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.
Time Is Now
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let all the people forget 'bout the blues,
Whatever your colour, whatever your creed,
Any religion, any belief,
[Chorus:]
It's time the world changed, it's time, the time is now,
It's time the world changed, it's time, the time is now,
Forget about money, take off your clothes,
Shout out the message wherever you go,
Get out in the streets, get out in the parks,
Get out of the factories, get out of your cars,
Repeat [Chorus:]
In "Time Is Now," Mungo Jerry encourages people to come together, forget their problems, and make a change in the world. The singer sings to his listeners to rouse them from their slumber and join him in spreading the message. He invites everyone, regardless of their religion, color, or creed, to step up and be a part of the change. The message is clear: it's time the world changed.
The song emphasizes the futility of materialism and calls for people to rid themselves of materialistic desires. The singer sings, "Forget about money, take off your clothes." He wants people to shed the trappings of society and unite in a simple, shared purpose. He encourages people to take to the streets and parks and escape from the factories and cars. He wants people to step outside their daily routines, forget about the blues, and shout the message wherever they go.
Overall, "Time Is Now" is a song of hope and change. It encourages people to come together and forget their problems in favor of making the world a better place. The lyrics offer a compelling message and a call to action.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up your friends, shout out the news,
Awaken your companions and broadcast the news,
Let all the people forget 'bout the blues,
Let everyone abandon their troubles and sorrows
Whatever your colour, whatever your creed,
Regardless of your skin color or belief system
Any religion, any belief,
Any religious ideology, any belief you hold
It's time the world changed, it's time, the time is now,
The moment is now for the world to transform
It's time the world changed, it's time, the time is now,
The time has come for the world to metamorphose
Forget about money, take off your clothes,
Let go of your materialistic desires, disrobe and be yourself
Shout out the message wherever you go,
Loudly express the message wherever you travel
Get out in the streets, get out in the parks,
Step outside and gather in the streets, public areas
Get out of the factories, get out of your cars,
Escape the factories and automobiles.
It's time the world changed, it's time, the time is now,
Now is the time for the world to revolutionize
It's time the world changed, it's time, the time is now,
The occasion has arrived for the world to evolve
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAY DORSET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@carepackage2214
I'm illegally watching this in the winter
@Christian-wu8lq
Same
@steezgawdextraswa6906
Same i hate Winter 😭
@ivaivaiva0
me too. The best song for winter time! :)
@ivyg6178
Me too :(
@RealMiia
same here
@FamiliaPOPA13
Who is listening in 2024? ❤
@allenwatkins4972
I am.
@FamiliaPOPA13
@@allenwatkins4972 👍
@MrCome4numb
me. dee dee dee dee dee