Tuesday June 15, 2021 “Only Wanna Be with You” Hootie & the Blowfish

Frequently listed as the worst band name ever and who would really argue that point. The name apparently makes reference to two separate friends of the band, Hootie and the Blowfish...nice names?! And the lead singer in the band, Darius Rucker, is not Hootie.

Today’s song, “Only Wanna Be with You” was supposed to be a tribute to Bob Dylan and it contains lyrics from various Dylan songs, including a mention of Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue” and a strong musical similarity to that song. And some of the lyrics come directly from Dylan's track "Idiot Wind”. 

Apparently, Dylan felt the tribute infringed too closely on his own original work, and he sued both Hootie and the Blowfish for unauthorized use of his lyrics. According to VH1, he received a large, out-of-court settlement in 1995.

And all they wanted to do was pay tribute to Dylan, not get sued.

This song was included on their album Cracked Rear View Mirror which would be the biggest selling album/CD in Atlantic Records' history selling more than thirteen million copies.  Hootie and the Blowfish would maintain popularity with future albums but were never able to replicate that initial debut rush.

Darius Rucker, lead singer and primary songwriter for Hootie & the Blowfish would go on to a very successful solo career as a country star.

Stay safe and well...and be careful with any planned Dylan tributes.

You and me, we come from different worlds

You like to laugh at me when I look at other girls

Sometimes you're crazy then you wonder why

I'm such a baby 'cause the dolphins make me cry

 Well there's nothing I can do

I've been looking for a girl like you

 You look at me, you've got nothing left to say

I moan and pout at you until I get my way

I won't dance, you won't sing

I just wanna love you but you wanna wear my ring

 

Well there's nothing I can do

I only wanna be with you

You can call me your fool

I only wanna be with you

 Put on a little Dylan sitting on a fence

I'll say that line is great, you ask me what it meant by

Said, I shot a man named Gray, took his wife to Italy

She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me

I can't help it if I'm lucky

I only wanna be with you

Ain't Bobby so cool?

I only wanna be with you

 Yeah, I'm tangled up and blue

I only wanna be with you

You can call me your fool

Only wanna be with you

 Sometimes I wonder if it'll ever end

You get so mad at me when I go out with my friends

Sometimes you're crazy then you wonder why

I'm such a baby, yeah, the dolphins make me cry

 Well there's nothing I can do

I only wanna be with you

You can call me your fool

I only wanna be with you

Yeah, I'm tangled up in blue

I only wanna be with you

I only wanna be with you

I only wanna be with you

I only wanna be with you