After working together for a bit, Mary Weiss ended up singing lead. In April of 1964, since the girls were still minors, their parents signed for them with Red Bird Records, with their name coming from the title of a mythical place of wonder. Mary was 15, Betty was 17, and the Ganser twins were 16. That same year, they had their first hit with "Remember (Walking in the Sand)". The song, a U.S. #5 and a U.K. #14, was created after producer George "Shadow" Morton hired the band.
Their songs with "Shadow" Morton featured lavish production with heavy orchestration and sound effects. Their biggest hit, the renowned death disc "Leader of the Pack", climaxes with the sounds of roaring motorcycles and breaking glass. A U.S. #1 and U.K. #11 hit, the tune still gets serious airplay to this day.
According to a Biography episode on various 60s 'Brill Building' songwriters, including retrospective interviews with Greenwich, Barry and Morton among others, Barry said that at the time he was suspicious of Morton's overt attention to Greenwich. Disbelieving Morton was really the songwriter he claimed to be, Barry challenged Morton to prove his legitimacy and bring in samples of his recent work (expecting never to hear again from an embarrassed Morton). Morton stated in his interview that, with an empty song portfolio at the time, he felt sufficiently challenged by Barry, whereupon he left the Brill Building and drove his automobile to a Long Island Beach.
Full of both inspiration and desperation, Morton spent the evening writing his first song, while sitting in the dark in his parked car. Entitled "Remember (Walking In The Sand)", Morton then 'rolled the dice' and recorded a demo of his song with a long-shot, unknown girl-group local club act that he admired, The Shangri-Las (according to Morton, with the then-unknown Billy Joel on piano in the demo recording), and offered the demo recording to Jerry Leiber, who was then setting up Red Bird Records. The recording "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" by the Shangri-Las reached #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. Considering the scope of this accomplishment, Morton was transformed overnight from a credential-less industry 'wannabe' into a teen recording songwriter and recording producer. According to Steve Kurutz at Allmusic, "Morton's production work, which included brilliant sound effects and inventive percussion, carried the Shangri-Las to girl-group history."
The band continued to have a string of American hit records, mainly on depressing themes such as death, loneliness, and abandonment. Songs included "Past, Present and Future", "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" and "Long Live Our Love".
In 1966, the Shangri-Las' subsequent two releases on Red Bird failed to make the top 50. That same year the band left Red Bird and Morton after the label folded. At the beginning of 1967, Marge decided to leave the group. Despite signing to Mercury Records that year, the group had no further hits. In 1968, they disbanded.
Mary Ann died of a drug overdose in 1970. Marge succumbed to breast cancer on July 28, 1996 at age 48.
The group experienced a small revival in the UK when "Leader Of The Pack" was re-issued twice, reaching #3 in 1972 and #7 in 1976.
The Shangri-La's 1966 hit "Past, Present & Future" was effectively covered in 2004 by ex ABBA singer Agnetha Fältskog on her 2004 album, "My Colouring Book".
Since the 1980's, the group has had to deal with a group calling themselves The Shangri Las, but having nothing to do with the original group. The group was put together by Dick Fox.
Discography
Standard albums
* 1964: Leader of the Pack (US #109)
* 1965: Shangri-Las-65!
Compilations
* 1966: Golden Hits of the Shangri-Las
* 1975: The Shangri-Las Sing
* 1996: The Best of the Shangri-Las
Singles
* 1964: "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" (US #5, UK #14)
* 1964: "Leader of the Pack" (US #1, UK #11)
* 1965: "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" (US #18)
* 1965: "Give Us Your Blessings" (US #29)
* 1965: "I Can Never Go Home Anymore" (US #6)
* 1965: "Maybe" (US #91)
* 1965: "Out in the Streets" (US #53)
* 1965: "Right Now and Not Later" (US #99)
* 1966: "He Cried" (US #65)
* 1966: "Long Live Our Love" (US #33)
* 1966: "Past, Present and Future" (US #59)
* 1966: "Take the Time"
* 1967: "Sweet Sounds of Summer"
References
* "Shangri-Las 77!", footnote 4, by Phil X Milstein, Spectropop
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shangri-Las
Dressed In Black
The Shangri-Las Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He walks alone, a shadow in the night
Each time he walks by my window
Can't hold the tears from my eyes
We're so much in love
Why can't they realize
That every time he looks at me
I live on just the memory of him caressing me
So soft, so warm
So soft, so warm
They said he was much to wild for me
They said I didn't know what I was getting myself into
They said a whole lot of things
But there are some things they could never understand
That a girl can tell by the way a boy holds her hand
Or maybe they thought we were too young to be in love this way
Well, I don't care what people say
This girl's love is getting stronger with each passing day
That every time he looks at me
I long to feel his lips on mine
I live on just the memory of him caressing me
So soft, so warm
So soft, so warm
But now he's gone
But now he's gone
I climbed the stairs
I shut the door
I turned the lock
Alone once more
And no one can hear me cry
No one
can see the tears I cry
The Shangri-Las's song "Dressed In Black" tells the story of a young woman who is deeply in love with a man who is seen as an outsider in their community. The man is described as "dressed in black" and "a shadow in the night," which suggests that he is a mysterious figure who is not well understood by the people around him. Despite the fact that they are deeply in love, the woman's friends and family disapprove of the relationship and believe that the man is too wild for her.
However, the singer of the song dismisses these concerns and insists that her love for the man is only getting stronger with each passing day. She longs to feel his lips on hers and is sustained by the memory of his tender caresses. The final lines of the song suggest that the man has left her and that she is now alone and crying in her room, but her devotion to him remains unwavering.
Overall, "Dressed In Black" is a poignant and emotionally charged song about the intensity of young love, the challenges of navigating societal expectations, and the heartbreak that comes with loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Dressed in black
Describing the attire of the singer
He walks alone, a shadow in the night
Painting the solitary image of the singer
Each time he walks by my window
Narrating the singer's consistent presence
Can't hold the tears from my eyes
Expressing the overwhelming emotions of the artist
We're so much in love
Stating the depth of love between the artist and their lover
Why can't they realize
Questioning the disapproval of others towards their relationship
That every time he looks at me
Highlighting the intense connection between the singers
I long to feel his lips on mine
Expressing the physical desire of the artist
I live on just the memory of him caressing me
Revealing the strength of the artist's emotional attachment
So soft, so warm
Describing the feeling of their lover's touch
They said he was much too wild for me
Recalling the criticisms of others towards their relationship
They said I didn't know what I was getting myself into
Stating the disapproval of others towards the artist's choice
They said a whole lot of things
Illustrating the constant criticisms the singer faced
But there are some things they could never understand
Acknowledging the lack of comprehension of others towards their love
That a girl can tell by the way a boy holds her hand
Suggesting the singer's intimate knowledge of their lover's feelings
Or maybe they thought we were too young to be in love this way
Presenting the possibility that their age influenced the criticisms
Well, I don't care what people say
Asserting the artist's conviction in their love
This girl's love is getting stronger with each passing day
Emphasizing the singer's devotion to their lover
But now he's gone
Announcing the departure of the singer's lover
I climbed the stairs
Describing the artist's actions after their lover's departure
I shut the door
Continuing to describe the artist's actions
I turned the lock
Further exemplifying the artist's movements
Alone once more
Conveying the feeling of solitude
And no one can hear me cry
Portraying the artist's pain
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: VINNIE GORMANN, VINNY GORMANN, TONY MICHAELS, GEORGE MORTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind