“Somebody Ought To Write A Book About It”
Song by Ray Charles
The non-LP B-side “Somebody Ought To Write A Book About It” was released in April 1967 as ABC 10938; the A-side was the popular “Here We Go Again” from Ray’s Listen! LP.
“Somebody Ought To Write A Book About It” is a bumpy ride: the uneasy rhythm part lurches this way and that under a queasy, church-y Farfisa wheedle. The Raelets, sounding great but as if they’re pressed for time, feature more heavily than usual, keeping up a nearly constant stream of singing.
But it’s Ray Charles’ commanding vocals that truly dominate “Somebody Ought To Write A Book About It”. (In fact, the song begins with his a capella command, “Listen!”) He sounds weary, or drunk, and like the rest of the track is heavily echoed. Gruffer and more profundo than usual, he hadn’t sounded this loose in quite a while, although this looseness borders on being out of control, something Ray never did in his singing.
“Somebody Ought To Write A Book About It” was described in the May 6, 1967 issue of Billboard as “an infectious rhythm blues item” with huge sales potential.
He is mixed so loud that the dramatic and unusual cadence of the beat gets lost underneath at times; when it reemerges it can be jarring since Ray seems to be ignoring the rhythm while singing, and the listener naturally follows the voice. There is a rushed, just-get-it-done feel to “Somebody Ought To Write A Book About It” that sets it apart from Ray’s usually carefully planned and mixed recordings.
The song is fun to hear since it’s so different and so off-hand compared with Ray’s norm. It’s something of a “kitchen sink” song – a brass ensemble pops up frequently with its slicing blasts, and an oddly incongruent (even unnecessary) string section can be heard lightly in the background. Everything sounds too fast; with a slowed tempo and greater attention to the arrangement, “Somebody Ought To Write A Book About It” would be a much more predictable if less interesting song.
While the A-side of the single was a smash that spent weeks on the charts and reached Number 15, this B-side actually made it to Number 116 on its own, according to the June 10, 1967 issue of Billboard.
“Somebody Ought To Write A Book About It” was written by the trio of Jimmy Holliday, Jimmy Lewis, and Cliff Chambers, who would also contribute “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers” to Ray’s 1969 LP Doing His Thing. The lyrics are the embittered thoughts of a man who has been so unlucky in love, he thinks someone should write a book about his frequent misadventures.
Single releases
Listen to “Somebody Ought To Write A Book About It”
Get your own “Somebody Ought To Write A Book About It” on 45 or MP3 from Amazon. Or get the out-of-print complete ABC singles 5xCD box set.