My Girl (Hoodoo Gurus song)
Encyclopedia
"My Girl" was the third single by iconic Australia
n rock
group Hoodoo Gurus
and was released on Big Time
Records and distributed by EMI
in October, 1983; it peaked at #35 on the Australian charts. It was written by Dave Faulkner
and was also on their first album Stoneage Romeos
. The single was also subsequently released in the United Kingdom in 1985 by Demon Records with a different cover sleeve and a different B-side, "Leilani
".
The quirky video for the song was shown on Australian Broadcasting Corporation's
popular TV series Countdown and is based around a dog trainer and his former champion greyhound: as suggested by former member Kimble Rendall
, who had left Gurus to return to film-making.
The greyhound that wins the race in the video is Winifred Bale and the race is the 1983 National Sprint at Harold Park
in Australia.
According to Faulkner the B-side, "Be My Guru",
The music video locations include: Belvue St, Glebe
; Wentworth Park
; the pub was the Central Markets in Darling Harbour, was next to what is now the Pumphouse. The UTS Tower
is also briefly visible as Faulkner grooms the greyhound early in the video. The dog was borrowed from Donnie Sutherland
(of Sounds Unlimited/Sounds
fame).
"My Girl" was performed by Spiderbait
on the 2005 tribute album Stoneage Cameos (see Stoneage Romeos
), Spiderbait also performed "My Girl Part 2"; where "Be My Guru" was performed by Persian Rugs (containing Hoodoo Gurus' Faulkner, Brad Shepherd
and Mark Kingsmill together with bassist Kendall James). The album was launched at the Meadows Greyhound Racing Track in Broadmeadows, Victoria
in reference to the video for "My Girl".
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
and was released on Big Time
Big Time Records (label)
Big Time Records was an independent record label based in Sydney, Australia. The label was owned by Lance Reynolds and Fred Bestall, who managed Air Supply in their early days among others. From 1979 up until 1981 Big Time was distributed by Wizard Records, who were purchased by EMI Ltd...
Records and distributed by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in October, 1983; it peaked at #35 on the Australian charts. It was written by Dave Faulkner
Dave Faulkner (musician)
Dave Faulkner is an Australian rock musician who also performed as Dave Flick. Faulkner is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist; he has performed with several bands, but is best known as a member of Hoodoo Gurus...
and was also on their first album Stoneage Romeos
Stoneage Romeos
Stoneage Romeos was iconic Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus' first album and saw them receive record sales to complement their already strong reputation for live performances. The album name is from a Three Stooges short film...
. The single was also subsequently released in the United Kingdom in 1985 by Demon Records with a different cover sleeve and a different B-side, "Leilani
Leilani (song)
"Leilani" was the first single by iconic Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus when they were called Le Hoodoo Gurus and was released on Phantom Records in October 1982. It had been written by all four Gurus: James Baker, Dave Faulkner, Roddy Radalj and Kimble Rendall. Rendall left shortly before its...
".
The quirky video for the song was shown on Australian Broadcasting Corporation's
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
popular TV series Countdown and is based around a dog trainer and his former champion greyhound: as suggested by former member Kimble Rendall
Kimble Rendall
Kimble Rendall is an Australian director, musician and writer mostly known for his Second unit direction of Matrix Reloaded , Matrix Revolutions , I, Robot , Casanova and Ghost Rider...
, who had left Gurus to return to film-making.
"To this day people insist the song was 'written about a dog'. Oh, well. The truth is, it was meant to be part of a never-made home movie, a tribute to 60's beach movies entitled 'GidgetGidgetGidget is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner in his 1957 novel, Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The novel follows the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfing friends on the beach at Malibu. The name Gidget is a portmanteau of "girl and midget"...
Goes Ape'." - Dave Faulkner.
"It was a love song about love songs, a tribute to all the ‘60s boy-girl love songs, and I felt bad that some people would get quite sad about it —‘That poor guy!’—because it was just a joke!" - Dave Faulkner.
The greyhound that wins the race in the video is Winifred Bale and the race is the 1983 National Sprint at Harold Park
Harold Park Paceway
Harold Park Paceway was a harness racing track in Glebe, New South Wales. It was a half-mile track but was just 739m in circumference until some changes in recent years...
in Australia.
According to Faulkner the B-side, "Be My Guru",
"has always been our unofficial anthem and we loved to play it whenever we felt an audience was too comfortable during a show. This was the first of what we called our 'Punishment Songs'. It was put on the flip-side of 'My Girl' to add a bit of acid to the sugar, so to speak."- Dave Faulkner.
The music video locations include: Belvue St, Glebe
Glebe, New South Wales
Glebe is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Glebe is located 3 km south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney, in the Inner West region....
; Wentworth Park
Wentworth Park
Wentworth Park is a multi-purpose sporting facility in the suburb of Glebe in New South Wales, Australia.that is used for various sports including rugby union, rugby league, soccer and greyhound racing. Wentworth Park is located 2 kilometres from the Sydney central business district...
; the pub was the Central Markets in Darling Harbour, was next to what is now the Pumphouse. The UTS Tower
UTS Tower
The University of Technology Sydney Tower is located at 1 Broadway NSW, Australia. On more than one occasion it has been singled out as Sydney's ugliest building. For many UTS staff and students, this has become a matter of pride. The Tower has provoked beautification schemes from irate architects...
is also briefly visible as Faulkner grooms the greyhound early in the video. The dog was borrowed from Donnie Sutherland
Donnie Sutherland
Donald "Donnie" Sutherland OAM is an Australian radio and television presenter, best known for being the host of Sounds on Australian television between 1975 and 1987...
(of Sounds Unlimited/Sounds
Donnie Sutherland
Donald "Donnie" Sutherland OAM is an Australian radio and television presenter, best known for being the host of Sounds on Australian television between 1975 and 1987...
fame).
"My Girl" was performed by Spiderbait
Spiderbait
Spiderbait are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Finley in 1989 by bass guitarist Janet English, singer-drummer Mark Maher , and guitarist Damian Whitty. In 2004 the group's cover version of the 1930s Lead Belly song "Black Betty" reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart...
on the 2005 tribute album Stoneage Cameos (see Stoneage Romeos
Stoneage Romeos
Stoneage Romeos was iconic Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus' first album and saw them receive record sales to complement their already strong reputation for live performances. The album name is from a Three Stooges short film...
), Spiderbait also performed "My Girl Part 2"; where "Be My Guru" was performed by Persian Rugs (containing Hoodoo Gurus' Faulkner, Brad Shepherd
Brad Shepherd
Brad Shepherd is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially the Hoodoo Gurus...
and Mark Kingsmill together with bassist Kendall James). The album was launched at the Meadows Greyhound Racing Track in Broadmeadows, Victoria
Broadmeadows, Victoria
Broadmeadows is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume...
in reference to the video for "My Girl".
Track listing
- "My Girl" (Dave Faulkner) — 2:36
- "Be My Guru" (Dave Faulkner, James Baker) — 2:35
Personnel
Credited to:- James BakerJames Baker (musician)James Baker is a rock musician from Perth, Western Australia. He has drummed with, and was instrumental in the founding of several influential Australian bands including The Scientists, Le Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and The Dubrovniks.-Early days:Baker has named Ronnie Bond of The Troggs as...
— Drums - Clyde Bramley — Bass, vocals
- Dave FaulknerDave Faulkner (musician)Dave Faulkner is an Australian rock musician who also performed as Dave Flick. Faulkner is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist; he has performed with several bands, but is best known as a member of Hoodoo Gurus...
— Lead vocals, guitar - Brad ShepherdBrad ShepherdBrad Shepherd is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially the Hoodoo Gurus...
— Guitar, vocals
- Producer, Engineer — Alan Thorne
External links
- Essay, including interview with Dave Faulkner, about "My Girl" (July 2008) at Webcuts