Hear Ann-Margret and Pete Townshend’s New Take on the Everly Brothers’ ‘Bye Bye Love’
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Nearly 50 years after she portrayed Tommy’s mother in the big screen adaptation of the Who’s rock opera Tommy, Ann-Margret is reuniting with Pete Townshend for a cover of the Everly Brothers classic “Bye Bye Love.” It will appear on her upcoming LP Born To Be Wild, arriving in stores on April 14.
“Being offered an opportunity to work with Ann-Margret, especially on an Everly Brothers song, was just too romantic to pass,” Pete Townshend said in a statement. “Ann-Margret’s work on the Tommy movie back in 1974 (when she was most certainly not old enough to pretend to be Roger Daltrey’s mother) was a joy from beginning to end. Her sonorous voice, her Scandinavian beauty, her sense of humour, her stamina and her strength all shone through.”
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Born To Be Wild is Ann-Margret’s first album since 2011’s God is Love: The Gospel Sessions 2. It’s built around classic covers from the Fifties through the Seventies and features guest appearances by Joe Perry (“Rock Around the Clock”), Steve Cropper (“Son of a Preacher Man”), Paul Shaffer (“The Great Pretender”), and – in what’s surely the first collaboration between Pat Boone and a member of Yes – Rick Wakeman and Pat Boone (“Teach Me Tonight”).
“I am very honored and proud to have had this opportunity to record Born To Be Wild for Brian Perera’s Cleopatra Records,” Ann-Margret said in a statement. “What fun I had, and then to find all of the great artists that lent their support for this project. Reading the quote from my dear friend Pete Townshend brought back such great memories. Thank you all – Brian, Tim, Ken, Adam, Jurgen, Shore Fire, and everyone involved.”
Ann-Margret is best known for her acting work in Sixties movies like Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, and Stagecoach, along with latter-day films like Grumpy Old Men and Any Given Sunday, but she’s maintained a parallel career in music the entire time. Her 1961 hit “I Just Don’t Understand” was covered by the Beatles during a 1963 BBC session.
Here is the complete track listing for Born To Be Wild.
SIDE A:
1 “Rock Around The Clock” feat. Joe Perry & Jim McCarty
2 “Bye Bye Love” feat. Pete Townshend & T.G Sheppard
3 “Son Of A Preacher Man” feat. Steve Cropper & Brian Auger
4 “Earth Angel” feat. The Oak Ridge Boys & Harvey Mandel
5 “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” feat. Robben Ford & Chip Z’Nuff
6 “The Great Pretender” feat. Paul Shaffer, Danny B. Harvey & Adam Hamilton
7 “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” feat. Cliff Richard & Rick Braun
SIDE B:
1 “Born To Be Wild” feat. The Fuzztones
2 “Splish Splash” feat. Mickey Gilley, Linda Gail Lewis & The Rockats
3 “Somebody’s In My Orchard” feat. Don Randi
4 “Teach Me Tonight” feat Pat Boone, Rick Wakeman & Damiano Della Torre
5 “Volare” feat. Lee Rocker & Slim Jim Phantom
6 “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” feat. Sonny Landreth
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