“Working within the Coal Mine – Lee Dorsey”

Working within the Coal Mine” is a track with music and lyrics by the American musician and document producer Allen Toussaint. It was a global hit for Lee Dorsey in 1966, and has been recorded by different musicians together with Devo in 1981.

After Toussaint returned to New Orleans from the US Military, through which he served from 1963 to 1965, he shaped a manufacturing firm, Sansu (often known as “Tou-Sea Productions”), with companion Marshall Sehorn. He produced plenty of singles carried out by Lee Dorsey in 1965 and 1966, together with “Journey Your Pony” and “Working within the Coal Mine”.

Written and organized by Toussaint, the track issues the struggling of a person who rises earlier than 5 o’clock every morning with a purpose to work in a coal mine, 5 days every week, the place the situations are very harsh and harmful, however which provides the one prospect of paid employment. The singer repeatedly asks the Lord, “How lengthy can this go on?” and complains that when the weekend arrives, he’s too exhausted to have any enjoyable. Within the instrumental part, as within the track’s fade, he says: “Lord, I’m so drained / How lengthy can this go on?” The track options the sound of a pickaxe clinking, as if the musicians have been working in a mine. The musicians have been the Sansu studio band, together with guitarist Roy Montrell, drummer Albert “June” Gardner, and bassist Chuck Badie.

It was a success for Lee Dorsey, launched on Amy Information (catalogue quantity 958), and entered the U.S. Billboard Scorching 100 on July 23, 1966, finally peaking at #8, whereas reaching #5 on the Billboard R&B chart. It additionally reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart.

Toussaint stated that neither he nor Dorsey had ever been down a coal mine: “We didn’t know something a couple of coal mine”. He stated of Dorsey: “He was superb to work with. Very inspiring as a result of he had such a happiness about him. He cherished what he was doing when he was singing. He was a physique and fender man when he wasn’t singing and even at his peak, when he would come off the street on the finish of a profitable tour, he would go and get into his grease garments, his soiled work gear and go and work on automobiles. Straightening out fenders and portray bodywork. However actually it was his best hour when he was singing. He was an excellent individual for me to work with and he completely trusted me each step of the way in which.”  Wiki

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