Somethin' Else (song)

"Somethin' Else"
Single by Eddie Cochran
from the album The Eddie Cochran Memorial Album
B-side	"Boll Weevil Song"
Released	July 1959
Format	7" 45rpm
Recorded	June 23, 1959
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	2:08
Label	Liberty F-55203
Writer(s)	Sharon Sheeley, Bob Cochran
Producer(s)	Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran singles chronology
"Teenage Heaven" (1959) "Somethin' Else" (1959) "Hallelujah! I Love Her So" (1959)

"Somethin' Else" is a song by the rockabilly musician Eddie Cochran, co-written by his girlfriend, Sharon Sheeley, and his older brother, Bob Cochran, released in 1959.

Background

The first-person lyrics describe how Cochran wants a convertible he can't afford and a girl who he fears will not go out with him. But in the end, by saving money, he is able to buy an older car, and works up the confidence to ask the girl out. The song was written on the back of a match book. Veteran studio drummer Earl Palmer played the same drum beat on "Somethin' Else" as Charles Connor did on Little Richard's "Keep A-Knockin'". But Eddie Cochran was unaware that Sheeley wanted to duplicate the drum sound of the Little Richard recording.^[1] The song peaked at #22 on the UK singles chart but only reached #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

Personnel

• Eddie Cochran: vocal, guitar, electric bass overdub
• Earl Palmer: drums
• possibly Jim Stivers: piano

Chart performance

Chart (1959)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	22
US Billboard Hot 100[2]	58

Songwriting credit

Note writing credit amended to show Bob not Bobby Cochrane. Eddie's brother Bob co-wrote the song. Original link was to Bobby Cochrane who is apparently Eddie's nephew.

Cover versions

Sid Vicious version

"Something Else"
Single by Sid Vicious
from the album The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
Released	February 23, 1979
Recorded	January - August 1978
Genre	Punk rock
Length	2:06
Label	Virgin Records
Writer(s)	Sharon Sheeley, Bob Cochran
Producer(s)	Sex Pistols

Sid Vicious recorded his own version of the song for the album The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle as well as a solo single, released 3 weeks after he died. It peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and was Sid's biggest success. There are a few (slight) changes to the lyrics, for example the opening verse is changed from, "Here comes that girl again/Wanted to date her since I don't know when" to "Here comes that girl again/One of the cutest since I don't know when" and in the third verse, the lines are changed from "Worked hard and saved my dough/I'll buy that car that I've been wanting so" to "Worked hard and saved my dough/I buy that car and I load up with Joe".

The music video for this cover was shown as: Sid getting out of bed wearing nothing but a thong, scratching his testicles, getting on a bike and starts singing, and after he has done singing the first verse, he gets off his bike, goes to fridge and grabs a beer bottle, slaps the bottle lid off, starts singing most of the 2nd verse in front of a mirror whilst pouring the beer on the floor and eventually smashing the bottle on his bike. After he is done singing he puts some boots on and whilst wearing only boots and the thong walks outside as the song and video ends.

References

1. Cochran, Bobby (2003). Three Steps to Heaven: The Eddie Cochran Story (1st ed.). Milwaukee: Hal Leonard. p. 145. ISBN 0-634-03252-6.
2. "Eddie Cochran – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Eddie Cochran.

External links

• Eddie Cochran US discography on Remember Eddie Cochran