Turnin' My Heartbeat Up

 

Trust me #74

Turnin' My Heartbeat Up by The M.V.P.'s

Originally released back in 1971, The M.V.P.'s Turnin' My Heartbeat Up is still thrilling and filling talc dusted dancefloors on the northern soul scene in 2024. 

No wonder! The song is essentially a love letter to music and dancing, to those moments where music lifts you higher and higher and you feel like you could explode with happiness.

Written by Bobby Flax and Lanny Lambert, Turnin' My Heartbeat Up packs a lot into a mere 2 minutes and 14 seconds. The short intro leads quickly to a whispering, breathless vocal that sounds like the singer is letting you into an urgent secret.

Listen to the sound of the drummer, thumpin' to the beat of my heart

Feel that bass, can't keep the pace, it's tearin' my brain apart

Things then lift quite dramatically for the bridge, as if the singer can't keep it in, he has to tell someone about the way he is feeling, the effect the music is having on him.

Whoa, I never ever felt like this before

But all I can say is mama give me some more (some more, some more!)

Then, 30-seconds in, we are into the outrageous chorus, that replicates the quiet/loud trick but in an even more dynamic fashion;

Turnin' my heartbeat up, turnin' my heartbeat up (it's gettin' louder)

Turnin' my heartbeat up, turnin' my heartbeat up

Then just listen to the drum roll, the horns kick in and the euphoric backing vocals kick in;

I keep on tellin' you, your're turnin' my heartbeat up, baby

You're turnin' my heartbeat up (yeah, yeah, yeah)

 You're turnin' my heartbeat up (yeah, yeah, yeah)

 You're turnin' my heartbeat up

The second verse follows the same pattern as the first, taking about the crash of the cymbols, comparing the sound of horns to fire that's burning. 

The bridge kicks into life

I got a little volcano about to erupt ('bout to erupt)

With more than enough to fill your lovin' cup

Then we're into the chorus again, it's a little longer, allowing the song to build and build, to get faster and faster as the singer eventually breaks down as he can't keep up.

Wow. Turnin' My Heartbeat Up is fast, furious, pacey and passionate soul music. 

Trust me. It's an absolute belter!

Turnin' My Heartbeat Up is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE 

Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry

66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker

67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones

68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters

69. Dream Baby Dream by Suicide

70. Stove by The Lemonheads

71. Red Lady by Phil Cordell

72. Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb

73. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart by Taylor Swift

The Charlatans at Queens Park Glasgow

I wasn't intending to write a blog on last nights Charlatans show in a Big Tent at Queens Park. After so many years, what is there left to say? April was the 30th anniversary of me seeing the band for the first time. I don't know how many times I must have seen them over the years. Maybe 40 times? At least once a year probably, sometimes more. 

There would be years where I'd probably catch them 4 times. Glasgow (twice), Edinburgh and at good old T in the Park where they appeared more years than they didn't.

The Charlatans lifted me last night and so I find myself suitably inspired to write a review over breakfast.

What inspired me?

Well the setting was pretty cool. A big old tent (possibly the old King Tuts T in the Park tent dusted down from being stored somewhere) on the far side of Queens Park. The Waterboys had used it on Friday night and Mogwai on Saturday. Could this be a new weekend fixture in the Scottish music calendar? 

However, it was the band that lifted and inspired me. Coming on stage at 8.45pm sharp to a huge ovation, Tim, Mark, Martin, Tony and Pete played a superb set that really took the crowd on a trip.

They really mixed it up, opening with the beautiful and shimmering Then, before a blast of power pop in the shape of Can't Get Out Of Bed, then the dreamy So Oh, followed by a euphoric Crashin' In. Four very different songs stretching from 1990 to 2014.

Photo by Tim Burgess

Toothache was a real dirty groove while North Country Boy really got the crowd going, everyone was singing with their hands in the air, punching the sky for the hook. Tim kept it going with Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over, which was one of my songs of the night.

Introducing My Beautiful Friend, Tim said sometimes we play it, sometime we don't, sometimes we play it, sometimes we don't. It was a little comedown after the high of the previous two songs, but again, it showed a different side to the band.

We were back on a high as the intro to One To Another kicked in and the tent erupted. Then we were into the blissed out psychedelic groove of Opportunity from debut album Some Friendly. Martin Blunt on bass was outstanding.

Tim's view for One To Another

Images and old video footage flashed up on the big screen behind the band. I hope they are uploaded to YouTube. There was particularly cool footage of a young Charlatans going for it in an old loft/warehouse with Tim in stripey T-shirt with that incredible haircut he had at the time.

Weirdo was another huge song that got people dancing, Soul Saver was a very welcome surprise, Blackened Blue Eyes was powerful and pure - we all need a shoulder to cry on once in a while. 

Come Home Baby has such an uplifting chorus and then it was The Only One I Know with an extended intro to allow Tim to take it all in. My friend and I put on an indie night in May and I played this, the dancefloor went crazy and the tent went nuts last night. The chorus is euphoric yet also beautifully melancholic and I appreciate it more with every passing year.

Everyone has been burned before

Everybody knows the pain

Very mature words for a young Tim Burgess to be writing back then. Timeless. A song that keeps on giving.

Tim's view for The Only One I Know

I had been expecting/hoping for How High in the encore, so my only slight disappointment in the night/setlist was that we had You're So Pretty to kick it off. Perhaps Love Is They Key from the Wonderland album would been better for the occasion.

But hey, we all knew where this was going ... we were all going to Sproston Green and we were all aboard. The long intro that builds and builds into a glorious groove and then BOOM

This one knows, she comes and goes

And when she goes, she goes

We were near the front, but now we were right in the mix, bouncing around in delight. What a song, what a band. I hope they come back to Glasgow again before too long.

And I'm still hoping for a Kelvingrove Bandstand date (or two). Maybe next year?

Tim's view for Sproston Green