MARLENA SHAW / “Yu-Ma/Go Away, Little Boy”

“Go Away, Little Boy” dates back to 1962, when a teenaged Carole King and her then-husband Gerry Goffin composed it for Steve Lawrence (pop singer, 1950’s variety show host, television actor, etc.). By 1963, Lawrence’s version had scaled Billboard’s pop chart, not stopping until it reached #1. (Lawrence’s version was actually entitled, as you might expect, “Go Away, Little Girl.”) To my ears, Lawrence’s version is rather bland: his cadence is so sing-songy and his emotionality so flat, that it’s hard to tell what the song is even about. WilsonNancy.jpg A couple of years later, both Nancy Wilson (on Today, Tomorrow, Forever) and Shirley Horn (Shirley Horn With Horns) recorded ballad-paced covers of the tune. Both women are superior interpreters of both lyric and melody; listening to their versions, we discover that the song is about someone who already has someone and is now trying to resist the advances of a new someone. (Which neatly explains the ‘go away’ part.) I especially like the languid slowness and the honey-sweet deepness of Shirley's vocals. This is one of Shirley's early recordings, before her voluntary hiatus to raise her daughter away from the madness of show business; Shirley's perfect tone and skillful interpretation show that she could've been as big a name as any, if she'd chosen to stay in the limelight. (Not that I'm saying she should've.) Another few years later, Marlena Shaw (whose phrasing sounds remarkably similar to Nancy Wilson’s) recorded a swinging, bluesy/lounge-ish version for her Spice Of Life album. Marlena’s version adds a dash of wit and attitude, as when the brass section echoes Shaw's sassy ad libs (‘Split!’ ‘Vamp!’). Then, in 1971, thirteen-year-old Donny Osmond recorded the tune. Unbelievably to me (we won’t force y’all to suffer through it), Donny's remake went straight to #1, making “Go Away Little Girl” one of only a few songs to ever top Billboard’s pop chart in different versions. marlena shaw 04.gif Finally, in 1977, things got really good. I don’t know why Marlena Shaw decided to re-record a song she’d already done (and done well), but the new version is a virtual tour de force, a classic moment of 1970’s soul. Marlena’s new recording, which she subtitled “Yu-Ma” (an apparent attempt to abbreviate the expletive “you mutha…”), is one part hilarious stand-up routine (a la Millie Jackson or Patti Labelle) and one part ‘turn on the blue lights in the basement and put the kids to bed’ slow-jam mood music. (The 1977 remake was originally released on the Sweet Beginnings LP and is currently available on The Sass And Soul Of Marlena Shaw.) The great thing about Marlena’s opening rap (the “Yu-Ma” part) is the way she subtly admits that she’s just as crazy as her crazy man is. Between her three-year subscription to Essence magazine (three years?!) and her insistence that her man return to being the man that she thought he was at the beginning of their relationship, you know we’re dealing with two very special people here. And then there’s Marlena’s tone: regal, conversational, oblivious. Every time I hear the “Yu-Ma” version, I have to wonder, who is she talking to? marlena shaw 03.jpg A clue to answering that last question is provided by the way Marlena occasionally refers to whomever it is she’s speaking to as “y’all.” Meaning, I think, she’s talking to us. Which leads us to Marlena’s nine-minute live performance of "Go Away" in which she actually is speaking to an audience (as opposed to just pretending to) and in which she adeptly fleshes out the brief character sketch she began in “Yu-Ma.” Apparently, Marlena met Mr. Wonderful at the LAX airport even though she had no business in L.A. “I was living in New York at the time,” she says, “It, it was just fate.” (For those who won't get American jokes, LAX is in Los Angeles, 2,000 miles away from New York City.) Shortly thereafter, Marlena and her new man were sharing not only a taxi and a packet of Clorets, but also “a pretty little house” with “a well-manicured lawn,” “three big garbage cans,” and “two cars in the garage.” “We were doing so well,” Marlena says. Until “he quit his only job…at the airport.” By the time Marlena launches into the actual song, nearly six minutes have passed and the audience is in stitches. As funny as Marlena is, she’s also a genuinely talented vocalist who is as comfortable performing on stage as she is in the studio. She’s recorded everything from pop standards to straight-ahead jazz tunes to hardcore funk, but even so, Marlena’s finest moment might just be this one, the well-traveled but ultimately well-worth-it oldie-but-goodie “Go Away, Little Boy.” —Mtume ya Salaam         Another T.B.C. ...         I'm a long-time Marlena Shaw fan—I still own LPs by her, as well as CDs that I've recently added to the collection. She is the Sonny Stitt of female vocalists, by which I mean: jazz saxophonist Sonny Stitt had the unenviable fate to come along shortly after Bird had dominated the scene, so that Stitt often was dismissed as a first-rate Bird clone, but a clone. It was not true, Sonny had his own thing going, but there was no doubting his sound was "similar" to Bird. Marlena had to fight a similar battle with Nancy Wilson because their sound was similar. However, one major difference between the two is that Marlena decided to be what the music industry derides as "difficult," i.e. Marlena insisted that she would maintain dignity, pride and a determination to go her own way, so while she could and did sing in a bunch of different styles, from jazz to disco and everything in between, Marlena also had both a wicked wit and a wicked bite. Her most famous album is Who Is This Bitch Anyway? Nancy Wilson would never make an album with a title like that, would never be so "aggressive." I'm feeling Malena's aggresiveness. Next week (or the week after) Mtume and I are going to devote more space to Marlena Shaw. This is the beginning of another to be continued.... Enjoy. —Kalamu ya Salaam

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 20th, 2006 at 11:53 pm and is filed under Cover. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


4 Responses to “MARLENA SHAW / “Yu-Ma/Go Away, Little Boy””

tayari kwa salaam Says:
May 23rd, 2006 at 7:28 pm

Are you fuh real Steve Lawrence?! Thanks goodness fuh sistuhs who keep it real.

Listenin tuh Nancy n Marlena side-by-side makes me wonder if Nancy n Marlena need to sing anothuh song cuz I luvz me some Nancy but she sounds weak nextuh Marlena. I can hear Nancy singin Guess Who I Saw Today. Did Marlena sing that one?

Nothin can touch Shirley Horn. I hear a great similarity with Jimmy Scott. Are they related in some way? Did they both come out of the same time period?


Berry Says:
May 23rd, 2006 at 10:39 pm

An all time favorite from way back. We used to sing that one in school. 🙂


Melvin Says:
May 27th, 2006 at 4:31 pm

Yes! Give us more Marlena, please.


Dale Says:
June 14th, 2008 at 3:51 am

How Much Would Marlena Shaw- Go Away little Boy Be Worth. On Origianal Record.


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