Wednesday, July 1, 2015

My very first Battle of the Bands -- Jersey Girl

I've been a fan of BoTB for a very, very long time... and finally decided to join in. I'm sure this one has been done before--how could it not?--but I couldn't find it in the BoTB files. And it's a favorite of mine. (Well, one of them is.)

I give you:

 ~ Jersey Girl ~

v.1:



got no time for the corner boys, down in the street makin' all that noise,don't want no whores on eighth avenue, cause tonight i'm gonna be with you.
cause tonight i'm gonna take that ride, across the river to the jersey side,take my baby to the carnival, and i'll take you on all the rides, sing sha lala la la la sha la la la.
down the shore everything's alright, you with your baby on a saturday night,don't you know that all my dreams come true, when i'm walkin' down the streetwith you, sing sha la la la la la sha la la la.
you know she thrills me with all her charms, when i'm wrapped up in mybaby's arms, my little angel gives me everything, i know someday that she'llwear my ring.
so don't bother me cause i got no time, i'm on my way to see that girl ofmine, nothin' else matters in this whole wide world, when you're in love witha jersey girl, sing sha la la la la la la.
and i call your name, i can't sleep at night, sha la la la la la la.
(Lyrics source) 

v.2:



I got no time for the corner boys Down in the street making all that noise Or the girls out on the avenue 'Cause tonight I want to be with you 
Tonight I'm gonna take that ride Across the river to the Jersey side Take my baby to the carnival And I'll take her on all the rides 
'Cause down the shore everything's all right You and your baby on a Saturday night You know all my dreams come true When I'm walking down the street with you 
Sha la la la la la la Sha la la la la la la la la Sha la la la la la la la Sha la la la I'm in love with a Jersey girl 
You know she thrills me with all her charms When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms My little girl gives me everything I know that some day she'll wear my ring 
So don't bother me man I ain't got no time I'm on my way to see that girl of mine 'Cause nothing matters in this whole wide world When you're in love with a Jersey girl 
Sha la la la la la la Sha la la la la la la la la Sha la la la la la la la Sha la la la I'm in love with a Jersey girl 
I see you on the street and you look so tired I know that job you got leaves you so uninspired When I come by to take you out to eat you're lyin' all dressed up on the bed baby fast asleep 
Go in the bathroom and put your makeup on We're gonna take that little brat of yours and drop her off at your mom?s I know a place where the dancing?s free Now baby won't you come with me 
'Cause down the shore everything's all right You and your baby on a Saturday night Nothing matters in this whole wide world When you're in love with a Jersey girl
(Lyrics source)

Which version gives you the tingles, whether by association or musical achievement? Vote in the comments! I'd love to know what you think. (Results will be announced on July 7th.)

Loving the BoTB? So many other awesome face-offs out there! Find the full list at Stephen T. McCarthy's blog--and vote on his own face-off: Tito Puentes vs. The Dave Brubeck Quartet, a tough, tough choice.

See you at the other BoTB blogs!

Oh, and P.S. -- Since it's my first BoTB post ever, if you have any suggestions or tips to make it better next time, please do share :)

33 comments :

  1. >>... "and i call your name, i can't sleep at night"

    I Can't Sleep At Night? That's the oddest female name I've ever come across!

    I could never fall in love with a Jersey girl, because her accent would get on my last nerve.

    I think perhaps DiscConnected may have used this song (and it seems like one he WOULD do), but if so, that was long ago when there were only about 5 BOTBers, so most wouldn't remember that Battle now anyway. No problems.

    I much prefer the pre-1984 Tom Waits, but still I prefer the post-'83 Waits to Springsteen ANY TIME. So, chalk up the first vote for the songwriter, TOM WAITS.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. The Joisy accent would be a deterrent, yeah -- so would a name like I Can't Sleep At Night :D I'm with you, STMcC--pre-'84 Waits is prayer-worthy. I'll hold back on commenting about the Springsteen comparison for the results post, but I've got you down for Tom. Thanks for the vote!

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  2. Hi Guilie and welcome to BATTLE OF THE BANDS. I've been around since the beginning and I don't believe that this one has been done before, but even if it had, no matter. There are so many participants now, it's bound to happen every so often that we get a repeat.

    Never been much of a Springsteen fan, although there are a few of his songs that I do like. I am more of a Waits fan, but there are a few of his songs that I don't like. Go figure! Anyway...this is one of those songs that I can't say that I'm crazy about, maybe it has something to do with Jersey itself. Ha!

    I'm gonna give my vote to Waits, even though this is not one of his that I can say I'm terribly fond of. I think he does it ...can't find the word and don't really want to use better. Maybe it's more original. Yeah, that's it, more original.

    Great first time out. I really don't think there is a thing you need to change, or add, or do differently.

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    1. Haha... I get what you mean, Faraway--artists that push boundaries run the risk of displeasing fans at least some of the time, and Waits is definitely one of those. Thanks for the warm welcome and the encouragement; will be looking forward to joining y'all on a regular basis.

      One more vote for Tom!

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  3. I listened through both of them in full and I must go with Bruce Springsteen. I found his rendition more haunting and easier to listen to. I think you did a great job for a first timer:)

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    1. Thanks, Birgit! It's great to see you back, too -- I didn't know you were part of BoTB! Off to check out your battle now :)

      The Boss's first vote!

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    2. Hahahaa_ fooled ya-I'm not! I don't know enough about music, I feel, to pick different songs but I love listening to them and learning from everyone

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  4. Like many people I have a difficult time getting past Tom Waits' voice and that's the case with this song. If Bruce had sung the vocal in the Wait's version it would have been fantastic because I do like the orchestration in that one.

    As it stands I'll have to cast my vote for Bruce.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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    1. I get that, Lee... You're right, for plenty of people the Waits vocals are too big an obstacle. Second vote for Bruce, then--and thanks so much for the visit :)

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  5. Welcome to BOTB! I absolutely love this song, but the artist I think covers it the best isn't listed. For me Holly Cole would always win, hands down.
    But she's not in the running. Out of the two provided, I think I'm going to have to go with the Boss.
    Bruce Springsteen is my vote.

    And don't worry about doing a song that someone else has used. Chances are, even if you do, you'll use different artists. As hinted at above, I would have used the Holly Cole version which would have made this a whole new ball game.

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    1. Jeff, I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard the Holly Cole version (ow! okay, okay) so of course I had to go look it up -- and I loved it. So thank you for that. And for the vote, too! You've put Bruce one ahead :)

      Thanks for the welcome and the support! You BoTBers are a superb group of people :)

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  6. I like both versions of this song (making this a tough battle for me!). I think Springsteen's voice is smoother, but something about the grit in Waits' voice is appealing to me (at least on many songs, but not all). In this case, I prefer his gritty take on the song. So chalk one for Tom Waits. (Bruce, you're a close second:)

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    1. Haha... I know what you mean, Robin. Thanks for the visit and the vote (one more for Tom) -- and for being the catalyst into my joining BoTB :)

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  7. Both versions work for me! But I'm going to hold true to Bruce Springsteen. I like his version better.
    Welcome to BOTB! Hope you're having a good time with it.
    Michele at Angels Bark

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    1. PS: i'm a huge Picasso fan. Love the painting in your header...

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    2. Yay! Welcome, fellow art lover! The header is The Bathers by André Derain, and although he was a Fauvist, he painted this the same year Picasso painted the Demoiselles. There's a link... for sure there's a link ;)

      Thanks for the visit and the vote for Bruce, Michele! Off to check your own battle now :)

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  8. Welcome to the Battles Guilie :)

    I liked both these, but I'll go with Springsteen's much smoother vocals. It is a beautiful song.

    Have a great weekend :)

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    1. Thanks, Dolorah! I'm loving the BoTB family... You guys rock. (I guess that works literally, too ;) ) And thanks for casting your vote--one more for Bruce!

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  9. I'm not familiar with Tom Waits but love his gritty voice. Who doesn't know The Boss? - who I love - but Tom Waits get my vote for this rendition!
    Lovely that you're in on the BOTB Guille - :) Nothing to add or take away, it's clean and simple ... and lyrics on top of it all! Bonus!!!

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    1. Susan, if you're able to, listen to some more of his stuff. I'm not super familiar with his music to the point of knowing titles or albums, but I love-love-love him. And yes, the gritty voice totally does it for me--which is, seeing other comments, not always the case ;) Glad you share that with me!

      One more vote for Tom... Guys, this is going to be very close.

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  10. Hi Guilie - Welcome to BOTB!! Great first battle. Love your blog's header.

    I'm a huge Springsteen fan but this song, I think, belongs to Tom. Tom gets my vote!!

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    1. Thanks for the welcome and the encouragement, Dixie! Glad you liked the battle. I've got you down for Tom--which brings the tally to an even five votes each. Let's see if anyone else comes by to vote, or else I'll have to break the tie myself... Not looking forward to that, haha :)

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  11. Hi Guilie; NIce to see you here at BOTB! ☺ Welcome to the group.
    Great song. Tom Waits' vocals are pretty rough, but then again so are Leonard Cohen's and I ADORE him. It's all in the presentation, yes? My vote goes to Waits, because I prefer the arrangement, plus the grittiness in his voice makes the song more poignant, somehow.

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    1. Thanks for the vote, Debbie--and the visit :) So glad to be part of BoTB with you. I'm a big fan of Leonard Cohen, too!

      One more vote to Tom :)

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  12. Welcome to the BOTBs! My vote is for Bruce!

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    1. Thanks, Mike! A vote for Bruce... Which, I believe, brings the votes back to a tie. I'm going to hate being the one with the responsibility for a win, haha.

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  13. Hi Guilie- I am over to place my vote. Better late than never right?! I had a crazy week last week. Anyways, I think I am going with Bruce but it was really hard to pick. I like gritty and Tom had the grit but with this song, Bruce sounds at home for sure. Welcome to the BOTB- with me. Our first time to play- I love it for sure, how about you?

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    1. Hey there, fellow BoTB novice! Yes, this was a *lot* of fun. I'm sticking with this gang... They rock ;) Thanks for the vote; got you down for Bruce--and you've put him one ahead, Holli!

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  14. Welcome to the BoTB, Guilie! I know both artists...not real well...but I know them. I don't know the song, so I can put both singers on the same level without prejudice...I think. I like both vocals ~ unique & raspy. No men singing like women going on here, which I like. :D I thin for this track, I'm gonna cast my vote in favor of Tom Waits because I just like his voice over all better than Springsteen. Gee, I hope I don't get any backlash from that comment. Anywho, so glad to meet you and great first battle showdown!

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    1. "No men singing like women"--that made me laugh out loud, Cathy :D (And I agree!) I totally get what you mean about judging without prejudice... I find it so hard to be objective when there's an artist I love vs. one I'm unfamiliar with, even though the unfamiliar one's version might be better overall. Thanks for stopping by to cast your vote; got you down for Tom--which brings this battle back to a tie, dang it all...

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  15. I gotta go with THE BOSS! Welcome to the battles! Great songs for a first offering. You'll be a great addition to the fun.

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    1. Thank you, Cherdo! Encouragement from such a beloved member means the world :) Got you down for Bruce ;)

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  16. I just got the email today. But I would have voted for Waits. The cover needs to be definitively better than the original to defeat it, and Springsteen's isn't.

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