See Saw

Album: See Saw (1965)
Charted: 44
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this song, Don Covay has a woman that brings him up one minute and down the next - her love is like a see saw. He knows he loves her, so it's driving him crazy because he doesn't know where he stands.
  • Covay was an American soul singer who recorded for a few different labels in the '60s. He didn't have any huge hits as an artist, but as a songwriter was far more successful - in 1961, Chubby Checker took his song "Pony Time" to #1 in America.

    Covay was signed to Atlantic when he released "See Saw" in 1965. Aretha Franklin was also on the roster and recorded Covay's "Chain Of Fools" in 1967. It was a huge hit for her, so Aretha recorded "See Saw" in 1968. Her version went to #14 in the US.
  • Don Covay wrote "See Saw" in Memphis with the guitarist Steve Cropper, who was part of the house band at Stax Records, where they recorded it. That Stax band was Booker T. & the MG's, which had a hit on their own with "Green Onions" in 1962. Atlantic Records sometimes sent their artists there to record, knowing they would get top-quality work.

    Cropper and Covay also wrote "Sookie Sookie" at these sessions. Covay included that one on his 1966 See Saw album, and Steppenwolf released it as a single two years later.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.