Fergie Recorded 1 of Her Songs in the John Lennon Bus
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a music studio on wheels that kids can use to get creative. It might surprise fans that one of Fergie’s biggest songs was recorded on that bus. The “Glamorous” singer sampled a classic rock icon for the tune in question. John himself was a big fan of that rock star.
1 of Fergie’s songs was recorded in Pittsburgh in the John Lennon Bus
Though she was a child actor who voiced Sally in Peanuts cartoons and a member of the girl group Wild Orchid, Fergie became famous when she joined the Black Eyed Peas. In 2006, she released her solo debut: The Dutchess.
The Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am co-produced the record. During a 2006 interview with MTV, he discussed the creation of The Dutchess. “We recorded in London,” he said. “We recorded in Beijing, we recorded in Australia, we recorded in … what’s another weird place? ‘Clumsy’ was recorded in the John Lennon Bus [a traveling music education lab], like in a parking lot in Pittsburgh right next to Shakey’s [Pizza]. To be able to record on the road, that’s a task and a half.”
Fergie’s song shows off her genre versatility by sampling a classic track from Little Richard
Fergie’s songs from The Dutchess are eclectic. “Touring the world, you’re experiencing so many things and you’re influenced by so many things that that is your truth,” she said. “It wouldn’t be honest if you didn’t include all those influences in what you’re doing. So everything that we did is honest.”
Will.i.am emphasized his eclectic sound. “We’re chameleons,” he continued. “We can open up for Metallica or go rock with Justin Timberlake. Or we could go out with Busta Rhymes. We have so many different types of — I want to say ‘personalities,’ but then you would think we’re cuckoo — but we have so many different types of suits that we could put on and still be us.” In that vein, “Clumsy” includes some interesting genre-hopping, incorporating hip-hop elements and a sample of Little Richard’s “The Girl Can’t Help It.”
John Lennon thought 1 Little Richard song was better than Elvis Presley’s catalog
John might have had a strong reaction to the Little Richard sample in “Clumsy.” The book The Life and Times of Little Richard includes a quote from 1970. In it, John said Elvis Presley mattered to him more than religion. Subsequently, a friend played him Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally.” John was taken aback by the song, feeling it was superior to all of Elvis’ material.
At the same time, John was glad he had stumbled upon the music of Elvis and Little Richard. He spent the next few school days thinking about the differences between the two artists. The fact that Little Richard garnered John’s respect and got sampled by Fergie shows that he’s an incredibly important figure in the history of music.
“Clumsy” is one of Fergie’s best tracks and it wouldn’t be the same without two of the most important rock stars of all time.
