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
Long Live Our Love
The Shangri-Las Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hurray, hurrah)
(Chorus)
Long live our lo-o-ove, long live our happiness,
Here's a toast to happiness,
Long live our love.
When we were childhood sweethearts,
We had made a simple vow,
We vowed to love each other,
And I know we won't stop now.
(Chorus)
But something's come between us,
And it's not another girl,
But a lot of people need you,
There is trouble in the world.
(Spoken:
It's the fighting that has come between us
And it's taken you far, far away.
But please don't wonder if I'll be faithful
You're in my heart both night and day.
So, darling, I send my love to you,
While you are fighting overseas,
And I know one day if we are lucky,
God will send you back to me.)
(Chorus)
(Spoken:
Please Lord, don't let anything happen to him, please
I'm waiting for you, Johnny, I'm waiting)
The Shangri-Las's song "Long Live Our Love" tells a story of a couple who fell in love during childhood and made a vow to love each other, and nothing would come between them. But, the pressures of the world, specifically fighting overseas, have forced them apart. The chorus is a toast to happiness and the power of their love while the verses speak to their struggles, fears, and hopes. The song expresses the real-life experiences of many couples who were torn apart by war and the battles that they had to carry on to bridge the distance.
The song's spoken words are particularly powerful, as they add a layer of emotion to the song. The singer refers to the oath that she and her loved one took, and how the fighting has come between them. She talks of how she is waiting for him, and how she needs him to come back soon as there is trouble in the world. The "please Lord" at the end of the song adds a sense of desperation, as though the singer is praying for her loved one's safety night and day.
Line by Line Meaning
(When Johnny comes marching home again,
Hurray, hurrah)
When Johnny returns from war, let's cheer him and celebrate his safe return.
(Chorus)
Long live our lo-o-ove, long live our happiness,
Here's a toast to happiness,
Long live our love.
Our love and happiness are to be cherished and long-lasting. Let's toast to our happiness and love.
When we were childhood sweethearts,
We had made a simple vow,
We vowed to love each other,
And I know we won't stop now.
As childhood sweethearts, we made a vow to love each other unconditionally. We still hold true to that promise.
(Chorus)
Our love is still going strong, let's continue to celebrate its existence.
But something's come between us,
And it's not another girl,
But a lot of people need you,
There is trouble in the world.
Recently, we've been separated, but not due to infidelity. You're away fighting in a war because many people are in need and there is turmoil in the world.
(Spoken:
It's the fighting that has come between us
And it's taken you far, far away.
But please don't wonder if I'll be faithful
You're in my heart both night and day.
So, darling, I send my love to you,
While you are fighting overseas,
And I know one day if we are lucky,
God will send you back to me.)
The warfare has separated us physically, but please don't question my fidelity. You're always in my heart, and I send my love to you while you're overseas. I believe that one day, with some luck and God's help, you'll return home to me.
(Chorus)
Even though we're apart, our love perseveres, so let's celebrate it once more.
(Spoken:
Please Lord, don't let anything happen to him, please
I'm waiting for you, Johnny, I'm waiting)
I pray to God that you'll return home unharmed. I'm anxiously awaiting your return, Johnny.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: J JACKSON, SIDNEY A. BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vtm57
RIP Mary Weiss❤️
@atlasking6110
Mary Weiss was so lovely and just commanded the stage. Betty was the prettiest but you couldn't tear your eyes off of Mary!
@FourteenWords-n4l
She definitely had that charisma, something special, something cool. RIP Mary.
@HungryH1951
And Betty and Mary had nearly identical voices. So close.
@fannycraddock99
Amazing clip, all four are present which was very rare. Mary, Betty, Marge & Mary Ann.
@chrisst8922
And it's live, one of only two such recordings to survive.
@aljustal6554
The Ganser twins and the Weiss sisters. Betty Weiss (middle of the three in back, flanked by Marge and Mary Ann Ganser) was the oldest--she turned 20 in November of 1966. The other three were born in 1948 and would have been either 17 or 18 when this was shot depending on what month this was. This was 3 years after their first single.
@GilbertSyndrome
@@aljustal6554 They were all incredibly talented.
@jehobden
@@aljustal6554 This performance comes from HULLABALOO, originally broadcast on NBC Jan. 10, 1966.
@Mustangladyme
Yes ! Rare and I was surprised to see this.