hey there, little red riding hood

I’m a big fan of psychobilly music, which is kind of the bastard son of rockabilly and punk. One of the major tenants of psychobilly is paying homage to one’s roots, and often that manifests itself in cover songs. One of my absolute favorite songs by a band called The Meteors is actually a cover of Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs’ song Little Red Riding Hood. The lyrical content of the two songs is the same. At no point do The Meteors alter the actual lyrics. The song is a slightly more sinister, sexual take on the Little Red Riding hood story. It’s sung from the Big Bad Wolf’s perspective as he tries to convince Red that he can be trusted and that she should stray from the path and walk with him through the woods. Both songs utilize the lyrics in the same way--playing up the innuendo and suggestiveness of it all. It is my opinion, however, that The Meteors version is much more effective in relating this suggestive, sexual message with its vastly different musical quality.

As the name might portend, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs are a slightly more gimmicky rock and roll act than The Meteors. The overall intensity is lessened greatly by the almost comical approach the band has to the song. The intensity is broken in parts by the wolf-like noises the lead singer makes, and the breaks in the song where he chooses to speak instead of sing. The sound is slightly dated, mostly due to the tambourine present that gives the entire song a sort of 60s vibe. The speed is fairly similar to the cover The Meteors did, as is the overall timbre and organization. As with the intensity, however, the rhythm varies to a large degree, with Sam the Sham creating a slightly more upbeat sound. This is due largely to the instrumentation and lack of intensity.

The Meteors, on the other hand, create a much darker, more intense version of Little Red Riding Hood. The song is driven by heavy, electric guitar that drives the entire song. The vocals of the lead singer, P. Paul French, varies greatly from Sam the Sham. He hits the higher pitch that Sam the Sham does, but for the most part, his voice stays at a low, guttural growl, making him sound more like the Big Bad Wolf in the song. The instrumentation adds to the dark intensity of the song. The electric guitar, double bass and drums are simple but compliment each other well, without the tambourine or anything else to distract from the song. The overall rhythm is far less upbeat and is instead dark and seductive, with the lead singer’s vocals sounding evil enough to believe that he might be the Big Bad Wolf he’s singing about.

Just because The Meteors are one of my favorite bands doesn’t automatically make them win out in this scenario, but, I do happen to enjoy their version of Little Red Riding Hood a lot more. The original song is a fun, almost campy kind of novelty song, but what P. Paul French’s vocals do for characterizing the Big Bad Wolf is helped so much by the driving guitar and heavy rhythm brought on by the drums and bass. What results is a much darker, more interesting song than the original and one of my all-time favorite songs.