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.
QUIET MAN
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the party is over, the whisky's all run dry,
It's five o'clock in the morning, the folks have said goodbye,
Baby says she loves me, the music's playing low,
We're lying on the sofa, having one last smoke,
Sometimes I like relaxin' Sometimes I like to be a quiet man
It's great to have a shower, Or drink, nice, and long
Catch the late night movie, just my girl and me,
Take a little stroll, no-one on the streets
Sometimes I like relaxin' Sometimes I like to be a quiet man
I like my share at ball games, sometimes I like a fight,
I really dig those nightclubs, big sounds and them strobe lights,
Cruisin' through the city, with the radio on real loud,
But sometimes I really need, to get away from all the crowds
The weekends can be hectic, when all the folks drop in,
Especialy when it's hot, and we go down to the beach,
But if you don't say it, Sometimes You wanna pass,
It's good to stick together, who knows how long it'll last
It's nice to slow down sometimes, it can be good to be a quiet man
I like my share at ball games, sometimes I like a fight,
I really dig those nightclubs, big sounds and them strobe lights,
Cruisin' through the city, with the radio on real loud,
But sometimes I really need, te get away from all the crowds
Repeat first verse
It's nice to slow down sometimes, it can be good to be a quiet man
Yeah sometimes I like to be a quiet man
The song "Quiet Man" talks about the need to slow down and enjoy moments of peace and quiet in life. It opens with a description of a late night party, where the drinking has stopped, and the guests have left. The singer and his lover are talking softly over low music and enjoying a relaxing moment on the sofa. The lyrics describe this as the time when the singer likes to be a "quiet man."
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on other moments in life when he craves a break from the noise and chaos. He talks about the joy of taking a long soak after a hard day at work, catching a late night movie with his partner, or taking a leisurely stroll through a deserted city street. He acknowledges that he enjoys the excitement of ball games, nightclubs, and crowded streets, but sometimes he just needs a quiet moment.
The song's chorus emphasizes this point, repeating the line "sometimes I like to be a quiet man." The song celebrates the value of slowing down and enjoying the peaceful moments in life, even amidst the chaos and excitement.
Overall, "Quiet Man" is an ode to the need for balance in life. It reminds us that while we may enjoy excitement and stimulation, we also need moments of quiet reflection and rest.
Line by Line Meaning
When the party is over, the whisky's all run dry,
After the party ends and there's no more alcohol,
It's five o'clock in the morning, the folks have said goodbye,
It's early in the morning and everyone has left,
Baby says she loves me, the music's playing low,
My partner tells me they love me while soft music plays,
We're lying on the sofa, having one last smoke,
We're enjoying one last cigarette as we lay on the couch,
Sometimes I like relaxin', Sometimes I like to be a quiet man
I enjoy being relaxed and quiet at times,
When work has been quite heavy, sweatin' all day long,
After a physically demanding day at work,
It's great to have a shower, Or drink, nice, and long
It feels good to take a long shower, or a long and refreshing drink,
Catch the late night movie, just my girl and me,
Watch a late-night film with my partner,
Take a little stroll, no-one on the streets
Go for a leisurely walk when the streets are empty,
Sometimes I like relaxin', Sometimes I like to be a quiet man
I enjoy being relaxed and quiet at times,
I like my share at ball games, sometimes I like a fight,
I enjoy watching sports and sometimes engaging in a physical altercation,
I really dig those nightclubs, big sounds and them strobe lights,
I enjoy going to nightclubs with loud music and flashing lights,
Cruisin' through the city, with the radio on real loud,
Driving through the city with loud music,
But sometimes I really need, to get away from all the crowds
However, sometimes I need to escape from the crowds and noise,
The weekends can be hectic, when all the folks drop in,
Weekends can be busy when visitors come over,
Especially when it's hot, and we go down to the beach,
Especially when it's hot outside and we go to the beach,
But if you don't say it, Sometimes you wanna pass,
If you don't say anything, sometimes you want to skip the activity,
It's good to stick together, who knows how long it'll last
It's important to stay together because we don't know how long that opportunity will last,
It's nice to slow down sometimes, it can be good to be a quiet man
It's nice to take a break and be a quiet person sometimes,
Repeat first verse
Repeat the first verse,
It's nice to slow down sometimes, it can be good to be a quiet man
It's nice to take a break and be a quiet person sometimes,
Yeah sometimes I like to be a quiet man
Yes, sometimes I enjoy being a quiet and relaxed person,
Contributed by Scarlett L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.