Thursday, August 9, 2012

David Lee Roth - "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody"

Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody - Crazy from the Heat - EP

(Debuted March 23, 1985, Peaked #12, 17 Weeks on the Chart)

Stepping away from Van Halen -- he hadn't yet left the group at the time the EP was released -- David Lee Roth tested the solo waters with a four-song set of vintage tunes called Crazy From the Heat. While it presented "Diamond Dave" without the sonic pyrotechnics that usually accompanied his voice with the group, it gave him the ability to showcase his own singing style in a way that wasn't upstaged by his highly talented bandmate. While the collection wasn't exactly essential, it got his name and face out in front of the crowd and showed he could be successful on his own. It was no surprise, then, when he announced shortly thereafter that he was leaving the group.

Roth's second single was a medley of two songs that weren't initially recorded together. "Just a Gigolo" was written in 1928, with an English translation penned the next year. It was a bittersweet look at the past from a former Austrian military man after World War I ended his days of parades and parties. "I Ain't Got Nobody" originated in 1914-'15 and was a plea for attention. The two songs were combined by Louis Prima in 1956, and Roth's performance was based on that. The two songs blend together so well, many fans assume it was written together; however, it was not. 



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