The Platters formed in Los Angeles, CA, USA in 1953 and were initially managed by Ralph Bass. They had a contract with Federal Records but experienced little record success until they met music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram. He added lead vocalist Tony Williams (who gave the Platters their distinctive sound) and female vocalist Zola Taylor. Under Ram's guidance, the Platters recorded seven singles for Federal in an R&B/gospel style, scoring minor regional hits on the West Coast. One song recorded at Federal, "Only You (And You Alone)", originally written by Ram for the Ink Spots was deemed unreleasable by the label.
Despite lack of chart success, the Platters were a profitable touring group--so successful that The Penguins, fresh from their No. 2 single Earth Angel, asked Ram to manage them too. With the Penguins as a bargaining chip, Ram persuaded Mercury Records into a 2-for-1 deal. In order to sign the Penguins, he insisted, the label also take the Platters. Ironically, the Penguins never had a hit for the label.
Convinced by Tony Williams that "Only You" had potential, Ram had the group re-record it during their first Mercury session. Released in the summer of 1955, it became the group's first Top Ten hit on the pop charts, and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. It has since become one of the most played records in any genre and the song has been covered by innumerable artists. Ironically, the follow-up, The Great Pretender, with lyrics written by Ram in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, exceeded the chart success of their début and became the Platters' first national No.1 hit. The Great Pretender was also the act's biggest R&B hit, with an 11-week run at the top of that chart. In 1956. The Platters appeared in the first major rock n roll movie, Rock Around the Clock, and performed both "Only You" and "The Great Pretender"[2] and they sang "You'll Never Never Know" in The Girl Can't Help It, produced the same year.
The Platters' unique vocal style touched a nerve in the music-buying public, and a string of hit singles followed, including two more Top 100 No. 1 hits, one Hot 100 No. 1 hit, and more modest hits such as "I'm Sorry" (No. 11) and "He's Mine" (No. 23) in 1957, "Enchanted" (No.12) in 1959, and "The Magic Touch" (No.4) in 1956. The Platters hit on a successful formula of updating older standards, such as "My Prayer", "Twilight Time", "Harbor Lights", "To Each His Own", "If I Didn't Care" and Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes". This latter release caused a small controversy after Kern's widow expressed concern that her late husband's composition would be turned into a "rock n roll record". It topped both American and British charts in a tasteful Platters-style arrangement.
The group was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1998. The Platters were the first rock n roll group to have a Top Ten album in America. They were also the only act to have three songs included on the American Graffiti soundtrack that sparked an oldies revival in the early to mid-1970s: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Great Pretender" and "Only You (and You Alone)".
Many groups have toured bearing the name The Platters but only one member of the original line-up, Herb Reed, was still touring and performing with Herb Reed's Platters in 2008.
Zola Taylor died on April 30th 2007 of pneumonia whilst recovering from surgery.
Foolish little girl
The Platters Lyrics
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I swear I won't give in
Then my baby starts to smile at me
And I know, I know I just can't win
When my little girl is smiling
There's nothing more I can say, whoa
I see those big bright eyes and then I realize
Oh, let me tell you now, when my little girl is smiling (when my little girl is smiling)
I can't stay mad at her for long (when my little girl is smiling)
Why should I want to fight when I can hold her tight?
I just don't care who's right or wrong (when my little girl is smiling)
Oh, let me tell you now, when my little girl is smiling (when my little girl is smiling)
It's the greatest thrill there can be (when my little girl is smiling)
She gets her way it's true, but I know I won't be blue
As long as she just smiles for me (when my little girl is smiling)
(When my little girl is smiling, when my little girl is smiling) smile
(When my little girl is smiling, when my little girl is smiling) darling, smile
(When my little girl is smiling)
The Platters released "Foolish Little Girl" in 1963, and the song is about a girl who can get away with anything just by smiling. The singer of the song confesses that no matter how hard he tries to hold his ground in an argument with his girlfriend, her smile makes it impossible for him to continue to be angry or upset. He admits that he is powerless in her presence and that he would rather hold her close and forget about the argument altogether. The song remains evergreen and relatable because it speaks to a universal truth about the power of a smile to disarm or conquer an opponent.
The theme of the song speaks to a broader concept of the power dynamics in relationships. The girl holds a lot of power in the relationship because she always gets what she wants. Her partner knows this and accepts this as a fact of their relationship. However, it's also important to note that the singer of the song is not resentful of his girlfriend's power. Instead, he finds it endearing and charming that she can win him over so easily. This sentiment is echoed in the lyrics, "Why should I want to fight when I can hold her tight? I just don't care who's right or wrong."
In a nutshell, "Foolish Little Girl" is a bittersweet love song about accepting power dynamics in a relationship and enjoying the feeling of being powerless in the presence of your loved one's smile.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time my baby and I have a quarrel
Whenever my partner and I disagree
I swear I won't give in
I am determined not to give up my position
Then my baby starts to smile at me
But when my partner smiles at me
And I know, I know I just can't win
I realize that I cannot argue anymore
When my little girl is smiling
When my partner is happy
There's nothing more I can say, whoa
I cannot argue anymore
I see those big bright eyes and then I realize
I notice my partner's cheerful and hopeful appearance
That girl is gonna get her way
My partner will get what they want
Oh, let me tell you now, when my little girl is smiling (when my little girl is smiling)
I want to tell you that when my partner is happy
I can't stay mad at her for long (when my little girl is smiling)
I cannot stay angry with my partner for long
Why should I want to fight when I can hold her tight?
Why argue when I can embrace my partner lovingly?
I just don't care who's right or wrong (when my little girl is smiling)
I don't care about winning or losing
It's the greatest thrill there can be (when my little girl is smiling)
This feeling is the best thing ever
She gets her way it's true, but I know I won't be blue
My partner gets what they want, but I am happy too
As long as she just smiles for me (when my little girl is smiling)
As long as my partner is happy with me
(When my little girl is smiling, when my little girl is smiling) smile
Keep smiling, my partner
(When my little girl is smiling, when my little girl is smiling) darling, smile
My dear, smile
(When my little girl is smiling)
When my partner is happy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING, GERRY GOFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind