Yeah, this little girl turn me upside down…
The June issue of
The magazine has got hold of both manager Les Conn and guitarist George Underwood (pictured as a young handsome King Bee, above) for their recollections of the release, which will be forty four years old next month.
Apparently the song was originally intended as the B-side. George recalls that David cooked it up with a little help from George on guitar in the Underwood’s kitchen. Here’s George: “It took around 15 minutes. We’d been listening to a Huey Smith song called Little Liza Jane which had an influence.”
However, Conn claimed the writing credit and insists he arranged the song too. Here’s what he told MOJO: “It was based on a six-bar blues. I was very good at lyrics as well,” Les modestly claimed, before admitting: “I can’t remember why it was called Liza Jane, it may have been after a girl he was taking out at the time.”
Without wanting to open a can of wiggly bird food, on the strength of just what’s been said here, George’s story has more credibility. The Huey Smith song is clearly the springboard for the Bowie song.
Either way, George doesn’t seem too bothered…and David even less. When I asked him what he remembered of the song’s origin, he responded thus: “I don’t remember anything about this song.”.
The
Many years later, Bowie was asked to play the song for a TV special. Underwood still remembers his reaction: “He did a version of it. But I know he hates the song. When he finished, he said, ‘I hope that’s the last time I ever have to play it’.”
Liza Jane on a TV special? I’m afraid not…it seems wires were crossed when George spoke to