The Carpenters' melodic pop charted a record-breaking score of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, becoming leading sellers in the soft rock, easy listening and adult contemporary genres. The Carpenters had three #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen #1 hits on the Adult Contemporary Chart (see The Carpenters discography). In addition, they had twelve top 10 singles (including their #1 hits). To date, The Carpenters' album and single sales total more than 100 million units.
During their fourteen-year career, The Carpenters recorded eleven albums, five of which contained top 10 singles (Close to You, Carpenters, A Song for You, Now & Then and Horizon), thirty-one singles, five television specials, and one short-lived television series. They toured in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium. Their recording career ended with Karen's death on February 4, 1983. Karen passed away after cardiac arrest due to complications of anorexia nervosa. Extensive news coverage of the circumstances surrounding her death increased public awareness of the consequences of eating disorders.
Their first recordings were not successful, and the recording studio that was recording them, dropped them. That's when their 'savior' came in. Herb Alpert of A&M records heard a couple of their songs and said that he felt that they had good potential. Thanks to him, and his ability to see/hear quality when it appears, we had the GREAT performers of The Carpenters.
Leader of the pack
The Carpenters Lyrics
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"Well, there she is, Let's ask her"
"Betty, is that Jimmy's ring you're wearing?"
"Mm-hm"
"Gee, it must be great riding with him"
"Is he picking you up after school today?"
"Mm-mm"
"By the way, where did you meet him?"
"I met him at the candy store
He turned around and smiled at me
You get the picture
"Yes, we see"
That's when I fell for the leader of the pack
My folks were always putting him down
They said he came from the wrong side of town
They told me he was bad but I knew he was sad
That's why I fell for the leader of the pack
One day my dad said find someone new
I had to tell my Jimmy we're through
He stood there and asked me why, but all I could do was cry
I'm sorry I hurt you, the leader of the pack
Do do
He sort of smiled and kissed me good bye
The tears were beginning to show
As he drove away on that rainy night,
I begged him to go slow, whether he heard,
I'll never know Look out! Look out! Look out!
I felt so helpless, what could I do
Remembering all the things we'd been through?
In school they all stop and stare
I can't hide the tears, but I don't care
I'll never forget him, the leader of the pack
Ooh, the leader of the pack now he's gone
the leader of the pack now he's gone
the leader of the pack now he's gone
The Carpenters’ “Leader of the Pack” is a mournful ballad about a girl who falls in love with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. The song opens with a group of girls gossiping about the girl’s relationship with the boy, asking where she met him and commenting on how “great” it must be to ride with him. The girl then tells them she met him at the candy store, where he turned around and smiled at her. She fell for him instantly and ignored all the negative opinions from her parents and the people around her. Her love for him was so strong that she refused to let him go, despite her father telling her to find someone new. In the end, the boy leaves her and she is left feeling helpless and heartbroken, unable to forget the “leader of the pack.”
The song is a classic teenage tragedy, with the “leader of the pack” representing the ultimate bad boy. The lyrics perfectly capture the thrill of young love and the pain of losing it. The song was originally written and performed by The Shangri-Las, but The Carpenters’ version brought it to a wider audience, becoming one of their top hits.
Line by Line Meaning
Mm--"Is she really going out with him?
The singer has heard a rumor that the girl of interest is dating someone and is questioning the validity of the claim.
"Well, there she is, Let's ask her"
The singer suggests asking the girl directly to confirm the rumor.
"Betty, is that Jimmy's ring you're wearing?"
The singer asks the girl if the ring she is wearing belongs to Jimmy, the person she is rumored to be involved with.
"Mm-hm"
The girl confirms that the ring belongs to Jimmy.
"Gee, it must be great riding with him"
The artist acknowledges that Jimmy must be a great person to spend time with.
"Is he picking you up after school today?"
The singer asks if Jimmy will be picking up the girl after school as part of their routine.
"Mm-mm"
The girl denies that Jimmy will be picking her up after school today.
"By the way, where did you meet him?"
The artist asks the girl where she first met Jimmy.
"I met him at the candy store
He turned around and smiled at me
You get the picture
"Yes, we see"
That's when I fell for the leader of the pack"
The girl explains that she met Jimmy at the candy store, where he smiled at her and she became interested in him, leading to her affectionately calling him the 'leader of the pack'.
"My folks were always putting him down
They said he came from the wrong side of town
They told me he was bad but I knew he was sad
That's why I fell for the leader of the pack"
The girl's parents disapprove of Jimmy due to his background, but she learns that he is actually troubled and misunderstood which causes her to become even more emotionally invested in him.
"One day my dad said find someone new
I had to tell my Jimmy we're through
He stood there and asked me why, but all I could do was cry
I'm sorry I hurt you, the leader of the pack"
The girl's father advises her to find someone else, causing her to end her relationship with Jimmy which he takes as a hurtful rejection.
"Do do
He sort of smiled and kissed me good bye
The tears were beginning to show
As he drove away on that rainy night,
I begged him to go slow, whether he heard,
I'll never know Look out! Look out! Look out!"
The girl describes the emotional scene of their farewell, where Jimmy smiled and kissed her goodbye before driving away in the rain. She is left feeling distraught and asks him to be careful before he departs, although it is unclear if he heard her.
"I felt so helpless, what could I do
Remembering all the things we'd been through?
In school they all stop and stare
I can't hide the tears, but I don't care
I'll never forget him, the leader of the pack"
The girl is overwhelmed by her thoughts and memories of her relationship with Jimmy and is emotional in school, but she does not care and vows to never forget him despite their separation.
"Ooh, the leader of the pack now he's gone
the leader of the pack now he's gone
the leader of the pack now he's gone"
The chorus repeats the idea that Jimmy, the once-beloved 'leader of the pack', is now gone and no longer in the girl's life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ELLIE GREENWICH, GEORGE MORTON, JEFF BARRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind