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.
The Last Letter
The Blossoms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sent you a letter
A telegram too
Answer your phone, baby
Well, I need to talk to you
We can't go on
Open your mailbox, baby
There's my last letter to you
I need no picture to remind me of you
And all the wonderful moments, baby, I spent with you, oh
I swallowed my pride
And I beg, I beg of you
Oh baby, stop these changes that you are putting me through
Please read my letter
Why don't you read every line?
'Cause we need each other, oh baby
I'm yours, and you know you're mine
Well, I'll try and be strong
With a tear in my eyes
This is my last letter, baby
Oh darling, this is goodbye
You see, I need no picture to remind me of you
Oh, and all these wonderful moments, that I have spent here with you
So I swallowed up my pride
And I beg, I beg, I beg of you
Oh baby, why don't you stop now
Stop these changes you're putting me through
Ooh
The Blossoms' song "The Last Letter" tells the story of a woman who has had enough of their lover's behavior and is ready to move on. The lyrics are addressed to the lover, pleading with them to listen to their message. The singer has sent multiple attempts to communicate their feelings, including a letter and a telegram, but has received no response. The lyrics suggest that the singer has no interest in holding on to pictures or mementos that would remind them of the past, as they are ready to move on from this chapter of their life.
There are various emotive lines in the song that express the singer's frustration and sadness. In the second verse, the singer begs the lover to stop making changes that hurt them. They acknowledge their deep feelings towards the person, and even though they are trying to be strong, tears are in their eyes as they write their last letter. The chorus expresses the singer's yearning for mutual love and connection, as they plead with the lover to read every line of their letter because they need each other.
Overall, "The Last Letter" is a poignant reflection on the pain of a failing relationship, and the struggle to move on even though there are still lingering feelings of love and affection.
Line by Line Meaning
Well
The opening word sets the tone for the rest of the song, conveying a sense of resignation and sadness.
I sent you a letter
The singer is using letter-writing as a way to express their emotions and communicate with their beloved.
A telegram too
The singer has tried multiple forms of communication to reach their beloved, emphasizing the urgency of their message.
Answer your phone, baby
The singer is pleading for their beloved to pick up the phone and respond to their attempts at contact.
Well, I need to talk to you
The singer is communicating their desperate need to discuss important matters with their beloved.
We can't go on
The singer acknowledges that the current state of their relationship is unsustainable.
With me just loving you
The singer realizes that their love alone is not enough to sustain the relationship and that both parties need to be committed for it to work.
Open your mailbox, baby
The singer is trying every possible means of reaching their beloved, resorting to checking their mailbox to see if they've received any messages.
There's my last letter to you
The singer has reached the end of their rope and is sending a final message to their beloved in a last-ditch effort to salvage their relationship.
I need no picture to remind me of you
The singer asserts that their memories of their beloved are vivid and do not require physical reminders.
And all the wonderful moments, baby, I spent with you, oh
The singer reflects on the happy times they shared with their beloved and how much they cherish those memories.
I swallowed my pride
The singer has realized that their pride is not worth losing their relationship over and is willing to apologize and reconcile.
And I beg, I beg of you
The singer is pleading with their beloved to meet them halfway and work to fix their relationship together.
Oh baby, stop these changes that you are putting me through
The singer is expressing their frustration with their beloved's behavior, which is causing turmoil and uncertainty in their relationship.
Please read my letter
The singer is urgently requesting that their beloved read their most recent message to gain clarity on their thoughts and emotions.
Why don't you read every line?
The singer is emphasizing the importance of every word in their letter and urging their beloved to not skim over any of it.
'Cause we need each other, oh baby
The singer is emphasizing the mutual dependence in their relationship and how important it is to work together to maintain it.
I'm yours, and you know you're mine
The singer is affirming their commitment to their beloved and reminding them of the strong bond they share.
Well, I'll try and be strong
The singer is attempting to steel themselves for what they believe will be a difficult and emotionally draining conversation with their beloved.
With a tear in my eyes
The singer is acknowledging the emotional turmoil they are experiencing as they prepare to say goodbye to their beloved.
This is my last letter, baby
The singer has reached the end of their rope and is sending a final message to their beloved in a last-ditch effort to salvage their relationship.
Oh darling, this is goodbye
The singer is reluctantly accepting that their relationship has run its course and is coming to an end.
Oh, and all these wonderful moments, that I have spent here with you
The singer is again reflecting on the happy times they shared with their beloved and underscoring how much they will cherish those memories even after their relationship has ended.
So I swallowed up my pride
The singer has realized that their pride is not worth losing their relationship over and is willing to apologize and reconcile.
And I beg, I beg, I beg of you
The singer is pleading with their beloved to meet them halfway and work to fix their relationship together.
Oh baby, why don't you stop now
The singer is expressing their frustration with their beloved's behavior, which is causing turmoil and uncertainty in their relationship.
Stop these changes you're putting me through
The singer has reached their breaking point with the changes their beloved is causing in their relationship and is demanding that they stop.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Don Julian
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind