"I Ain't No Miracle Worker" is a song by the American

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

band, the Brogues, written by

Annette Tucker Annette May Tucker is an American songwriter, who found success in the 1960s as co-writer of songs for The Electric Prunes (" I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)", " Get Me to the World on Time"), The Brogues ("I Ain't No Miracle Worker"), The ...

and Nancie Mantz, and released as the group's second and final single on Challenge Records, in November 1965 (''see''

1965 in music List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1965. __TOC__ Specific locations *1965 in British music *1965 in Norwegian music Specific genres *1965 in country music *1965 in jazz Events *January 4 – Fender Musical Instrument ...

). The composition is now considered a classic of the musical genre of garage rock, and has reappeared on several

compilation albums A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for re ...

and has been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by other musical artists. The Brogues' original rendition was musically influenced by their contemporaries on the R&B circuit and the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on ...

Background

The Brogues version

The Brogues were hurried to record a follow-up single after the regional success of their debut, "Someday". Over the span of a few months, the group's rebellious image and dynamic stage show launched them into prominence on the West Coast. In mid-1965, the band, bolstered by their addition of ex-Ratz lead vocalist Gary Cole, entered Sunset Recorders in Los Angeles to record "I Ain't No Miracle Worker", which was penned by the songwriting duo of

and Nancie Mantz, coupled with "Don't Shoot Me Down". The song's lyrics are about an individual who has no pretensions about himself and confesses in the subdued chorus "I ain't no miracle worker"/"I do the best that I can". The Brogues reworked Tucker's original instrumental arrangement with a jangling

Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

-inspired

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed ...

section and fuzz-toned guitar melody. The buzzing distorted sound was produced by

lead guitarist Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featured ...

Eddie Rodrigues's shredded

speakers Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

in his

amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It may increase the power significantly, or its main effect may be to boost th ...

. In addition to the striking guitar

motif Motif may refer to: General concepts * Motif (chess composition), an element of a move in the consideration of its purpose * Motif (folkloristics), a recurring element that creates recognizable patterns in folklore and folk-art traditions * Moti ...

, the song is also marked by Cole's soulful vocal, Rick Campbell's

electronic organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since develop ...

interjections, and Bill Whittington's heavy

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

line. "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" was released in November 1965 on the

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

, Challenge. Upon release however, the single failed to breakout nationally as a consequence of the record company's advertising focus being directed toward

The Knickerbockers The Knickerbockers were an American garage rock band formed in Bergenfield, New Jersey in 1964. They released the 1965 hit " Lies", which was known for its resemblance to the Beatles. The band was formed in 1964 by the brothers Beau Charles (g ...

' hit, " Lies". Additionally, the Brogues could not promote the single as they disbanded after two of their members were

conscripted Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

into the armed forces. Since its initial distribution, "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" is immortalized on the 1998

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...

reissue of the compilation album '' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968'' and later ''

Trash Box ''Trash Box'' is a 5-CD box set of mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelic rock recordings, primarily by American bands. This box set is similar to the earlier ''Pebbles Box'' (a 5-LP box set) and includes almost all of the same recordings in that b ...

''. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

, "Don't Shoot Me Down" is featured on '' Pebbles, Volume 10''.

Other versions

The Chocolate Watchband recorded their own version of "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" in 1968 for their second

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

The Inner Mystique ''The Inner Mystique'' is the second album by the American garage rock band The Chocolate Watchband (shown as Chocolate Watch Band), and was released in 1968 by Tower Records. This album is the most well-known released material from the band ...

''. The group's rendition is swayed more toward

psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic dr ...

with its

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form i ...

-like guitar instrumentals played cohesively with its conventional rock arrangement. The song reaches a climax with lead vocalist David Aguilar's half-shouted chorus. In 2015, the Chocolate Watchband re-recorded the tune for the album ''I'm Not Like Everybody Else'', along with their other better-known tracks. Other versions of "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" were also released by the Italian

beat group Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffl ...

I Corvi, which became their biggest hit, Jimmy and the Offbeats, Gene Pierson,

The Barracudas The Barracudas are an English surf rock band formed in late 1978. The band's original line-up consisted of Jeremy Gluck (vocals), Robin Wills (guitar and vocals), Starkie Phillips (bass and vocals) and Adam Phillips (drums). Before the band rec ...

, and Scott Miller & the Commonwealth (under the name "Miracle Man") on 2001's ''

Thus Always to Tyrants ''Sic semper tyrannis'' is a Latin phrase meaning "thus always to tyrants". In contemporary parlance, it means tyrannical leaders will inevitably be overthrown. The phrase also suggests that bad but justified outcomes should, or eventually will ...

''.

References

{{authority control 1965 songs Songs written by Annette Tucker