1. The Regents were a doo-wop voc… Read Full Bio ↴At least 5 groups share this name:
1. The Regents were a doo-wop vocal group from New York in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They are best known for writing and recording the hit "Barbara Ann" in 1961, which reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 when later covered by the Beach Boys in 1965 on their album, Beach Boys' Party!.
2. The Regents were a UK-based punk/new wave group from the late 70's. They had a #11 hit in 1980 with the single '7 Teen'.
3. The Regents was a Barbershop Quartet.
4. Regents is a hardcore band from Baltimore, MD
5. A Finnish surf rock band. http://www.theregents.info
#1 The Regents a doo-wop vocal group from New York in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with original members:
Ernie Maresca (replaced by Don Jacobucci)
Chuck Fassert (brother of "Barbara-Ann" author Fred Fassert)
Guy Villari (born 11 August 1942, Bronx, NY; died 21 September 2017, Middletown, NY)
Sal Cuomo
Tony Gravagna
They formed in the Bronx, New York, in 1959. Group members included Guy Villari on lead; Sal Cuomo, first tenor; Chuck Fassert, second tenor; Don Jacobucci, sax player/baritone; Tony Gravagna on bass.
An earlier version of the group from 1957 was called The Monterays, and included Villari, Cuomo, Fassert and Ernie Maresca (who later had a hit with "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)", and also wrote songs such as the Regent's "Runaround" and "The Wanderer" recorded by Dion).
The group recorded demos in Bell Sound, Associated, and Regent Sound studios. They were signed to Seville Records as The Desires, however, none of the songs they recorded were released, until the group had success three years later as The Regents. The Regents' name came from a combination of recording a demo at Regent Sound studio, and the fact that Villari smoked Regents cigarettes.
In 1958 the group recorded Villari's "A Teenager's Love". At the same recording session they waxed "Barbara-Ann" in three takes. Shortly afterwards, Tony Gravagna, was installed into the group. Unable to secure a recording contract, they disbanded about a year later.
Eddie Jacobucci revived the Regents by accident. His group, the Consorts, lacked original songs for an audition, so they recorded a version of "Barbara-Ann". The owner of Cousins Records heard the track and decided to release the original version by the Regents. The original group reunited, and Cousins released "Barbara-Ann" in March 1961. It became a No. 1 record in New York; the demand was such that Cousins leased it to Roulette/Gee for worldwide distribution, and it reached #13 in the Billboard Hot 100. Their follow-up release, "Runaround", written by Maresca, went to #28 on the pop chart and #30 R&B. They released two more records for Gee, but after a royalties dispute with the record label, the group broke up.
They reformed in 1973 with Villari the only remaining original member. The group enjoyed success in concerts group and toured across the United States. In 1988 they were selected as one of only four "oldies" groups to appear on the Grammy Awards Show. The Cadillacs, The Flamingos and The Angels were the other three.
In 1995 a new group of Regents was formed. Along with Villari, Tony Valitutto, Frank Civatillo and Tony Cacace made up the vocals, while Richard Rogers, Joel DeRuggiero and Sal DiCicco provided the instrumentation.
Laura
The Regents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well
You know the feeling of recognizing someone
That you've never met as far as you could tell, well
Laura is the face in the misty light
Footsteps that you hear down the hall
The laugh that floats on a summer night
And you see Laura on the train that is passing through
Those eyes, how familiar they seem
She gave your very first kiss to you
That was Laura but she's only a dream
The Regents's song "Laura" tells the story of a person who has a vivid memory of a girl named Laura, but can't quite remember where they met her. The lyrics describe the feeling of recognizing someone that you've never met, and the sensation of something half-remembered, something that never happened but feels familiar. The song evokes a feeling of wistfulness and nostalgia, as the singer longs for a connection to the mysterious Laura, who seems to exist only in his dreams.
The song's haunting melody and poetic lyrics have made it a classic of the doo-wop genre, and it has been covered by numerous artists over the years. Some interpret the song as a lament for a lost love, with Laura representing the dream of reconnecting with a past flame. Others see it as a meditation on memory and the way in which we construct our own personal narratives.
One interesting fact about "Laura" is that it was written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston, who also wrote the theme song for the television show Bonanza, as well as the Christmas classic "Silver Bells." The song was originally recorded by the group The Four Freshmen in 1955, but it was the version by The Regents, released in 1960, that became a hit.
Line by Line Meaning
You know the feeling of something half remembered
A feeling of vagueness about a memory or experience which may or may not be real
Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well
A vivid recollection of an imagined experience that may feel as though it actually occurred
You know the feeling of recognizing someone
An instant familiarity with a person despite having never met or interacted with them before
That you've never met as far as you could tell, well
Despite the familiarity, there is an underlying uncertainty about the relationship or connection with the other person
Laura is the face in the misty light
Laura is a symbol for a half-remembered memory that is hazy or difficult to visualize
Footsteps that you hear down the hall
A sense of foreboding or unease that accompanies the memory of Laura
The laugh that floats on a summer night
A bittersweet recollection of a happy or carefree past experience
That you can never quite recall
Despite the emotional significance of the memory, there is always a sense of incompleteness or uncertainty associated with it
And you see Laura on the train that is passing through
The reappearance of the symbol, Laura, in a dream or vision
Those eyes, how familiar they seem
An instant recognition of the symbol, which holds a deep and powerful connection to an emotional memory
She gave your very first kiss to you
Laura represents an important and formative experience in the singer's past, likely related to their first romantic encounter
That was Laura but she's only a dream
The realization that the symbol of Laura is not a concrete reality, but rather a figment of imagination or a memory that is fading from reality
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID RAKSIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind