Music Stories Episode 9 (The Guess Who - No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature)

      Welcome to music stories. I’m your host, Damian DeadLove. Tonights band is another that calls Canada home. I’m talking about, The Guess Who. Huge fan of this band as well. I’ve been listening to them a lot lately, and realized there is a pretty good story about them.

      The Guess Who are: Burton Cummings - Lead Vocals, and Keyboards, Randy Bachman - Guitar, and Backing Vocals, Jim Kale - Bass, and Garry Peterson - Drums. This was the most popular line up of the band from, 1968 to 1970. By the way that is the same, Randy Bachman that would later start the band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Garry Peterson would also tag along to become, BTO’s drummer.

      The band had plenty of hits including: “These Eyes”, “Hand Me Down World”, “Undun”, “Laughing”, “No Time”, “Share The Land”, and “American Woman” to name a few. Of course “American Woman” was their biggest hit off the album of the same name. But another hit off that album is where our story lies.

      The year was 1970 when they released “AW” as a single. Back in those days radio stations were sent vinyl 45’s with the single being on the A side of the record. But there was always a B side when you flipped the record over. The B side is the song in question tonight. That was a song titled at the time as, “No Sugar Tonight” at only two minutes and eight seconds long. Some radio stations started playing it to the record company’s chagrin.

      Mainly because they deemed the song to short. So this brought up a dilemma for the band and the record company. Because it was getting positive feedback when it was played. But it needed to be a longer song. Before I reveal what they did to remedy this problem, I’m gonna tell you how Randy Bachman came up with the title for the song. It’s an interesting story in itself.

      Bachman, was visiting California for the first time. While walking down the street with records under his arm he seen three guys up ahead. They looked like tough motorcycle guys, that he wouldn’t want to tangle with.

      About that time a car pulled up beside the bikers. According to Bachman, this tiny framed woman only about 5’ tall jumped out of the car and started berating one of these guys. Giving him what for about leaving her at home with the kids, not taking out the trash, and watching other women pass by on this street.

      After she was done yelling at him, he got in the car with her looking somewhat defeated. But before he got in she uttered, “One more thing, you ain’t getting any sugar tonight”. That comment stuck in Bachman’s head, and became the title of his song.

      Now how did they solve the problem of a short song? Well the song was written in the chord of F#. While Bachman was talking to Cummings the other songwriter in the group about ideas of how to rectify the problem, Cummings stated he had recently wrote a shorter song as well. That also happened to be in F# called, “New Mother Nature”.

      The two arranged the two songs into a medley. That was released as single renamed, “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature” and the rest is history. It became a big hit for them as well. Also it’s my favorite song they do.

      Well that’s our show for tonight. I hope you enjoyed it. Remember music is the soundtrack of our life’s. Peace, Love, and Lennon.


Damian DeadLove