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Riff: Billy Swan – “Don’t Be Cruel”

Sep 25, 2014

Baby, if I made you mad/For something I might have said/Please, let’s forget the past/The future looks bright ahead/Don’t be cruel to a heart that’s true

from Don't Be Cruel lyrics by Billy Swan

Smothered in deep-fried soul with a side of tasty vocals, a relative unknown breathes new life into an old classic. The slow tempo and sparse psychedelic touches take it to a totally different place, a dark planet where you can feel the severity of what’s going on. One man begging for a second chance.

Riff by Jeff Min

Jeff Min is a Chicago-based writer at SONGLYRICS. His work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, Hi-Fructose, Wax Poetics, SLAM, and HOOP.

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