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
Maybe
The Shangri-Las Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh if I could pray and I try, dear
You might come back home, home to me
Maybe
Whoa, if I could ever hold your little hand
Oh you might understand
Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, yeah
Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe dear
I guess I might have done something wrong
Honey I'd be glad to admit it
Oh, come on home to me!
Honey maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe yeah
Well I know that it just doesn't ever seem to matter, baby
Oh honey, when I go out or what I'm trying to do
Can't you see I'm still left here
And I'm holding on in needing you
Please, please, please, please
Oh won't you reconsider babe
Now come on, I said come back
Won't you come back to me!
Maybe dear, oh maybe, maybe, maybe
Let me help you show me how
Honey, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe
Maybe, maybe, maybe, yeah
Maybe, maybe, maybe, yeah
Ooh!
The Shangri-Las' song "Maybe" is a heartfelt plea for a lost love to return. The singer is reaching out to their ex-lover, saying that if they could only pray hard enough or if they could just hold their hand, maybe they would understand their true feelings and come back home to them. The repetition of "maybe" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's uncertainty and desperation.
As the song progresses, the singer admits that they may have done something wrong and are willing to own up to it in order to get their lover back. They keep holding out hope that their ex will reconsider and return to them, ending the song with a final plea "Let me help you show me how, Honey Maybe". Overall, "Maybe" is a classic example of the 1960s "girl group" sound known for its romantic themes and emphasis on heartfelt vocals.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe
Expressing hope and uncertainty regarding a desired outcome
Oh if I could pray and I try, dear
Expressing a plea to a higher power to make a desired outcome possible
You might come back home, home to me
Expressing a desire to reconcile and reunite with a loved one
Whoa, if I could ever hold your little hand
Expressing a desire for physical connection with a loved one
Oh you might understand
Expressing a belief that physical connection could lead to emotional understanding
Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, yeah
Repeating the word 'maybe' to emphasize uncertainty and hope
I guess I might have done something wrong
Acknowledging potential personal fault in the separation from a loved one
Honey I'd be glad to admit it
Expressing a willingness to take responsibility and seek reconciliation
Well I know that it just doesn't ever seem to matter, baby
Expressing frustration with the lack of impact or attention given to attempts at reconciliation
Oh honey, when I go out or what I'm trying to do
Expressing a sense of abandonment and isolation without the loved one present
Can't you see I'm still left here
Implying a lack of understanding or empathy from the loved one
And I'm holding on in needing you
Expressing desperation and longing for the return of the loved one
Please, please, please, please
Repeating the word 'please' to emphasize the intensity of the plea for reconciliation
Oh won't you reconsider babe
Asking for the loved one to reconsider the separation
Now come on, I said come back
Urging the loved one to return and reconcile
Maybe dear, oh maybe, maybe, maybe
Using repetition of the word 'maybe' to express hope without certainty
Let me help you show me how
Expressing a willingness to listen to the loved one's needs and desires
Honey, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe
Using the word 'maybe' to express both uncertainty and hopefulness
Maybe, maybe, maybe, yeah
Repeating the word 'maybe' to emphasize uncertainty and hope
Maybe, maybe, maybe, yeah
Repeating the word 'maybe' to emphasize uncertainty and hope
Ooh!
Exclamation of emotion in response to the uncertainty and hopefulness expressed throughout the song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICHARD BARRETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind