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
It'S Easier To Cry
The Shangri-Las Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're better off without him
Go out and find yourself another guy
But I love him so, I can't forget him
No, no, it's easier to cry
(Oh)
They say stop thinking 'bout him
You really didn't love him
He was just something you had to try
But I miss him so, I can't forget him
No, no, it's easier to cry
Ah ah, ah ah
They say no use in crying
A girls got to keep on trying
But if he doesn't come back, I'll just die
'Cause I need him so, I can't forget him
No, no, it's easier to cry
Much easier to cry
Easier to cry, can't forget him
The Shangri-Las' song "It's Easier To Cry" is a heart-wrenching ballad about a girl who is struggling to move on from a past relationship. The lyrics express the conflicting advice she receives from others, who tell her to forget about the boy she loves and move on, but she finds it difficult to let go. The opening lines "They said forget about him, You're better off without him, Go out and find yourself another guy" highlight the pressure that she faces to move on from her friends and family.
The girl in the song, however, cannot simply forget the person she loves so much, and finds it easier to cry than to let go of her feelings. The lines "But I love him so, I can't forget him, No, no, it's easier to cry" express her pain and her emotional turmoil as she tries to come to terms with her break up. The lyrics are a powerful portrayal of the emotional struggles that come with moving on from a past love.
Despite the heart-rending subject matter, the song is also musically powerful, with driving guitars and a frantic beat that underlines the urgency of the girl's feelings. The song's catchy melody and the Shangri-Las' signature harmonies also make it a memorable entry in the girl group genre.
Line by Line Meaning
They said forget about him
People told me to move on from my past relationship
You're better off without him
They suggested that I'll be happier without my ex-boyfriend in the long run
Go out and find yourself another guy
They proposed that I find a new partner to replace my old one
But I love him so, I can't forget him
I'm still in love with my ex-boyfriend and can't stop thinking about him
No, no, it's easier to cry
Instead of trying to move on, it's easier for me to cry and continue to hold onto my emotions
(Oh) They say stop thinking 'bout him
Others advise me to stop obsessing over my ex-boyfriend
(Oh) You really didn't love him
People imply that my feelings for him weren't genuine
He was just something you had to try
They believe that he was just an experimental fling and not a serious relationship
But I miss him so, I can't forget him
I miss my ex-boyfriend and can't erase him from my memories
Ah ah, ah ah
A vocalization with no specific meaning
They say no use in crying
Others suggest that there's no point in crying over a past relationship
A girl's got to keep on trying
They encourage me to continue looking for love
But if he doesn't come back, I'll just die
If my ex-boyfriend doesn't return, I feel like I'll never be happy again
'Cause I need him so, I can't forget him
I still have strong feelings for my ex-boyfriend
No, no, it's easier to cry
It's still easier for me to cry than to try and forget about him
Much easier to cry
It's easier to simply cry than to work on moving on from my ex-boyfriend
Easier to cry, can't forget him
Even though it's easier to cry, I still can't forget about him
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: J.L. JACKSON, JOE DE ANGELES, ROBERT STEINBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind