Norma Tanega was born in California in 1939 and completes this week’s cat series. She only ever hit the charts once with this Sixties Folk Rock novelty song reaching No.22 on both sides of the Atlantic.

But, interestingly as Dusty Springfield’s partner she wrote the lyrics to a few of Dusty songs that deeper fans will recognize.

She wrote the lyrics to these three B sides:

Am I The Same Girl  1969 – UK No.43/Aus No.5 – B-Side – Earthbound Gypsy

I Will Come To You 1968 –  UK No.69 B-Side – The Colour of Your Eyes

I Close My Eyes and Count To Ten 1968 – UK No.4/US No.122 – B-side No Stranger Am I. The A side was one of Dusty’s biggest hits in the UK although it fared badly in the US (with a different B-Side).

She also co-wrote Morning (Bom Dia) with Brazilian husband and wife (at the time) Nana Caymmi and Gilberto Gil. It appeared on the album Definitely Dusty in 1968. She co-wrote Come For A Dream with two more famous Brazilians, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and the legendary Dolores Duran (dead by the way at 29 from a heart attack probably due to a barbiturate overdose). The song appeared on the 1972 album See All Her Faces.

She also co-wrote:

Midnight Sounds, written by Tanega and Dan White, recorded in 1968 or 1969 but apparently never officially released, it’s allegedly a demo remastered from an acetate.

She also penned the lyrics for Go My Love. Harder to find, unless it is the song Goodbye (Go My Love) from Love Songs and the 3CD Anthology that came out in 1997 – without the record I can’t confirm the credit. Still Norma has contributed creatively to one of the greatest voices of all time and whether her novelty song drives you nuts or captures you heart with her infectious smile, all I can say about it is that she is playing one very cool guitar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_Tanega

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/norma-tanega-mn0000387220

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusty_Springfield

Midnight Sounds recorded in 1968 or 1969 but never officially released: