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 Present and Future
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
Cos that will never happen again,
Shall we dance
Instrumental
The future, Tommorow? well tommorows 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 Shangri-Las's song Past Present and Future is a nostalgic reflection on love, past and present. The opening verse vividly describes the reminiscence of the past as the singer ponders over her experiences of ephemeral love. The lyrics present the past as a place of both joy and disappointment. It speaks of laughing girls and teasing boys, indicating the frivolous nature of teenage love. Moreover, the phrase 'broken toys' also symbolically refers to her relationships which have faced harsh endings. She mentions she is unsure of whether she was ever in love and calls it 'love' only because it felt like it at times. This ambivalence is common to most teenagers, who experience youthful love that is fleeting and intense.
The second verse shifts to the present as the singer responds to an invitation to dance, take a walk on the beach, and embark on a relationship. However, she vehemently warns against being touched. This refusal probably speaks of her trauma from past relationships and indicates that she is not willing to be hurt again. The repeated phrase 'cos that will never happen again' is illustrative of her reluctance to dive into a relationship again.
Finally, the song looks to the future, pondering the possibility of love. The lyrics speak of the singer's earlier experiences of love, as indicated by her mentioning of the song 'a tisket a tasket a green and yellow basket.' However, given her present situation, where a relationship is not feasible, she is unsure if she will ever be in love again, and declares, "I don't think it will ever happen again." This statement represents the singer's disenchantment with love and her resignation to being alone.
Line by Line Meaning
The past, past, well now let me tell you about the past
The singer wants to reminisce about her past experiences
The past is filled with silent joys and broken toys, laughing girls and teasing boys
The past has both happy and sad memories
Was I ever in love? I called it love- I mean, it felt like love
The singer wonders if she was in love in the past
There were moments when, well, there were moments when
The singer is reflecting on specific moments in her past
Present, Go out with you? Why not
The singer is open to going out with someone in the present
Do I like to dance? Of Course
The singer enjoys dancing
Take a walk along the beach tonight? I'd love to, But don't try to touch me, don't try to touch me
The singer is willing to spend time with someone, but only on her own terms
Cos that will never happen again, Shall we dance
The singer is reminiscing about a past experience when someone tried to touch her, but is also open to dancing in the present
The future, Tommorow? well tommorows a long way off
The singer is uncertain about the future
Maybe someday I'll have somebody's hand, Maybe somewhere someone will understand
The singer hopes to find love and understanding in the future
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
The singer used to be optimistic about finding 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 singer is currently pessimistic about finding love and thinks that it will never happen again.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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