When we go slippin’ and a-slidin’ into Sal’s Speakeasy in Ashland tomorrow night for our latest gig, we’ll bring with us one of our all-time favorite party tunes.
The song that we call “You Got Me Slippin’” is loosely based on a classic Jimmy Reed piece from 65 years ago at the very dawn of rock ’n’ roll. And to further Floodify the fun, we also inject a few old Bob Dylan verses right in the middle of it just for glee (a shout-out to your grandpa’s sword, pictures on a board and fistfights with the milkman… you know, the usual stuff….)
The Jimmy Reed Original
Inspiration for it all, as we say, is a blues that Jimmy Reed recorded in 1959. Vee-Jay Records released it as “Baby What You Want Me to Do,” but honestly, everybody we knew back then called it "You Got Me Runnin'" because of its opening lines (You've got me runnin' / You've got me hidin' / You've got me run, hide, hide, run…)
It was a chart hit for Reed and, as with many of his songs, it appealed to listeners across various genres, with numerous subsequent covers by other artists.
While Reed himself received the sole songwriting credit for the number, blues historian Gerard Herzhaft notes, “Like almost all of Reed's pieces and whatever the official credits are, it is an original composition by his wife, (Mary) Mama Reed."
Covers and Tributes
The song continues to be performed and recorded — notably by Etta James and by Elvis Presley — making it perhaps the most covered of all of Reed's tunes, spawning versions by blues, R&B and rock artists.
Flood fans might remember that our own version — complete with the addition of those Bob Dylan lyrics from his 1965 “On the Road Again” — is the opening track on our 2016 Live, In Concert album.
Incidentally, our Dylan insertion was a bit prescient. While Bob himself has never recorded a Reed song as far as we know, he did pay tribute to the blues great with the song “Goodbye Jimmy Reed” on the 2020 Dylan album, Rough and Rowdy Ways.
(And by the way, last month we got to hear Dylan sing that one in person when he rolled into downtown Huntington to appear live at the Keith-Albee theater.)
So, Do We Have a Date?
Remember, this Saturday night The Flood will be bringing our take on the Reed song — and a whole lot more — to Sal’s Speakeasy, 1624 Carter Avenue in beautiful downtown Ashland, Ky.
We play from 6 to 9. Call ahead to save a table near the bandstand, then come on down and party with us.
And speaking of dates, hope you’re also making plans to join us at Huntington’s Alchemy Theatre this New Year’s Eve for our big “Flood at 50” birthday bash.
All the details are on the new website, FloodAt50.com. And if you’re on Facebook, “like” the page there at www.facebook.com/the.flood.at.fifty That’ll keep you up to date on the latest details.
"You Got Me Slippin'"