Go Now

For the 1995 television film, see Go Now (film).

Not to be confused with If You Gotta Go, Go Now, a song by Bob Dylan.

"Go Now" is a song composed by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett and first recorded by Bessie Banks, released as a single in January 1964. The best-known version was recorded by the Moody Blues and released the same year.

"Go Now"
Single by Bessie Banks
B-side	"It Sounds Like My Baby"
Released	January 1964
Length	2:40
Label	Tiger Blue Cat
Songwriter(s)	Larry Banks Milton Bennett
Producer(s)	Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Bessie Banks singles chronology
"Do It Now" (1963) "Go Now" (1964) "I Can't Make It (Without You Baby)" (1967)

Bessie Banks version

The song was first recorded by Larry Banks's former wife, Bessie Banks. A 1962 demo recording by Bessie of the song was heard by songwriters and record producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who re-recorded it in late 1963, with arrangement by Gary Sherman and backing vocals from Dee Dee Warwick and Cissy Houston.^[1][2] The single was first released in early 1964 on their Tiger label, and later reissued on the Blue Cat label, the R&B/soul imprint of Red Bird.^[3][4] Her version reached No. 40 on the Cashbox R&B singles chart.^[5]

Bessie Banks later commented:

I remember 1963 Kennedy was assassinated; it was announced over the radio. At the time, I was rehearsing in the office of Leiber and Stoller. We called it a day. Everyone was in tears. "Come back next week and we will be ready to record 'Go Now'"; and we did so. I was happy and excited that maybe this time I'll make it. 'Go Now' was released in January 1964, and right away it was chosen Pick Hit of the Week on W.I.N.S. Radio. That means your record is played for seven days. Four days went by, I was so thrilled. On day five, when I heard the first line, I thought it was me, but all of a sudden, I realized it wasn't. At the end of the song it was announced, "The Moody Blues singing 'Go Now'." I was too out-done. This was the time of the English Invasion and the end of Bessie Banks’ career, so I thought. America's DJs had stopped promoting American artists.^[3]

Banks' recollections are questionable, because her single was released in the US in January 1964, and The Moody Blues' version was not released until November 1964 in the UK and January 1965 in the US.

The Bessie Banks version is included on the soundtrack of the film Stonewall (1995) and on the "Red Bird Story".^[6]

The Moody Blues version

"Go Now"
Single by The Moody Blues
from the album The Magnificent Moodies
B-side	"It's Easy Child" (UK) "Lose Your Money" (US)
Released	13 November 1964 (1964-11-13)
Genre	Pop^[7]
Length	3:00
Label	Decca (UK) London (US)
Songwriter(s)	Larry Banks Milton Bennett
Producer(s)	Denny Cordell
The Moody Blues singles chronology
"Steal Your Heart Away" (1964) "Go Now" (1964) "I Don't Want to Go On Without You" (1965)

"Go Now!" (adding an exclamation mark) was made popular internationally later in 1964 when the Moody Blues, an English beat group from Birmingham, recorded it, with Denny Laine on guitar and lead vocals. When Laine first heard Bessie Banks's version, he immediately told the rest of the band that they needed to record the song.

Promotion and chart success

At the time the single was released, it was being promoted on television with one of the first purpose-made promotional films in the pop era, produced and directed by their co-manager Alex Wharton (the father of DJ Sonny Wharton). The song reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in late January 1965.^[8] In the US, "Go Now!" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 until mid-February 1965; it peaked at No. 10^[9] and No. 2 in Canada.^[10] Billboard described the song as having a "rare beat" and "interesting gospel-like piano support."^[11] The next chart successes for The Moody Blues were "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon" in 1968.

In a 2018 interview with author Robert Rodriguez on the podcast "Something About the Beatles", White Album engineer Chris Thomas recalled that George Harrison asked him to add a piano part to the Beatles song "Long Long Long" in the style of the Moody Blues' version of "Go Now".^[12]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as the Moody Blues' greatest song, saying that "Laine's scorching take on this old Bessie Banks track is as emotionally gripping as it is career-makingly important."^[13] Classic Rock critic Malcolm Dome rated it as the Moody Blues' 10th greatest song, saying that it's "catchy yet also calmly intricate."^[14]

Later performances and popular culture

The Moody Blues had little success with singles after "Go Now!" in the mid-1960s, which led to Laine's departure from the band, later being replaced by Justin Hayward. Bassist Clint Warwick had already departed the band by this time. Rodney Clark had replaced him for a while before they recruited John Lodge. With the new lineup, the Moody Blues continued to perform "Go Now!" for a short time, until they began writing their own material. Hayward sang the song during his first year with the band, and Ray Thomas attempted to sing it a couple of times.^[15]

Laine continued to perform the song in concert during his years in Wings. On June 21–23, 1976, at The Forum in Inglewood, California, Laine performed "Go Now!" with the rest of the group, accompanying himself on piano; Paul McCartney was on bass and vocals, Linda McCartney on vocals, Jimmy McCulloch on lead guitar, and Joe English on drums. This version of "Go Now" appears on the Wings Over America live album. He also sang the song at the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert 1986 raising money for the local children's hospital.

In January 1997, "Go Now" (without an exclamation mark) was released on The Very Best of the Moody Blues;^[16] its release on this album was the first time it had been released on a Moody Blues compilation album. "Go Now" was also released on the subsequent Moody Blues two-disc compilation album Anthology.^[17]

Laine later covered "Go Now" in 2007 on his album Performs the Hits of Wings.^[18] "Go Now!" was performed by Denny Laine with The Fab Faux on December 11, 2010, at Terminal 5 in New York City, and February 26, 2011, at the State Theatre in Easton, Pennsylvania.

The version by The Moody Blues was used on the satirical British television show Spitting Image in a scene concerning then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.^[19] It is also played over the closing credits of the films 45 Years (2015) and Bull (2021).

Charts

Chart (1964–65)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[20]	12
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[21]	2
France (SNEP)^[22]	15
Hong Kong (RTHK)^[23]	6
Ireland (IRMA)^[24]	4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[25]	8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[26]	10
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)^[27]	17
UK Singles (OCC)^[28]	1
US Billboard Hot 100^[29]	10
US Cashbox Top 100^[30]	6
US Record World 100 Top Pops^[31]	8

Credits

• Denny Laine: guitar, lead vocal
• Clint Warwick: bass guitar, backing vocal
• Mike Pinder: piano, backing vocal
• Ray Thomas: backing vocal
• Graeme Edge: drums, backing vocal

Other covers

• It was covered by Swedish pop band Lucas in 1967 as their debut single following their victory in Sveriges Radio's Pop Band Competition.^[32] Recorded in September of that year and backed by a rendition of "Parchman Farm",^[33] the single managed to reach number four on Tio i Topp on October 28, 1967, and later also number 11 on Kvällstoppen on December 5 of that year.^[34][35] Because of pianist Janne Lucas Persson's own interpretation of the song, it drove audiences wild; as a result it became one of the best-known songs in Sweden in 1968.^[36] Both sides were featured on their eponymous debut album in 1969.^[37]

See also

• List of number-one singles from the 1960s (UK)

References

1. Patience, Stephen. "Go Now: Bessie Banks (1964)".
2. "Bessie Banks: The Original "Go Now" Girl (1959-1976)". Northernsoultrain.co.uk.
3. "SoundClick artist: Larry and Jaibi – Classic Soul/R&B, from my parents, Larry Banks and Jaibi(Joan) C. Banks". Soundclick.com. February 26, 1992. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
4. Warner, Jay (April 30, 2007). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 to Today. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 204. ISBN 978-0634099786.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 45.
6. The Red Bird Story: 1962-66, 60 original recordings by the original artists, 2 CD discs, Charly, SNAX 626CD, 2011
7. Evans, Paul (2004). "The Moody Blues". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 556–557. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
8. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 174. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
9. "The Moody Blues Album & Song Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
10. "RPM Top 40 Singles - March 22, 1965" (PDF).
11. "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. January 23, 1965. p. 14. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
12. Something About The Beatles (December 25, 2018). "Chris Thomas interview". Retrieved April 29, 2019.
13. DeRiso, Nick (August 31, 2013). "Top 10 Moody Blues songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
14. Dome, Malcolm (August 8, 2016). "The top 10 best Moody Blues songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
15. Moody Blues: Classic Artists (2006) (directed by Jon Brewer)
16. . Moodybluestoday.com (Official Fan Site). Archived from the original on July 19, 2011.
17. . Moodybluestoday.com (Official Fan Site). Archived from the original on July 19, 2011.
18. "Performs the Hits of Wings". Allmusic. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
19. Walters, Ben (February 10, 2011). "How will Meryl Streep's Margaret Thatcher compare to past portrayals of the Iron Lady?". The Guardian. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
20. Kent, David (2009). Australian Chart Book: Australian Chart Chronicles (1940–2008). Turramurra: Australian Chart Book. p. 205. ISBN 9780646512037.
21. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5672." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
22. "InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque Artiste commençant par M". infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
23. "Billboard Hits Of The World" (PDF). Billboard. No. April 3, 1965. p. 26.
24. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Go Now". Irish Singles Chart.
25. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 18, 1965" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
26. "The Moody Blues – Go Now!" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
27. Hallberg, Eric (193). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 – 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. ISBN 9163021404.
28. "Moody Blues: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
29. "The Moody Blues Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
30. Hoffmann, Frank (1983). The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950-1981. London / Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 407.
31. "100 Top Pops" (PDF). Record World (April 24, 1965).
32. "Janne Lucas Persson". millners.nu. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
33. "Lucas - Go Now". www.svenskpophistoria.se. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
34. Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. ISBN 919727125X.
35. Hallberg, Eric (193). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. ISBN 9163021404.
36. "Lucas historik". www.svenskpophistoria.se. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
37. "Lucas - Lucas". www.svenskpophistoria.se. Retrieved April 21, 2022.

External links

• The Moody Blues: Go Now! at Discogs (list of releases)
• Review of "Go Now"