You can thank Farrah Fawcett for Midnight Train to Georgia

Publish date: 2024-08-15

Who would’ve ever guessed the inspiration behind Gladys Knight’s soul-stirring “Midnight Train to Georgia” was ’70s pinup queen Farrah Fawcett?

That’s just one of the fascinating song histories revealed in the new book “Anatomy of a Song” by Marc Myers (Grove Press, out now). Based on Myers’ column in the Wall Street Journal, the book features the stories of writers, producers and artists who had principal roles in the creation of 45 of music’s most famous singles.

“I’m looking for the art and humanity behind each song,” Myers told The Post. Even if that involves “Animal House.” Here’s a taste of what the book uncovers.

“Shout” by the Isley Brothers (1959)

When the Isley Brothers had a touring soul revue in 1959, they would usually end their set with a version of Jackie Wilson’s “Lonely Teardrops.” But one night in Philadelphia, the crowd was so frenzied that Ron Isley didn’t want to stop singing — so he started making up a new song on the spot.

“The people went crazy, and I began to ad-lib more lines like ‘kick my heels up’ and ‘throw my hands up,’” says Ron in the book. The group quickly recorded the song as a stand-alone, creating their first hit. “Shout” is now virtually a standard, covered by everyone from Green Day to Bruce Springsteen.

“(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding (1967)

In 1967, Steve Cropper was a producer at Stax Records when soul star Otis Redding called in to say he had a hit on his hands. It was called “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay,” but Cropper saw a problem with Redding’s lyrics about “watching the ships roll in.”

“Otis, hold on,” Cropper said. “If a ship rolls, it will take on water and sink.” Redding simply replied, “That’s what I want.” That sinking melancholy is what Redding got, pushing the song to No. 1. Sadly, Redding never heard it on the radio himself, having died in a plane crash just days after recording it.

“Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the Pips (1973)

Country songwriter Jim Weatherly initially came up with the idea for the song when calling his actor buddy Lee Majors one night in 1970. Majors’ then-girlfriend Farrah Fawcett answered the phone and told him that Majors had taken a “midnight plane to Houston.” The phrase struck Weatherly, who worked it into a song. But when singer Cissy Houston — Whitney’s mother — opted to record it in 1973, she made two crucial changes to the lyrics. “My people are originally from Georgia,” she said, “and they didn’t take planes to Houston or anywhere else. They took trains.” Gladys Knight and the Pips took the song to No. 1 later that year.

“Walk This Way” by Aerosmith (1975)

While recording the 1975 album “Toys in the Attic,” Boston rockers Aerosmith took a break to see Mel Brooks’ comedy “Young Frankenstein” at a Times Square movie theater. Back at the studio, the band had a good laugh over how actor Marty Feldman greeted Gene Wilder at the door of the castle and told him, “Walk this way,” while limping — and giving Wilder a cane so he, too, could walk that way. It sparked the idea for a song title, and singer Steven Tyler set about writing lyrics in a studio stairwell.

“I had forgotten to bring paper with me,” Tyler told Myers. “So I wrote them on the wall.” As well as the song becoming a classic in its own right, the drum beat at the beginning was a staple for early hip-hop DJs, and Aersomith famously teamed up with Run-DMC in 1986 to re-record the song, helping bring hip-hop into the mainstream. So, in a weird way, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman played a role in inventing rap music.

“Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd (1979)

“Another Brick in the Wall” has long had a reputation for being a critique of the British education system, but there’s more to Pink Floyd’s prog-rock ire than that. In 1977, singer/bassist Roger Waters became irritated at a show in Montreal, when some fans let off fireworks and another tried to scale the barriers. “I spat in his face,” says Waters of the climber. Afterward, he fantasized about performing the band’s next tour with a brick wall between band and crowd, to represent the sense of alienation he had been feeling.