Song Lyric Sunday: “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes),” “Gimme Dat Ding”

Song Lyric Sunday, Song of the Day 3 Minutes

So Jim wants us to pick two songs with something in common and compare and contrast them. Okay…

My two songs are both from 1970. The first is "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" by the band Edison Lighthouse. It was written by Tony Macaulay and Barry Mason and originally recorded by a performer who went by the name Jefferson, who frequently sang in falsetto. Edison Lighthouse was made up of session musicians led by singer Tony Burrows, who, as we’ll see, is the common thread.

The lyrics, from Genius:

She ain’t got no money
Her clothes are kinda funny
Her hair is kinda wild and free
Oh, but love grows where my Rosemary goes
And nobody knows like me

She talks kinda lazy
And people say she’s crazy
And her life’s a mystery
Oh, but love grows where my Rosemary goes
And nobody knows like me

There’s something about her hand holding mine
It’s a feeling that’s fine
And I just gotta say, hey!
She’s really got a magical spell
And it’s working so well
That I can’t get away

I’m a lucky fella
And I just got to tell her
That I love her endlessly
Because love grows where my Rosemary goes
And nobody knows like me

There’s something about her hand holding mine
It’s a feeling that’s fine
And I just gotta say, hey!
She’s really got a magical spell
And it’s working so well
That I can’t get away

I’m a lucky fella
And I just got to tell her
That I love her endlessly
Because love grows where my Rosemary goes
And nobody knows like me

It keeps growing every place she’s been
And nobody knows like me
If you’ve met her, you’ll never forget her
And nobody knows like me
La la la, believe it when you’ve seen it
Nobody knows like me

The second song is a novelty number, "Gimme Dat Ding." Like the previous song, it was recorded by a group of session musicians (this time calling themselves The Pipkins), and also the lead singer was Tony Burrows, in this case doing a fairly good impression of Tyrone F. Hornai, Arte Johnson’s "dirty old man" from Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. The falsetto was provided by Roger Greenaway.

The lyrics, from Genius:

That’s right, that’s right, I’m sad and blue
‘Cause I can’t do the boogaloo
I’m lost, I’m lost, can’t do my thing
That’s why I sing “Gimme, gimme dat ding!”

Gimme dat, gimme dat, gimme, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme dat ding, gimme dat, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme dat ding, gimme dat, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme, gimme, gimme, dat ding
(Oh, sing it one more time, mama)

Ah, gimme dat, gimme dat, gimme, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme dat ding, gimme dat, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme dat ding, gimme dat, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme, gimme, gimme, dat ding
(Ah, you ain’t doing that late at night)

A-ooh, what good’s a metronome without a bell for ringing?
(You’re right, you’re right, it’s no use at all)
How fast can anybody ever tell he swinging?
(Eh, they can’t tell)
How can you tell the rhythm written on a bar?
(Well, you don’t go too far, that’s what you do)
How can you ever hope to know just where you are?
(Well you look around ya)
Gimme dat
(Gimma dat)
Gimme dat
(Gimma dat)
Gimme dat
(Gimma dat)
Gimme dat
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme
(Ah, gotcha)

Gimme dat, gimme dat, gimme, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme dat ding, gimme dat, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme dat ding, gimme dat, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme, gimme, gimme, dat ding

Oh, gimme dat, gimme dat, gimme, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme dat ding, gimme dat, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme dat ding, gimme dat, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme, gimme, gimme, dat ding

A-ooh, what good’s a metronome without a bell for ringing?
(Well, you try and you do your best)
How fast can anybody ever tell he swinging?
(Oh, you ain’t doing that at all mama)
How can you tell the rhythm written on a bar?
(Well, you see)
How can you ever hope to know just where you are?
(Ah, yeah gimme dat)

Gimme dat (Do ya wanna make an old man happy?)
Gimme dat
Gimme dat
Gimme dat, (Yeah, well, gimme some o’ dat…)
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme

Gimme dat, gimme dat, gimme, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme dat ding, gimme dat, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme dat ding, gimme dat, gimme, gimme dat
Gimme, gimme, gimme, dat ding

(That’s right!)

Tony Burrows was on a couple of other records that year: White Plains’s "My Baby Loves Lovin’", where both he and Ricky Wolff of the band sang it together, and The Brotherhood of Man’s "United We Stand", where he sang lead vocal with Sue Glover. Later, in 1974, he was a member of the band First Class. They did the song "Beach Baby". Legend has it that, on the British TV show Top Of The Pops, he fronted three bands on the same show during the weeks between January 29 and February 26, 1970, but that never happened: he was never on with more than two…

Well, I hope that was enjoyable. That’s Song Lyric Sunday and Song of the Day for May 23, 2021.

Published by John Holton

Internet disc jockey, lover of old TV (especially the commercials), inveterate wise guy.

Published

25 thoughts on “Song Lyric Sunday: “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes),” “Gimme Dat Ding””

  1. Great songs! I really love the dancing music video of the Edison Lighthouse song.

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    1. I try and choose videos that will play in all countries (or at least the ones my readers come from), and I think that was the only one that would play in Canada. Glad you liked it!

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. John,

    Now, I know why the Brotherhood of Man sounds familiar, it’s because Tony sang “Love Grows”. Thanks for clearing that mystery for me. 🙂

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  10. Please watch Roger Whittaker perform “Last Farewell” on TOTP. The befuddled looks on the teenagers’ faces is a riot.

    Two great songs from my youth.

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  11. You never disappoint, John. My sister’s name was Rose Mary and that song always reminds me of her. What a wildly different style for the same year but that was the 70s. I remember them both very well.

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  12. Your post was a very enjoyable read John and the music was great. I always thought it was Wolfman Jack singing Gimme Dat Ding and it was good to hear that again. Great comparison using Tony Burrows who I did not know much about.

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