Mess Around

For a definition of the verb "mess around", see the Wiktionary entry mess around.

"Mess Around"
Single by Ray Charles
Released	June 19, 1953
Format	7" 45rpm
Recorded	May 17, 1953
Label	Atlantic Records 999
Writer(s)	Ahmet Ertegün
Ray Charles singles chronology
"Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand" (1951) "Mess Around" (1953) "It Should Have Been Me" (1954)

"Mess Around", written by Atlantic Records president and founder Ahmet Ertegün under the pseudonym of "A. Nugetre", was one of Ray Charles’ first hits. Ertegün claims his inspiration for writing "Mess Around" was Pete Johnson.^{[citation needed]} Earlier versions of the tune, a New Orleans boogie piano riff, can be heard throughout the early 30s and 40s the earliest of all being "Cow Cow Blues" from Charles "Cow Cow" Davenport in 1928. Dr John has spoken of the origination of this tune on his "Dr John Teaches New Orleans Piano" series of DVDs.

The lyrics urge listeners to dance ("mess around"), along with a few other key phrases harkening back to "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie", an early boogie woogie classic. "Mess Around" became a big R&B charted hit when released as a single in early 1953.

Covers and Cultural References

• It was covered by The Animals in 1965.
• The song was featured in the film Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, as John Candy plays along with his air piano and air saxophone.
• It was featured in the 2004 biopic Ray.
• Dr. John included it in his collection of New Orleans classics Dr. John's Gumbo.
• It was covered by New York City "psycho swing" and ska band Tri-State Conspiracy in 2008 on their 2nd album Nuisance.
• A small portion of the song was featured in the 2010 Family Guy remake of Return of the Jedi entitled It's a Trap! in an homage to the famous scene from "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles."