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1969 single by The Guess Who

"Undun" is a song recorded by Canadian rock group The Guess Who. It spent two weeks at #21 on the Canadian Singles Chart in November–December 1969[4] and reached #3 on the AC chart.[5] In the US, it reached #15 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of November 29, 1969.[6][7]

It was written by Randy Bachman after hearing Bob Dylan`s "Ballad in Plain D", which included the phrase "she was easily undone". Bachman`s song tells the story of a girl he had seen at a party who, after consuming LSD, slipped into a coma. The song takes its structure from new jazz guitar chords Bachman had learned from his friend and neighbour Lenny Breau. The flute part required the learning of a new instrument by Burton Cummings. Bachman says, “Burton could play the sax, and we discovered that a flute used the same fingering. We went to a music store, bought a flute, and he learned how to play the solo. He’d never played the flute in his life.” Bachman used his Gibson ES-335 and a 1957 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins to record the guitar parts.[8] During the Guess Who`s 2000 reunion Running Back Thru Canada tour, Bachman`s former bandmate Cummings declared the song to be one of Bachman`s finest compositions and "one of the best songs ever written by any Canadian songwriter".[9] Bachman himself has stated that "Undun" is his favourite song from his time as a member of The Guess Who.[10]

The original 4:17 version of "Undun", complete with a country guitar section at the end, appeared on The Guess Who`s 1969 album, Canned Wheat, and an edit was initially released as the B-side of the single "Laughing" which peaked on August 23, 1969. The song gained popularity when disc jockeys started turning the "Laughing" record over.[10]

Legacy

Numerous jazz and other musicians have recorded "Undun". These include Phish, Hennie Bekker,[11] Steve Cole,[12] The Phil Dwyer Septet,[13] Kurt Elling,[14] Ranee Lee,[15] Sophie Milman,[16] Hugo Montenegro,[17] and Alexander Zonjic.[18] The song was covered by the Trans-Canada Highwaymen for their 2023 album, Explosive Hits Vol. 1.

The song plays in the background of a fight scene between Robert De Niro and Bridget Fonda in Quentin Tarantino`s 1997 film Jackie Brown.[10]

Personnel

• Burton Cummings – vocals, flute
• Randy Bachman – guitar
• Jim Kale – bass
• Garry Peterson – drums

Charts