If Lovin' Is Believin'

Album: Move Baby Move (1954)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Could this be the first heavy metal record? Nick Duckett of Rhythmandbluesrecords explains:

    In January 1954, when Ike Turner brought the young singer to Philips' attention, he was playing a curious hybrid of black and white music using nursery rhyme lyrics and cheerleader chants. Billy 'The Kid' Emerson released five singles under his name between 1954 and 1956, but his first release was one of the strangest of all rhythm and blues records. Taken at a slow pace, it starts off with the band doubling on a riff that wouldn't be out of place on a British heavy blues rock album from the late '60s. Deep Purple eat your heart out. The verse finds Billy singing along to something resembling a slow baion rhythm, which would be used some ten years later in pop by Leiber and Stoller with the Drifters, and also notably by the Kingsmen on "Louie Louie." Where Billy heard it, the Lord only knows, and it didn't do the disc any good either - like all the singles he released, it bombed.
  • Recorded in Memphis in January 1954 and released on Sun 195, the performers on this song were Billy Emerson, (vocals, piano) Oliver Sain (alto sax) Eugene Fox (tenor sax), Ike Turner (guitar), Jesse Knight (bass) and Willie Sims (drums).
  • Bob Dylan borrowed heavily from this tune for his 2020 song "False Prophet."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?