Formed in 1963 in Birmingham after the Welsh guitarist Spencer Davis encountered vocalist and organist Steve Winwood (then aged 14 and still at school), and his bass playing brother Muff Winwood performing at a pub, the Golden Eagle, as the Muff Woody Jazz Band. He recruited them and Pete York on drums to form the Rhythm and Blues Quartette, which performed regularly in the city. In 1964, they signed their first recording contract after Chris Blackwell of Island Records saw them at an appearance in a local club; Blackwell also became their producer.
The group's first professional recording was a cover version of Dimples, but they came to success at the end of 1965 with Keep on Running, the group's first number one single. In 1966 they followed this with Somebody Help Me and When I Come Home. For the German market the group released "Det war in Schöneberg, im Monat Mai" and "Mädel ruck ruck ruck an meine grüne Seite" (the first is from a 1913 Berlin operetta, the second is a Swabian traditional) as a tribute single for that audience, Spencer Davis having studied in West Berlin in the early 1960s.
By the end of 1966 and the beginning of 1967, the group released two more hits, Gimme Some Lovin' (which was re-released in a live, nine-minute version by Steve Winwood's Traffic in 1971) and I'm A Man. These tracks proved to be their two best-known successes, especially in the U.S.
In 1967, Winwood left to form Traffic; his brother Muff moved into the music industry as A&R man at Island Records. In a so-called joint venture, the soundtrack to the film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush featured both the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic.
Despite the Winwoods' departure, the Spencer Davis Group continued performing and released more singles, though not repeating earlier successes. These included Time Seller in July 1967; the b-side, Don't Want You No More, also received radio airplay.
This was followed by "Mr. Second-Class" in late 1967, which was heavily played on Radio Caroline (at that time one of the two remaining pirate radio ships off the British coast) and the group's last minor hit, "After Tea", in 1968. The latter song was released at the same time by the German band The Rattles, providing competition that led finally to a temporary stop to all activities of the band. Davis continued working, however, producing some jazz-oriented albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Although short-lived, The Spencer Davis Group - particularly its incarnation with Steve Winwood - was influential, with many of the band's songs covered by other artists over the years. Notable among these are Chicago's 1969 version of "I'm a Man," The Allman Brothers Band's 1969 take of "Don't Want You No More," Three Dog Night's 1970 recording of "Can't Get Enough of It," and The Blues Brothers' 1980 recording of "Gimme Some Lovin'."
Kansas City
The Spencer Davis Group Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"stevie, do an up-tempo one for me."
Sw: "yeah, do what? "
"an up-tempo one."
Sw: "up tempo? "
"yep!"
Sw: "could we do 'every little bit hurts'? "
"hold it one sec."
I'm going to kansas city
Kansas city, here I come
Going to kansas city, baby
Kansas city, here I come
They got some crazy little women, baby
And I'm gonna get me some
Well, I might take a boat
I might take a plane
If I have to walk, I'm gonna get there just the same
I'm going to kansas city
Kansas city, here I come
Got some crazy little women
I'm going to get me some
Oh easy now
Kansas city baby, kansas city here I come
Goin' to kansas city baby, kansas city here I come
They got some crazy little women, I'm gonna get me some
Yeah, well I might take a boat, I said I might take a plane
But if I have to walk, I'm gonna get there just the same
I'm goin' to kansas city baby, kansas city here I come
They got some crazy little women, I'm gonna get me some
Oh I'm goin' to kansas city baby, kansas city here I come
Goin' to kansas, kansas city baby, kansas city here I come
They got some crazy little women, I'm gonna get me some
Spoken:
Sw: "another one? hello, another one? a slower? is there any chance of this mike going over the p.a.? "
"if you leave it, where it is? "
Sw: "pardon? "
"if you leave it, where it is? "
Sw: "no, I meant, uh, I meant the microphone over the p.a. system."
"oh no, sorry."
Sw: "okay, doesn't matter, doesn't matter. o.k. here we go, ready? "
The Spencer Davis Group's song "Kansas City" is a classic blues tune that is filled with excitement and energy. The song's lyrics revolve around the singer's intentions of going to Kansas City to meet crazy little women. The opening dialogue of the song depicts the lead singer, Steve, being asked by one of his bandmates to play an up-tempo song. Steve flippantly offers to play "Every Little Bit Hurts," and the song launches from there. The main lyrical theme here is the exhilaration of anticipation, the thrill of the chase, the excitement of exploring a new place and meeting new people, specifically "crazy little women." The chorus, "Kansas City, here I come," is a joyful exclamation of the singer's excitement and eagerness.
The lyrics of the song convey the restless, roaming nature of the blues, in which characters are always on the move, seeking adventures and new experiences. The evocation of the reckless, adventurous spirit of the blues aligns with the song's driving rhythm and aggressive energy. Additionally, the overlapping dialogue in the beginning shows the group's spontaneity and willingness to jam, which lends itself to the improvisational nature of blues music.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm going to kansas city
I am going to Kansas City
Kansas city, here I come
I am coming to Kansas City
Going to kansas city, baby
I am going to Kansas City, my dear one
They got some crazy little women, baby
Kansas City has some wild women, my dear one
And I'm gonna get me some
I will find a wild woman for myself
Well, I might take a boat
I may travel by boat
I might take a plane
I may travel by plane
If I have to walk, I'm gonna get there just the same
If necessary, I will walk to get there
Oh easy now
Take it easy now
Yeah, well I might take a boat, I said I might take a plane
I may travel by boat or plane
But if I have to walk, I'm gonna get there just the same
Or if necessary, I will walk to get there
They got some crazy little women, I'm gonna get me some
I will find those wild women
Oh I'm goin' to kansas city baby, kansas city here I come
I am heading to Kansas City, my dear one
Goin' to kansas, kansas city baby, kansas city here I come
I am going to Kansas City, my dear one
Spoken:
Sw: 'another one? hello, another one? a slower? is there any chance of this mike going over the p.a.? '
Spoken line by one of the band members
'if you leave it, where it is? '
Another band member responds to the first's question
Sw: 'pardon? '
The first band member asks for clarification
'if you leave it, where it is? '
The second band member repeats his question
Sw: 'no, I meant, uh, I meant the microphone over the p.a. system.'
The first band member clarifies his request
'oh no, sorry.'
The second band member apologizes
Sw: 'okay, doesn't matter, doesn't matter. o.k. here we go, ready? '
The first band member moves on and prepares to play another song
Contributed by Juliana C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mike Papas