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.
Open Up
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Does the rain fall heavy all around,
Flashing through the storm.
[Chorus]
Open up your ears, open up your eyes,
Open up your mind, take your body by surprise, by surprise.
Get out, get in,
Yeah, it's all agreed.
[Chorus]
Think about today,
Not about the past,
Open up your head.
[Chorus]
Think about today,
Not about the past,
Open up your head,
Yeah, the thoughts come fast.
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Mungo Jerry's "Open Up" call on listeners to become aware of their surroundings and oneself, and let go of past struggles. The opening lines ask if the rain falls hard when someone is feeling down, suggesting that the external environment mirrors an internal state of mind. The chorus encompasses the song's central theme of opening up, urging listeners to listen, look, and think ahead, letting the body be surprised. The next line removes mental barriers that might prevent enjoyment and relaxation: "put your mind at ease." Then the song goes back to the chorus, emphasizing the need to stay in the present moment and allowing thoughts and emotions to flow without restriction.
Overall, the lyrics of "Open Up" embody the carefree spirit of the 60s and 70s, encouraging listeners to let go of inhibitions and enjoy life. In a time of political and social unrest, "Open Up" offered comfort in simple pleasures and inner freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're feeling down,
When you're feeling sad or low
Does the rain fall heavy all around,
Do you feel like the world is against you?
Flashing through the storm.
Enduring the hardships you face.
Open up your ears, open up your eyes,
Be alert and pay attention to what's going on around you.
Open up your mind, take your body by surprise, by surprise.
Allow yourself to experience new and unexpected things.
Put your mind at ease,
Relax your mind.
Get out, get in,
Explore and discover new experiences.
Yeah, it's all agreed.
Everything is settled, no need to worry.
Think about today,
Focus on the present moment.
Not about the past,
Forget about the things that have already happened.
Open up your head.
Be receptive to new ideas.
Yeah, the thoughts come fast.
New ideas and thoughts come quickly and freely.
[Chorus]
Refrain from the song, restating the importance of being open to new experiences.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BERNARD EDWARDS, NILE RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@djm2459
Simply great. I‘m enjoying this one with my father so much. Mungo‘s rockin‘ it!
@stuartjones7229
Love this version. Fan since 1972 and now.
@marknorth1004
Great track from my youth
@MrDavros1234
Their best -ever single imo, just beating YDHTBITATFITW into second place! very laid back - love this version, brings back memories of April - May '72 as a teenager at grammar school. A 1000 thanks for putting this on (especially since an identical version was removed by the powers-that-be on here, which hacked me off no end!!)
@harrymapex
I totally agree. By the way, I was also a 15-year old grammar school kid at the same time!
@ManEaterFromReading
soundtrack of my life
@CuckLordSinbad
Mungo Jerry MVP
@johnnyb3404
The new '72 electric MUNGO - It was exciting!
@CB-xr1eg
IMO They never did a song that was better than Lady Rose, my all time favourite from Mungo Jerry.
@johnnyb3404
@Clive Bindley Lady Rose was beautiful, should have been number one !