Werewolves of London explained

Werewolves of London
Cover:Werewolves of London Single.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Warren Zevon
Album:Excitable Boy
B-Side:Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Released:March 1978
Recorded:1977
Length:3:27
Label:Asylum
Producer:Jackson Browne, Waddy Wachtel
Prev Title:Hasten Down the Wind
Prev Year:1977
Next Title:Lawyers, Guns and Money
Next Year:1978

"Werewolves of London" is a song by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, written by Zevon, LeRoy Marinell and Waddy Wachtel. It first appeared on Excitable Boy (1978), Zevon's third studio album, then it was released as a single by Asylum Records in March 1978, becoming a Top 40 US hit, the only one of Zevon's career, reaching No. 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in May.[1]

Inspired by Zevon's band leader Phil Everly, it includes Fleetwood Mac's Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass.

Background and recording

The song began as a joke by Phil Everly (of the Everly Brothers) to Zevon in 1975, over two years before the recording sessions for Excitable Boy.[2] Everly had watched a television broadcast of the 1935 film Werewolf of London and "suggested to Zevon that he adapt the title for a song and dance craze."[2] Zevon played with the idea with his band members LeRoy P. Marinell and Waddy Wachtel, who wrote the song together in about 15 minutes, all contributing lyrics that were transcribed by Zevon's wife Crystal. However, none of them took the song seriously.[2]

Soon after, Zevon's friend Jackson Browne saw the lyrics and thought "Werewolves of London" had potential and began performing the song during his own live concerts. T Bone Burnett also performed the song, on the first leg of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour in the autumn of 1975.[3] Burnett's version of the song included alternate or partially improvised lyrics mentioning stars from classical Hollywood cinema, along with mentions of vanished labor leader Jimmy Hoffa, and adult film stars Marilyn Chambers and Linda Lovelace. "Excitable Boy" and "Werewolves of London" were considered for, but not included on, Zevon's second album Warren Zevon in 1976.[4]

According to Wachtel, "Werewolves of London" was "the hardest song to get down in the studio I've ever worked on."[5] However, Wachtel "laid down his solo in one take."[6] They tried at least seven different configurations of musicians in the recording studio before being satisfied with McVie and Fleetwood's contributions.[2] Bob Glaub and Russ Kunkel were among the several musicians who auditioned; Zevon rejected them because he thought their playing was "too cute". Although 59 takes were recorded, Browne and Zevon selected the second take for the final mix.[7] Wachtel recalled that the session began in the evening and went into the next morning.[8] The protracted studio time and musicians' fees led to the song eating up most of the album's budget.

The song's lyrics "He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's / Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein" refer to Lee Ho Fook, a Chinese restaurant on 15 Gerrard Street in London's Chinatown, which is in the West End of London.[9] [10] Egon Ronay's Dunlop Guide for 1974 discussed the restaurant and said it served Cantonese cuisine.[11] In concerts, Zevon would often change the line "You better stay away from him, he'll rip your lungs out, Jim / I'd like to meet his tailor", to "And he's looking for James Taylor".[12]

Over Zevon's objections, Elektra Records chose "Werewolves of London" as the album's first single (he preferred "Johnny Strikes Up the Band" or "Tenderness on the Block").[2] The song was a quick hit, staying in the Billboard Top 40 chart for over a month.[13]

Personnel

Reception and legacy

BBC Radio 2 listeners rated it as having the best opening line in a song: "I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand".[14]

Zevon later said of the song, "I don't know why that became such a hit. We didn't think it was suitable to be played on the radio. It didn't become an albatross. It's better that I bring something to mind than nothing. There are times when I prefer that it was "Bridge Over Troubled Water", but I don't think bad about the song. I still think it's funny."[15] He also described "Werewolves of London" as a novelty song, "[but] not a novelty the way, say, Steve Martin's "King Tut" is a novelty."[2]

The song had a resurgence in popularity in 1986 due to its use in a scene in The Color of Money, where Tom Cruise dances and lip-syncs to the song in a scene in which Cruise "displayed the depths of his talents at the billiards game of 9-ball."[16]

After Zevon's death in 2003, Jackson Browne stated that he interpreted the song as describing an upper-class English womanizer: "It's about a really well-dressed, ladies' man, a werewolf preying on little old ladies. In a way it's the Victorian nightmare, the gigolo thing."[2]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1978)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[17] 8
Canada RPM Top Singles[18] 18
New Zealand (RIANZ)[19] 11
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[20] 21
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[21] 15

Year-end charts

Chart (1978)Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)[23] 63
Canada [24] 140
U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)[25] 141

Samples and other versions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Warren Zevon - Chart History. Billboard. July 4, 2018.
  2. George Plasketes (June 15, 2016). The Secret Inspiration Behind Warren Zevon’s ‘Werewolves of London’, Medium.com, accessed July 30, 2018
  3. Web site: The Rolling Thunder Revue - Werewolves Of London. Pastemagazine.com. September 22, 2018.
  4. Zevon, Crystal. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon, p. 112.
  5. Zevon, Crystal. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon, p. 138.
  6. Browne. David. The Knights of Soft Rock. Rolling Stone. April 12, 2013. 1180. 58.
  7. Web site: Chilton. Martin. October 30, 2020. Werewolves Of London: Behind Warren Zevon's Howlingly Funny Song . September 4, 2023. Dig!. en-US.
  8. Web site: Partridge. Kenneth. May 13, 2020. Werewolves of London: How The Everly Brothers and a B-Movie from 1935 Inspired Warren Zevon's Monster Hit . September 4, 2023. Mental Floss . en-US.
  9. Book: Wooldridge, Max . 2002 . Rock 'n' Roll London . New York . . 38 . 0-312-30442-0 . August 9, 2020 .
  10. Book: Self, Will . Will Self . 2001 . Feeding Frenzy . London . . 252 . 978-0-670-88995-2 . August 9, 2020 .
  11. News: Robards . Terry . March 21, 1974 . Michelin Guide Invades Britain, But It's No Star‐Filled Journey . . August 9, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200809081833/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/21/archives/michelin-guide-invades-britain-but-its-no-starfilled-journey-some.html . August 9, 2020 .
  12. News: Behind the Song: Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London". Zollo. Paul. November 1, 2020. American Songwriter. October 7, 2022.
  13. Book: Whitburn, Joel . The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits . Billboard Books . 2009 . 978-0-8230-8554-5 . 9th . United States . 726.
  14. Web site: Vine . Jeremy . Jeremy Vine . Greatest Opening Song Line – The Winner! . . May 2004 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131208215712/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/vine/openinglines.shtml . December 8, 2013 . October 22, 2014.
  15. Web site: . Warren Zevon: Your Guide Through Transverse City. Stephen P. Wheeler .
  16. [Brad Steiger]
  17. Book: Kent, David . David Kent (historian) . Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 . Australian Chart Book . St Ives, N.S.W. . 1993 . 0-646-11917-6. Kent Music Report .
  18. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . July 17, 2013 . July 7, 2019.
  19. Web site: flavour of new zealand - search rianz. Flavourofnz.co.nz. August 13, 2022.
  20. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 -
  21. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 5/20/78. Tropicalglen.com. August 13, 2022.
  22. Web site: Werewolves of London. Officialcharts.com. August 6, 2023.
  23. Web site: Kent Music Report No 236 – 1 January 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1978. Kent Music Report. Imgur.com. January 8, 2022.
  24. Web site: Top 200 Singles of '78 – Volume 30, No. 14, December 30 1978 . . July 17, 2013 . . March 8, 2018.
  25. Book: Whitburn, Joel . 1999 . Pop Annual . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin . Record Research Inc. . 0-89820-142-X.
  26. Web site: Grateful Dead - Tour Statistics . . Setlist.fm . July 27, 2018.
  27. News: LINDLEY EL RAYO-X EASY, BREEZY 'GREASY' . The Washington Post . July 27, 2022.
  28. Web site: Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon – Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits . Deming . Mark . . December 14, 2016 .
  29. News: Adam Sandler, 'Werewolves of London' –- Terrible Classic Rock Covers . Lifton . Dave . Ultimate Classic Rock . September 3, 2013 . December 19, 2016.
  30. News: 7 Spooky Bangers and Monster Mash-Ups . Peisch . Will . The Dartmouth . October 30, 2015 . December 19, 2016.
  31. Book: Plasketes, George . B-Sides, Undercurrents and Overtones: Peripheries to Popular in Music, 1960 to the Present . May 23, 2016 . Rutledge . 978-1-31717-113-3 . 194.
  32. Web site: AdWeek – Ad of the Day: Masha Sings a Sultry Remake of 'Werewolves of London' for Three Olives Vodka. Adweek.com . December 4, 2014 . December 4, 2014.
  33. News: Ads Imply This Vodka Has a Real 'Bite' . Elliott . Stuart . . December 8, 2014 . December 19, 2016.
  34. Web site: Three Olives Unleashes 'Werewolves in London' 12/02/2014 . Lukovitz . Karlene . MediaPost . December 2, 2014 . December 19, 2016.
  35. Web site: Kid Rock, Longtime Holdout, Goes Digital With Rhapsody . Sisario . Ben . MediaPost . October 2, 2008 . October 13, 2018.
  36. Web site: Marvaldi . Selena . October 19, 2017 . Elio e le Storie Tese: ultimo concerto e ultimo singolo Licantropo Vegano . January 9, 2023 . Chemusica.it . it-IT.

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