Song #77: Grand Funk Railroad - "Some Kind of Wonderful"

 

Song #77: Grand Funk Railroad - "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1974)

All the Girls in the World Beware!!!

"Well, I don't have to run around; I don't have to stay out all night. 'Cause I got me a sweet, a sweet lovin' woman, and she knows just how to treat me right."  

It was until conducting this blog series that I discovered that the seventies band Grand Funk Railroad was not the original author nor performer of one of my favorite songs of all time - "Some Kind of Wonderful," but rather, a band from the sixties by the name of Soul Brothers Six created the song in 1967. Grand Funk Railroad didn't cover the song until 1974. Even listening to the original version of the song by the original band, the Grand Funk Railroad version holds up in my mind much better because it provides a jazzier, more soulful take on the song, sung with more pride, heart, and emotion. One gets the feeling the bandmembers were actually in love at the time recording the song just by listening to their voices.

"Some Kind of Wonderful" marks the first song in this blog series that hails from the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which was a huge staple in my childhood for music, video games, and early passions. I learned about music through playing that game, listening to the old country station of K-Rose, the classic rock station of K-DST (which is where "Some Kind of Wonderful" was played), the heavy metal station of Radio X, the rap station of Radio Los Santos, the hip-hop station of Playback FM, and more. That game taught me about great music and serves as my favorite soundtrack to any video game ever. Even Grand Theft Auto V bears some seriously great tunes on their country, rock, and rap stations, respectively, but my heart will always belong with the tunes heard in San Andreas.

Moreover, "Some Kind of Wonderful" is just a hugely uplifting and romantic song, articulating love and complex feelings of romance with such an upbeat and alive sound. The song deals with a narrator who claims that now that he has found his somebody in life, he doesn't need "a whole lots of money" or "a big, fine car," nor does he have to run around with other women or stay out all night because he's got "a sweet, a sweet lovin' woman" who knows how to treat him right. The song continues this infectious array of great vocals and jazzy lyricism until it hits its stride at the end with the "can I get a witness?" chant, which gives the song an even more alive life.

"Some Kind of Wonderful" is the song I want played at my wedding if I ever get married, serving as me and my sweetheart's "first dance" song.

Give "Some Kind of Wonderful" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7B5jXYRy3Q