Crackerbox Palace
| "Crackerbox Palace" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Learning How to Love You" |
"Crackerbox Palace" is the ninth track on George Harrison's 1976 album, Thirty Three & 1/3. The song was released as the second single from the album and reached number 19 in the American pop charts.
History
The song was inspired by Harrison's serendipitous meeting with George Greif.[1] At the 1975 Midem Music Festival Greif remarked to Harrison that he resembled the late comedian Lord Buckley (Harrison had admired Buckley for many years).[1] Greif, who had been Buckley's manager, invited Harrison to Buckley's old Los Angeles home, "Crackerbox Palace".[1] Thinking that the phrase had the makings of a song, Harrison jotted the words "Crackerbox Palace" down on a cigarette pack, and later wrote the song.[1] The song includes references to Greif ("I met a Mr. Greif") and to Lord Buckley ("know that the Lord is well and inside of you").[1]
Harrison says “It’s twoo, it’s twoo” during an instrumental break, a line said by Madeline Kahn's German seductress-for-hire character Lili Von Shtupp in the 1974 Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles.
A whimsical promotional film accompanied the single which was first shown on 20 November 1976 episode of Saturday Night Live. Directed by Monty Python's Eric Idle, the film featured Harrison, Neil Innes (as the carriage-pushing nanny/mother, a bathrobe-clad man with a duck on his head, and as a church authority),[2] future wife Olivia Arias, and various other friends, in an array of wild costumes. Elves are also prominent. The film was shot in and around the grounds of Harrison's home, Friar Park.
Personnel
- George Harrison – vocals, slide guitars, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, handclaps, backing vocals
- Tom Scott – lyricon, saxophones
- Richard Tee – keyboards
- Willie Weeks – bass
- Alvin Taylor – drums
- Emil Richards – marimba
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
|
References
- ^ a b c d e Thirty Three & 1/3 (CD booklet). George Harrison. Dark Horse Records. 2004. p. 5.
{{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter|titlelink=ignored (|title-link=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Words of Innespriation: The Lyrics and Unplanned Career of Neil Innes". NeilInnes.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "RPM Top Singles, March 26, 1977", Library and Archives Canada (retrieved 11 April 2014).
- ^ "RPM Top Singles, April 9, 1977", Library and Archives Canada (retrieved 12 May 2015).
- ^ "George Harrison > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles", AllMusic (retrieved 11 April 2014).
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 106.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.