Song Of The Day 6/7/2016: P.P. Arnold – “Bury Me Down By the River”
It also had a song called "Bury Me Down By the River," originally intended as a single. But Barry produced a cover of the song from American soul singer P.P. Arnold, who recorded the first cover of Cat Stevens' handed-down pop-torch standard "The First Cut Is the Deepest," and everyone decided her version was definitive enough to release as a single. Arnold was an expatriate in London who had professional connections with the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart and Keith Emerson. She sang backup on the Small Faces' hit "Itchykoo Park." The Robert Stigwood Organization signed Arnold to a contract, which is how Barry Gibb got to produce a handful of her solo tracks. Only two ever came to fruition, including this one. Arnold's career has been colorfully under the radar ever since: she sang backup on Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" and toured with a very even-tempered Roger Waters in the late '90s and early 2000's. She also originated the role of Belle The Sleeping Car in Andrew Lloyd Webber's disco roller-skating musical Starlight Express. Somebody had to, I guess. No, that's wrong: Nobody had to. They just did.