Shorty Long was something of an oddity in the Motown household. Next to Smokey Robinson he was one of the few artists that Gordy allowed to produce and write his own material. Within Motown he was a jack of all trades, playing various instruments on unidentified recordings and doing the MC honors on the Motown Revue. Shorty's records for Motown, Here Come the Judge,Function at the Junction and this gem were unlike any other record Motown became famous for. Shorty Long was greasier and fatter than anything else that came from Hitsville at the time. Shorty's career was cut short when he drowned in lake Michigan but this 45 continued to appeal to generations of great bands.
Come 1966 Mitch Ryder first made this song into a proper hit with a rather souped up version of it. Mitch set Little Richard behind the wheels of Shorty's ride. Mitch's version was subsequently picked up by the Cramps and Bruce Springsteen. Yet none of those versions have that dangerous sly and sexy feel to it. On Shorty's record you can actually see those fine hips strutting down the boulevard, packed in that tight blue dress, you can smell the Chanel no 5 in her neck. When you hear Shorty's you know he's talking about the kind of woman that will get you high and mighty, wind you up, make you crazy, before, of course, she'll let you fall smack down on your face. This record is a mighty dangerous attraction.
Available on The Essential Collection
You could say the same thing as regards dangerous sly and sexy feel to it about "Hound Dog". Elvis souped it up, but Big Mama Thornton's version was one step away from murder.
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