You might think you'd better go
Now, I'm gettin' mighty mad
You've asked me to give up
The only love I've ever had
Maybe I would, oh, but I love her so
Never gonna let her go
You better move on
(You better move on)
Arthur Alexander wrote several of our favorite songs and this is one of them. Born in Alabama in 1940, he would have an early hit with "You Better Move On" which was recorded in a small studio in Muscle Shoals. The song became a R & B hit in 1961 and made it to #24 on the pop chart as well. The song features a classic bass intro., with his voice coming in behind it with a no nonsense fell. He projects a vocal that seems fragile but serious, like he is hurt but very prepared to provide a beat down if you don't "move on."
Alexander would go on to write songs for Elvis, The Beatles, Tina Turner, Otis Redding and Jerry Lee Lewis. Most notably, he wrote Anna (Go to Him) and had a R & B hit with that song as well, but most people think it was written by Lennon/McCartney as they performed a brilliant version of it as the Beatles.
You Better Move On would be covered by no less than 12 entertainers ranging from Dean Martin to Alan Merrill.
Alexander's career floundered between the late 1970's and 1993. He would drive a bus to make ends meet. He put a band together after being inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, but would die of a heart attack shortly thereafter.
According to Wikipedia, he was the only artist to have his songs covered by The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.
We include his original of course, but also submit Willie "Mink" Deville's amazing version for your approval.
