Soul Finger

"Soul Finger" is the first single released by R&B group the Bar-Kays. It was issued by Stax Records on the Volt Records label on April 14, 1967.

"Soul Finger"
Single by The Bar-Kays
from the album Soul Finger
B-side	"Knucklehead"
Released	April 14, 1967
Recorded	March 31, 1967
Length	2:18
Label	Volt Records
Songwriter(s)	Jimmy King Phalon Jones Carl Cunningham Ben Cauley Ronnie Caldwell James Alexander[1]

Background

The song was written by the Bar-Kays while they were rehearsing with Norman West to perform a cover of J.J. Jackson's "But It's Alright".[2] It begins with the melody of the popular children's song "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and then cuts into the main riff, punctuated with a high trumpet trill. It features a chorus of neighborhood children who had been loitering outside the recording studio; they were instructed to shout "Soul Finger!" and were paid with Coca-Cola.[2] The idea for the title and the shouts came from the Stax songwriters Isaac Hayes and David Porter.[2]

Chart performance

"Soul Finger" was a hit in the United States, peaking at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard R&B singles chart and number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3] The B-side of the single was "Knucklehead", written by Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper, which reached number 28 on the R&B singles chart and number 76 on the Hot 100.[3] "Soul Finger" and "Knucklehead" were the first two tracks of the Bar-Kays' first LP, Soul Finger, issued on July 10, after nine more tracks had been recorded on June 23.[4]

Cover versions

• The song was covered by Dexys Midnight Runners as the B-side to their 1981 single "Plan B" and is on the compilation The Projected Passion Revue.

In other media

• The song was featured in the 1985 film Spies Like Us during a scene in which Soviet missile control personnel hold a party. Dan Aykroyd, a star of the film, had previously covered "Soul Finger" with John Belushi and their band, the Blues Brothers, on their album, Made in America.
• The song was also used in the 2007 film Superbad
• The also was used in the 2009 film Soul Men.

References

1. "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
2. Liner notes, The Complete Stax/Volt Singles, 1959–1968. Atlantic, 1991. p. 31.
3. Billboard Singles, Allmusic.
4. Review of Soul Finger, Allmusic