SEARCHIN'

"'Searchin''" is a song written by Leiber and Stoller specifically for The Coasters. It was released as a single on Atco Records in 1957, and topped the Rhythem and Blues Chart for twelve weeks. It reached #3 on the national pop singles chart.^[1]
Although the Coasters had previously done well on the R&B charts, it was "Searchin" (along with "Youngblood" on the flip side) that sparked the group's rock and roll fame.^[2]

Contents

The song

Cover versions

Notes

External links

The song

The lyrics, written by Leiber, use vernacular phrasing. The plot revolves around the singer's determination to find his love wherever she may be, even if he must resort to detective work. The song's notable gimmick was in citing specific law-enforcement figures from popular culture, such as Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, Joe Friday and Sam Spade.
The baritone vocals of The Coasters' lead singer Billy Guy are raw and insistent. Driving the song is a pounding piano rhythm of two bass notes alternating on every second beat.^[3]
The theme of the song is searching for love:
::''Well searching''
::''Yeah I'm gonna searching''
The refrain is simple variations of this phrase
::''Gonna find her, yeah ah, gonna find her''

Cover versions

Comedy duo Cheech and Chong recorded a reggae version of the song as The Search Boys, which appears in their 1978 film Up in Smoke. The re-written lyrics in this mention searching for different varieties of marijuana, such as "Maui Wowie".
The Beatles made it for the Decca Auditions.

Notes

1. The Coasters - Charts and Awards
2. The RollingStone: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music, , & James Henke (eds), Anthony DeCurtis, Random House, Inc., 1980, ISBN 0-679-73728-6
3. The Rise of Rock and Roll, , Charlie, Gillett, Da Capo Press, 1996, ISBN 0-306-80683-5

External links

★ Lyrics

★ Hear a snippet at allmusic