Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
| "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Mickey Newbury | |
| from the album Harlequin Melodies | |
| Genre | Psychedelic pop[1] |
| Writer(s) | Mickey Newbury |
"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" is a counterculture era song written by Mickey Newbury. Said to reflect the LSD experience, the song was intended to be a warning against the danger of using LSD. First recorded on October 10, 1967 by Teddy Hill & the Southern Soul as a single on Rice Records (Rice 5028 b/w "Stagger Lee") and produced by Norro Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis soon covered the song for his album Soul My Way.
"Just Dropped In ..." was a hit for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (with Kenny Rogers on lead vocals) in 1968. It was Rogers' first top ten hit in the Billboard charts, and got the group their first national TV audience on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The song captures the short-lived psychedelic era of the late 1960s, and stands apart from the country folk harmonies that characterized most of the First Edition's catalog.[2]
The song features Rogers on lead vocals and was the group's second single from the band's eponymous album The First Edition. Producer Mike Post reversed a few riffs to create the intro, and the solo played by Glen Campbell was heavily compressed and used a tremolo effect to achieve its sound. Another studio guitarist, Mike Deasy, provided the acoustic lead guitar parts.
When Rogers signed to United Artists Records in the mid-1970s after the group split, he re-recorded the track for his Ten Years of Gold album.
Covers
The track was covered by Bettye LaVette on Karen Records (KA 1544) in 1968 as the flip side to the track "Get Away". On that release it was called "What Condition My Condition Is In".
The song was covered by the British group Styvar Manor in 1970 and issued as a single on Polydor.
Jim Turner of the comedy troupe Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre performed (as his character Randee of the Redwoods) a surprisingly faithful version on the Ducks' 1986 album Born To Be Tiled.
The song was covered in 1988 by the German band Die Haut, with Nick Cave as guest singer.
A cover version of the song appears on the album Welcome to Carcass Cuntry by Jeff Walker Und Die Fluffers (former lead singer of Carcass). Another cover version of the song appears on the original motion picture soundtrack for the film Soul Men by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings. Willie Nelson covered the song on his 2001 album "Rainbow Connection" and his 2002 album "The Great Divide".
Another version was released on the Deluxe Edition of Tom Jones "Spirit in the Room" in 2012.
Covered by Supergrass as a B-Side to their 1995 single Alright/Time.
Also covered by melodic death metal band Children of Bodom on the Japanese release of their "Blooddrunk" album as a bonus track and on their 2009 cover album "Skeletons in the Closet".
Covered in 2001 by Mojo Nixon.
It was also covered in 2002 by Willie Nelson for his album The Great Divide.
The song was covered in 2012 by Americana band Murder by Death.
The song was covered by Reef for their compilation album Together.[3]
The song was cover in 2013 by the Norwegian rock group the Launderettes.[4]
The song was covered by the San Francisco soul/funk group Sinister Dexter in 2014.
The song was covered by White Denim exclusively for the black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo, which played over the credits of the "Did you do this? No, you did it!" episode of the second season in 2015.[5]
The song was covered by the Donegal-based Irish band The Fantastics in 2014. This song was covered by Abe Diddy and The Krautboys on the album Follow in 2016
In popular culture (First Edition version)
The song is featured in a dream sequence from the Coen Brothers' 1998 film The Big Lebowski. Additionally, it plays during the end credits of the 2000 video game Driver 2; the title screen and end credits of the 2013 video game Stick It To The Man and is featured in the 2010 action movie Faster. It is also used is season 3, episode 1 of Chuck (tv series): Chuck Versus the Pink Slip. A short clip is heard in the 2015 HBO documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. Also on the TV series FARGO, season 2 episode 7.
References
- ↑ Pemberton, Pat (21 May 2013). "10 Artists Who Switched Genres". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ↑ "Kenny Rogers | Awards". AllMusic. 1938-08-21. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
- ↑ Bush, John. "Together, the Best of Reef". Allmusic. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ↑ "Getaway - The Launderettes | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
- ↑ "White Denim – "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" (Mickey Newbury Cover)".
