The group was formed in 1965 and consisted of keyboardist/songwriter Michael Brown, guitarist Jeff Winfield (later replaced by Rick Brand), bassist Tom Finn, drummer George Cameron and singer Steve Martin (aka Steve Martin Caro). Brown's father, Harry Lookofsky, a well-known session violinist, ran a studio in New York and took an interest in the band's music, acting as producer, manager, and publisher. Brown's song "Walk Away Renee" was sold to Smash, a subsidiary of Mercury Records, and became a hit in late 1966. "Pretty Ballerina," also written by Brown, charted in early 1967, and the Left Banke released an LP entitled, appropriately enough, Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina.
At this point, tension between Brown and the rest of the group began to surface, as Brown recorded a single, "And Suddenly"/"Ivy Ivy," under the Left Banke name, using session musicians and Bert Sommer on lead vocals. The remaining Left Banke numbers used their fan club to boycott the record, which led to confusion among radio stations over which "Left Banke" to support. Radio and Smash Records ultimately pulled their support from the single, which subsequently failed to even crack the Hot 100. ("And Suddenly" was recorded by a group called the Cherry People and was a minor hit.) In late 1967, the group reunited and recorded more material, including the single "Desiree" which just slipped into the Hot 100 - radio was still reluctant to plug the Left Banke after the controversy surrounding the previous single. Brown left the group for good soon after. Cameron and Martin continued to record, and the songs cut by the various incarnations of the group were assembled into a second LP, The Left Banke Too, which appeared in November of 1968. Later that year, Brown and Martin rejoined to cut yet another single as The Left Banke, Myrah b/w Pedestal, which would be their final single on Smash.
In the early '70s, the group reunited briefly to record two songs for the movie Hot Parts. The songs, "Love Songs in the Night" and "Two by Two," were credited to Steve Martin and released as a single on the Buddah label. In the late '70s, Martin reunited with George Cameron and Tom Finn to release the album Strangers on a Train (Released as Voices Calling in Europe). The album did little to restore the popularity of the group despite the modest success of the single Queen Of Paradise.
After leaving the Left Banke, Mike Brown helped form the band Montage. While Brown was not an official member of the group, his presence is unmistakable. They released one self-titled album featuring a re-make of "Desiree" (recently reissued on the Sundazed label) before Brown left. Brown's next project was the band Stories featuring singer Ian Lloyd. The band had several hits, including 1973's "Brother Louie" which made #3 in the Billboard top 100 charts. However, Brown had left the group prior to the success of Brother Louie. Brown's next (and last) band was The Beckies. Only modest success was achieved and Brown soon left.
Although best known for their two hit singles, the Left Banke produced many other songs that have achieved "classic" status, including "She May Call You up Tonight," "Goodbye Holly," and "Desiree." Despite their short and troubled history, they are widely regarded as one of the finest pop bands of the era. Their string arrangements and Steve Martin Caro's emotional, but sometimes unclear vocals are cited as a major influence on Michael Stipe of R.E.M..
In 1992, Mercury released a compilation CD of The Left Banke's complete recorded output titled There's Gonna Be A Storm--The Complete Recordings 1966-1969.
On March 22, 2006, while Harry Shearer was being interviewed on the Opie and Anthony Radio Show about the movie "Spinal Tap", he stated the following, "Well, Michael McKean had been in a band called 'The Left Banke'. They'd done a hit called 'Walk Away Renee', and 'Pretty Ballerina' was their follow-up that was a semi-hit, and he joined the band right after they had their hits."
Postings found on various Left Banke fan sites and blogs seemed to indicate that Brown, Martin, Finn and Cameron along with Jimmy McAllister, member of The Beckies and The Chesmann Square, had reunited and had been rehearsing. McAllister died in 2006. The latest reunion news is that the group may reform to do a few shows in the UK.
Many former members of the Left Banke (as well as associates of the group) frequent various internet discussion forums, particularly the Leftbankism Yahoo Group. Due to their participation and fan interest, a two-volume set of unreleased recordings from both the Left Banke and its various, solo offshoots were torrented through various torrent sites and is also available at leftbanke.nu.
Noel Gallagher of Oasis is interested in doing a cover record based on songs by The Left Banke.
The Band Eels covered "Pretty Ballerina" on their 2005 "Live with Strings" tour. It was recorded on the subsequent 2006 release of "With Strings: Live at Town Hall."
Swedish singer/songwriter, Jens Lekman used a sample of their song Something on my mind for his song Black Cab.
The Left Banke song "Walk Away Renee" was a major influence of the classic arena rock song "More than a Feeling" by Boston.
Lead singer Michael Brown died on March 19, 2015.
Vocalist and instrumentalist Steve Martin Caro passed in January 2020.
Bassist and vocalist Tom Finn passed in June 2020.
Drummer and vocalist George Cameron passed in June 2018.
Band members
Current members
Steve Martin Caro — lead vocals, guitar, drums, tambourine, bass (1965–1969; 1971; 1978)
Sam Kogon — lead vocals (2014–present)
Tony Waldman — drums (2014–present)
Dan LeBrun — bass (2014–present)
Stefan Paolini — keyboards (2014–present)
Finnegan Shanahan — violin, vocals (2014–present)
Former members
George Cameron — drums, percussion, backing vocals; lead vocals, guitar (1965–1969; 1971; 1978; 2011; died 2018)
Michael Brown — piano, harpsichord, Clavinet, organ, lead vocals (1965–1967; 1969, 1971, 1978; died 2015)
Tom Finn — bass, guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (1965–1969; 1971; 1978; 2011)
Warren David-Schierhorst — drums (1965–1966)
Jeff Winfield — guitar (1966; died 2009)
Rick Brand — guitar, banjo (1966–1967)
Bert Sommer — lead vocals, guitar (1967, died 1990)
Michael McKean — guitar (1967)
Tom Feher — piano, guitar (1968–1969)
And Suddenly
The Left Banke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And suddenly my life is going so fine
I
I
Used to be such a lonely guy
I
A-till you came into my life
And, suddenly my days are filled with laughter
And, suddenly I've got the girl I'm after
I
I
I finally found what I'm looking for
Love
A sweet love
Come around knocking on my door
And, suddenly my world is filled with sunshine
And, suddenly my life is going so fine
I
I
I finally found what I'm looking for
Love
Sweet love
A come around knocking on my door
And, suddenly my world is filled with sunshine
And, suddenly my life is going so fine
And, suddenly my days are filled with laughter
And, suddenly I've got the girl
I'm after
The Left Banke's song "And Suddenly" is a love song sung by the lead vocalist Steve Martin Caro. The lyrics of the song talk about how the singer was a lonely guy, crying until the girl of his dreams came into his life. Suddenly, everything changed, and his world was filled with sunshine, happiness, and laughter. He finally found the sweet love he was looking for, and everything in his life fell into place.
The song's opening line "And suddenly my world is filled with sunshine" gives the listener the feeling of euphoria and elation that comes with newfound love. The term "suddenly" is used repeatedly throughout the song, emphasizing the abrupt change that love can bring to one's life. The repeated use of the first person pronoun "I" shows that the singer is the sole focus of his own life before he was blessed with the love of his life.
The melody of the song is bright and upbeat, reflecting the joy in the singer's life after finding love. The song has a 1960s pop sound, with sweeping strings and layered vocal harmonies that were characteristic of The Left Banke's music. The song's catchy tune and memorable lyrics made it a popular hit in the 1960s, and it remains a favorite of many music enthusiasts today.
Line by Line Meaning
And suddenly my world is filled with sunshine
My life is now full of joy and happiness, and everything seems brighter and more hopeful.
And suddenly my life is going so fine
Things are finally going well for me, and I'm feeling optimistic about the future.
I used to be such a lonely guy
I used to feel very alone and isolated, like I didn't have anyone to share my life with.
I cried a-till you came into my life
I was so unhappy and emotional until you came along, and you brought light and hope into my life.
And, suddenly my days are filled with laughter
I feel happy and carefree, and I find myself laughing and smiling a lot more now that you're in my life.
And, suddenly I've got the girl I'm after
You, the girl I've been pursuing, are finally mine, and I feel so grateful and lucky to have you in my life.
I finally found what I'm looking for
After a long search, I have finally found the love and happiness that I've been seeking for so long.
Love, a sweet love, come around knocking on my door
Love has finally found me, and it feels like a gift or a blessing that I can hardly believe has come my way.
And, suddenly my world is filled with sunshine
Once again, I want to emphasize that everything in my life seems bright and positive now that I have found love and happiness.
And, suddenly my life is going so fine
Despite all the challenges and difficulties I may face in the future, I feel like everything will be okay as long as I have love and happiness in my life.
And, suddenly my days are filled with laughter
I can hardly believe how happy and carefree I feel now that I have found love, and I find myself constantly laughing and joking around as a result.
And, suddenly I've got the girl
Once again, I want to emphasize how lucky and grateful I am to have you in my life, and how much I cherish the love and happiness that we share together.
Contributed by Stella E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.