Montego Bay

Album

Bobby Bloom Album, The

Label

L&R RECORDS

Genre

Calypso

Composer(s)

Jeff Barr; Bobby Bloom;Richard Rodgers;Oscar Hammerstein II

Entered Chart

Sep 12, 1970

Peak Date

Nov 28, 1970

Released

September 1970

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

L&R 157

B-Side

Tray A Little Harder

Bloom wrote this about the city in Jamaica. Bloom said of the city when introducing the song: "It has a certain peacefulness that really sticks in your mind. It's the kind of a place that makes you write songs about it." Jeff Barry wrote this with Bloom and produced the track. Barry, whose songwriting hits include "Be My Baby" and "Leader of the Pack," worked with Bloom on various projects, including a Monkees album. Bloom did a lot of session work in the '60s while working on his solo material. This was his only hit, as he died on February 28, 1974, at age 28 after he was accidentally shot. >> This song has an interesting quasi-Jamaican feel, with whistling, hand claps and odd percussion. It was influenced by the bubblegum sound, as Barry and Bloom were working in that genre: Bloom wrote "Indian Giver" and Barry wrote "Sugar, Sugar." The full version of this song ends with a few bars of "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" from the musical, Oklahoma!. >> In 1986 Amazulu covered this song reaching #16 in the UK and #90 in the US. This was to be the last of four UK Top 20 hits for the British group, their most successful one being another cover, this time of The Chi-Lites "Too Good To Be Forgotten," which peaked at #5. Amazulu were a new wave/ska revival group who comprised five females and a sole male, Nardo Bailey, on drums. Their name means "For the Zulu people" in the Zulu language.

Vernon'll meet me when the BOAC lands
Keys to the M.G. will be in his hands
Adjust to the driving and I'm on my way
It's all on the right side in Montego Bay, sing out

Whoa oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh oh
Whoa oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh oh
Come sing me la
Come sing me Montego Bay
Whoa oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh oh

And Gillian'll meet me like a brother would
I think I remember but it's twice as good
Like how cool the rum is from his silver tray
I thirst to be thirsty in Montego Bay, sing out

Whoa oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh oh
Whoa oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh oh
Come sing me la
Come sing me Montego Bay
Whoa oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh oh

I'll lay on a Lilo 'til I'm lobster red
I still feel the motion here at home in bed
I tell you it's hard for me to stay away
You ain't been 'til you been high in Montego Bay, sing out

Whoa oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh oh
Whoa oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh oh
Come sing me la
Come sing me Montego Bay
Whoa oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh oh

Let's dance in the streets

Yeah, sing me la (la)
Come sing me Montego Bay
Whoa oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh oh

Oh, what a beautiful morning
Oh, what a beautiful day
And I've got a beautiful feeling
Everything's going my way