“Chapel of Love” wasn’t supposed to be a hit for The Dixie Cups. Phil Spector had claimed the Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich composition for The Ronettes, who did record the original as album filler. Indeed, the song’s single-minded declaration of girlish devotion is of a piece with hits like “Be My Baby” and “Baby I Love [...]
Posts Tagged ‘leiber and stoller’
38) The Drifters – “Save the Last Dance for Me”
Posted in 09, 1960, tagged ben e. king, leiber and stoller, phil spector, the drifters on January 27, 2009 | 1 Comment »
(Apologies for the video – it’s the only one I found on YouTube that used the original recording.) The ascendance of “Save the Last Dance for Me” almost seems to be a bit of overcompensation on the part of the American listening public. After “Mr. Custer,” anything would have been an improvement, but instead we [...]
14) Wilbert Harrison – “Kansas City”
Posted in 08, 1959, tagged leiber and stoller, wilbert harrison on December 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
My first exposure to “Kansas City” was Wanda Jackson’s rollicking version on Queen of Rockabilly, where Jackson was anything but demure in her plan to nab a “crazy little fella.” Wilbert Harrison’s version is a little more low-key, based around a piano riff rather than electric guitar. “Kansas City” was one of the first songs [...]
