2021-05-06 16:49:16流浪阿狗

老歌亂談(1048)Me and You And a Dog Named Boo

美國歌手Roland Kent LaVoie出道甚早,1961 ( 18歲 ) 時就加入佛羅里達州當地的一個樂團The Rumours ( 該團成員有後來加入The Byrds的Gram Parsons、及贊助費用供The Bellamy Brothers至加州發展的貴人Jim Stafford ),之後又陸續加入其他幾個樂團。1964,在The Sugar Beats樂團時遇到了製作人Phil Gernhard,發行了第一首單曲 ( 翻唱Johnny Rivers的《What Am I Doing Here》),1966及1969也都各再發行了一首,可惜都未跨進排行榜的門檻。

1971,LaVoie改名為Lobo ( 西班牙語意為「灰狼」),Gernhard也至Big Tree唱片公司擔任執行長,替Lobo出了他個人的第一首單曲,即為此首《Me and You And a Dog Named Boo》,不知是改名後的好運還是怎樣?此曲竟然分別在美、英排行榜拿下第5與第4名,也成為Lobo一炮而紅的成名曲。

據Lobo事後回憶,他當時寫的幾首歌,包含了和女子在全國到處旅行的這首,而在歌詞中一直想使用「you and me」的韻腳,卻覺得不太容易,後來回到佛羅里達的家中,決定改成「me and you」。又他所飼養的德國狼犬Boo正從角落走來且看著他,這也讓他產生靈感,何不將狗也加入歌曲中?這樣的組合竟然很快的完成了此曲。Lobo也承認,除了喬治亞,他並未去過歌曲中所提到的其他地方。

從歌詞,像是一對嬉皮男女開著老車到處旅遊,且在農場偷雞蛋(?)被逮到,以打工來償還,而也獲得一桶汽油可繼續上路。可自由自在的駕車到處旅遊,應該是許多人的夢想,台長我也曾想過在退休後駕車環島,隨性玩到哪算哪,露營、睡車上或住旅館 ( 洗洗澡 ),可惜迄今都未實現。

I remember to this day
The bright red Georgia clay
And how it stuck to the tires
After the summer rain
Will power made that old car go
A woman's mind told me that so
Oh how I wish
We were back on the road again

Me and you and a dog named boo
Travelin' and livin' off the land
Me and you and a dog named boo
How I love being a free man

I can still recall
The wheat fields of St. Paul
And the morning we got caught
Robbing from an old hen
Old McDonald he made us work
But then he paid us for what it was worth
Another tank of gas
And back on the road again

I'll never forget the day
We motored stately into big L.A.
The lights of the city put settlin'
Down in my brain
Though it's only been a month or so
That old car's buggin' us to go
We've gotta get away and get back on
The road again