Messin' With My Mind

Album: Phoenix (1975)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Labelle had a massive hit in 1974 with "Lady Marmalade," but never made it back to the Top-40. Like "Marmalade," "Messin' With My Mind" featured a rollicking arrangement by Allen Toussaint, who also played piano on the tracks. The song has plenty of attitude, with the ladies warning the guy that he's going to get comeuppance for his mind games.

    The song was written by Nona Hendryx, who was in the trio with Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash. It was rare for members of girl groups to write their own songs, but their management encouraged Hendryx to try it, and she ended up being the group's primary songwriter. She told us: "They believed that artists should and could do that. They asked us if any of us could write, and I said, 'Well, I write poetry.' And they said, 'Well, why don't you try putting it to music?' And that's where it began.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Richie McDonald of Lonestar

Richie McDonald of LonestarSongwriter Interviews

Richie talks about the impact of "Amazed," and how his 4-year-old son inspired another Lonestar hit.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.