You Better Move On



"You Better Move On" is a song by Arthur Alexander from 1961 that reached #24 on the US charts in March 1962. It was covered in 1962 by Bobby Vee and then by both The Hollies and The Rolling Stones in 1964.

Arthur Alexander version
The lyrics were inspired by Alexander's real life situation, in which his girlfriend and future wife already had a boyfriend. Alexander said of the situation "When I met her out of high school he was still hanging in there.His family was pretty well off. I didn't have no money but I knew she liked me.  It was a small town and people would be talking.  That's where I got the idea for the song.  I didn't talk to him personally.  I said it in song."

The song was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The session musicians on the recording included David Briggs, piano, Terry Thompson, guitar, Forest Riley, acoustic guitar, Norbert Putnam, bass, Jerry Carrigan, drums and unknown back up singers.

Music critic Toby Creswell included "You Better Move On" as one of the 1001 great songs of all time.

Rolling Stones version
"You Better Move On" was first released on 17 January 1964, on the EP, The Rolling Stones. It was also on the US album, December's Children (And Everybody's), released in 1965.

Personnel

 * Mick Jagger - Lead vocals
 * Keith Richards - Electric guitar
 * Brian Jones - Acoustic guitar, backing vocal
 * Charlie Watts - Drums
 * Bill Wyman - Bass guitar, backing vocal

Other versions

 * The Hollies on the 1964 album Stay with The Hollies (Recorded at EMI Studios, London, 11 December 1963)
 * The Moody Blues, 1964, recorded at the Marquee Club, unreleased
 * King James and Mel, 1965 on HAL Records (A Gamble-Huff Production)
 * The Leaves, 1965, single
 * Billy "Crash" Craddock on the 1973 album of the same title. This version peaked at #10 on the country charts.
 * Dean Martin on the 1973 album You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me
 * Johnny Rivers on the 1975 album New Lovers and Old Friends
 * George Jones and Johnny Paycheck on the 1980 album Double Trouble. This version peaked at #18 on the country charts.
 * Mink DeVille on the 1981 album Coup de Grâce
 * The Black Sorrows on the 1984 album Sonola.
 * Katy Moffatt on the 1990 album Child Bride
 * Alan Merrill on the 2003 album Double Shot Rocks