The album that started the meteoric rise to international fame for the most notorious Girl Group of our time was “Where Did out Love Go” by The Supremes. Originally released in August 1964, a remastered 40th Anniversary Edition was released in 2004. Check it out on the companion blog to OSML right here.
Enjoy the music.
I loved this tune the moment I heard it when I was in elementary school. I suppose it’s simplicity is what grabbed me as a child but as an adult the simplicity still is endearing. The song went to #20 on both the Pop and R&B charts in 1965.
The song also has quite an interesting pedigree that Richie Unterberger summed up in his “Iko Iko” song review on All Music.Com as follows:
“The impression is one of somehow sneaking in on a trio of girls just practicing or playing games among themselves for their own pleasure, whether in a dressing room, bedroom, or jumping rope perhaps, instead of a professional group doing a recording session.It turns out that “Iko Iko” wasn’t even planned to be recorded at its session. But after the musicians had gone home, while the women were doing some overdubbing, they started singing “Iko Iko” among themselves, using only a chair, drumstick, Coke bottle, ashtray, and drums as accompaniment. Producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller had the band record it for real. Actually, a quite good full-band single with a song quite similar to “Iko Iko,” obviously based on similar New Orleans sources, had been recorded for the R&B market in the mid-1950s by Sugar Boy Crawford & His Cane Cutters, given the title “Jock-a-Mo.” Dr. John, Buckwheat Zydeco, Cyndi Lauper, and Ringo Starr are among the artists who’ve covered “Iko Iko” subsequent to the Dixie Cups’ hit. “(Source)
There is also a “Mardi Gras Digest Online” that records “Iko Iko” as the #8 ranking Mardi Gras Song. You can read more song history here at their site and see the song lyrics as well.
I appreciate your visit. Thanks for stopping by.
“The group hit the top of the charts in 1964 with “Chapel of Love,” a song that Phil Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich had originally written for The Ronettes. The trio consisted of sisters Barbara and Rosa Lee Hawkins; plus their cousin Joan Johnson, from the Calliope housing project in New Orleans. They first sang together in grade school. Originally they were to be called Little Miss and the Muffets, but were named The Dixie Cups just prior to their first release.
By 1963 the trio had decided to pursue a career in music and began singing locally as the Meltones. Within a year Joe Jones, a successful singer in his own right with the Top Five 1960 single “You Talk Too Much,” became their manager. After working with them for five months, Jones took them to New York, where record producers/songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller signed them to their new Red Bird Records.
Their first release, “Chapel of Love,” proved to be their biggest hit.” (Source)
“Chapel” Charted number 1 on both the Pop and R&B charts in 1964! Now that’s how to start a career and a record company.
Chapel of Love Composed by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector
Goin’ to the chapel
And we’re gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin’ to the chapel
And we’re gonna get ma-a-arried
Gee, I really love you
And we’re gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin’ to the chapel of loveSpring is here, th-e-e sky is blue, whoa-oh-oh
Birds all sing as if they knew
Today’s the day we’ll say “I do”
And we’ll never be lonely anymore because we’reGoin’ to the chapel
And we’re gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin’ to the chapel
And we’re gonna get ma-a-arried
Gee, I really love you
And we’re gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin’ to the chapel of loveBells will ring, the-e-e sun will shine, whoa-oh-oh
I’ll be his and he’ll be mine
We’ll love until the end of time
And we’ll never be lonely anymore because we’reGoin’ to the chapel
And we’re gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin’ to the chapel
And we’re gonna get ma-a-arried
Gee, I really love you
And we’re gonna get ma-a-arried
Goin’ to the chapel of loveYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Goin’ to the chapel of love
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
FADE
Thanks for stopping by. I so appreciate your visit.
“Mama Said” reached #4 Pop and #2 R&B in the spring of 1961.
There is not too much more to say about these great ladies that hasn’t been said in the three earlier posts here on this blog about the Shirelles. This is just another one of their many great hits. In addition to the single release, “Mama Said” appeared on the girls third LP release of 1963 entitled “The Shirelles Sing to Trumpets & Strings”, on the Sundazed label and pictured here. (Once again I was unable to upload graphics on this buggy new WP interface: hope to able to do it soon. Sorry)
Just a quick introduction for those of you who don’t know The Shirelles:
“The Shirelles, a group of 16 and 17 year olds, were all friends from Passaic High School in Passaic, New Jersey, that began singing together in 1958. Fans of the Flamingos, Chantels, and Little Anthony and the Imperials as well as the Bobbettes, The Shirelles received a large part of their musical education by listening to New York’s premier R&B station at the time, WWRL.
Originally they called themselves the Poquellos (meaning birds).” (Source and rest of article)
“Mama Said” Composed By Willie Denson & Luther Dixon
Mama said there’ll be days like this,
There’ll be days like this Mama said
(Mama said, mama said)
Mama said there’ll be days like this,
There’ll be days like this my Mama said
(Mama said, mama said)I went walking the other day,
Everything was going fine,
I met a little boy named Billy Joe
And then I almost lost my mindMama said there’ll be days like this,
There’ll be days like this Mama said
(Mama said, mama said)
Mama said there’ll be days like this,
There’ll be days like this my Mama saidMy eyes are wide open
But all that I can see is,
chapel bells are callin for everyone but-a me
but I don’t worry causeMama said there’ll be days like this,
There’ll be days like this Mama said
(Mama said, mama said)
Mama said there’ll be days like this,
There’ll be days like this my Mama saidAnd then she said someone will look at me
like I’m looking at you one day,
then I might find
I don’t want it any old way,
so I don’t worry cause.
Thanks for listening and reading. See you soon.
SonDan
The Cookies follow-up for “Chains” was entitled “Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby)”. It might not be as well know as “Chains”. But it actually charted better. A lot of folk probably also know the song “Chains” from the Beatles cover on their very first LP “Please, Please Me” in 1963.
“Don’t Say Nothin Bad” charted #3 R&B and #7 pop charts, 1963. “Chains” had peaked at #6 & 17 respectively.
Just as was “Chains”, “Don’t Say Nothing Bad” was also written by the uber talented song writing team of Carole King and her then husband Gerry Goffin. Gotta love the lyrics’ sass and brass. My favorite line is “He’s true, He’s true to me, So girl you better shut your mouth” 😉
Don’t Say Nothin’ (Bad Bout My Baby) Composed by Gerry Goffin & Carole King
Don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(Oh, no) don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(I love him so)Don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(Oh, don’t you know)
Don’t say nothin’
Bad about my babyHe’s good (he’s good)
He’s good to me (good to me)
That’s all I care about(Oh, no) don’t you tell me
My baby’s just a playboy
(It wasn’t him) don’t you tell me
My baby’s just a playboy(Not tonight) I won’t listen
To a single word you say
(He’s my guy) don’t you tell me
My baby’s just a playboyHe’s true (he’s true)
He’s true to me (true to me)
So girl you better shut your mouth(Everyone says he’s lazy)
But not when he’s kissin’ me
(Everyone says he’s crazy)
Sure he’s crazy
Crazy about me, oh, yeahDon’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(Oh, no) don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(I love him so)
Don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(Oh, don’t you know)
Don’t say nothin’
Bad about my babyHe’s good (he’s good)
He’s good to me (good to me)
And that’s all I care about[Instrumental Interlude]
(Oh, no) don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(Oh, no) don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(I love him so)Don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(Oh, don’t you know)
Don’t say nothin’
Bad about my babyHe’s true (he’s true)
He’s true to me (true to me)
So, girl, you better shut your mouth(Oh, no) don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(Oh, no) don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
Don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(Oh, no) don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(Oh, no) don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
(Oh, no) don’t say nothin’
Bad about my baby
Song Trivia: Carole King helped provide backup vocals.
This configuration of the group disbanded in 1963.
“Following their breakup, Earl-Jean McCrea, working under the name Earl-Jean, had a solo recording career that started on a promising note in the summer of 1964 with “I’m Into Something Good.” Unfortunately for her, the song was picked up by Herman’s Hermits and charted in the Top Ten in their version the following fall, eclipsing the original record and the artist herself. ” (Source)
You know that British Invasion really put a cramp in the glorious girl-group sound of the USA. Geesh!
Keep enjoying the music and thanks for stopping by.
What a great tune!
The Cookies went through a few different configurations. The original 1953 lineup was Dorothy Jones and her cousin Beulah Robertson, Ethel “Earl-Jean” McCrea and Pat Lyles. In 1956 Robertson was replaced by Margie Hendricks. The group sang backup for Atlantic Records vocalists including LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, Joe Turner and Chuck Willis. But when this group was introduced to Ray Charles they were renamed the Raelettes and worked under that name until 1962.
Wiki explains the second lineup as follows:
In 1962, a new version of the Cookies emerged in New York, with Earl-Jean McCrea joining newcomers Dorothy Jones and Margaret Ross. Jones went solo and reformed the group in the early 1960s with another cousin, Margaret Ross and Darlene McCrea’s younger sister, Earl-Jean. This trio had the greatest success as the Cookies, under their own name, as backing vocals for other artists, and recording demos for Aldon Music, under the direction of Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
All of these personnel changes have me a bit confused. But I do know that the latter group is the one that sang backup behind Tony Orlando, Neil Sedaka and most notably on Little Eva’s 1962 hit “Locomotion” . They soon had their own hits including “Chains” in 1963 that was also covered by the Beatles in the same year. The Cookies version went #6 R&B, #17 Pop and #50 UK.
Earl-Jean left the group in 1964 for a solo career.
Chains – Composed by the Brill Building’s Carole King and Gerry Geoffin
Chains
My baby’s got me locked up in chains
And they ain’t the kind that you can see
Whoa-oa, these chains of love got a hold on me
YeahChains
Well, I can’t break away from these chains
I can’t run around ’cause I’m not free
Whoa-oa, these chains of love won’t let me be
YeahNow, believe me when I tell you
I think you’re fine
I’d like to love you
But, darling, I’m imprisoned by theseChains
My baby’s got me locked up in chains
And they ain’t the kind that you can see
Whoa-oa, these chains of love got a hold on me
YeahI wanna tell you, pretty baby,
Your lips look sweet
I’d like to kiss them
But I can’t break away from all of theseChains
My baby’s got me locked up in chains
And they ain’t the kind that you can see
Whoa-oa, these chains of love got a hold on me
YeahChains
Chains of loveChains of love
(repeat and fade out)
Keep enjoying the music and thanks for visiting.
The Toys – A Lover’s Concerto (1965) #4 R&B, #2 Pop
Composed by songwriters Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, “A Lover’s Concerto” was a big part of my youth. This was probably the first “Girl Group” I fell in love with. I have vivid memories of having my Barbie doll sing this song, along with Petula Clark’s “Downtown”, whenever I put on Barbie’s black strapless sequined gown for her to sing on stage at the imaginary nightclub.
I also remember that whenever my friend Laura and I would sing together pretending that we were our own “Girl Group”, this is the song we would sing. She took the melody and as the alto I provided the harmony. Oh those good old days!
This classic single went to #2 on the Billboard Pop Charts and #4 on the R&B Charts. It is such a great song and it really got robbed of the number one sport because of the Beatles and Rolling Stones British invasion here in America. The album entitled “The Toys Sing “A Lover’s Concerto” and Attack!”, released on the DynoVoice label, went to #2 on the R&B charts, but only #92 Pop (Hmm).
According to “The History of Rock Website”:
The Toys, June Montiero, Barbara Harris, and Barbara Parritt, were formed in the early Sixties in Jamaica, New York. Harris and Parritt were both born in North Carolina, but moved to New York at an early age. They met June Montiero while attending Woodrow Wilson High School in New York and formed a group. After graduation they continued to sing together. The rest of the history of the group can be found here at their site .
Of course like most little girls of the era I took piano lessons and I tried to “swing” Anna Magdalena Bach’s “Minuet in G Major” (the classical piece that the composers adapted for “A Lover’s Concerto) which was of course frowned upon by my piano teacher (LOL).
Here are some great YouTube (Don’t you just love that site?) clips of The Toys performing their hit on TV shows of the time. I do recall that they did all of the shows of the times – you know Hullaballo, Shindig, etc.
Now we all know that the Supremes knew a good thing when they heard it. They covered “A Lover’s Concerto” on their 1967 “I Hear a Symphony” Album (sort of a rip-off of The Toys don’t you think?). This is their version.
By now I guess you have figured out that the musical theme for the month of May is Girl Groups! And we have started out with two of the best! Also check out three previous posts I have made on the talented Shirelles:
Please enjoy the music and thanks for stopping by.
Old School Music Lover 