Etta James: "Seven Day Fool"

[radionixon]

Question: I know Berry Gordy co-wrote this, but I hadn't realised the Moonglows were credited with backing vocals. Is Marvin Gaye featured on this track in any capacity...?

Great song; if it wasn't for the style of the backing vocals, it could have been from last week.

[marybrewster]

Question: I know Berry Gordy co-wrote this, but I hadn't realised the Moonglows were credited with backing vocals. Is Marvin Gaye featured on this track in any capacity...?

Great song; if it wasn't for the style of the backing vocals, it could have been from last week.

Did Gordy ever receive writing credit on this? Everything I've seen attributes the writing to Billy Davis only.

[woodward]

Did Gordy ever receive writing credit on this? Everything I've seen attributes the writing to Billy Davis only.

Although I do not have this single, it was released on the Argo label #5402 in 1961. I cannot confirm that Berry was credited as writing this. The question I have is did he write any other songs for Etta James? I was never aware of his writing anything for her.

[marybrewster]

Although I do not have this single, it was released on the Argo label #5402 in 1961. I cannot confirm that Berry was credited as writing this. The question I have is did he write any other songs for Etta James? I was never aware of his writing anything for her.

I pulled up Google and checked the images; everything I've seen thus far only has Davis listed.

[marybrewster]

Although I do not have this single, it was released on the Argo label #5402 in 1961. I cannot confirm that Berry was credited as writing this. The question I have is did he write any other songs for Etta James? I was never aware of his writing anything for her.

The only Gordy song that I know of that Etta recorded was "All I Could Do Was Cry" which I think Berry co-wrote with Billy Davis.

[radionixon]

The only Gordy song that I know of that Etta recorded was "All I Could Do Was Cry" which I think Berry co-wrote with Billy Davis.

Gordy wasn't credited on the original labels - late 50s and early 60s songwriting credits are a minefield, label copy is often erroneous or flat-out wrong, and Argo were buggers for this - but he co-wrote the song all the same:

http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&page=1&keyid=1314649&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID


SEVEN DAY FOOL [[Legal Title)
BMI Work #1314649
Songwriter/Composer Current Affiliation CAE/IPI #
CARLO TYRAN ASCAP 5230147
GORDY BERRY JR ASCAP 12369800
WOODS SONNY BMI 33212042

Publishers
STONE AGATE MUSIC BMI 218351583
Additional Non-BMI Publishers

So... does anyone know if Marvin Gaye was involved with the recording?

[rrussi]

This is one of my favorites of her early recordings. I think Berry may have been involved in producing it, but I always thought he was a co-writer. Amazingly, it hardly every shows up on any of her collection CDs.

[reese]

I think many hits compilations are compiled used Billboard positions, and if I remember correctly, SEVEN DAY FOOL didn't chart in Billboard, but strangely was a big hit in Cashbox.

During one of the last Etta concerts that I attended, a fan called out for SEVEN DAY FOOL, and she refused to do it. She went on to say something that for her to make the audience believe the song, she had to believe it herself.

[Soul Sister]

The connection was Harvey Fuqua.

@Reese, lol, I know that's right! HA HA HA!!! So Etta.

S.S.
***

[radionixon]

The connection was Harvey Fuqua.

@Reese, lol, I know that's right! HA HA HA!!! So Etta.

S.S.
***

:D I must say always had a problem imagining ETTA JAMES offering to humble herself by cooking and cleaning and "a whole lot more" [[?!) for some random guy. More likely the guy would make absolutely sure the house would be spotless before she got home...

Yeah, Harvey is the connection, and he and the Moonglows were the prompt for my Marvin question.