music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Mona (I Need You Baby)" is a song written by Ellas McDaniel (Bo Diddley) and was the B-side to his 1957 single "Hey! Bo Diddley".

According to Diddley's obituary in The New York Times, "Mona" was a song of praise he wrote for a 45-year-old exotic dancer who worked at the Flame Show Bar in Detroit. The song also became the template for Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away".[1]

Craig McLachlan & Check 1–2 version

"Mona"
Single by Craig McLachlan & Check 1–2
from the album Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2
B-side	"I Don't Mind"
Released	March 18, 1990 (1990-03-18)[2]
Length	3:40
Label	CBS
Songwriter(s)	Ellas McDaniel
Producer(s)	Garth Porter
Craig McLachlan & Check 1–2 singles chronology
"Rock the Rock" (1989) "Mona" (1990) "Amanda" (1990)

In March 1990, Australian actor and musician Craig McLachlan released a version with his band, Check 1–2, as the second single from their 1990 debut album, Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2. It was a commercial success, peaking at No. 3 in Australia and No. 2 in the United Kingdom. In Australia, it was the highest-selling single by a native artist in 1990.[3]

Track listing

Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1991	"Mona"	ARIA Award for Highest Selling Single of the Year[4]	Won

Chart performance

"Mona" peaked at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, behind Elton John's "Sacrifice", on the week commencing July 15, 1990.[5]

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[3]	Platinum	70,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

"Mona (I Need You Baby)" has been covered by many artists, including:

• The Rolling Stones for their debut album in 1964 in the UK and on the US album The Rolling Stones, Now! in 1965.
• T. C. Atlantic with a regional hit single in 1966.[19]
• The Troggs on their 1967 album Trogglodynamite.
• Quicksilver Messenger Service for their second album, 1969's Happy Trails. It was ranked number 88 on the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone.[20]
• Grateful Dead performed the song twice - first with Bo Diddley on 25 March 1972 (released on Dick's Picks Volume 30) and then again on 27 October 1991 with guests Gary Duncan and Carlos Santana.
• The Roosters on their 1980 self-titled debut album.
• Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush covered "Mona" on their 1980 album What’s Next.
• Bruce Springsteen often interpolated "Mona" as an introduction to his "She's the One" on the Born to Run tours and Darkness Tour in the 1970s.
• Bo Diddley performed "Mona" with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on March 28, 1999, at the Fillmore West.

References

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