Climax Blues Band - Couldn't Get It Right (1st one-hit wonder of 1976)

"Couldn't Get It Right" is a 1976 song by the Climax Blues Band. The song was written after the band's label told them that their 1976 album Gold Plated lacked a standout track and asked them to "try and write a hit".[4] They then wrote it, in the words of its bassist Derek Holt, "from absolutely nowhere"[4] and it hit #10 on the UK Singles Chart.[5] Later on that year, the song was picked up by Sire Records and the following year it made #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] Later that year, the song was ranked #32 on Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977.[7]

About

The song was recorded for their eighth studio album, Gold Plated, which was named after Pete Haycock's Veleno guitar and produced by Mike Vernon. The song was specifically written and produced after the manager of the band, Miles Copeland III, demanded that the band append a radio-friendly song to the tracklisting. The band at the time had released eight albums and although that had translated into fame, they did not have a great impact on the charts.[8] Copeland suggested a cover version of an Elvis Presley song; this suggestion was ignored, and instead the band came up with an original composition[9] "from absolutely nowhere". It was simply a case of sitting in the studio, conjuring up a rhythm, appending the traditional dual vocals for which Climax Blues Band were known for, and coming up with a couple of hooks. The sudden emergence of the song irritated the producer, as he thought the band had been withholding a hit from him.[4]

In an interview with Songfacts, Derek Holt explained that the song was "just a lucky moment in time", and that it is about being on the road in America. The chorus "kept on looking for a sign in the middle of the night" referred to searches for Holiday Inn signs, the sight of which meant that beds had been found for the night. When the band's career first started in America, they used to fly everywhere, in some cases involving up to three flights just to get to one place. Their itineraries meant that getting to any one place was difficult and involved arriving in a town, getting into a car, getting to the gig just in time to perform the sound check, performing the gig, re-entering the car and then looking for a bed. The final few years of the band's life were easier as they switched to using tour buses. This enabled them to leave the gig, enter the bus, get a bed, drive extended distances (in Holt's words, "1,000 miles or whatever") and turn up at the next gig refreshed.[4] The saxophonist Colin Cooper sang the baritone lead on this song, with the bassist Derek Holt, guitarist Pete Haycock and drummer John Cuffley singing harmony.[4]
B-sides

While in most markets "Couldn't Get It Right" was released with the purpose-recorded "Fat Maybellene" as its B-side (it didn't appear on the album[10]), in the USA and Canada the song was backed with album track "Sav'ry Gravy".[2] Both tracks were produced by album producer Mike Vernon.[4]