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.
Snakebite
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She gave me such a shiver like wet paint setting,
I was roaring like thunder on my cool motor bike,
Ooh baby, is there something that you like?
Chorus:
This way, that a-way, any kinda other way,
You want some loving it'll do just right,
Give it to me honey, give me Snakebite.
It makes you wanna holler and it makes you wanna scream,
And at night it sure can make you satisfy a girl of seventeen,
You wanna tell your woman in the middle of the night,
Give her some of that snakebite.
Repeat Chorus:
Wild girls in their teens, dirty pictures, magazines,
Eeny meenie, skinny minnie,
Flesh shows, videos, something happens down below,
Feels right, outta sight, heavy metal Sanakebite.
Repeat Chorus:
There's something thrilling all the girls, giving them a buzz,
Drive them all crazy, man, just can't get enough,
How can violent lovers satisfy their appetite,
Give them some of your snakebite.
Repeat Chorus:
Makes you wanna holler, makes you wanna scream,
makes you wanna shout, gimme gimme gimme gimme....
The lyrics to Mungo Jerry's song, "Snakebite," describe the singer's encounter with a young woman whom he finds attractive. He describes her as a "little biker girl with long, long legs," and notes that she gives him a "shiver like wet paint setting." The singer is clearly smitten with the woman, as he asks her if there is something she likes about him. The chorus of the song repeats the title phrase "Snakebite," which the singer suggests is a kind of "loving" that will "do just right" any time of day or night.
The lyrics suggest that Snakebite is a kind of sexual activity that is particularly thrilling and satisfying. The singer describes how it "makes you wanna holler and it makes you wanna scream," and how "it sure can make you satisfy a girl of seventeen." He also notes that "something happens down below" when Snakebite is involved, and suggests that it is especially popular with "wild girls in their teens" who enjoy "dirty pictures" and "flesh shows."
Overall, the lyrics to "Snakebite" are somewhat ambiguous, and it is not entirely clear what the song is really about. On one hand, it seems to be a straightforward celebration of sexual activity and the pleasure it can bring. On the other hand, there are hints throughout the song that the subject of Snakebite may be somewhat dangerous or even taboo, given the emphasis on violent lovers and the suggestion that it drives people "crazy." Regardless, the lyrics are certainly evocative and suggest a certain kind of wild and carefree lifestyle that many people may find appealing.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw a little biker girl with long, long legs,
I noticed a young girl on a motorcycle stand with attractive, long legs.
She gave me such a shiver like wet paint setting,
She gave me a strong sensation of excitement and anticipation, as if waiting for freshly painted walls to dry.
I was roaring like thunder on my cool motor bike,
I rode my impressive motorcycle with great force and speed, like the roar of thunder.
Ooh baby, is there something that you like?
I flirtatiously asked the girl if there was anything she found appealing.
Chorus:
Refrain
This way, that a-way, any kinda other way,
In whatever manner or direction you prefer.
You want some loving it'll do just right,
I am offering my love and affection in a satisfactory manner.
Snakebite, snakebite, any time of day or night,
I am referring to a potent alcoholic drink, which is available at any hour, day or night.
Give it to me honey, give me Snakebite.
Asking the girl to provide me the alcoholic drink, Snakebite.
It makes you wanna holler and it makes you wanna scream,
Drinking Snakebite can evoke strong emotions such as screaming or shouting out loud.
And at night it sure can make you satisfy a girl of seventeen,
Drinking Snakebite can lead to intimate satisfaction with underage girls.
You wanna tell your woman in the middle of the night,
Encouraging people to express their desires to their partners, especially at night.
Give her some of that snakebite.
Suggesting people offer their partners some alcoholic drink, Snakebite.
Repeat Chorus:
Refrain
Wild girls in their teens, dirty pictures, magazines,
Referring to content that appears sensual or erotic, aimed at young, wild teens/middle-aged men, like photos in magazines.
Eeny meenie, skinny minnie,
Talking about women of slight frame or petite build.
Flesh shows, videos, something happens down below,
Intimating that viewers of pornographic content would become sexually aroused.
Feels right, outta sight, heavy metal Snakebite.
Drinking Snakebite would feel good, look cool, and would pair well with heavy metal music.
Repeat Chorus:
Refrain
There's something thrilling all the girls, giving them a buzz,
Something about the Snakebite is exciting girls and giving them a thrill.
Drive them all crazy, man, just can't get enough,
The girls become uncontrollable and desperate for more Snakebite.
How can violent lovers satisfy their appetite,
Asking how aggressive partners can satisfy their lustful desires.
Give them some of your snakebite.
Encouraging readers to offer their aggressive partners some Snakebite as a solution.
Repeat Chorus:
Refrain
Makes you wanna holler, makes you wanna scream,
Drinking Snakebite can evoke strong emotions such as screaming or shouting out loud.
makes you wanna shout, gimme gimme gimme gimme....
The potency of Snakebite can make people feel desperate for more.
Contributed by Kaelyn I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
FMÅ
First comment i guess