Liza Jane

The King Bees, David Bowie, Davie Jones & the King Bees

About Liza Jane

"Liza Jane" was the first recording to be released as a single by David Bowie, and credited to Davie Jones with the King-Bees. It was released in 1964 when Bowie was 17 years old. The B-side of the single was the Paul Revere and the Raiders song "Louie, Louie Go Home". Both songs on the single were recorded in a seven-hour session at Decca Studios in Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead. Bowie came in touch with Leslie Conn, who ran Doris Day's music publishing company and was a talent scout for the Dick James Organisation. Conn booked The King Bees for a wedding anniversary party, but with loud RnB on the setlist, Conn stopped the gig after only 10 minutes. Conn still became The King Bees' manager and promoter for some months in 1964, and they recorded and released "Liza Jane" as a single for the Decca Records label Vocalion Pop. Despite promoting the single on the television shows Juke Box Jury, Ready Steady Go! and The Beat Room, and receiving good radio coverage, the single sold poorly and the band was subsequently dropped from the label. The song was an arrangement of the old standard "Li'l Liza Jane", but Conn was credited as the songwriter, and the usual story is that this was done to get more royalties from the single. Conn recalled in 1997 how the King Bees had come up with a six bar blues, which everyone used. Conn came up with some ideas of his own for the song, they improvised and the song came together. After Conn and Bowie parted in 1964, Conn moved to Majorca for a few years, and was one day on the phone with his mother who wanted to get rid of a few hundred copies of "Liza Jane" that were stored in her garage. They agreed to throw them away. Bowie recorded the song again, in 2000, for the album Toy, which was never officially released but eventually leaked on the Internet in 2011. 


Year:
2014
2:15
121 
#2

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Well, I got a girl that's so good to me (little Liza)
Well, now she ain't more than five foot three (little Liza)
Well, this little girl is so good to me (little Liza)
Yeah, this little girl's nearly half of me (little Liza)

[Chorus]
Little Liza Jane [Repeat: x4]

I got a girl, ? (little Liza)
Yeah, this little girl turn me upside down (little Liza)
Well, all of the little girls that I had (little Liza)
You know this little girl drives me to despair (little Liza)

[Chorus]

Yeah, I got a girl who loves me true (little Liza)
Now she ain't more than five foot two, yeah (little Liza)
You know this little girl is so good for me, yeah (little Liza)
You know this little girl's nearly half of me (little Liza)

[Chorus]

Oh yeah, I love her
Little Liza Jane
Well, I'm coming back to me love
Cause she's driving insane
When will I meet her

 Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer


David Bowie

David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 - 10 January 2016), known by his stage name David Bowie ( /ˈboʊ.i/ BOH-ee), was an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. He is known for his distinctive voice as well as the intellectual depth and considerable eclecticism of his work. more »

30 fans

Written by: LESLIE CONN

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Historical Context
"Liza Jane" is the debut single by David Bowie, who was only 17 years old when the song was released in 1964.
Band Name
For this song, Bowie was actually credited as Davie Jones with the King-Bees, before he changed his name to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of The Monkees.
Chart Performance
Unfortunately, the song did not perform well and failed to chart, which led to Bowie leaving the band shortly after its release.
Songwriter Credits
"Liza Jane" is actually a traditional song and Bowie does not receive any songwriter credits on it. The only credits go to Leslie Conn, who was the manager of the King-Bees, and is believed not to have contributed to it musically.
Early Influences
This song is indicative of Bowie's early music style which was greatly influenced by rhythm and blues, different from his later experimental genres.
Re-Release
The song was re-released by Decca Records in 1978, following Bowie's rise to fame.
Unavailability
"Liza Jane" is not readily available on all Bowie compilations or streaming services due to rights issues.
Live Performances
Despite its lack of commercial success, Bowie continued to perform the song live in concerts, and it is featured on his 2000 live album, Bowie at the Beeb.
Style and Genre
"Liza Jane" is considered to be in the genre of rhythm and blues. It wasn't until later in his career that Bowie began exploring other musical styles like rock, pop, and electronica.
Different Versions
There are multiple versions of the song, made by different bands and under different names. Some of the versions include those by the group Davie Jones & the King Bees and the group The Manish Boys.

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