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Girl Happy
Words & Music:
Doc Pomus/ Norman MeadseGirl happy, yes I'm girl happy,
Girl happy, can't you see
Every girl I see looks good to me
What crazy way I were to be
I love a life of nothing but beautiful women
Well I'm Girl happy, yes I'm girl happy,
Girl happy, can't you see
Every time I see a pretty face
My heart just heads for outer space
I need a girl to make my life worth of living
Yes, I'm Girl happy, yes I'm girl happy,
Girl happy, can't you see
I've been like this since I was just a baby boy
First nurse that rocked my cradle made me jump to joy
Mama keep your daughter out of sight
I'm in a lovin' mood tonight
I love a life of nothing but beautiful women
Well I'm Girl happy, yes I'm girl happy,
Girl happy, can't you see
I've been like this since I was just a baby boy
First nurse that rocked my cradle made me jump to joy
Girl happy, well I'm girl happy,
Yes I'm girl happy, can't you see
Girl happy, said I'm girl happy,
Yes I'm girl happy, can't you see Recorded:
1964/06/10, first released on
Girl HappyReactions
This really is a bad song, no matter who wrote it. Never heard the version at normal speed. Maybe that sounds better. Probably not.
I always thought the film a lot better than the tracks to which I add echo in order to enjoy at an acceptable level. This title song is probably in the top 2 from the film and is a number I never skip as it exudes a boisterous infectious energy.
Would have been acceptable if it was speeded up in the recording process. His voice doesn't "jive" with the actual recorded version aka outtake.
I don't understand why people are despising that song. It's fun, that's all. Besides, if Elvis did it, nobody forced him to do it. He agreed with the Colonel's contract with the movie's companies. And it was while The Beatles were changing everything in the music world. Elvis didn't seems to care finally. I think he just wanted to have a good time with little involvement from himself. Only when he saw that the money was becoming lower that he reacted and went for the TV Special in 1968 and shift his career toward Vegas, by way of the Memphis sessions ... Elvis was indeed immature, we don't love him for his maturity... unfortunately but this what it is. He was like that. I like that song anyway, but prefer it at the normal speed I feel Elvis was lazy, as long as the money was coming, Just look at the way he mocked "message song" while America was struggling with the Vietnam War. He was carelful not to take a position politically. He never took a stand for peace except in a couple of good songs. Well, that was probably his best.
A fun movie song, and how anyone can say Elvis sounds "bored" on this song, is beyond comprehension ! He sounds full of energy and having fun with the song. Not his best song, by no means, but a happy fun song. And the tune always makes me sing along and smile !
All such a matter of taste and timing! I just knocked the song "Kissin Cousins" and yet, I (inexplicably) like this song, this (dumb) movie and this soundtrack---minus a few tracks. I came to Elvis after his death, when I was about 9 years old, and I probably got to this soundtrack when I was 10 or 11 and had recently gotten into James Bond via the movie "For Your Eyes Only" and "Happy Days" was popular on TV. And the kind of mentality of this song certainly fit with my very immature ideas about how men thought of women. So I was going by Elvis movies, James Bond and the Fonz. So if you are wondering how that worked out for me....well, I've had to make some adjustments since I don't look like Elvis, James Bond or the Fonz. But I still like this song (particularly at the corrected speed)
Girl Happy was, well, about average. worse was to follow. By now Elvis fans were beginning to wish that Elvis would give up the soundtrack Lp's and get down to doing what Elvis should have been doing, a really good studio Lp of around 12 to 14 songs. That according to the Col; was'nt an option as Elvis had movie contracts to fulfil. I often wonder, why couldn't the songs in the movies be restricted to around 5 or 6 songs for side one of an Lp, [better recorded] and strong studio recordings, again 5 or 6 used on side two. This may have helped the films with less dopey plots to slot in the songs and made the choice of songs better. And the fans would have got their studio recordings , as the odd bonus songs showed, the king could still cut a good song.
Invisible because there was a reaction to someone else
The song is a pleasant bouncy number with the Jordanaires as ever providing the vocal support. It was however blatantly obvious by this time that the soundtrack songs were getting progressiively
worse when Do the Clam emerged as the most commercial song on the album.
Always liked the film, always liked the album. this got me more into elvis when i was little. im 18 now and i still enjoy the album, infact listened to the album yesterday. very enjoyable.
Bouncy movie title song. I like it and the soundtrack.
Not a stellar performance or soundtrack. How people can stand up for this when they know what Elvis was capabale of is beyond me. Think King Creole, even GI Blues and you know how much the movies songs had fallen by 1965. Depsite Crying In the Chapel's fluke success, 1965 was very bad as no new non-movie recordings were done.
Probably the last of Elvis' big box office movies and doing the rounds around the same time as The Beatles A Hard Days Night which was released a year earlier. The title song isn't that bad and was probably saved by the input from Doc Pomus. I was a teenager when this film came out and believe me it was a difficult period for Elvis fans when Do the Clam was released to back up the soundtrack and movie.
I read in several books that El was so dissatisfied with his voice in this "movie" that he did not record for the following 18 months. I fully understand his reaction when you think of the voice he had in the years 60 to 63. When he recorded beauties like "She´s Not You" and "Good Luck Charm" his voice was like a beautiful bell in the studio. It must have been a shock for him to listen to this. He might have thought he was losing it(?) We know by now that he wasn´t. Vocally I think "Girl Happy" was his worst album ever and "Do the Clam" the worst single release of his entire career.
Not a great LP or song,but Do The Clam was good with a good Sax solo
Forget about this being speeded up a little, this is a great track from a very enjoyable movie. Elvis does not sound "bored as hell" as some people may have you think and the sound on this one is a happy and energetic. I guarantee if this had been the single from the movie (backed with "Puppet On A String") it would have been a double sided top 20 hit with "Girl Happy" hitting the top 10. Instead "Do The Clam" was released and Elvis hit a respectable, but low for him, #21. The year 1965 featured four top 15 hits and one top five hit and five top 40 hits. I know people are going to say that many of them had been recorded three and four years earlier, but they were still hits in '65 and Elvis was in the Top 10 for top musical acts in 1965.
Very poor production values on this one. Sound speeded up, Elvis sounding bored as hell & with a tin can type of sound. The soundtracks were now just recorded to sell a movie and make a quick buck with no thought about musical content at all as they once were in the early days. The rot was firmly in place in 1965 which was one of the best years in pop music no thanks to The King.
Available Alternate Versions