Mississippi Queen
| "Mississippi Queen" | |
|---|---|
 German single picture sleeve | |
| Single by Mountain | |
| from the album Climbing! | |
| B-side | "The Laird" |
| Released | 1970 |
| Format | Seven-inch 45 rpm record |
| Recorded | 1969–70 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:30 |
| Label | Windfall (532) |
| Writer(s) | Leslie West, Corky Laing, Felix Pappalardi, David Rea |
| Producer(s) | Felix Pappalardi |
"Mississippi Queen" is a song by the American rock band Mountain. Considered a rock classic,[3] it was their most successful single, reaching number 21 in the Billboard Hot 100 record chart in 1970.[4] The song is included on the group's debut album and several live recordings have been issued.[3] "Mississippi Queen" has been recorded by several artists, including Ozzy Osbourne, who had a hit with the song in 2005.[5]
Composition and recording
"Mississippi Queen" was recorded during the sessions for Mountain's 1970 debut album Climbing! According to drummer Corky Laing, he had developed some of the lyrics and the drum part prior to his joining the band.[6] Later, when guitarist Leslie West was looking for lyrics for a guitar part he had written, Laing pulled out "The Queen" and the two worked out the song together;[6] bassist/producer Felix Pappalardi and lyricist David Rea also received songwriting credits. When the group[7] proceeded to record "Mississippi Queen", Pappalardi insisted on numerous takes. Growing weary, Laing started using the cowbell to count off the song. Pappalardi liked it so much he left it in the mix, creating the instantly recognizable intro to the song.[6]
In Popular Culture
- The song was used in the 1996 The Simpsons episode "Homerpalooza".
- In 1993, the song was used in a commercial for Miller Genuine Draft.
- The song is featured in the reissued version of Grand Theft Auto V.
- The song was used in the soundtrack of the 1971 cult film Vanishing Point.
- The song was used in the Regular Show episode "Weekend at Benson's".
- "Mississippi Queen" was used in the 2010 film The Expendables.
- The song is playable in the video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Rock Band.
Other recordings
Several artists have recorded "Mississippi Queen", including:[5]
- 1985 – Bachman–Turner Overdrive included the life-version of the song in their album Live Live Live
- 1986 – W.A.S.P. as a bonus track on the 1998 reissue of The Last Command
- 1989 - The Beastie Boys and The Dust Brothers sampled the song extensively for the track "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" on Paul's Boutique.
- 1990 – Sam Kinison re-wrote the lyrics to tell the story of the Jim Bakker / PTL Scandal for Leader of the Banned
- 2001 – Wayne on Metal Church
- 2005 – Ozzy Osbourne recorded it with Leslie West on guitar for Under Cover; his version was released as a single and peaked at #10 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
- 2008 – Molly Hatchet on Southern Rock Masters
- 2008 – Ministry on Cover Up
- 2015- Amanda Ayala covered the song title selection on The Voice (U.S. season 9).
References
- ↑ Scott R. Benarde (2003). Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish Stories. UPNE. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-58465-303-5.
- ↑ Martin Popoff (2003). The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time. ECW Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-55022-530-3.
- 1 2 Greenwald, Matthew. "Mountain: Mississippi Queen – Song Review". AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
- ↑ Eder, Bruce; Huey, Steve. "Mountain – Biography". AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
- 1 2 "Song Search Results for Mississippi Queen". AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
- 1 2 3 Laing, Corky (2002). Climbing! (CD reissue notes). Mountain. Columbia/Legacy. pp. 8–9. CK 86577.
- ↑ Keyboard player Steve Knight does not perform on the song; the piano part is played by Pappalardi. Climbing! (reissue notes) p. 3.
External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||