Yes, it’s pretty G-rated stuff, and unlike similar songs from Chuck Berry, there’s no PG-13 subtext.
“I Want to Walk You Home” is Domino’s entry in that nascent field, an endearingly gentle invitation to hold hands and get to know each other. Rock n’ roll was strictly the domain of teenagers in the ’50s, so naturally a number of songs were about puppy love and schoolyard crushes. “I’m Walkin'” is one of his finest entries in that category: the shuffling beat, the frisky guitar line and exuberant horn give a sense of optimism to what could otherwise be a dreary, depressing tale of romantic emptiness.ģ. Love and loneliness are key themes for Fats Domino, and he’s at his best when pairing a forlorn lyric with upbeat music. The genre-blurring Fats Domino song finds him at his shuffling, bouncy best. While Fats veered toward New Orleans R&B, songs like “I’m Gonna Be a Wheel Someday” show his willingness to incorporate a guitar tone and style of playing you were more likely to hear out of Memphis than NOLA. There’s no loneliness or heartbreak here, just a fervent celebration of the food and attitude of his hometown.Įarly rock n’ roll records were a melting pot of (at the time) undervalued genres, from rhythm and blues to boogie-woogie to jump blues to country to rockabilly. Unlike a number of his biggest hits, this upbeat number also finds Fats sounding like he’s having a great time. So it was inevitable that at some point, the Fat Man would have to record a song about NOLA’s most famous culinary export (sorry, gumbo, you’re a close second). New Orleans played a central role in Fats Domino’s sound, and Fats Domino’s sound played a central role in New Orleans.
So distinct was Fats Domino’s touch in the ’50s that when he turned out a version of the already well-covered 1940 tune “Blueberry Hill,” he pretty much erased all memory of previous ones from the public’s mind, imbuing the song with his easy-going, down home charm and twinkling piano work.Ĩ. “Blue Monday how I hate Blue Monday / got to work like a slave all day,” Domino moans, and the hammering, repetitive piano chords seem to echo his malaise.
No, it doesn’t have anything to do with New Order, but it has everything to do with the Garfieldian view of the first day of the working week.
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