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.
The Pushbike Song
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sh, sh, ahh, Sh, sh, ahh,
Ridin' along on my pushbike, honey
When I nowhere near you
Round down town, in a hurry honey,
Now, I've got my sights on you
You look so pretty, she was ridin' along,
Ahh,
Sh, sh, ahh, Sh, sh, ahh,
Sh, sh, ahh, Sh, sh, ahh,
Puttin' on speed, as I tried catchin' up but you
Were pedaling harder, too
Riding along like a hurricane, honey
Speeding afta you,
You look so pretty, she was ridin' along,
You look so pretty, She was singing this song,….
Brrr, Sing this song,
Round, round wheels go round and round
Down, up pedals, down, up, down
Well,gotta get across to the other side of town
B'fore the sun goes down,
hey, hey
Shh, shh, ahh, Shh, shh, ahh,
Shh, sh, ahh, Sh, sh, ahh,
Well, we're ridin' along
on a bicylce, honey
That's a bicycle built for two
Lookin' at my honey
In the rearview mirror
Now I got a better of view
You look so pretty, she was ridin' along,
You look so pretty, She was singing this song,….
Sing this song,
Round, round wheels go round and round
Down, up pedals, down, up, down
Well,gotta get across to the other side of town
B'fore the sun goes down,
hey, hey
Shh, shh, ahh, Shh, shh, ahh, Shh, sh, ahh, Sh, sh, ahh,
The lyrics to Mungo Jerry's song "The Pushbike Song" depict a playful and carefree narrative of a person riding their pushbike through town while being smitten by someone they find attractive. The repetition of "Sh, sh, ahh" in the beginning creates a rhythmic and almost secretive tone, as if the singer is whispering their thoughts and feelings.
The singer is riding along on their pushbike, feeling a sense of excitement and urgency as they try to catch up to the person they have their sights on. The imagery of racing through town and pedaling harder symbolizes the pursuit of love or admiration, with the person they are chasing appearing pretty and captivating to the singer.
As the song progresses, there is a sense of momentum building as the singer describes the rhythmic motion of riding their bike - "Round, round wheels go round and round, Down, up pedals, down, up, down." The urgency to reach the other side of town before the sun goes down adds a sense of urgency and adventure to the narrative.
The chorus reinforces the singer's admiration for the person they are pursuing, emphasizing their attractiveness and the joy they bring simply by being present. The imagery of riding along on a bicycle built for two and looking at their honey in the rearview mirror adds a sweet and romantic touch to the story, culminating in a sense of contentment and happiness. Overall, "The Pushbike Song" conveys a lighthearted and whimsical tale of infatuation and the simple pleasures of riding a bike through town.
Line by Line Meaning
Ridin' along on my pushbike, honey
Enjoying a leisurely ride on my bicycle, thinking of you.
Round down town, in a hurry honey, Now, I've got my sights on you
Cruising through town quickly, determined to catch up to you.
You look so pretty, she was ridin' along
Admiring your beauty as you ride alongside me.
Puttin' on speed, as I tried catchin' up but you Were pedaling harder, too
Increasing my pace to catch up with you, only to find you were also accelerating.
Speeding afta you
Chasing after you with increased speed.
Round, round wheels go round and round Down, up pedals, down, up, down
The continuous motion of the bike pedals and wheels as we ride.
Well, gotta get across to the other side of town B'fore the sun goes down
Need to reach the other side of town before nightfall.
Well, we're ridin' along on a bicylce, honey That's a bicycle built for two
Together on a tandem bike meant for two riders.
Lookin' at my honey In the rearview mirror Now I got a better of view
Glancing at you in the mirror and appreciating the sight even more.
You look so pretty, she was ridin' along
Continuing to be charmed by your beauty as we ride together.
Round, round wheels go round and round Down, up pedals, down, up, down
The rhythmic movement of the bike's wheels and pedals as we pedal onward.
Well, gotta get across to the other side of town B'fore the sun goes down
Still needing to reach the other end of town before sunset.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Idris Lloyd Jones, James Evan Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind