Today we come to our final delve into the world of contractions and the songs related to them (at least for the moment). Sometimes, when you forget to use an apostrophe, you get a word that’s just a misspelling of the original. But with won’t and wont, you get a word with its own completely unrelated meaning. When we say won’t, we are actually saying will not. The form with the apostrophe is a contraction, like “don’t” and “can’t.” We owe the “o” in won’t to a sixteenth-century form of the word: wonnot. Wont on the other is usually used as a noun meaning “a type of behavior specific to a person,” or “a habit.” It can also be used as an adjective synonymous with “accustomed.”
“(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey“, originally titled “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please…. Come Home?” is a popular song published in 1902. It is commonly referred to as simply “Bill Bailey“. Its words and music were written by Hughie Cannon, an American songwriter and pianist, and published by Howley, Haviland and Dresser. It is still a standard with Dixieland and traditional jazz bands.
“It Won’t Be Long” is a song by the Beatles, released as the opening track on their second UK album With the Beatles (1963), and was the first original song recorded for it. Although credited to Lennon-McCartney, it was primarily a composition by John Lennon, with Paul McCartney assisting with the lyrics and arrangement. The song was never performed live or at any of the group’s BBC sessions, although they did lip-synch to the track on an edition of Ready Steady Go! in March 1964.
“Won’t Be Long” is a song written by J. Leslie McFarland and performed by Aretha Franklin. The song reached number 7 on the US R&B Chart and number 76 on the Billboard in 1961. The song appeared on her 1961 album, Aretha: with the Ray Bryant Combo. The song was produced by John Hammond.
“Won’t Get Fooled Again” is a song by the The Who, written by Pete Townshend. It was released as a single in June 1971, reaching the top 10 in the UK, while the full eight-and-a-half-minute version appears as the final track on the band’s 1971 album Who’s Next, released that August. It has been performed as a staple of the band’s setlist since 1971, often as the set closer, and was the last song drummer Keith Moon played live with the band. As well as being a hit, the song has achieved critical praise, appearing as one of Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It has been used for several TV shows and films, and in some political campaigns.
“(Won’t You Take Me to) Funkytown” is a song by American disco act Lipps Inc.. from their debut album Mouth to Mouth (1979). It was released as the album’s lead single in 1980. Written by musician, composer, and record producer Steven Greenberg and sung by Cynthia, the song expresses the singer’s pining for a metaphorical place that will “keep me movin’, keep me groovin’ with some energy”. At least two music videos exist for “Funkytown”. In one, a black singer miming Johnson’s vocals and some women dance in a pub. In another, Debbie Jenner, who served as the face of Lipps Inc. in the Netherlands and West Germany, dances while miming Johnson’s vocals. Johnson says on her website she “was never asked to perform a video of ‘Funkytown.'”
“I Won’t Back Down” is a song by American rock musician Tom Petty. It was released in April 1989 as the lead single from his first solo album, Full Moon Fever. The song was co-written by Petty and Jeff Lynne, also his writing partner for the album. It reached number 12 on the Billboard and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart for five weeks, starting the album’s road to multi-platinum status.
“Won’t Go Home Without You” is a song by American band Maroon 5. It was released in November 2007, as the third single from their second studio album It Won’t Be Soon Before Long (2007). Reviews for “Won’t Go Home Without You” have been generally positive, although some were mixed. Robert Christgau gave a positive review on the album as well as the song, saying “The devilishly memorable “Won’t Go Home Without You” combines confidence with affection rather than macho.
“Won’t Be Late” is a song by American rapper Swae Lee featuring Canadian rapper Drake, released as a single by Ear Drummers records in August 2019. It was produced by Tekno with additional production by Mike WillMade It, and released alongside Swae Lee’s solo track “Sextasy”. Rolloing Stone wrote that the song’s “island and house-flavored grooves serve as an undercurrent to [Swae Lee and Drake’s] rhymes, which discuss the merits of taking it slow in a relationship”. XXL described the song as a “banger” and a “dance track” with an “island bop” featuring Swae Lee’s “croons” and Drake rhyming about a “complicated relationship”.
‘Won’t You Take Me Home’ was recorded by Clarx and Harddope in 2020. I can tell you very little about our final selection, except that it is performed by two guys one of whom is called Amal and that the song was released via NCS (No Copyright Sounds).
