Long came to Motown in 1963 from the Tri-Phi/Harvey label, owned by Berry Gordy, Jr.'s sister, Gwen, and her husband, Harvey Fuqua. His first release, 1964's "Devil With The Blue Dress" was the first recording issued on Motown's Soul label, a subsidiary designed for more blues-based artists such as Long. While this song never charted nationally, the song was later covered and made a hit by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels. His 1966 single "Function At The Junction" was his first popular hit, reaching #42 on the national R&B charts. Other single releases included "It's A Crying Shame" (1964), "Chantilly Lace" (1967), and "Night Fo' Last" (1968).
Long's biggest hit was "Here Comes The Judge" in 1968, which reached number-four on the R&B charts and number-eight on the pop charts. The song was inspired by a comic act, from "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in", about a judge by Pigmeat Markham, whose own "Here Comes The Judge" (a totally different song) charted two weeks after Long's did in June 1968, and became a Top 20 hit. Long's 1969 singles included "I Had A Dream" and "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". He released one album during his lifetime, 1968's Here Comes the Judge.
Long played many instruments, including piano, organ, drums, harmonica, and trumpet. He acted as an MC for many of the Motortown Revue shows and tours, and co-wrote several of his tunes ("Devil With The Blue Dress," "Function At The Junction," and "Here Comes The Judge."). Long was the only Motown artist besides Smokey Robinson who was allowed to produce his own recordings in the 1960s. Marvin Gaye, in David Ritz's biography Divided Soul: The Life & Times of Marvin Gaye,, described Shorty Long as "this beautiful cat who had two hits, and then got ignored by Motown." Gaye claimed he "fought for guys like Shorty" while at Motown, since no one ever pushed for these artists. When Holland-Dozier-Holland came to Gaye with a tune, he stated, "Why are you going to produce me? Why don't you produce Shorty Long?"
Shorty Long died on June 29, 1969 in a boating accident on the Detroit River in Michigan. Stevie Wonder played the harmonica at his burial, and placed it on his casket afterwards. Motown issued Long's final album, The Prime of Shorty Long, shortly after his passing.
2) Shorty Long is an east-coast rapper. Bronx, N.Y. native originally known as 'Shorty Longstroke,' Shorty was discovered by Lord Finesse in the early 1990s and given his first taste of wax in 1994 with the single "Shorty's Doin'" which Finesse produced. Shorty soon fell out of favor with Finesse, and although he managed to release a few more independently-produced tracks, the call of obscurity soon beckoned.
Devil With the Blue Dress On
Shorty Long Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look at Molly now [2: look out once again, now], here she comes
Wearin' her wig hat and shades to match
She's got high-heel shoes and an alligator hat
F7
Wearin' her pearls and her diamond rings
C7
G7
She's the devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress,
F7
Devil with the blue dress on
C7 F7 C7 F7
Devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress,
C7 F7 C7
Devil with the blue dress on
Wearin' her perfume, Chanel No. 5
Got to be the finest girl alive
She walks real cool, catches everybody's eye
She's got such good lovin' that they can't say goodbye
Not too skinny, she's not too fat
She's a real humdinger and I like it like that
She's the devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress,
Devil with the blue dress on
Devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress,
Devil with the blue dress on
"Good Golly Miss Molly" interlude:
Eb7
Good golly, Miss Molly
You sure like to ball
Ab7
Good golly, Miss Molly
Eb7
You sure like to ball
Bb7
Shorty Long's "Devil With The Blue Dress" is a song about a woman who's caught everyone's eye with her impeccable fashion taste and charm. The song describes the woman, Molly, as a fashion icon, who has everything from high-heel shoes to an alligator hat, and is adorned with pearls, diamond rings, and bracelets. She wears a wig hat and shades to match with her blue dress, which makes everyone take notice of her. The chorus repeats her title moniker, "Devil with the blue dress on," amplifying her effect on the people around her.
The second verse talks about how Molly's perfume is Chanel No. 5, and how she's the finest girl alive. She walks with confidence, and everyone's eyes are drawn to her. Her personality is such that anyone who experiences her affection can never say goodbye. She's not too skinny or too fat, and is precisely what the singer wants in a woman. The "Good Golly Miss Molly" interlude is a reference to Little Richard's famous song, adding to the song's energy and excitement.
Line by Line Meaning
Fee, fee, fi, fi, fo-fo, fum
Paying attention because something big is coming.
Look at Molly now [2: look out once again, now], here she comes
Molly, the girl in the blue dress, is making another entrance and the singer is admiring her.
Wearin' her wig hat and shades to match
Molly is wearing a hat and sunglasses that perfectly match her dress.
She's got high-heel shoes and an alligator hat
Molly is wearing high-heeled shoes and an extravagant alligator hat.
Wearin' her pearls and her diamond rings
Molly is accessorizing with expensive jewelry.
She's got bracelets on her fingers, now, and everything
Molly is wearing multiple bracelets and other adornments.
She's the devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress,
Molly is so attractive and seductive that the singer calls her the devil.
Devil with the blue dress on
Reinforcing the previous statement while emphasizing the blue dress.
Wearin' her perfume, Chanel No. 5
Molly smells good and is wearing a high-end perfume.
Got to be the finest girl alive
The artist believes Molly is the most beautiful and desirable girl he has ever seen.
She walks real cool, catches everybody's eye
Molly is very confident and draws attention wherever she goes.
She's got such good lovin' that they can't say goodbye
Molly is a great lover and people can't resist her charm.
Not too skinny, she's not too fat
Molly has the perfect body type according to the singer.
She's a real humdinger and I like it like that
The singer enjoys being around Molly and finds her very attractive.
Devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress,
Repeating the chorus to remind the listener of the irresistible Molly.
Devil with the blue dress on
Emphasizing once more that Molly is the devil in the blue dress.
Good golly, Miss Molly
A playful interlude paying tribute to the famous song of the same name.
You sure like to ball
Commenting on Molly's love of having fun.
Good golly, Miss Molly
Repeating the playful interlude.
You sure like to ball
Reinforcing the previous statement.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Frederick Long, William Stevenson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Golden Blue89
I never heard this version, I like it 💙💛
Hasa Ke
This is the original. Motown.
Blendeture
Shorty Long and his band really slay this number!
Thomas Morin
Shorty Long and his band were called " Shorty Long & the Giants" as I remember it. Personally, I always thought that Mitch Ryder messed up a perfectly awesome song, because you either have to match or exceed a great tune, and he did neither, he only sounded lame (imho!), but kudos to him for knowing a great song to cover!
Jay Jay
I prefer Mitch Ryder's version a million times over this. Mitch Rocked!
13loomisst
@Thomas Morin Wow . . . I can dig preferring one version to another and I love Shorty's original -- but to say Mitch and the Wheels "messed this up," man, that's pretty hard to swallow, considering that it's one of the highlights of a phenomenal musical decade. Cheers --
Gerry Thomas
I prefer Shorty's, the original.
Rich Grover
It’s got a nice swing to it!
ML Isaacs
Thank you sooooooooo much Pook....The first date my husband and I went on...I bought a pretty blue dress to wear...& he would sing this song to me...all the time...after that night...Since he's gone Home to Jesus...it makes my heart smile...listening to all the music he shared with me...(shared with EVERYone...he encountered...actually) Thanks so very much for the memory....
Krooksbane
That guitar player is on point