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.
See Me
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don’t see me, see me hangin’ ‘round your door
You don’t see me cryin’ out for more
If you see me, you know what I’m lookin’ for.
You don’t want me, you don’t want me, you don’t want me ‘round your house
I’m gonna be there, baby you better watch out
Alright, it’s alright, it’s alright with me
Yeah, I wanna get you, baby, wait and see
I gonna get you, come come a-look at me, alright alright, ooh yeah.
Alright alright, yeah, ooh, yeah …
You gonna see me, see me hangin’ ‘round your door
You gonna see me, please don’t call the law
If you see me, you know what I’m lookin’ for, I’m gonna get it, ooh, yeah.
See me, see me, see me, see me, see me.
Well, you gonna see me, see me hangin’ ‘round your door
You gonna see me, you know what I’m lookin’ for, yeah, ooh
You gonna see me, please don’t call the law.
See me, see me hangin’ ‘round your door
You gonna see me, you know what I’m lookin’ for
See me, please don’t call the law, yeah.
The lyrics of Mungo Jerry's "See Me" revolve around the idea of unrequited love. The singer is infatuated with someone who doesn't reciprocate their feelings or acknowledge their presence. The first verse depicts the singer's frustration at being ignored and overlooked by their love interest. They cry out for attention and affection, but to no avail. The second verse portrays the singer's determination to win their love interest's affections, despite the latter's reluctance. The singer warns their love interest to be careful when rejecting them, for fear of their reactions.
The chorus is an optimistic take on the situation. The singer seems to believe that they will eventually get what they want, or at least a chance to make their case. The repeated phrase "alright, alright, ooh yeah" suggests that they are confident in their ability to win their love interest over. The final verse repeats the same message as the rest of the song - the singer will continue to hang around their love interest, hoping for a chance to prove themselves.
In summary, "See Me" is a song about unrequited love, determination, and a desire to be seen and acknowledged.
Line by Line Meaning
You don’t see me, see me hangin’ ‘round your door
You aren't acknowledging my presence even though I'm waiting outside your door.
You don’t see me cryin’ out for more
I'm yearning for your attention and affection, but you don't seem to care.
If you see me, you know what I’m lookin’ for.
You'll understand that I'm seeking something from you if you take notice of me.
You don’t want me, you don’t want me, you don’t want me ‘round your house
You don't desire my company and would rather I stay away from your residence.
I’m gonna be there, baby you better watch out
Despite your lack of interest, I will still show up and try to get your attention.
‘Cause if you see me, you gonna gonna jump and shout.
My presence will provoke a strong reaction from you, whether positive or negative.
Alright, it’s alright, it’s alright with me
I'm unfazed by your lack of interest and rejection.
Yeah, I wanna get you, baby, wait and see
I have a strong desire to win you over and I'm willing to bide my time.
I gonna get you, come come a-look at me, alright alright, ooh yeah.
I am confident that I will eventually succeed in capturing your attention and affection.
You gonna see me, see me hangin’ ‘round your door
You will eventually take notice of my presence outside your door.
You gonna see me, please don’t call the law
I hope that you won't take legal action against me for my persistence and attempts to win you over.
If you see me, you know what I’m lookin’ for, I’m gonna get it, ooh, yeah.
Once you understand what I desire from you, I will work relentlessly to achieve it.
See me, see me, see me, see me, see me.
I'm pleading for you to finally take notice of me and acknowledge my presence.
Well, you gonna see me, see me hangin’ ‘round your door
You will eventually become aware of my continued presence outside your door.
You gonna see me, you know what I’m lookin’ for, yeah, ooh
You will eventually understand that I seek your attention and affection.
You gonna see me, please don’t call the law.
I hope that you won't involve the authorities in our interactions.
See me, see me hangin’ ‘round your door
I'm still patiently waiting outside your door.
You gonna see me, you know what I’m lookin’ for
You will eventually comprehend that I desire something from you.
See me, please don’t call the law, yeah.
I hope that you won't resort to legal action against me.
Contributed by Lila V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.