The members of this British quintet were Peter Noone, Karl Green, Keith Hopwood, Derek Leckenby, and Barry Whitwam. Their name was derived from Sherman, a character on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show, and a rhyme about Herman the Hermit. From the moment the group gained stardom, Peter was popularly known as Herman.
For Michael Van Belle's review, click here.I list these songs not in the order that they appear on the disc, but in approximate chronological order. Lyrics to all songs are available here.
(Something Tells Me) I'm Into Something Good (2:32) - The group's first hit, and the one I like best. The night before the setting of this song, the narrator met a girl who had recently moved into his neighborhood. She danced with him, then he walked her home. She told him he could see her the next week, so he feels optimistic that he can build a permanent relationship with her.
Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter (2:45) - The string instrument in this song sounds almost like a banjo. The fast tempo gives a nice contrast to the somber mood. Mrs. Brown's daughter used to love the narrator, but now she's left him. He feels sad now that she's gone, but he knows that pining will do him no good, so he tells Mrs. Brown to tell the girl that he's feeling fine.
The End Of The World (2:57) - This song was previously sung by Skeeter Davis; this version is slower than the original.
Just A Little Bit Better (2:53) - The narrator knows that the girl is in love with another man because he buys her expensive stuff. The narrator, however, can give the girl true love, which would be "just a little bit better" than anything money can buy. A bell rings a few times during the first several measures. Just before the last verse, the key goes up a step. What I like best in this song is when Herman sings "a-ho-ho" a few times during each occurrence of the chorus.
I'm Henry VIII, I Am (1:50) - At one point, Herman says, "Second verse, same as the first," but actually EVERY verse in this fast song is the same as the first. The narrator's name is Henry, and he just married a widow who had previously been married to seven other Henrys. It is quite certain that nothing like this ever has happened or ever will happen in real life, but this song is a funny joke.
Silhouettes (1:59) - This song has a slow swing tempo. The narrator walks to his girlfriend's house one night. He stays outside and the shade is down, but he can tell that his girlfriend is with another man because he can see their silhouettes through the shade. I've also heard a version of this song by the Rays.
Can't You Hear My Heartbeat (2:15) - The tempo is fast, and hand-clapping accompanies the drums. In the first verse the narrator's heart beats every time his girlfriend looks at him, in the second verse she asks him to meet the her mother, and in the third verse he tells her that they ought to get married now.
(What A) Wonderful World (2:00) - This version is in the same key as, but faster than, the original version by Sam Cooke.
This Door Swings Both Ways (2:07) - This song is about the inevitable opposite forces that everyone encounters in life: joy and pain, dark and light, earth and sky, just to name a few. After a slow opening verse, the tempo accelerates to somewhere between moderate and fast. The song ends with two piano notes.
Dandy (1:58) - The narrator is singing to a boy who often pursues romantic adventures, as all of us do at some point in our lives. The most interesting lyric in this song is as follows: "And when you're old and gray, you'll remember what they said / That two girls are too many, three's a crowd, at four you're dead." The tempo is fast and the guitar strums are even more catchy than the drums.
Hold On (2:06; 45 RPM version 1:59) - The narrator's buddy has a girlfriend who does her best to make him happy, yet he treats her wrong. The narrator advises his pal to start treating the woman right and not let her love slip away. The tempo is fast and the drums roll every time the title is sung. The single version is a tiny bit faster, and the line "Brother, if I were in your shoes" is replaced with "I know one thing for sure, if I were you."
Listen People (2:31) - The first verse is also the third; here the narrator tells us that everyone loves someone at one time or another; he hopes that once each of us finds someone, the two will never part. But in the second verse, he also advises us that everyone LOSES someone sometime, so we'd better be careful not to lose our hearts.
Leaning On A Lamp Post (2:34) - The tempo is slow and swing at first; in those several lines, the narrator tells us he is leaning on the post not because he's out to steal a car. Then the tempo turns fast and he tells us what IS the reason he's leaning on the post: he's waiting for a certain woman to come by.
(She's) A Must To Avoid (1:56) - Another tune I like a lot. The girl apparently had deceived the narrator, who is now warning his buddy not to fall for her; she will earn his trust and then leave him when he needs her most. Just before the final occurrence of the chorus, the key changes from E to F.
No Milk Today (2:54) - The empty milk bottle sitting outside the narrator's house symbolizes the love that he once had but now is gone. The tempo is somewhat fast. I like how Herman sings that low A note right after some mid-range note.
There's A Kind Of Hush All Over The World (2:35) - This song has a moderate tempo. During the first several measures before the singing starts, I hear a low chime-like instrument backed by a cello. It is quiet all around the narrator and his girlfriend; in other parts of the world other couples are also falling in love. A couple of times at the end, someone whispers the word "hush," the second time with the "sh" sound prolonged.
Mother-In-Law (2:21) - The tempo in this version is about the same as in the hit version by Ernie K. Doe: moderate. The mother of the narrator's wife gives him no end of trouble; many people feel the same way about their spouses' parents.
Sea Cruise (2:07) - Here's a faster version of the song previously sung by a one-hit wonder, Frankie Ford. I also have a third version by John Fogerty.
I Gotta Dream On (2:00) - The narrator is in love with the girl, but he can't act on this feeling in real life, so all he can do is dream about her. What I like best about this moderate-tempoed song is the low-pitched guitar licks at the beginning.
Bus Stop (2:25) - This version of a Hollies hit has a moderate tempo slower than the original. The original was played in the key of A; the key in this version is G.
The Story Of My Life (2:28) - This song was originally sung by Marty Robbins in the late 1950s. Someday the narrator wants to write about his life, starting with the moment he met his girlfriend. He wants to marry her; once he does, he will end the story with that event. I like how the guitar swings from one note to another in one pluck of the string.
Little Boy Sad (2:23) - Musically, the song sounds a bit sinister thanks to the low-pitched instruments and the way the drums play. This version is slower than the original by Johnny Burnette.
For Your Love (2:23) - For the girl's love, the narrator would give her the sun, the moon, and the stars if he could. The Yardbirds sang the hit version of this song.
Take Love, Give Love (1:55) - The narrator's girlfriend takes his love but never gives him any love in return. He resolves to find another girl, then take her love without giving her any love in exchange, to teach the first girl a lesson.
The Man With The Cigar (2:31) - The tempo is moderate. The title character is the narrator's boss. The narrator works as fast as he can, yet the boss tells him to either speed up or be fired. The narrator does his best to keep his cool because he needs his job to earn a living.
I Know Why (2:03) - The narrator of this fast song knows why his girlfriend is his everything--the way she looks at him, smiles at him and kisses him.
Traveling Light (2:32) - This song has a moderate swing tempo. The narrator travels at what seems like the speed of light because he has no heavy suitcases to carry. He doesn't even carry a comb or a toothbrush. All he takes with him is "a pocket full of dreams, a heart full of love." He moves so fast because he can't wait to be with his girlfriend.
Got A Feelin' (2:06) - The fast tempo is fitting for the strong feeling the narrator has for the girl. He is in love with her and hopes she feels the same way about him.
For Love (2:43) - No, not "For YOUR Love"--a different song. The tempo is moderate. Instruments include a tambourine. People have such a strong desire for love, they'd give or do almost anything to get it. But the narrator warns his buddy not to fall for a certain girl. "You can buy her everything, and she will blow it in," he says.
Walkin' With My Angel (2:19) - Some parts play at the same moderate pace at which a person would walk, with drums and a low-pitched guitar providing the sound effects of walking. Other parts are fast. This song was previously sung by Bobby Vee.
My Reservation's Been Confirmed (2:47) - The narrator is in a hurry to reach his girlfriend, and the moderately fast tempo matches his urgency. He is traveling by train, and he tells the conductor to get the train moving as fast as possible.
Marcel's (1:55) - The tempo is moderate. The narrator decides to take a trip to the Thames houseboat of a friend of his named Marcel. Inside that place are "grotesque decorations" and oddities like "men with long eyelashes and ladies with mustaches." The narrator invites another friend to come to the houseboat with him.
I Can Take Or Leave Your Lovin' (2:29) - The tempo is moderate. Instruments include a tambourine and a celesta. The narrator alternates between talking about and to his untrue girlfriend. He doesn't need the heartache and pain she causes him, so he can either take her love or leave it. Scat singing lasts from 1:46 till fadeout.
The Man With The Cigar - Quirky but interesting; sets a neat mood. Flip of "A Must To Avoid."
Got A Feelin' - Great feelin'-good song; more rock than anything else they ever did. Flip of "Listen People."
Traveling Light - Flip of "Wonderful World."
Marcel's - Great, odd song about a friend's weird houseboat on the Thames where eccentric people hang out. Flip side of the next song.
I Can Take Or Leave Your Lovin' - Their last major hit (peaked at #18 on BB [Billboard]) and a remake of a Four Tops hit, I believe. Nothing fabulous, but the chit-chatting as the song fades is fun.
I Know Why - Flip side of "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat." I love this little song. Has interesting chords, and Peter's vocal keens all the way through.
I agree that I'm Into Something Good is the best. Perhaps the fact that Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote it helped. It was rushed to release in the US because the Cookies ("Don't Say Nothin' Bad About My Baby") had also recorded it and it was released at the same time. The latterversion didn't even crack the top 50, while HH's peaked at #11.
I also rank A Must To Avoid right up there, especially because of the last several measures and the ending on another key. The drums in Wonderful World always can brighten my mood, and their version of The End Of The World is just great because of Peter's hushed, somber solo.
East West - A little jewel, and follow up to "No Milk Today." However, it did not leave very much of an impression in late 1966, as it peaked at #37 in the British charts. In the Netherlands, this Christmas kind of a song got to #14 in early 1967. The narrator, a singer, is quite successful and travels around the world, east and west. To everyone his life must be wonderful ("What a great life it must seem"). But when he hears "young voices singing out, the bells of home come ringing out" and he admits, "Then I feel all alone, then I long for my home."
I'm Henry VIII, I Am - There was a slight mess-up in the the recording. When Peter was recording the song, he forgot the words to the second verse. Think fast, he sang "Second verse, same as the first!". Needless to say, the other band members and recording technicians were a bit confused at first. However, the song later became a hit, as we all know!
Now this is Collins talking.
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