He Thinks He's Ray Stevens
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| He Thinks He's Ray Stevens | ||
|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Ray Stevens | ||
| Released | 1984 | |
| Genre | Novelty | |
| Label | MCA Records | |
He Thinks He's Ray Stevens is an album by Ray Stevens. It was released in 1984 by MCA Records on cassette (MCAC-25047) and LP (MCA-5517).
A 1992 re-release on CD (MCAD-20688), titled Mississippi Squirrel Revival, featured this album's first eight tracks in a different order.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "I'm Kissin' You Goodbye"
- "It's Me Again Margaret"
- "The Mississippi Squirrel Revival"
- "Ned Nostril (And His South Seas Paradise, Put Your Blues On Ice, Cheap At Twice The Price Band, Ikky-Ikky, Ukky-Ukky)"
- "Fred"
- "Erik The Awful"
- "The Monkees (Theme From)"
- "Joggin'"
- "Happy Hour (Is the Saddest Time of the Day)"
- "Furthermore"
[edit] "I'm Kissin' You Goodbye"
The song's narrator is breaking up with his live-in girlfriend, who has been taking advantage of him and cheating on him ("you've shattered all that matters, gonna have to put you down"), and is apparently trying to sexually convince him to relent, as witnessed by the chorus line: "Get your tongue out of my mouth, 'cause I'm kissin' you goodbye."
[edit] "It's Me Again Margaret"
One of Ray Stevens' most famous songs, it follows the career of a prank caller who torments Margaret with a mixture of sexual innuendo and cornpone. Alluded to in later Ray Stevens songs, such as "Sex Symbols": "When I broke into 'It's Me Again, Margaret', the industrial-strength pantyhose with ultra-lift just filled the air."
[edit] "The Mississippi Squirrel Revival"
The theme of the song "The Mississippi Squirrel Revival" is the adventures of visiting relatives in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The singer finds a squirrel and places it in a box, then takes it to "The First Self-Righteous Church" the next Sunday; however, the squirrel escapes the box and begins to wreak havoc among the congregation, resulting in a humorous series of events leading the church to a revival. It is loosely based on a story told and recorded the previous year by the late Southern Gospel comedian Wendell "Wendy" Bagwell. In Bagwell's story, a Freewill Baptist church in the deep south is thrown into chaos when three German shepherd seeing-eye dogs, belonging to an all-blind gospel singing group, spot a stray yellow cat entering the small sanctuary during a crowded homecoming service.
[edit] "Ned Nostril"
The song follows the musical career of a man with an absurdly large nose. It's a spoof of Johnny Cash, musically...adding in humming sounds and the Folsom Prison Blues musical similarities and Ray sings the song in a broad Johnny Cash vocalization.
[edit] "Fred"
This song describes the life of the narrator's dog, Fred. Since Fred can speak, they were more in the nature of drinking buddies than master and pet. Despite his intelligence, Fred ends up as roadkill.
[edit] "Erik the Awful"
This song follows the globe-trotting career of the terrifying Viking, Erik the Awful, who chases a village full of victims all the way from Dark Ages Europe to the future site of the District of Columbia.
[edit] "(Theme from) The Monkees"
A cover of the Monkees song, supposedly sung by a group of Germans or Austrians "discovered" in a beer garden in the Tyrolean Alps. The song uses references to classic rock and pop songs such as "Help Me Rhonda", "Good Golly Miss Molly", and "Hang On Sloopy" in the intro from the announcer bringing out the two singing sensations from the Alps: Wolfgang and Fritzy. Ray uses a Monkees-like background singing choir during the song as well...as in the line: "here they come...walkin' down the street..." as it mixes the real song with the absurdity of the two Austrians.
[edit] "Joggin'"
The narrator of this song is obsessed with exercise, despite the numerous problems he encounters as a result of his habit of jogging long distances.
[edit] "Happy Hour"
This song, in the form of a sentimental ballad, describes the progress of a relationship between two extreme alcoholics, who broke up because "you sobered up, and you drifted away...now happy hour is the saddest time of the day," from the point of view of the other member, remaining alcoholic.
[edit] "Furthermore"
A remake of a song Ray Stevens recorded originally in 1962. The narrator describes the typical country music situation of being cheated upon and taken for granted by his significant other, declares that he is fed up, and notes (not necessarily believably, as it has apparently taken quite some time for him to decide to end the relationship), "Furthermore...I don't love you anyway." This 1984 update is longer and almost totally re-written from the original.
