The Midnight Special

About The Midnight Special

The Midnight Special was an American late-night musical variety series originally broadcast on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981. The 90-minute program followed the Friday night edition of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Like its syndicated late-night cousin Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, the show typically featured guest hosts, except for a period from July 1975 through March 1976 when singer Helen Reddy served as the regular host. Wolfman Jack served as the announcer and frequent guest host. The program's theme song, a traditional folk song called "Midnight Special", was performed by Johnny Rivers. The Midnight Special was noted for featuring musical acts performing live, which was unusual since most television appearances during the era showed performers lip-synching to prerecorded music. The series also occasionally aired vintage footage of older acts, such as Bill Haley & His Comets. As the program neared the end of its run in the early 1980s, it began to frequently use lip-synched performances rather than live ones. The program also featured occasional performances of comedians such as Richard Pryor, Andy Kaufman, and George Carlin. more »

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You get up in the mornin'
You hear the ding dong ring
Yeah, you look upon the table
You see the same darn thing

You find no food upon the table
No pork up in the pan
But if you say a thing about it
You'll be in trouble with the man

Ah, let the midnight special
Shine her light on me
Oh, let the midnight special
Shine its ever-lovin' light on me

Oh, if you're ever in a Houston
Oh, you better walk right
Ah, you better not gamble boy
I say you better not fight

You know the sheriff, he'll grab you
And the boys will pull you down
And then before you know it now
You're penitentiary bound

Ah, let the midnight special
Shine her light on me
Ah, let the midnight special
Shine its ever-lovin' light on me

Here comes Miss Lucy
How in the world do you know
I can tell by her apron
And by the clothes she wore

An umbrella on her shoulder
A paper in her hand
She's gonna see the warden
To try to free her man

Ah, let the midnight special
Shine her light on me, oh yeah
Ah, let the midnight special
Shine its ever-lovin' light on me

I said, "Let the midnight special
Shine her light on me
Uh, let the midnight special
Shine its ever-lovin' light on me"

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Johnny Rivers

Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, November 7, 1942, New York City) is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material. Rivers's greatest success came in the mid- to late-1960s with a string of hit songs (including the #1 hit "Poor Side of Town", "Summer Rain", and "Secret Agent Man"), but he has continued to record and perform to the present. more »

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