A variation on this happens a LOT to me.
One librarian starts humming this tune to me; he thinks it was performed by a singer, such as Lisa Stansfield. I recognize it instantly as a long-ago instrumental, but cannot place it.
Another librarian sends me a clip of the music, as background to a vulgar Howard Stern rant. Yup, it’s THAT song.
I am notoriously bad at remembering the titles of pop-music instrumentals. Obviously, there are no lyrics to hook onto – but if there is a single word, such as Tequila by the Champs – THAT I can remember.
Finally, I send the Stern clip to Times Union blogger, and trivia buff Chuck Miller, and he identifies it as Soulful Strut by Young-Holt Unlimited. That track got to #3 on both the pop chart and the soul chart in early 1969.
It was also the frame for a song called Am I The Same Girl, originally done by Barbara Acklin, whose original version got to #79 in 1969. In fact, Soulful Strut was the instrumental backing track to the Acklin song. Dusty Springfield recorded a cover version of Am I The Same Girl that same year.
The song gained new life in 1992 when Swing Out Sister covered Am I The Same Girl. It only reached #45 on the pop charts, and it got some airplay in my neck of the woods. But I don’t think I had heard it, probably listening to Nirvana or something.
This story should further explain the brain of the librarian, and the desireNEED to know.
Listen to
Am I the Same Girl – Barbara Acklin HERE or HERE
Soulful Strut – Young-Holt Unlimited HERE or HERE
Am I The Same Girl- Dusty Springfield HERE or HERE
Am I The Same Girl- Swing Out Sister HERE or HERE
Weirdly, neither Red Holt nor Eldee Young played on “Soulful Strut” or “Am I the Same Girl.” Still, Brunswick figured the Young-Holt name still had some resonance, and happily appropriated it.
As the Young-Holt Trio, they (and Don Walker on the 88s) had a fair-sized hit in 1966 called “Wack Wack.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG3IX7ig4rs
And another Brunswick act, Eugene Record (the Chi-Lites), turns out to have co-written (with arranger Sonny Sanders) “Am I the Same Girl” and, perforce, “Soulful Strut.”
Roger, thanks for turning me on to Barbara Acklin’s version of “Am I the Same Girl”! I have Dusty and Swing Out Sister’s versions. Now the trifecta!
Love the song, the vibe, the sheer fun of it.