"Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" is a song written by

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter and musician who founded the rock band the Lovin' Spoonful in 1964 with Zal Yanovsky. During his time in the Lovin Spoonful, Sebastian wrote and sang some of the ban ...

and first released by his band

the Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is a Canadian-American folk-rock band formed in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1964. The band were among the most popular groups in the United States for a short period in the mid-1960s and their music and image influ ...

on their 1965 debut album '' Do You Believe in Magic''. It was the second single released from the album and the most successful, reaching number 2 on the American ''Billboard'' charts for the week of June 11, 1966 (number 1 was "

Paint It Black "Paint It Black" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European influences and lyrics ...

" by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

). It also reached number 2 in Canada. In New Zealand, the song charted at number 5. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' called the song an "easy rockin' ballad" that would be an "off-beat winner for the hot group." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described the song as an "easy-going, lyrical

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

-tinged item which claims that romantic decisions are extremely difficult to make." The song has continued to be popular and has been included in many compilations of music of the period. In 1996,

Denny's Denny's (also known as Denny's Diner on some locations' signage) is an American table service diner-style restaurant chain. It operates over 1,400 Restaurant, restaurants in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and several other internationa ...

restaurants used the song for their $1.99 breakfasts. The song was used on an episode of ''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl X ...

'' titled "Cocoa and Sympathy." In the 1999 film ''

Dudley Do-Right Dudley Do-Right is a fictional character created by Alex Anderson, Chris Hayward, Allan Burns, Jay Ward, and Bill Scott, who appears as the main protagonist of "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties", a segment on ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullw ...

'', the song is given a big-band-style arrangement, and it starts with a swing dance battle between Snidely Whiplash and Dudley for Nell Fenwick, and evolves into a big production number. The lead vocals in this version are by Steve Tyrell. The Christian parody band ApologetiX included a parody, "Did You Ever Ask Where Cain Got His Wife?", on their 2010 album '' Soundprooof''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Notable covers and later remakes

The Knack The Knack was an American power pop band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1978 by Doug Fieger (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Berton Averre (lead guitar, backing vocals), Prescott Niles (bass) and Bruce Gary (drums). Spearheaded by the succes ...

on a 1966 UK single (This was not the " My Sharona" The Knack, this was an earlier British band) * A sound-alike version in the style of the Lovin' Spoonful's version was used in the 1966 British Antonioni film ''

Blowup ''Blowup'' (also styled ''Blow-Up'') is a 1966 Psychological thriller, psychological Mystery film, mystery film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, co-written by Antonioni, Tonino Guerra and Edward Bond and produced by Carlo Ponti. It is Antoni ...

''. No artist is credited on the soundtrack CD.https://www.discogs.com/Herbie-Hancock-Blow-Up/release/4895839 Track listing for ''Blowup'' soundtrack CD *

Bud Shank Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...

on his 1967 album ''A Spoonful of Jazz'' * Dick Rosmini recorded it for his 1969 album '' A Genuine Rosmini'' *

The Good Brothers The Good Brothers are a Canadian country, bluegrass and folk music group originating from Richmond Hill, Ontario. The band's core members are Brian Good (guitar), his twin brother Bruce Good (autoharp) and younger brother Larry Good (banjo). ...

included it on their 1980 album ''Best of the Good Brothers: Live'' *

Curtis Stigers Curtis Stigers (born October 18, 1965) is an American jazz singer. He achieved a number of hits in the early 1990s, most notably the international hit " I Wonder Why" (1991), which reached No. 5 in the UK and No. 9 in the US. Career S ...

included it on his 2003 album ''You Inspire Me'' * Thao with the Get Down Stay Down on the 2009 ''Thao/The Thermals Record Store Day Split 7"'' * Richard Barone on his 2016 album ''Sorrows & Promises'', featuring

on autoharps and harmonica. * The

MonaLisa Twins MonaLisa Twins are a pop rock band, fronted by twin-sister singer-songwriters Mona Wagner (vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion, harmonica, flute, recorder, accordion) and Lisa Wagner (vocals, lead guitar, ukulele, cello). Biography The twins were ...

made a live-action/animated music video with John Sebastian in 2019

Notes

References

{{authority control 1965 songs 1966 singles Songs written by John Sebastian The Lovin' Spoonful songs Song recordings produced by Erik Jacobsen Kama Sutra Records singles