One critic’s view: “This guy sang like he just inhaled some helium while being tortured in hell.” – Mike Oliver @ My Vinyl Countdown
The public’s view: 2.93 / 5.00
Larry Henley of the Newbeats had a unique gift: he could sing like a woman. This was more than just a falsetto like Frankie Valli’s or a bizarrely high male voice like Michael Jackson’s. Henley was able to sound like an honest-to-gosh ovary-packing woman whenever he felt like it. Of course, he recognized that this was something of a parlor trick and couldn’t be the whole basis of a music career. If you needed someone to do a female vocal, there were thousands of women singers who would oblige – and you could pay them less than a man. Henley’s special talent was utilized on one hit single, and one only, but he sure made the best of it.
Henley’s remarkable soprano is what everyone remembers about “Bread and Butter”, but the lyrics don’t get nearly enough credit. This was almost certainly the filthiest hit record of the 1960s. While it isn’t morally depraved like “Little Children”, it does take us on a musical and culinary tour of all of the sex acts and related body parts and fluids that were known in the U.S. at the time. (If this song had come from Scandinavia, it wouldn’t have clocked in at only 1:58.) Considering that even the Kingsmen’s harmless “Louie Louie” was under fire for supposedly pornographic lyrics, it’s astonishing that no one raised any significant objections to “Bread and Butter”. Either Henley’s outlandish vocals successfully diverted people’s focus from the actual content of the Newbeats’ song, or else parents and clergy were too busy investigating the subliminal horrors contained within the Singing Nun’s Belgian babbling.
Despite consisting entirely of sexual double entendres, “Bread and Butter” somehow managed to become a favorite of advertisers. According to Wikipedia, it was even used in a Walmart TV ad a few years ago. I never saw that commercial, but I imagine it had this voiceover:
“At Walmart, we like
bread and butter as much as you do.
Toast and jam is not our thing at all, but we don’t judge. And if there’s cheese on your sandwich, one
of our friendly pharmacists can help. Stop
by the bakery and watch us lovingly beating our batter by hand. You’ll walk away with a couple of hot
biscuits bulging out of your bag! Show your
biscuits to the greeter on the way out, and he’ll gladly put some gravy on them. Now your local Walmart has a new treat: Nutella on a Kaiser roll. You can get it behind the store at 10 PM. Save money.
Live better. At Walmart. Offers may vary in Utah.”
“Bread and Butter” shows up on a lot of “worst song” lists, and it’s easy to understand why. It is extremely catchy, but also remarkably repetitive and almost instantly irritating. After you’ve figured out what each food represents, it’s time to toss the record in the trash. This endeavor with the Newbeats wouldn’t be the last time that Larry Henley would do something to upset music listeners. He also co-wrote Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings”, which I reviewed on my Bad #1 Hits blog, and he allegedly encouraged his friend Bobby Goldsboro to record “Honey”. These were the only hit records that Henley was ever connected to, and all three would be ideal selections for a compilation CD: Now That’s What I Call Eviction! Songs to Play to Get a Squatter to Move Out of Your Basement. When it was time to cause human suffering, this guy knew how to get it done.
Although it doesn’t stand up whatsoever to repeat play, I actually have a lot of respect for “Bread and Butter”. The Newbeats pulled one over on the censors and completely got away with it, while Larry got to show off his amazing skill. I don’t particularly want to hear the song again, but I don’t need to hear it for it to bring a smile to my face.
My rating: 6 / 10
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