Hurtin' Inside -- A Pictorial Story of A Song

[Roburt]

Lots of songs (back in the day), were knocked out in a few minutes by teams working on salary at places like the Brill Building (New York). Many writers worked as part of a team, one doing the music, the other the words. Many folk in the music biz were quite perceptive & realised that getting their name registered as a co-writer on a song was well worth the effort & so it has proved (with people still raking in royalties on the more popular ditties 60 years down the line).

I once asked Sidney Barnes how he & J J Jackson went about the task when they were a writing team. They seemed to follow along the well worn same path as established by the Brill Building teams  -- they'd hire a room equipped with a piano, Sidney would bring along a bottle & they'd stick to the job for a 5/ 6 hour stint.   

This thread ain't about a Barnes / Jackson song though. I thought I'd do a thread on a different old song. This never hit the really big time (sales wise) in any of it's many incarnations but it does help illustrate the long & winding road many songs have taken.

I've chosen HURTIN' INSIDE to illustrate this piece. The song came into existence in 1959 as a joint effort from Teddy Randazzo and Cirino Colacrai. This pairing wrote quite a few songs together back at that time, after Cirino had given up trying to make it as a singer himself. Both he & Teddy did get a bit of fame as singers though, with both of them appearing in the 1956 movie 'ROCK, ROCK, ROCK'.

 

Edited November 3, 2018 by Roburt

[Roburt]

They must have taken their song to Clyde Otis as it was taken up by him and cut on Brook Benton (for Mercury) ... along the way, two extra names got added to the list of composers, those being Clyde Otis & Brook Benton of course.

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by Roburt

[Roburt]

The song reappeared in summer 61, courtesy of LaVern Baker.

 

[Roburt]

It next crossed the Atlantic, with EMI artist Cliff Bennett having a go in 62 ... 

 

[Roburt]

Another UK group also had a go with it ... BEFORE another soul act dusted the song off in October 64 ...

 

[Roburt]

But that wasn't the end of the story, with American pop & country acts also having a go before Jose Feliciano gave it his distinctive treatment in the 70's ...

Some of the earlier versions give you the impression that it would have been a great song for the likes of Elvis or Ike & Tina to tackle but sadly that didn't seem to happen.

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by Roburt

[Roburt]

Guess Cirino Colacrai didn't make much (if any) writer's royalties off the Nashville Teens version ... as they credited it to a COLATRID not to COLACRAI. 

[Rictic66]

Great research and pics John. B&B does it for me. PT

[Geoff]

As Rictic66 said great research. Most interesting to hear different versions of this song which I've always liked. I got Brook's version years ago on an LP. Interesting in the advert that it's listed as the topside. it was the flip that gave him his first big hit if my memory is correct.
Almost a different song by Barbara and Brenda.
I agree it would have been a great song for Elvis Presley, right in the style of Don't Be Cruel, All Shook Up, etc.
Please do more of these posts of different versions of songs, most interesting.

 

[Geoff]

I forgot to add that I didn't realise there was a connection with Teddy Randazzo. He composed some lovely songs, is there a complete list of the songs and artistes who recorded them?