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
Sophisticated Boom Boom
The Shangri-Las Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it was gettin' mighty late.
Well, the truth of the matter is,
This poor girl had been abandoned by her date.
When, from out of nowhere,
Came this music loud and clear.
Let me see, from over there?
(No, from over there.)
(Yeah.)
Well, I open up the door,
And much to my surprise,
The girls were wearin' formals,
And the boys were wearin' ties.
And I feel that I should mention,
That the band was at attention.
They just stood there, oh, so neat,
While they played their swingin' beat.
So I grabbed this little boy,
Who came struttin' 'cross the room,
And I say, "What's that?"
And he say,
Sophisticated boom, boom.
It's been long overdue,
Sophisticated boom, boom.
We been nee'in' somethin' new,
Sophisticated boom, boom.
Now stand up straight and tall,
Like your back's against the wall.
Take two steps forward,/(Boom, boom.)
(Boom-boom, boom-boom.)/And shake your hips.
(Boom, boom.)
It's been long overdue,
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-eh, yeah.)
That's not very sophisticated (Sophisticated boom, boom.)
We been needin' somethin' new,
(Yeah, yeah, yeah-eh.)
I do think she's blowin' her cool (Sophisticated boom, boom.)
Now stand up straight and tall,
Like your back's against the wall.
Take two steps forward, (One-two, forward)
(Boom-boom, boom-boom.) Now shake your hips
Boom, boom.
(Ooo-ooo, oo-oo.)
(Ooo-oo-oooo.)
(Ooo-oo...)
The Shangri-Las's song "Sophisticated Boom Boom" tells the story of a girl who has been abandoned by her date and discovers a swingin' dance party with a live band playing loud and clear. The lyrics describe the surprise and delight of this unexpected find, with the girls wearing formals and the boys in ties. The band is described as standing 'oh, so neat' and playing a 'swingin' beat'. The singer grabs a boy on the dancefloor and asks him about the music, to which he replies, "sophisticated boom, boom."
The repeated refrain 'sophisticated boom, boom' is more than just a catchy phrase, it is the embodiment of the youthful spirit of rebellion and innovation that emerged in the 1960s. The chorus is a call to arms, a demand for something new and exciting, a rejection of the staid and the boring. It is also a testament to the transformative power of music, how it can transport us from the everyday drudgery of our lives and make us feel alive again.
Line by Line Meaning
I Was walkin' down the street,
The singer was walking down the street.
And it was gettin' mighty late.
It was getting late.
Well, the truth of the matter is,
The truth is,
This poor girl had been abandoned by her date.
Her date had left her alone.
When, from out of nowhere, Came this music loud and clear.
Suddenly, music could be heard.
Let me see, from over there?
She asked someone where the music was coming from.
(No, from over there.) Over there? (Yeah.)
She was directed to the source of the music.
Well, I open up the door,
She opened the door where the music was coming from.
And much to my surprise,
She was surprised.
The girls were wearin' formals,
The girls were dressed formally.
And the boys were wearin' ties.
The boys were wearing ties.
And I feel that I should mention,
She wanted to mention something.
That the band was at attention.
The band was ready to perform.
They just stood there, oh, so neat,
The band looked neat.
While they played their swingin' beat.
The band was playing swing music.
So I grabbed this little boy,
She grabbed a little boy.
Who came struttin' 'cross the room,
The boy came strutting across the room.
And I say, "What's that?"
She asked him what the music was.
And he say, Sophisticated boom, boom.
The boy said it was 'sophisticated boom boom'.
It's been long overdue, Sophisticated boom, boom.
There was a need for something new and 'sophisticated boom boom' was overdue.
We been nee'in' somethin' new, Sophisticated boom, boom.
They needed something new and 'sophisticated boom boom' was that new thing.
Now stand up straight and tall, Like your back's against the wall.
She told them to stand up tall as if their back was against the wall.
Take two steps forward,/(Boom, boom.) (Boom-boom, boom-boom.)/And shake your hips. (Boom, boom.)
She instructed them to take two steps forward and then shake their hips to the music.
That's not very sophisticated (Sophisticated boom, boom.)
She didn't think that was very sophisticated.
We been needin' somethin' new, (Yeah, yeah, yeah-eh.)
They needed something new.
I do think she's blowin' her cool (Sophisticated boom, boom.)
She thinks she's being cool by saying 'sophisticated boom boom'.
Now stand up straight and tall, Like your back's against the wall. Take two steps forward, (One-two, forward) (Boom-boom, boom-boom.) Now shake your hips
She repeated her previous instruction.
Boom, boom. (Ooo-ooo, oo-oo.) (Ooo-oo-oooo.) (Ooo-oo...)
The song ends with the repetition of 'Boom, boom'.
Contributed by Makayla C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.