"We're Going Wrong" is a song by British supergroup

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

from the album ''

Disraeli Gears ''Disraeli Gears'' is the second studio album by the British rock band Cream. It was produced by Felix Pappalardi and released on Reaction Records. The album features the singles " Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love". The original 11-tr ...

''. The song was written by bassist

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of Rock music, rock band Cream (band), Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a ...

and was the only song on ''Gears'' that Jack wrote without lyricist

Pete Brown Peter Ronald Brown (25 December 1940 – 19 May 2023) was an English performance poet, lyricist, and singer best known for his collaborations with Cream and Jack Bruce.Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'' (Muze UK Ltd, 1997) ...

Song structure

With the song's lyrics being only two stanzas long, Jack Bruce's vocals are stretched out throughout the length of the song and are backed by

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

's psychedelic-style guitar work and

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...

's drum beat which, at least when played live, uses Timpani drum mallets instead of regular drumsticks. The 6/8 time signature also gives the song a distinct and irregular sound. Bruce's vocals are falsetto and crooning-like and are accompanied with a slow bass line and a bluesy/psychedelic guitar melody; however Baker's drumming is often frenetic and fast-paced, making it completely at odds with the rest of the instruments.

Live history

Many of the tracks on ''Disraeli Gears'', including "

Sunshine of Your Love "Sunshine of Your Love" is a 1967 song by the British rock band Cream. With elements of hard rock and psychedelia, it is one of Cream's best known and most popular songs. Cream bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce based it on a distinctive bass riff h ...

", were dropped from Cream's live set in late-1967 and replaced by longer tracks such as the rendition of "

Spoonful "Spoonful" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon and first recorded in 1960 by Howlin' Wolf. Called "a stark and haunting work", it’s one of Dixon's best known and most interpreted songs. Etta James and Harvey Fuqua had a pop and R&B record ...

" and Ginger Baker's instrumental "

Toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

". "We're Going Wrong", however, achieved occasional play time.

Live album discography

The following Cream live albums releases featured "We're Going Wrong": #'' BBC Sessions'' #*Recorded: 30 May 1967 at the BBC Playhouse Theatre, London. #*Later released on the ''Disraeli Gears Deluxe Edition'' #''

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

'' #*The fourteenth song played in the setlist.

Compilation appearances

The following Cream compilation albums releases featured "We're Going Wrong": #'' The Very Best of Cream'' #'' Those Were the Days'' #'' I Feel Free – Ultimate Cream''

Jack Bruce solo versions

A live cover version of the song, recorded 19 August 1971 was released on Bruce's 1995 live release ''BBC Live in Concert'' and later released in 2008 on ''Spirit''. Another live cover appeared on his 2003 release ''More Jack Than God''. Another live version was released on ''HR Big Band Featuring Jack Bruce''.

References

{{Cream Cream (band) songs 1967 songs Songs written by Jack Bruce Song recordings produced by Felix Pappalardi