| "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Gene McDaniels | ||||
| from the album 100 Lbs. Of Clay! | ||||
| B-side | "Come On Take a Chance" | |||
| Released | February 1961 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 2:22 | |||
| Label | Liberty Records 55308 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kay Rogers, Luther Dixon, Bob Elgin | |||
| Producer(s) | Snuff Garrett | |||
| Gene McDaniels singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"A Hundred Pounds of Clay" is a song written by Kay Rogers, Luther Dixon, and Bob Elgin [1] and performed by Gene McDaniels. The song was produced by Snuff Garrett. [2] Earl Palmer played drums on the song. [3] The song appeared on McDaniels' 1961 album 100 Lbs. Of Clay! [4]
Chart performance
The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart and No. 11 on the R&B chart in 1961. [5]
Other versions
- Craig Douglas's cover version went to #9 on the UK Singles Chart in 1961. [6]
- Dalida released a French version of the song in 1961 entitled "Avec Une Poignée De Terre". [7]
- Arthur Alexander released a version on his 1962 debut album for Dot Records You Better Move On.
- The Impressions released a version on their 1967 album, The Fabulous Impressions. [8]
- Dickie Goodman sampled the song in his 1973 novelty song, " The Touchables In Brooklyn". [9]
- Gary Lucas released a version on his 1998 album, Busy Being Born. [10]
- The Belmonts released a version on their 2009 album, The Belmonts Anthology Vol. 1 Featuring A Hundred Pounds of Clay. [11]
- Dee Dee Sharp released a version on her It's Mashed Potato Time album, changing the lyrics to "two hundred pounds" and dedicating the song to Chubby Checker.
- Enrique Guzman released a version in México, named "Cien kilos de barro" in 1962.
Song controversy
In the early 1960s, the BBC banned the song and wouldn't allow British radio stations to play it.[ citation needed] The controversy arose not from the fact that it was a religious song, but because the censors interpreted the song as suggesting women were created simply to be sexual beings, and the BBC felt something that was considered blasphemous. [12]
References
- ^ "Search Results for 'a hundred pounds of clay' | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
- ^ Gene McDaniels, "A Hundred Pounds Of Clay" Single Release Retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Scherman, Tony, Backbeat: The Earl Palmer Story, foreword by Wynton Marsalis, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 1999 p. 175
- ^ Gene McDaniels, 100 Lbs. Of Clay Retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Gene McDaniels, "A Hundred Pounds Of Clay" Chart Positions Retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Craig Douglas, "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" Chart Position Retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Dalida, L' Intégrale Des Années Barclay Retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ The Impressions The Fabulous Impressions Retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Dickie Goodman, The Original Flying Saucers Retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Gary Lucas, Busy Being Born Retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ The Belmonts, The Belmonts Anthology Vol. 1 Featuring A Hundred Pounds of Clay Retrieved January 1, 2014
- ^ Simmons, Rick. "The Story Behind: Gene McDaniels, "A Hundred Pounds of Clay"". www.rebeatmag.com. Retrieved 2024-03-31.