I have a
great affection for the early 1960s girl groups, like the Shangra-Las, the Chiffons, the Crystals. the Ronettes and especially the
Shirelles. It was a love shared by the Beatles, who included covers of not one,
but two Shirelles' songs on their debut album.
The Shirelles
were four New Jersey school friends, who performed dop-wop and rhythm and blues, with close
harmonies their specialty. There were stories from a more innocent time, tales
from the school yard, but also a painful reality of life and love.
Their purple patch
was supervised by Scepter Records' producer
Luther Dixon, who wrote some of their biggest hits. They could also call on the
cream of tin pan alley writers such Goffin & King for their number 1 single
"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". But I prefer the 1962 single "Baby It's You".
It also had legendary
origins, the music composed by the great Burt Bacharach. On this occasion the
lyrics came from Mack David (brother of his normal partner Hal) and Dixon
(under the alias of Barney Williams). It is a simple format of three verses, and a short title chorus.
It is a
lament of heartache, as a girl has been left by the love of her life. She
remembers his smile and kisses, and is inconsolable ("I sit alone at home
and cry over you"). It is obvious
that her partner already has a bad reputation ("You should hear what they
say about you - cheat, cheat"). The "cheats" cutting to the
bone. It ends with the simple but poignant beseeching ("Don't leave me
alone / Come on home").
The
undisputed highlight is Shirley Owens' lead vocals - crisp and emotive, starting
gently but stronger later. Listen to her phrasing of "heart" and "apart",
they are a thing of beauty. Then there
is also the great dop-wop style backing singers, opening with the memorable "shalalala",
and the enhancing harmonies throughout. A beautiful combination.
The musical backing
is unintrusive, to emphasise the vocals, especially the pause before the
chorus. But I could live without the kitschy and shrill organ solo.
Its cover by
the Beatles raised its profile (the only time the Beatles covered Bacharach), lent
its name to a great 1983 movie, but the Shirelles' version stands on its own as
a great girl pop record.
Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH1ZPKaJWEI
Hear Next -
There are several "best of " Shirelles, all of which cover the
main bases.
