Starting out as the Dreamers, the Blossoms were students at Fremont High School in Los Angeles and in 1954 they were discovered by singer Richard Berry at a school talent show. At that time the group consisted of Fanita James, sisters Annette and Nanette Williams, and Gloria Jones. They backed Richard Berry on several of his singles that were recorded in 1954 and released in 1955 on the Flair label. All three of the releases received local air play, but only "Bye, Bye" sold, and made the national R&B charts. By late 1956 the Dreamers had their first chance to record on their own. The results were two beautiful R&B ballads. "Since You've Been Gone" and "Do Not Forget," both written by Richard Berry and are recognized as forerunners of the girl group sound.
"Since You've Been Gone" never got the full support tiny Flip Records had to offer, the reason being that the label had its hands full following the success of the Six Teens' "A Casual Look" with their new release "Far into the Night." They were also preparing a recording by Richard Berry and his new group the Pharaohs which was "Louie, Louie."
Though their records weren't hits, the Dreamers stirred interest from numerous places in the music business, garnering the group a great deal of backup work. Their first chart record came as backup vocalists with Jessie Belvin on Etta James' 1955 hit "Good Rockin' Daddy."
It was through vocal coach Eddie Beale that the Dreamers were brought to their first major label, Capitol Records. Executive Tom Fransend renamed the group the Blossoms. Between 1957 and 1958 the group had three singles that didn't do much. However, they did have another backup hit with Ed Townsend on "For Your Love" in April 1958.
That year also brought a lineup change: Fanita James attended a wedding and heard a twenty-year old Darlene Wright sing. James then invited the gifted Wright to become the lead singer of the Blossoms. By 1960, the Williams twins had left and the group was now a trio.
The Blossoms' first solo chart record was for the small Challenge label. The group just barely cracked the Billboard's top 100 with "Son In Law"(#79) in May 1961, but neither that nor immediate follow-ups were enough to make the public aware of them. Still, they kept earning a good living doing backup, as on Sam Cooke's hit "Everybody Love's to Cha-Cha-Cha" (#13, 1959) and as Duane Eddy's Rebelettes on "Dance with the Guitar Man" (#12, 1962).
In the summer of 1962, fate stepped in to make the Blossoms the ultimate unaccredited group of the '60s. Producer Phil Spector was in Los Angeles with his newest discovery "He's a Rebel." Convinced that this was a #1 hit, Spector was mortified to learn that the Crystals were reluctant to come to Los Angeles from Brooklyn because they were afraid of flying. Knowing that if he sat on the song too long someone else would certainly record it, Spector consulted with his Philles Record's partner Lester Sill who recommended the Blossoms. So on July 13 one of the classic rock and roll songs of the '60s was cut with the Blossoms and with vocalist Bobby Sheen singing high tenor. The Blossoms never imagined that "He's a Rebel" would be released under the name of the Crystals, nor did they guess that by November that it would be the #1 record in the U.S. and reach #19 in England.
A few weeks after the release of "He's a Rebel," Darlene Wright was signed by Spector, but she never knew whose name would be used on the released record. For example, on August 24, they recorded a "wall of sound" version of the Disney classic "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," with Bobby Sheen singing lead and the Blossoms doing the backup. When it was released in November the label read Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans. Though the Blossoms continued backing artists as diverse as Doris Day and Duane Eddy, their main claim to fame came from their Spector recordings from 1962-1964. They began in 1963 with "He's Sure the Buy I Love" (#11), which again was credited to the Crystals. In February it was back up the charts as Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans with "Why Do Lover's Break Each Other's Heart?" (#38).
In April, "(Today I Met) the Boy I'm Going to Marry" was released and credited to the new name Spector had given Wright, Darlene Love.
Just as it had become predictable that Sheen or Wright would lead the Blossoms on Spector's new recordings, Darlene's lead was removed from what would be another Crystal classic. Lala Brooks, second lead of the Crystals, replaced Wright's lead vocal on "Da Doo Run Run" while all three Blossoms did their usual backup (that's three Blossoms that included Wright, since they had already recorded the backup track). "Da Doo Run Run" went to #3 and became the Blossoms last unaccredited or credited top 10 record. They finished out the year with and another Bob B.Soxx and the Blue Jeans song and three more Darlene Love singles.
The first was "Wait Until My Bobby Gets Home" reminiscent of the Angel's "My Boyfriends Back," and "A Fine, Fine Boy" (#53), which showed some nice vocal work. However, by this time it was apparent that Spector was more interested in his new find, the Ronettes, than in developing his backup vocalists into stars, even though they had collectively had more hits than most groups at the time (nine in one year for Philles Records alone). The fourth Darlene Love and the Blossoms single of 1963 was what might be the most exciting, emotion wrenching Christmas recording ever made "Christmas Baby Please Come Home." It included not only the Blossoms' vocals, but also the Ronettes, the Crystals and Cher. It could have been a number one record, but the assassination of John F. Kennedy put a shroud over anything that was not traditionally Christmas for that season.
In 1964, the Blossoms with Jeanie King, now in place of Gloria Jones, were introduced to producer Jack Goode by recording artist Jackie DeShannon. Goode brought the group to an audition for the television show Shindig, which led to two years as regulars on the show. They issued one record under the name the Wildcats ("What Are You Gonna Do" in 1964), but it wasn't until 1966 that they recorded under their own name with "Good, Good Lovin'," written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. They released several non-charting singles, while singing backup for Bobby Darin, Paul Anka, and Buck Owens. Jean King remained with the Blossoms until her death from a heart attack in Las Vegas in March, 1983.
From 1967 through 1972, the Blossoms recorded ten records on various labels, most notably covers of the Righteous Brothers' hits "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" and "Soul and Inspiration" in 1969. In the early '70s the group toured with Elvis Presley. The Blossoms also toured with Tom Jones from the early 70s through the mid-80s. Love left the group in the '80s, performing first in Las Vegas and then singing in Jeff Barry's soundtrack for the film The Idolmaker while doing backup work for Dionne Warwick in 1982. She did The Darlene Love Music Special on cable TV, performing old Crystals, Bob. B. Soxx, and Darlene Love songs backed by her sister Edna and Gloria Jones. In 1985 she appeared in Ellie Greenwich's musical The Leader of the Pack, for which a cast album was released. As the '80s ended, Love had a budding film career (Hairspray and Lethal Weapon) and a Columbia album was released in 1988.
In 1989, the Blossoms released a single under their own name for the first time in seventeen years when they recorded "Lonely Friday Night" for Classic Artists Records. The song was reminiscent of the Chiffons' "One Fine Day," but was even more reminiscent of the time the Blossoms were the premier West Coast hit vocal group that the public never knew.
Son-in-Law
The Blossoms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sure am mad
The things said about me
Have all been bad
All he did was
Make my daughter sad
My no good son-in-law
And he's got no job
Won't comb his hair
He's such a slob
Could find him on the corner
With the rest of the mob
My no good son-in-law
He sees another woman on the sly
When he said he loved
My daughter, how he lied
He's got no money or anything
Now the other day, he even
Hocked her wedding ring
He eats so much
That we've got no food
He's got no friends
Cause he's so rude
I just can't stand his attitude
My no good son-in-law
He sees another woman on the sly
When he said he loved
My daughter, how he lied
He's got no money or anything
The other day, he even
Hocked her wedding ring
He eats so much
That we've got no food
He's got no friends
Cause he's so rude
I just can't stand his attitude
My no good son-in-law
That bum
(That no good son-in-law)
Better find a job
(That no good son-in-law)
Can't see why she ever married me
(That no good son-in-law)
She oughta put him out, that's what
(That no good son-in-law)
The Blossoms' "Son-in-Law" is a humorous take on the concept of troublesome in-laws. Narrated from the perspective of a frustrated mother-in-law, the song lists a number of grievances with her daughter's husband. The central thesis is one of disappointment: "All he did was make my daughter sad." The mother-in-law is resentful of her son-in-law, who is supposedly unemployed, uncleanly, and a cheat. She insinuates that he is involved with other women and is so lacking in resources that he has been driven to pawn her daughter's wedding ring.
The lyrics are quite straightforward - the mother-in-law disdains her son-in-law for his supposed intellectual, financial, and moral shortcomings. The repetition of the melody underscores her displeasure with his behavior. However, the song's absurdity is also part of its comedic charm. The Blossoms' tongue-in-cheek tone appears to recognize that the song's flaws are often universal among in-laws.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the mother-in-law
As the mother of his wife, I have a lot of issues with my son-in-law.
I sure am mad
I'm really angry and upset about the way my son-in-law has treated my daughter and our family.
The things said about me
There have been negative rumors or gossip about me that have been spread around.
Have all been bad
These rumors or gossip are not positive and are rather hurtful.
All he did was
He caused my daughter pain and distress without any valid reason or justification.
Make my daughter sad
He made my daughter feel terrible, upset, and unhappy about herself and her life.
My no good son-in-law
I don't think highly of my son-in-law and have many negative judgments about him as a person.
He's gone all night
He is frequently absent from home, often for long periods of time or during odd hours.
And he's got no job
He doesn't have a steady source of income, a career, or a clear sense of responsibility.
Won't comb his hair
He neglects his personal hygiene and grooming habits, such as hair care.
He's such a slob
He's very messy, disorganized, and untidy in his appearance, lifestyle, and living environment.
Could find him on the corner
He could be found loitering or hanging out in shady, sketchy locations or with questionable groups of people.
With the rest of the mob
He associates with unsavory, suspicious, and possibly criminal elements of society.
He sees another woman on the sly
He is cheating on my daughter by having secret affairs with other women without her knowledge or consent.
When he said he loved
He made false promises or declarations of love to my daughter just to manipulate or deceive her.
My daughter, how he lied
He has been dishonest, deceitful, and unfaithful to my daughter, who trusted him and believed in him.
He's got no money or anything
He is financially unstable, struggling, or incapable of providing for himself or his family.
Now the other day, he even
Recently, he did something extremely irresponsible, reckless, or detrimental to his wife and our family.
Hocked her wedding ring
He pawned or sold his wife's wedding ring, which is a valuable, sentimental, and cherished item of hers.
He eats so much
He consumes an excessive and unhealthy amount of food, possibly causing financial strain or scarcity for others.
That we've got no food
Because of his overeating, there isn't enough food left for others, causing them to go hungry or suffer.
He's got no friends
He has no social support, companionship, or relationships outside of his marriage, due to his unpleasant personality and behavior.
Cause he's so rude
He behaves in an impolite, offensive, or disrespectful manner toward others, pushing them away and causing them to dislike him.
I just can't stand his attitude
I really dislike, resent, and disapprove of his overall demeanor, outlook, and behavior.
That bum
He is a lazy, worthless, and unsatisfactory person in my eyes.
(That no good son-in-law)
I continue to express my negative feelings toward him and my disappointment about his actions and character.
Better find a job
He should prioritize and find a steady, legitimate source of employment, to provide for himself and his family financially.
Can't see why she ever married me
I question why my daughter chose to marry him in the first place, as he doesn't seem to possess any redeeming qualities or merits.
She oughta put him out, that's what
I think my daughter should divorce or leave him, since he has caused her so much pain, hardship, and unhappiness.
Contributed by Ruby Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1961 {May 8th} two completely differnet records titled "Son-In-Law" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100... Louise Brown's song peaked at #76 while the Blossoms song reached #79... Both records were 'answers' to Ernie K-Doe's "Mother-In-Law", which peaked at #1 {for 1 week} earlier in 1961... Mr. K-Doe also reached #1 {for 5 weeks} in Billboard's R&B chart... Sadly; Mr. K-Doe passed away on July 5th, 2001 at age 65...
@samtwinney627
I’m lucky to have this 45RPM, thanks for posting.
@ohitbe3616
What my mother in law hears in her head everytime she sees me.
@1lenny
Great,I feel like I'm invited to your wedding...lol. I'm glad you enjoyed the song.Thanks for commenting :-)
@kimking8590
in my family and my future hubbys we all joke.so this will so be the song my mom and him dance too.lol everyone will think its funny.
@paulluchter137
R.I.P. Annette Williams
@Finkanslig
From 1961. Orig. on Challenge 9109, flip side is I'll Wait. @MotownMaster, maybe Fanita (Barrett) James is lead. (Fanita’s brother, Ronald Barrett, was in the Don Julian & The Meadowlarks Doo Wop group - had the local hit Heaven and Paradise, FEB ’55.) One thing is certain: The Blossoms’ lead - Darlene Wright - sit out Son-In-Law; her sub is unknown. For this reason, Challenge Records issued it as being by ‘The Co-Eds’. Later on Darlene was known as that one and only Darlene Love! :I:
@MotownMaster
is this Fanita on lead?
@KingOFuh
Hilario