Luck, you are so right; the Fleetwoods'"Tragedy" is a classic song, but you should also seek out the original version by Thomas Wayne on the Fernwood label; this also made the charts, and I can think of at least one oldies compilation it appears on (there may be more).
The Fleetwoods' version was actually a remake. Both were hits, although I've probably heard the Fleetwoods' rendition the most on oldies radio. It's not bad, but I have a slight preference for Thomas Wayne's "Tragedy," which has primitive sound quality, bathroom echo, and a slight rockabilly influence (Wayne was Memphis-based and recorded a few raw rockabilly sides for Sun before he had his one hit).
"YOU'VE GONE FROM MEEEEE...WHOA-WHOA...TRA-GE-DEEEE..." Chris Isaak WISHES he could get it together like that...hell, I oughta put that one on now. Either version.
I knew about the Thomas Wayne version being the OG, but I've never heard it.
This might be one of those songs that everyone has heard but me
Probably not. The Fleetwoods have other, more famous songs ("Come Softly To Me," "Mr. Blue") that get played a hell of a lot more than "Tragedy." And even though Thomas Wayne's was a legitimate hit, it's damn near a cult classic now, you hear it so seldom.
I celebrate (most of) the Fleetwoods entire catalog.
"The Great Imposter" is my jam. The breakdown of "Poetry --- So sweet --- " and the minor key "all her friends stand and watch her" shit is 1:58 of sweet-tart sonata.
I had the Mr Blue LP for years, listened to it a couple times & then finally culled it from the collection last xmas. Haven't really missed it. Ended up selling to a friend for $5 because he heard that Poison Ivy was a fan & wanted to check it out. I still have the "Come Softly" & "Mr Blue" 45s somewhere though, they are nice.
Comments
The Fleetwoods' version was actually a remake. Both were hits, although I've probably heard the Fleetwoods' rendition the most on oldies radio. It's not bad, but I have a slight preference for Thomas Wayne's "Tragedy," which has primitive sound quality, bathroom echo, and a slight rockabilly influence (Wayne was Memphis-based and recorded a few raw rockabilly sides for Sun before he had his one hit).
"YOU'VE GONE FROM MEEEEE...WHOA-WHOA...TRA-GE-DEEEE..." Chris Isaak WISHES he could get it together like that...hell, I oughta put that one on now. Either version.
This might be one of those songs that everyone has heard but me, but I'm not the Jesus Christ of music omniscience, or anything.
Probably not. The Fleetwoods have other, more famous songs ("Come Softly To Me," "Mr. Blue") that get played a hell of a lot more than "Tragedy." And even though Thomas Wayne's was a legitimate hit, it's damn near a cult classic now, you hear it so seldom.
"The Great Imposter" is my jam.
The breakdown of "Poetry --- So sweet --- "
and the minor key "all her friends stand and watch her"
shit is 1:58 of sweet-tart sonata.