Mississippi Queen

"Mississippi Queen"
German single picture sleeve
Single by Mountain
from the album Climbing!
B-side "The Laird"
Released February 1970 (February 1970)
Format 7-inch 45 rpm record
Recorded 1969–70
Genre
Length 2:30
Label Windfall (532)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Felix Pappalardi

"Mississippi Queen" is a song by the American rock band Mountain. Considered a rock classic,[5] it was their most successful single, reaching number 21 in the Billboard Hot 100 record chart in 1970.[6] The song is included on the group's debut album and several live recordings have been issued.[5] "Mississippi Queen" has been recorded by several artists, including W.A.S.P., Sam Kinison, Amanda Ayala, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Ozzy Osbourne, the latter of whom had a hit with the song in 2005.[7]

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.[8] 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;[8] bassist/producer Felix Pappalardi and lyricist David Rea also received songwriting credits. When the group[9] 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 song's recognizable intro.[8]

The song was used in the 1971 film Vanishing Point.[10] The song was also used in "Weekend at Benson's", the 13th episode of the third season of the animated television series Regular Show.[11]

Sam Kinison did a version on his album Leader of the Banned.

References

  1. ↑ Scott R. Benarde (2003). Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish Stories. UPNE. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-58465-303-5.
  2. ↑ Tucker, Dan (February 28, 2014). "13 Classic Hard Rock Songs That Will Make You Scream "More Cowbell!"". VH1. Viacom. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  3. ↑ Martin Popoff (2003). The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time. ECW Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-55022-530-3.
  4. ↑ "Ten Great Blues-Rock Songs by Guitar Rockers". Guitar Player. NewBay Media. December 16, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Greenwald, Matthew. "Mountain: Mississippi Queen – Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  6. ↑ Eder, Bruce; Huey, Steve. "Mountain – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Ozzy Osbourne "Mississippi Queen" Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 Laing, Corky (2002). Climbing! (CD reissue notes). Mountain. New York City: Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings. pp. 8–9. CK 86577.
  9. ↑ Keyboard player Steve Knight does not perform on the song; the piano part is played by Pappalardi. Climbing! (reissue notes) p. 3.
  10. ↑ "Vanishing Point [Original Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  11. ↑ "How Regular Show Uses Real Life Songs Amazingly". Cartoon Amino. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
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