Larry Williams first came to the attention of Specialty Records founder Art Rupe when he was playing piano for Lloyd Price. Williams also chauffeured and acted as a valet for the singer who had success with “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” When Price left the label, Rupe signed Williams to a deal, and he stepped in to fill the void. His knack for picking up teenage slang and idioms was the perfect fit for rock ‘n’ roll. His first hit was a takeoff on “Long Tall Sally” by Little Richard. “Short Fat Fannie” reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. When Rupe asked him to write a song about a skinny girl, the result was “Bony Moronie,” which reached the Top 20.
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As Williams was finding his sound, he released one of the greatest two-sided singles of all time. “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy,” backed with “Slow Down,” didn’t sell as well as his previous singles, but it certainly played a big part in rock history. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy” by Larry Williams.
You make me dizzy, Miss Lizzy
The way you rock and roll
You make me dizzy, Miss Lizzy
When you do the stroll
Come on, Miss Lizzy
Love me ‘fore I grow too old
Come on, give me fever
Put your little hand in mine
You make me dizzy, dizzy, Lizzy
Oh girl, you look so fine
Just a-rocking and a-rolling
Girl, I said I wish you were mine
“Good Golly Miss Molly”
Toward the end of the 1950s, popular music was moving more in the direction of Bobby Rydell and Fabian. When “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy” was first released in 1958, it was possibly too gritty for the times. Just as he had riffed on the idea of “Long Tall Sally” for “Short Fat Fannie,” this time Williams reacted to Little Richard’s current release, “Good Golly Miss Molly.” “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy” followed the proven formula established by Little Richard, Lloyd Price, and Fats Domino, but it stalled on the charts at No. 69. The searing guitar riff explodes out of the grooves, and the pounding piano drives the song as Williams shouts the whole way through as drummer Earl Palmer and bassist Ted Brindson lay down the groove. In 1959, Williams was arrested on a narcotics charge, and Specialty Records dropped him from his contract.
You make me dizzy, Miss Lizzy
When you call my name
Ooh, baby
Say you’re driving me insane
Come on, Come on. Come on. Come on, baby
I want to be your loving man
Across the Atlantic
As Williams continued to release songs, young musicians overseas were taking notice. The Beatles played multiple Larry Williams songs in their infancy. They would go on to record three, “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy,” “Slow Down,” and “Bad Boy.” Carl Perkins was the only other artist who supplied three songs to their repertoire. The Rolling Stones also recorded the flip side to “Bad Boy.” “She Said Yeah” appeared on their December Children (and Everybodys) album. In 1969, John Lennon performed “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy” at the Toronto Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival show with Eric Clapton and Yoko Ono. Years later, he recorded “Bony Moronie” and “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy” on his Rock and Roll album.
Where Paul McCartney’s voice was better suited to sing the Little Richard songs, Lennon’s voice fit perfectly into Larry Williams’ territory. The Beatles were constantly searching for rock ‘n’ roll songs not covered by other artists. Their manager, Brian Epstein, managed the record department at NEMS (North End Music Store). In The Beatles Anthology, guitarist George Harrison said, “Brian had a policy of buying at least one copy of every record that was released. If it sold, he’d order another one, or five, or whatever. Consequently, he had records that weren’t hits in Britain, weren’t even hits in America. Before going to a gig, we’d meet in the record store, after it had shut, and we’d search the racks like ferrets to see what new ones were there.”
Run and tell your mama
I want you to be my bride
Run and tell your brother
Baby, don’t run and hide
You make me dizzy, Miss Lizzy
Girl, I want to marry you
“You Come Here and Sing It”
On May 10, 1965, The Beatles entered EMI Studios on Abbey Road to record “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy” and “Bad Boy.” “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy” was the last song on their soundtrack to Help! and “Slow Down” was the B-side to “Matchbox.” It just so happened to be Larry Williams’ 30th birthday. Bassist Paul McCartney said, “In an outtake I heard recently—recording ‘Dizzy, Miss Lizzy’—John is saying, ‘What’s wrong with that?’ and George Martin says, ‘Erm … it wasn’t exciting enough, John,’ and John mumbles, ‘Bloody hell,’—that kind of thing was creeping in a bit—’It wasn’t exciting enough, eh? Well, you come here and sing it, then!’ I think that’s just the pressure of work. When you’ve been working hard for a long time, you really start to need a break.”
Come on, give me fever
Put your little hand in mine, girl
You make me dizzy, dizzy, Lizzy
Girl, you look so fine
You’re just a-rocking and a-rolling
Ooh, I said I wish you were mine
The Sad End of a Rock ‘n’ Roller
Larry Williams enjoyed the newfound attention and continued recording into the late 1960s before his career trailed off. He continued leading a lavish lifestyle after the royalties dwindled. It was rumored he trafficked drugs and was involved in prostitution. After recording one final album for Fantasy Records in 1979, Williams was found dead in his home from a bullet wound to the head. It was ruled a suicide, but there were always rumblings about the possibility of murder related to drugs or prostitution, although no suspects were ever arrested or charged.
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Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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