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
Footsteps On The Roof
The Shangri-Las Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm waiting here so impatiently
My love will soon be here with me
The silence of my room
The loneliness of life will surely fade and disappear
I'll know it when my love is getting near
I'll hear
Footsteps on the roof
Footsteps on the roof
I'll run up there into the dark
He'll tell me that he'll love me
And the music will play as the world fades away
I do most everything to pass the time away
'Cause every moment that passes by
I'm not much closer to my guy
The silence of my room is suddenly no more
Excitement seems to fill the air
I know it 'cause my love is getting near
I'll hear
Footsteps on the roof
Footsteps on the roof
I'll run up there into the dark
He'll tell me that he'll love me
And the music will play as the world fades away
I'll climb the stairs and shut the door, turn the lock once more
I sit and stare the stars up above
And dream of the moment I'll run to my love
Run to me, run to me
Footsteps on the roof
Footsteps on the roof
I'll run up there into the dark
He'll tell me that he'll love me
And the music will play as the world fades away
The Shangri-Las' "Footsteps on the Roof" is a song about a young woman who is deeply in love with a man who is away from her. She is anxiously waiting for his return, and the anticipation and loneliness is eating at her. The city is quiet and sleeping, but her love for this man is strong enough to keep her awake. She imagines herself hearing his footsteps on the roof, a symbol of his imminent arrival. Every step brings her closer to the one she loves, and the silence of her room begins to disappear as the excitement of the moment fills her with hope.
When her lover finally arrives, the music swells and the world fades away. The singer runs up the stairs, shuts the door, and turns the lock, as she prepares herself to be with the one she loves. The stars above illuminate the darkness as she dreams of the moment she'll finally run into his arms. The song captures the feeling of young love, and the intensity of the longing that comes with it, as the singer is willing to do anything to be with the one she loves.
Overall, the song is a beautiful portrayal of young love and longing. It captures the anticipation and hope that comes with waiting for someone you care about, and the joy and elation that comes with finally being reunited. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, creating a vivid and emotional portrait of a young woman in love.
Line by Line Meaning
City down below is sleeping once again
The city below is quiet and peaceful, with everyone asleep.
I'm waiting here so impatiently
I am eagerly and restlessly waiting for my lover to arrive.
My love will soon be here with me
I am certain that my lover will arrive soon.
The silence of my room
My room is very quiet with nobody around.
The loneliness of life will surely fade and disappear
My feelings of loneliness will go away once my lover is with me.
I'll know it when my love is getting near
I will be certain that my lover is approaching when I hear something.
I'll hear
I will listen closely for any indication that my lover is coming.
Footsteps on the roof
I can hear my lover's footsteps on the roof of my house.
I'll run up there into the dark
I will quickly go upstairs to the roof, despite the darkness outside.
He'll tell me that he'll love me
My lover will express his love for me.
And the music will play as the world fades away
I will feel completely lost in the moment, with no awareness of anything else happening around me.
I do most everything to pass the time away
I try to keep myself busy to make the time pass more quickly while waiting for my lover.
Cause every moment that passes by
With each passing moment, my impatience grows stronger.
I'm not much closer to my guy
Despite the time that has passed, my lover is still not any closer to me.
The silence of my room is suddenly no more
My room is no longer silent, as I start to feel excitement building up within me.
Excitement seems to fill the air
There is a sense of anticipation and eagerness for my lover's arrival.
I know it 'cause my love is getting near
I can tell that my lover is getting closer to me.
I'll climb the stairs and shut the door, turn the lock once more
I will go upstairs and lock the door behind me, ensuring my privacy with my lover.
I sit and stare the stars up above
I gaze up at the stars while I wait for my lover.
And dream of the moment I'll run to my love
I have many fantasies of being with my lover once he arrives.
Run to me, run to me
I yearn for my lover to hurry and come to me.
Contributed by Jayce G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joanie Jett
Fantastic song, love their voices and their enthusiasm! Love these guys!
Edmund Vitale
You know we had it good in the Sixties when we still can listen to gems like this and KNOW this was a GREAT song. And it didn't have to be a hit to be a great song
David Steven Guy
I woke up with this song going through my head a few days ago. It took a bit of time to find out what song it was!
Tony Santiago
I just discovered these girls 2 months ago and you'd best believe I'm in LUV! Can't get enuff. I bought a 'best of ' CD which has this, Sweet Sounds of Summer, and I'll Never Learn on it. Did they put out a full LP in '67(?) or just a couple of singles before calling it quits?
Jo101214
What a lovely, lovely pop tune. Wow
Sandro
Great song! Viva the Shangs!
steveinbelgium
Brent...Thanks for all your efforts to put these great Shangri-Las songs on You tube!
Andy Lockett
Very Motown-ish backing/production, great tune.
Tony Santiago
6/17/20 - My current 'Feel Good wake ⏰ up' song.😊 Long live our love 💘 for the Shangri-Las! "And the music will play...🎶"
James Ballard
this is great.