Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...
and Bob Tubert and released as a single by Lewis in the U.S. in February 1965 on
Smash Records
Smash Records was an American record label founded in 1961 as a subsidiary of Mercury Records.
History
Mercury Record Corporation president Irving Green announced the formation of the company’s new pop subsidiary label, Smash Records, in Ma ...
. The song was also released in the UK in 1965 as a 45 single on
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label founded by Netherlands, Dutch electronics company Philips and in 1999 was absorbed into Netherlands, Dutch-United States, American music corporation Universal Music Group. It was founded as Philips Phonograph ...
.
Background
"Baby, Hold Me Close" was recorded for Smash Records in the U.S. as S-1969 and was released as a 7" 45 single backed with "I Believe in You" in February, 1965. The music and lyrics were credited to Jerry Lee Lewis and Bob Tubert.
Shelby Singleton
Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. (December 16, 1931 – October 7, 2009) was an American record producer and record label owner.
Early life
He was born Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. in Waskom, Texas. His parents were Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Sr. an ...
, the producer of the recording with
Jerry Kennedy
Jerry Glenn Kennedy (born 10 August 1940)Cusic, Don. (1998) "Jerry Kennedy". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 277–278. is an American record producer, songwriter and guitar pla ...
, was credited as a co-writer on the Australian release by
Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs
Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1963. They were active in two incarnations, the first as a beat band from 1963–1967, and as a hard rock band from 1968–1973. They emerged in 1964 with their cover ...
. The song was published by Raleigh Music, Inc.
The appeal of the song is to dancing. In 1965, go go dancing and dance shows were popular. The opening line is: "Now listen here baby to what ol' Jerry Lee has to say / I want you to get out on this dance floor with me now." While on the floor, he exhorts his partner: "Now hold me close, baby / Squeeze ol' Jerry Lee all through the doggone night."
In ''Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found'', Joe Bonomo characterizes the song as "a cool studio-concocted groove".
Jerry Lee Lewis performed the song live on the American music variety television series ''
Shindig!
''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles,The Return of Rock''.
The single reached no. 129 on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under the Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S. in June, 1965.
Billy Thorpe
William Richard Thorpe AM (29 March 1946 – 28 February 2007) was an English-born Australian singer-songwriter, and record producer. As lead singer of his band Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, he had success in the 1960s with "Blue Day", "Poison Iv ...
released a cover version in Australia as a
Parlophone Records
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...
45 single as A8170 on
EMI
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
in September, 1965 as
Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs
Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1963. They were active in two incarnations, the first as a beat band from 1963–1967, and as a hard rock band from 1968–1973. They emerged in 1964 with their cover ...
. Their recording was a hit on the Australian charts, reaching #4 in Sydney, #24 in Melbourne, #4 in Brisbane, #14 in Adelaide, and #19 in Perth.
The single peaked at #15 on Australia's (4BC) Top Singles Chart for the week of November 14, 1965.Australian (4BC) Top SIngles Chart. /ref> The recording was also released on the 1965 Parlophone EP ''Twilight Time''.
The song appeared on the 1971 compilation album ''The Best of Billy Thorpe'' on Parlophone.
Album appearances
"Baby, Hold Me Close" appeared on the following albums:
* '' The Return of Rock'', Smash Records, 1965
* ''High Heel Sneakers'', Pickwick, 1970
* ''Hound Dog'', Sears, 1971
* ''Ausgewählte Goldstücke'', Karussell, 1982
* ''Killer: The Mercury Years, Volume 1 (1963-1968)'', Polygram/Mercury, 1989
* ''The Locust Years...And the Return to the Promised Land'', Bear Family Records, 1994
* ''Southern Swagger'', Bear Family Records, 2007
* '' A Whole Lotta...Jerry Lee Lewis: The Definitive Retrospective'', Salvo, 2012
* ''Original Classic Albums, 1965-1969'', Raven, 2012
* ''The Return of Rock/Soul My Way'', Beat Goes On
Sources
*Bonomo, Joe (2009). ''Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found''. New York: Continuum Books.
*Tosches, Nick (1982). ''Hellfire''. New York: Grove Press.
*Gutterman, Jimmy (1991). ''Rockin' My Life Away: Listening to Jerry Lee Lewis''. Nashville: Rutledge Hill Press.
*Gutterman, Jimmy (1993). ''The Jerry Lee Lewis Anthology: All Killer, No Filler''. Rhino Records.
*Lewis, Myra; Silver, Murray (1981). ''Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis''. William Morrow/Quill/St. Martin's Press.