Leo Sayer · 1974 · Behind the Songs
Before the disco hits and the great ballads, there was “Long Tall Glasses,” a gloriously rowdy record that introduced Leo Sayer as a performer who could turn a simple good time into a small celebration.
Before the disco hits and the great ballads, there was “Long Tall Glasses,” a gloriously rowdy record that introduced Leo Sayer as a performer who could turn a simple good time into a small celebration. It is fast, funny, and full of the kind of energy that makes a live audience grin before the chorus even arrives.
Released in 1974 on the album Just a Boy and as a single that year, the song — also known by its subtitle, “I Can Dance” — was written by Sayer and David Courtney. It tells its story with a wink: a night out, a drink in hand, and the happy chaos that follows. Sayer’s vocal is all bounce and bravado, and the band plays along as if they are enjoying the joke as much as he is.
The record matters because it shows where Sayer came from. He was not a manufactured pop star. He was a stage performer with a songwriter’s ear and a comedian’s timing, and this song let all three qualities shine at once. It also proved that his voice, so often associated with romance, could handle humor and high spirits just as well.
Play it now and it still feels like a toast. It is short, it is spirited, and it leaves you in a better mood than it found you in. That is no small achievement for any pop song.