Why was ‘Tutti-Frutti’ so radical?
As the 1950s came around, rock ‘n’ roll stood on the precipice. You could see the iconic genre poking its head out of the curtains, but who was pioneering the sound?
There were a number of artists in the ‘50s who championed this new sound. It was energetic, filled with vigour, and got people up and down the country on their feet and dancing. A lot of people thought that it might have just been a passing phase, so they didn’t bother investing too much time and money into it. However, there were others who knew that rock music could well change the game, and they were certainly right.
Take a track like ‘Tutti Frutti’ for instance, all you need to do is hear the introduction to that song, and it’s clear what you’re about to listen to. Before any music has even kicked in, you’re already tapping your feet and snapping your fingers as that infectious music begins to take hold. It was a track that people at the time adored; however, like so much rock ‘n’ roll, it was also steeped in controversy.
Little Richard knew that he wanted to be a musician. He was working washing dishes and dreamed of doing something bigger, allowing his showmanship and unwavering creativity to take him to places other people could only dream of. There were problems facing him, though, as people weren’t necessarily willing to embrace rock ‘n’ roll, not to mention societal issues stemming from deeply rooted racism around the country. However, despite the hurdles, Richard was relentless.
“I had been washing plates for so long, I was tired,” admitted Richard when talking about how fed up he was of his mundane life. He recorded a demo and sent it to Speciality Records in Los Angeles. When they didn’t reply, he started pestering them and asking for feedback.
“We didn’t listen to the tape right away,” recalled Art Rupe, the record label founder, “It was a scratchy tape and it was poorly recorded. He just kept calling us, so finally I said, ‘Find that tape,’ and we found it and we listened to it. If it hadn’t been for Richard’s persistence, we would have never met Little Richard.”
So, they had Little Richard, but now they needed a hit. This eventually came in the form of ‘Tutti Frutti’, a song which came about because of a vocal riff that Richard used to do on stage. As soon as Richard sang the line, it was a good place to start writing a song. “He jumped on the piano and sang, ‘Awop-bop-a loo bop alop-bam-boom!’” recalled Richard’s bandmate Ron Jones, “So they heard it and said, ‘Wait a minute, what’s that?’ It was a hook that they had never heard before, but Richard had been singing that phrase for years on the Chitlin’ Circuit.”
Deacon John, who used to lead the band, reckoned the song was decent enough, but thought the lyrics needed tweaking as they might come across as a bit controversial. It’s a strange take, really, considering the words don’t make a whole lot of sense to begin with. Still, it goes to show just how touchy conservatives were in the ‘50s – and how wary they were of rock music full stop.
“The lyrics could be interpreted as gay sex. They’re not going to play that on the radio!… And everybody knew, this ain’t about ice cream,” recalled John, “But the primary reaction from the producer’s point of view was, ‘Hey, this sounds like a hit record’.”
While the song was perceived as relatively controversial, it didn’t get in the way of the song becoming a hit, but the fact that it almost did shows you just how much our approach to lyrics has changed. While Little Richard’s time in the spotlight was relatively short, without a song like ‘Tutti Frutti’, the sound of rock ‘n’ roll could be incredibly different.
