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
Past
The Shangri-Las Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The past is filled with silent joys and broken toys,
laughing girls and teasing boys,
Was I ever in love? I called it love- I mean, it felt like love,
There were moments when, well, there were moments when
Present, Go out with you? Why not
Do I like to dance? Of Course,
But don't try to touch me, don't try to touch me
'cause that will never happen again,
Shall we dance
[Instrumental]
The future, tomorrow? well tomorrows a long way off
Maybe someday I'll have somebody's hand
Maybe somewhere someone will understand
You know I used to sing- a tisket a tasket a green and yellow basket
I'm all packed up and I'm on my way and I'm gonna fall in love,
But at the moment it doesn't look good
At the moment it will never happen again
I don't think it will ever happen again.
"The Past" is a song by the American girl group, The Shangri-Las, released in 1965. The song tells the story of a woman who is reflecting on her past and present experiences of love. The opening lines of the song suggest that the past is a source of both positive and negative memories- it's filled with "silent joys and broken toys, laughing girls and teasing boys." These lines suggest that while the past may have moments of happiness, it's not always as idyllic as we might imagine. The song then goes on to describe the woman's experiences of love- times when she thought she was in love but wasn't sure. The use of the word "moments" suggests that these experiences were fleeting- perhaps they didn't last as long as she had hoped.
The second part of the song focuses on the present and the future. The woman is willing to go out with someone and dance, but she's not interested in physical touch. The repetition of the phrase "don't try to touch me" suggests that she's been hurt in the past and doesn't want to be hurt again. The final lines of the song suggest that the woman doesn't have much hope for the future- "it doesn't look good" and "it will never happen again." These lines suggest a sense of resignation- the woman doesn't believe that she'll ever find lasting love or happiness.
Overall, "The Past" is a poignant meditation on the nature of love and memory. The song's focus on fleeting moments and bittersweet memories creates a sense of nostalgia and regret, while the repeated refrain of "it will never happen again" suggests a sense of hopelessness and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
The past, past, well now let me tell you about the past
Let me tell you about the past
The past is filled with silent joys and broken toys,
The past includes both good and bad memories
laughing girls and teasing boys,
The past includes memories of playful interactions
Was I ever in love? I called it love- I mean, it felt like love,
I thought I was in love in the past, but I'm not sure if it was real love
There were moments when, well, there were moments when
There were good memories from the past
Present, Go out with you? Why not
I don't mind going out with you now
Do I like to dance? Of Course,
I enjoy dancing
Take a walk along the beach tonight? I'd love to,
I'm open to taking a walk along the beach with you
But don't try to touch me, don't try to touch me
Don't try to physical touch me
'cause that will never happen again,
I don't want to experience those types of physical interactions again
Shall we dance
Let's dance
The future, tomorrow? well tomorrows a long way off
The future seems far away
Maybe someday I'll have somebody's hand
I hope to find love someday
Maybe somewhere someone will understand
Maybe someone will truly understand me someday
You know I used to sing- a tisket a tasket a green and yellow basket
I used to be carefree and innocent
I'm all packed up and I'm on my way and I'm gonna fall in love,
I'm ready for love and I hope to experience it
But at the moment it doesn't look good
Currently, finding love seems unlikely
At the moment it will never happen again
I don't think I'll experience love again
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind