''Four Chords & Several Years Ago'' is the seventh

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Huey Lewis and the News Huey Lewis and the News are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Adult Contempora ...

, released in 1994. The title is a play on the first sentence in

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

's Gettysburg Address ("Four score and seven years ago ..."). It is a collection of 1950s and 1960s rhythm & blues covers influential to the members of the group during their early years. It is the last album to feature founding member and bassist,

Mario Cipollina Cipollina is Italian for chives. ''Cipollina'' may also refer to: People * Adriano Cipollina, Belgian soccer player who entered free agency in 2018; see List of Belgian football transfers summer 2018 * Amara Cipollina, French gymnast and bronze ...

, who left the band after the subsequent tour.

Track listing

#" Shake, Rattle and Roll" ( Charles E. Calhoun) – 3:07 #" Blue Monday" ( Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino) – 2:41 #"Searching for My Love" (Bobby Moore) – 2:50 #" (She's) Some Kind of Wonderful" (John Ellison) – 3:06 #"

But It's Alright "But It's Alright" (aka "It's Alright", due to its lyrics) is a song co-written by J. J. Jackson (singer), J. J. Jackson and Pierre Tubbs that became a hit on the pop and soul charts in both 1966 and 1969. Theme The song's lyrics address the sing ...

" ( J.J. Jackson, Pierre Tubbs) – 2:54 #"

If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" is a song written by Rudy Clark and first recorded by James Ray in 1961. Ray's recording on the Caprice label, arranged by Hutch Davie and produced by Gerry Granahan, reached number 10 on the US ''Billboard ...

" ( Rudy Clark) – 2:32 #"

Mother in Law A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship. A person is a child-in-law ...

" (

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

) – 2:43 #" Little Bitty Pretty One" ( Robert Byrd) – 2:04 #"

Good Morning Little School Girl "Good Morning, School Girl" is a blues standard that has been identified as an influential part of the blues canon. Pre-war Chicago blues vocalist and harmonica pioneer John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson first recorded it in 1937. Subsequently, a ...

" ( Sonny Boy Williamson) (credited as "S.L. Hopkins")– 4:02 #"

Stagger Lee "Stagger Lee", also known as "Stagolee" and other variants, is a popular American folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by "Stag" Lee Shelton, in St. Louis, Missouri, at Christmas 1895. The song was first published in 1911 and first recorded ...

" (Harold Logan, Lloyd Price) – 2:36 #" She Shot a Hole in My Soul" (Mac Gayden, Chuck Neese) – 2:38 #"Surely I Love You" (

James Bracken James C. Bracken (May 23, 1909 – February 20, 1972) was an American songwriter and the co-founder and co-owner of Vee-Jay Records with his wife Vivian and her brother, Calvin Carter. Life Bracken was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Kansas Cit ...

, Marion Oliver) – 2:51 #"

You Left the Water Running "You Left the Water Running" is a soul music song written by Dan Penn, Rick Hall and Oscar Franks. Otis Redding recording Redding's connection to the song is documented by music journalist Dave Marsh in his 1989 book '' The Heart of Rock and Sou ...

" (Oscar Franck, Rick Hall, Dan Penn) – 3:06 #"Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" (Charles E. Calhoun) – 2:57 #"Function at the Junction" (

Edward Holland, Jr. Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", ...

Shorty Long Shorty is a nickname, usually for a short person. See Shorty (nickname). Shorty may also refer to: Music Artists * Ras Shorty I, Trinidadian artist and founder of soca music. * Shorty (band), an American rock band formed in 1991 * Shorty (Ameri ...

) – 3:13 #"Better to Have and Not Need" (

Don Covay Donald James Randolph (March 24, 1936 – January 31, 2015), better known by the stage name Don Covay, was an American R&B, rock and roll, and soul singer-songwriter most active from the 1950s to the 1970s. His most successful recordings incl ...

, Erskin Watts) – 3:32 #"

Going Down Slow "Goin' Down Slow" or "Going Down Slow" is a blues song composed by American blues singer St. Louis Jimmy Oden. It is considered a blues standard and "one of the most famous blues of all". "Goin' Down Slow" has been recorded by many blues and o ...

" ( St. Louis Jimmy Oden) – 2:00

Personnel

Huey Lewis & The News * Huey Lewis –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

* Mario Cipollina –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

Johnny Colla John Victor Colla (born July 2, 1952) is an American musician (playing the guitar and saxophone), singer and songwriter. He is a founding member of the American rock band Huey Lewis and the News. He has been heavily involved in the San Franci ...

–

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

* Bill Gibson –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, backing vocals * Chris Hayes –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

, backing vocals * Sean Hopper –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, backing vocals Additional personnel * Marvin McFadden –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

(4-7, 10, 11, 13) *

Linda Tillery Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...

– backing vocals (4, 6, 10, 11, 15, 16) * Jeanie Tracy – backing vocals (4, 6, 10, 11, 15, 16)

Production

* Producer – Stewart Levine * Executive Producer – Bob Brown * Engineer – Daren Klein * Assistant Engineers – Jim Champagne, Kevin Scott and Jim "Watts" Vereecke. * Recorded at The Site (San Rafael, CA) and

Studio D Recording Studio D Recording, Inc. is a San Francisco Bay Area based recording, mixing, and mastering studio opened in 1984 in Sausalito. Studio D is most well known for its live room, equipped with a 20 foot ceiling and tunable acoustics. Studio D has be ...

(Sausalito, CA). * Mixed by Daren Klein at

Ocean Way Recording Ocean Way Recording was a series of recording studios established by recording engineer and producer Allen Sides with locations in Los Angeles, California, Nashville, Tennessee, and Saint Barthélemy. Ocean Way Recording no longer operates record ...

(Hollywood, CA). * Mastered by Bernie Grundman at

Bernie Grundman Mastering Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

(Hollywood, CA). * Technicians – Ralph Arista and Jim Moran * Art Direction – Robin Lynch * Design – JoDee Stringham * Photography – Dennis Keeley * Management – Bob Brown Management

Charts

Singles - ''Billboard'' (United States)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Four Chords and Several Years Ago 1994 albums Huey Lewis and the News albums Albums produced by Stewart Levine Covers albums Elektra Records albums Rhythm and blues albums by American artists