This is the first time I have heard the original version of "Twisted" by the original singer.. Annie Ross appears to be performing at an informal hipster party back in 1959. Complete with Tony Bennett watching and laughing, as he sits by the fireside.
The lyrics tell of a woman scoffing at her analyst for presumed craziness, and defiantly and humorously telling how she is way beyond their understanding, having been already self-aware and rebellious all the way back to age three..
Annie Ross - Twisted
The way he described it, he said I'd be better dead than live
I didn't listen to his jive
I knew all along he was all wrong
And I knew that he thought I was crazy but I'm not
Oh no!
My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
He said I'd need treatment but I'm not that easily led
He said I was the type that was most inclined
When out of his sight to be out of my mind
And he thought I was nuts, no more ifs or ands or buts
Oh no!
They say as a child I appeared a little bit wild
With all my crazy ideas
But I knew what was happenin', I knew I was a genius
What's so strange when you know that you're a wizard at three?
I knew that this was meant to be
Well I heard little children were supposed to sleep tight
That's why I drank a fifth of vodka one night
My parents got frantic, didn't know what to do
But I saw some crazy scenes before I came to
Now do you think I was crazy?
I may have been only three but I was swingin'
They all laughed at Al Graham Bell
They all laughed at Edison and also at Einstein
So why should I feel sorry if they just couldn't understand
The litany and the logic that went on in my head?
I had a brain, it was insane
Don't you let them laugh at me
When I refused to ride on all those double decker buses
All because there was no driver on the top
My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
The way he described it, he said I'd be better dead than live
I didn't listen to his jive
I knew all along he was all wrong
And I knew that he thought I was crazy but I'm not
Oh no!
My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
But I said "Dear doctor, I think that it's you instead
'Cause I have got a thing that's unique and new
It proves that I'll have the last laugh on you
'Cause instead of one head... I got two
And you know two heads are better than one"
Well that house party must have been a performance of an old favorite, since I found the original record was from 1952.
Another iconoclastic female singer did a splendid version of the same song of which I was familiar with. Joni Mitchell ended her classic 1974 "Court And Spark" album, with an effortless full range performance full of spunk and humor, even recruiting a call and response from famous stoners Cheech And Chong. [Joni Mitchell - "Twisted"]
Unfortunately Joni's voice no longer has the range to sing this cover song the same way. As she is expressing her multifaceted genius mostly in the realm of painting now, Annie, from the grainy black and white footage above, is still alive and well and performing at age 78.
I first heard of her as the featured jazz performer in one of my favorite films - Robert Altman's "Short Cuts." She also did a good job of acting as the neglectful mother of the troubled cello player. Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett wrote "To Hell With Love" for her..
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