)
64mung
Man...this is the first time I saw this one...great find, Marc!! Excellent foot stomping tune :) Classic video too! Thumbs up! 64m >:-)
stefy patsytan
Lovely beautiful song..
Martine BIGOTTE
que de bons souvenirs
Richard Evp pro
Happy days again to hear Mungo and co, Excellent! And the lovely Lady in full swing 70's clothes with huge Flares to, Happy memories :D
Roy Crockett
the 70s was brill, the music fashion and hair styles
Roy Crockett
thanks for sharing the video, loved Mungo since 1970, Ray is one of my heroes, i still prefer this line up. Dorset King Earl and Godfrey...