"Undun"
1969 US RCA Victor single
Single by The Guess Who
from the album Canned Wheat
A-side"Laughing"
ReleasedJuly 1969
Recorded1969
StudioRCA Studio A, New York, New York
Genre
Length3:26
4:17 (album version)
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)Randy Bachman
Producer(s)Jack Richardson
The Guess Who singles chronology
"These Eyes"
(1968)		 "Laughing" / "Undun"
(1969)		 "No Time"
(1969)

"Undun" is a song recorded by Canadian rock group The Guess Who. It spent two weeks at #21 on the Canadian Singles Chart in November–December 1969[4] and reached #3 on the AC chart.[5] In the US, it reached #15 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6]

It was written by Randy Bachman after hearing Bob Dylan's "Ballad in Plain D", which included the phrase "she was easily undone". Bachman's song tells the story of a girl he had seen at a party who, after consuming LSD, slipped into a coma. The song takes its structure from new jazz guitar chords Bachman had learned from his friend and neighbour Lenny Breau. The flute part required the learning of a new instrument by Cummings. Bachman says, “Burton could play the sax, and we discovered that a flute used the same fingering. We went to a music store, bought a flute, and he learned how to play the solo. He’d never played the flute in his life.” Bachman used his Gibson ES-335 and a 1957 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins to record the guitar parts.[7] During the Guess Who's 2000 reunion Running Back Thru Canada tour, Bachman's former bandmate Burton Cummings declared the song to be one of Bachman's finest compositions and "one of the best songs ever written by any Canadian songwriter".[8] Bachman himself has stated that "Undun" is his favourite song from his time as a member of The Guess Who.[9]

The original 4:17 version of "Undun", complete with a country guitar section at the end, appeared on The Guess Who's 1969 album, Canned Wheat, and an edit was initially released as the B-side of the single "Laughing" which peaked on August 23, 1969. The song gained popularity when disc jockeys started turning the "Laughing" record over.[9]

Legacy

Numerous jazz and other musicians have recorded "Undun". These include Phish, Hennie Bekker,[10] Steve Cole,[11] The Phil Dwyer Septet,[12] Kurt Elling,[13] Ranee Lee,[14] Sophie Milman,[15] Hugo Montenegro,[16] and Alexander Zonjic.[17]

The song plays in the background of a fight scene between Robert De Niro and Bridget Fonda in Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film Jackie Brown.[9]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1969) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Top Singles 21
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[18] 3
US Billboard Hot 100 22
US Adult Contemporary 15

References

  1. ↑ Edmonds, Ben (2004). "The Guess Who". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 348–349. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  2. ↑ Dave Marsh; John Swenson (12 October 1983). The new Rolling stone record guide. Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-394-72107-1.
  3. ↑ Modern Drummer: MD. Modern Drummer Publications. 1985. p. 25.
  4. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - November 29, 1969" (PDF).
  5. ↑ "RPM Top 50 Adult Singles - December 13, 1969" (PDF).
  6. ↑ The Guess Who, "Undun" U.S. Chart Positions Retrieved March 6, 2015
  7. ↑ Bosso, Joe (26 May 2023). "How Randy Bachman Wrote His Favorite Guess Who Track, "Undun"". Guitar Player. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  8. ↑ The Guess Who: The Concert (recorded in Winnipeg, June 30, 2000), Directed by Rico Labbe, Saifer Entertainment, 2000
  9. 1 2 3 "Undun by The Guess Who", Songfacts
  10. ↑ Hennie Bekker, Cover Story Retrieved March 6, 2015
  11. ↑ Steve Cole, Undun Retrieved March 6, 2015
  12. ↑ The Phil Dwyer Septet, A Canadian Songbook for Jazz Retrieved March 6, 2015
  13. ↑ Kurt Elling, Nightmoves Retrieved March 6, 2015
  14. ↑ Ranee Lee, Maple Groove Retrieved March 6, 2015
  15. ↑ Sophie Milman, Make Someone Happy Retrieved March 6, 2015
  16. ↑ Hugo Montenegro, Colours of Love Retrieved March 6, 2015
  17. ↑ Alexander Zonjic, Doin' the D Retrieved March 6, 2015
  18. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1969-12-13. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
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