The Philosophy of Modern Song: Come over to my place (and save the last dance….)

Posted on June 27, 2026 by Tony Attwood

 

 

Links for other songs selected by Bob Dylan within this series are given at the end.

By Tony Attwood

This series of articles considers the songs themselves that Bob chose to include in his post-doctorate book (in case you missd previous commentaries a list of the songs we’ve reviewed this far is given at the end), for although it is not written down that anyone getting an honorary doctorate must write a book to commemorate the event, it is most certainly expected – hence Bob’s volume of song reviews.

So now we have Come-on-a my house” (which I always took to be “Come on over to my house”, but that’s just an Englishman listening to an American singing).  It was written by Ross Bagdasarian and William Saroyan (two cousins who allegedly wrote the piece while driving across New Mexico in 1939.   The version you might remember is by Rosemary Clooney, or (as in my case) the Drifters in 1965.

Ross Bagdasarian was also known as  David Seville (which, for an Englishman such as I, is easier to say), and he worked through the music industry from singer to the man who produced the cartoon band to work with the Chipmunks.   He was also known for the 1958 hit ” Witch Doctor”.   One of his sons carried on the Chipmunks franchise after David Seville’s passing at the age of 53.

By 1965 I was fully conscious of the ins and outs of pop and rock and knew this song, as it was a big hit, but living in England had no idea of who was behind it.  It wasn’t particularly a song I liked, but I certainly find that some sixty years later, I still know the lyrics and can sit down and play the song on either piano or guitar.  Which means it was incredibly memorable.

The band started out with Clyde McPhatter (the man who created “The Drifters”) as the lead singer but by the time they got to “Save the Last Dance for Me” which I remember as a worldwide hit, the lead vocals were taken by Ben E King.

The band continued releasing albums and singles until 1976, meaning they lasted over 20 years as a recognisable band, but even then their memory was kept going a bit longer with re-releases.

And although it normally means nothing to me what the album cover looks like, the moment I saw the cover below, the memories came back to me for I bought that record with my pocket money.  My dad (a dance band musician in the years leading up to the Second World War) was always fascinated by my choice of music – although perhaps not always that impressed by the music itself.   But I remember him listening to this record with interest.  Sadly, I don’t believe in the afterlife, otherwise I’d imagine him contemplating some of my compositions of the last year as I’ve recuperated from a road accident – but on second thoughts, perhaps it’s better this way.   He was a better pianist than I have ever been and no mean saxophonist.

Previously in this series

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