Next Time You See Me


"Next Time You See Me" is a blues song written by Earl Forest and Bill Harvey, originally recorded in 1956 by Junior Parker. The song was Parker's first record chart appearance after joining Duke Records and one of his most successful singles in both the R&B and pop charts. "Next Time You See Me" has been performed and recorded by numerous blues and other artists.

Original song

"Next Time You See Me" is a mid-tempo twelve-bar blues shuffle with breaks. As with most of Junior Parker's songs, it is "more melodic than the average blues" and features Parker's smooth vocal approach propelled by a horn-driven rhythm section. The song begins with a chorus:
The backing is provided by the Bill Harvey Band with Parker on vocals, Harvey on tenor sax, Joe Scott on trumpet, Pluma Davis on trombone, Connie McBooker on piano, Pat Hare on guitar, Hamp Simmons on bass, and Sonny Freeman on drums. In 1957, the song became a number five hit in the Billboard R&B chart as well as reaching number 74 in the pop Hot 100.

Recordings by other artists

Several blues and other artists have recorded "Next Time You See Me", including Frankie Lymon from his debut album Rock & Roll ; Freddie Roach from Brown Sugar ; James Cotton from Cut You Loose! ; Mike Bloomfield from It's Not Killing Me ; Hank Crawford from Midnight Ramble ; and Rick Danko from Live on Breeze Hill. Pacific Gas & Electric released a live version of the song on their 2007 album, Live 'N' Kicking at Lexington. Earlier in their career, the Grateful Dead performed the song in concert, several recordings of which were later released.