The Co… Read Full Bio ↴Earl-Jean McCree was the original lead singer of The Cookies.
The Cookies' story begins in the 1950's. Recordings for Lamp Records and Atlantic went unnoticed for the most part, then Gerry Goffin and his new wife Carole King produced a record called "It's Unbearable" for one Dorothy Jones. Released on Columbia Records, it was a valiant effort, but ultimately it failed to draw attention to the young singer. Dorothy, however, had made some valuable connections in the music business, including a friendship with Earl-Jean McCree, and Margaret Ross.
The group, known as the Cookies, began singing back-up for several Aldon artists like Tony Orlando, Connie Francis, and Neil Sedaka. Meanwhile, McCree had recommended Eva Boyd as a baby sitter for Goffin and King. Boyd, soon christened Little Eva, went on to become the fourth, and alternate, Cookie.
Moving on to 1962, Goffin and King were inspired to write "The Loco-motion" when they saw Eva dancing to the raido. With the Cookies strong back-up, the song powered up the charts to eventually reach number one. Another Eva song, "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby," soon was scratching just outside the Top 10; Mel Torme also used the group on his hit "Comin' Home Baby."
Singing back-up was fine, but the Cookies craved the big time, and Don Kirshner, owner of Dimension Records, gave them their chance. The girls released the sweet rhythm ballad, "Chains," later covered by the Beatles. It had all the elements of hit girl group record of the time, and soon, it launched itself into the Top 20. The record actually included Carole on back-up!
The Cookies continued their Top 20 success with the rollicking "Don't Say Nothing Bad About My Baby." The monster hit eventually traveled to number 7 on the pop charts. The Cookies brand of pop had made one of the hottest girl groups around; so much so, that their first two A-sides and two new sides, "Foolish Little Girl," and the original version of "On Broadway," were included in the LP The Dimension Dolls. Little Eva and Carole King rounded out the album.
By mid-1963, the Cookies were at it again. "Will Power" b/w "I Want A Boy For My Birthday," rose to place at number 72 pop. A mild disappointment, the girls soon blazed back in to the top 40 with "Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys." A new raunchier style brought them to number 33, but the British Invasion would soon bring their success to a halt.
Although Earl-Jean usually fronted the group, Dorothy Jones was prominently featured on the group's final single. "I Never Dreamed" was by far the best record released under the Cookies' name. Produced in a brilliant faux-Spector style, the song was an unexplainable miss. The flip, "The Old Crowd," was a quintessential piece of girl pop, later covered by Leslie Gore. It too failed to generate much excitement.
By May, 1963, Earl-Jean had left the Cookies to pursue a solo career. Her first release, the original version of "I'm Into Something Good," was impeccably produced by Gery Goffin, and it soon blistered to number 38.
Meanwhile, a mysterious group known as the Cinderellas put out a superior double-sided single entitled, "Baby Baby (I Still Love You)/Please Don't Wake Me." Although it is almost certain that Dorothy Jones is on lead, the gals on back-up are less clear-cut. Some theories put the tune as merely a leftover Cookies' cut, still othes feel that this was a completely new backing line-up. Whatever the particulars, the song only topped out at number 117. (Other Cinderellas' recordings appeared on several labels during the sixties, but it is not known if these relate to the group that recorded this single.)
Earl-Jean followed up her hit with the glorious "Randy," but it didn't make a good impression. That coupled with the the even more successful cover of her first hit by Herman's Hermits (they brought it into the Top 20) spelled the end of all the girl's musical aspirations.
The Cookies apparently went into semi-retirement during the mid sixties, but by late 1966 they had signed to Warner Brothers Records. In April 1967 the group released a 2 minute and 51 second piece of pop which can only be described as one of the best examples of the era. Incredibly sophisticated, it was an unexplainable miss, save the fact that very few girl group releases were gaining much attention in those days. And that's the way the Cookies crumbled.
I'm Into Something Good
Earl-Jean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's somethin' special on my mind
Last night I met a new girl in the neighbourhood, whoa yeah
Somethin' tells me I'm into something good
(Somethin' tells me I'm into somethin')
She's the kind of girl who's not too shy
And I can tell I'm her kind of guy
(she danced with me like I hoped she would)
Somethin' tells me I'm into something good
(Somethin' tells me I'm into somethin')
We only danced for a minute or two
But then she stuck close to me the whole night through
Can I be fallin' in love
She's everthing I've been dreamin' of
She's everthing I've been dreamin' of
I walked her home and she held my hand
I knew it couldn't be just a one-night stand
So I asked to see her next week and she told me I could
(I asked to see her and she told me I could)
Somethin' tells me I'm into something good
(Somethin' tells me I'm into somethin')
(Somethin' tells me I'm into somethin', ahhh)
I walked her home and she held my hand
I knew it couldn't be just a one-night stand
So I asked to see her next week and she told me I could
(I asked to see her and she told me I could)
Somethin' tells me I'm into something good
(somethin' tells me I'm into somethin')
Somethin' tells me I'm into something good
(somethin' tells me I'm into somethin')
To something good, oh yeah, something good
(somethin' tells me I'm into somethin')
To something good, something good, something good
The opening verse of Earl-Jean's "I'm Into Something Good" describes waking up with a special feeling after meeting a new girl in the neighborhood. The singer expresses her hopeful and optimistic outlook and believes there is something good on the horizon. She describes the girl as open and inviting, confident that she is the kind of girl who will be interested in her. During the dance, Earl-Jean feels a closer connection with the girl as they dance together, reaffirming her positive feelings that this is something special.
The second verse highlights how their connection continues throughout the night, and Earl-Jean feels like she has found the girl of her dreams. She walks her home and holds her hand, and Earl-Jean realizes that their connection is not just a one-night stand. As the song ends, she asks the girl to see her again, with the optimistic belief that she is into something good.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up this mornin' feelin' fine
I woke up this morning feeling happy and content
There's somethin' special on my mind
I have something important and exciting on my mind
Last night I met a new girl in the neighbourhood, whoa yeah
Last night, I met a new girl in my neighborhood.
Somethin' tells me I'm into something good
There's a vibe telling me this girl is something good in my life
She's the kind of girl who's not too shy
She is not too shy, but she is still reserved.
And I can tell I'm her kind of guy
I can sense that we share similar values and interests
She danced close to me like I hoped she would
She danced with me in a way that I hoped she would
We only danced for a minute or two
We only danced together for a short time
But then she stuck close to me the whole night through
Despite only dancing briefly, she stayed close to me all night
Can I be fallin' in love
I am beginning to feel love for her
She's everything I've been dreamin' of
She is everything that I have been hoping for
I walked her home and she held my hand
I escorted her home and she held my hand
I knew it couldn't be just a one-night stand
I knew that our connection was not just for one night
So I asked to see her next week and she told me I could
I asked to see her again, and she agreed
Somethin' tells me I'm into something good
I feel like this newfound relationship is something good for me
To something good, oh yeah, something good
This is something good for me, and I am excited about it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Carole King, Gerry Goffin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@melanieprice
A1:
Woke up this morning feelin' fine
There was something special
on my mind
Last night I met a new boy
in the neighborhood, oh yeah.
Something tells me
I'm into something good
(Something tells me I'm into something)
A2:
He’s kinda quiet - not too shy
And I can tell he’s my kind of guy
He danced every slow dance with me
like I hoped he would
(he danced with me like I
hoped he would)
Something tells me
I'm into something good
(Something tells me I'm into something)
B Section:
(Ahhhhh…)
We only talked for a minute or two
And I felt like I knew him
my whole life through
(Ahhhhh)
I don’t know if you can call it love?
(But he's everything I've been dreamin' of)
He's everything I've been dreamin' of.
A3:
Then he walked me home and he
held my hand
I knew it wouldn't be just a
one-night stand
Cause he asked to see me next week
and I told him he could, Oh yeah
(He asked to see me and I told him he could)
Something tells me
I'm into something good
(Something tells me I'm into something)
Something tells me I'm into something, ahhh)
Instrumental 12 bars
repeat A3
Tag: Repeat x 4
(Something tells me I'm into something)
Something good, oh yeah, something good.
@_Ben4810
It says on Earl-Jean's Wiki page she later opened her own children's daycare centre...Can you imagine the utterly spellbound kids when Miss Earl-Jean decided to sing a few songs to the classes...!?!
A fabulous version of the song & her voice is just so dreamy....👌
@carolmitchell707
My favorite and this came before Herman and the Hermits. I know because I had this 45 and I love it!
@theccpisaparasite8813
Totally awesome in its own way. Mood based preference.
@michaeldoyle6702
I heard this version inside a liquor store in Toronto earlier this evening. Couldnt get it out of my mind. Listened to so many versions tonight. This is the way it MUST be done. Superb.
@theccpisaparasite8813
... speed it up to to 1.15-1.25x ... who does it it sound like? That's what HH did. They recorded it identical to this in the studio. Standard tuning. But the sped the playback up before they cut to vinyl. That's why the tuning is a bit higher than would ordinarily be the case. Maybe an ⅛ step higher. It's a delightful little pop tune either way.
@jschuler53
@@theccpisaparasite8813 I like this better. than HH. They were too bubble gum. I will have to. go back and listen again. Peter Noone was cute.
@theccpisaparasite8813
@@jschuler53Agreed but, its all good
@robertanderson7049
Carole King wrote a couple of songs for this group that became hits for them. King does this song with Brian Wilson that is good.
@darrylcpreston4043
Toronto has liquor stores that play good music? Shame on the LCBO for distracting customers from the job at hand!
@syndicat4847
Never knew this was the original. It’s a great song