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
What's A Girl Supposed To Do
The Shangri-Las Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
said he's glad he found
all he waited for
put his arms around me
and the stars were bright in the sky
and he looked down deep in my eyes
what's a girl suposed to do but kiss him
so i kissed him
we jsut met that night
felt i always knew him
so i know it was right
to give my kisses to him
and he said he wanted me so
and my heart said don't let him go
what's a girl supposed to do but hold him
so i held him
whoa yeah
oh he said he loved me and then i
had to kiss him again
what's a girl supposed to do but love him
and i love him
did you kiss him oh yeah
did you hold him oh yeah
The Shangri-Las's song "What's A Girl Supposed To Do?" is a classic tale of young love and the desire to be with someone. The singer tells the story of meeting a young man who has all the qualities she's been looking for. He walks her to her door and puts his arms around her, and despite only just meeting him that night, she feels like she's known him forever. She can't help but kiss him, as any girl in her situation would.
Their connection is strong, and he tells her that he wants her, and her heart tells her not to let him go. She holds him close to her, not wanting to relinquish the closeness they share. He tells her he loves her, and she can't help but kiss him again. She simply loves him, and what else is a girl supposed to do?
The song encapsulates the innocent and intense feelings of young love, where a single encounter can feel like a lifetime of happiness. The lyrics capture the irrationality of love and how, at times, it can be difficult to resist the urge to be with someone we feel strongly about.
Line by Line Meaning
walked me to my door
He accompanied me to my house.
said he's glad he found all he waited for
He expressed his happiness upon meeting me.
put his arms around me and the stars were bright in the sky
He embraced me and we both enjoyed the beautiful night sky.
and he looked down deep in my eyes
He made eye contact with me, indicating his sincerity and interest.
what's a girl supposed to do but kiss him
A girl in this situation would naturally want to kiss him.
so i kissed him
I acted on my natural impulse and kissed him.
we just met that night
We only knew each other for a short time.
felt i always knew him, so i know it was right
We had an intense connection that made it feel like we've known each other for a long time.
to give my kisses to him
I wanted to express my affection by kissing him.
and he said he wanted me so
He expressed his desire to be with me.
and my heart said don't let him go
I felt a strong emotional attachment to him, making me want to keep him in my life.
what's a girl supposed to do but hold him
It is natural for me to want to hold him in my arms.
so i held him
I expressed my affection by wrapping my arms around him.
oh he said he loved me and then i had to kiss him again
He expressed his love for me, causing me to want to kiss him again.
what's a girl supposed to do but love him
A girl in love would naturally want to express that love.
and i love him
I have strong feelings of love for him.
did you kiss him oh yeah
Someone is asking if I kissed him.
did you hold him oh yeah
Someone is asking if I held him in my arms.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NIKKI JEAN, JEFF BARRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joaniejett8394
Such a simpler time, a group that rocked my socks off as a kid, their timing impeccable and just love them to death!
@delsongalasinao706
Old music like this is good to our mental health especially when the world we live with is full toxicity
@gerhardanton8759
absolute good chorus and music...
...
@normanbommarito6029
These girls were the greatest
@Soapking1965
Lesley Gore also had a version earlier in 1965.
@normanbommarito6029
I never heard of it before thanks
@steppenwolf53
Leslie and the Shangri-Las both released the song in September of 1965, but I believe Leslie’s was released first.
@delsongalasinao706
I loved this song it promotes strong feminism.
@flamencoprof
I have this in a playlist called "Blind Devotion", and much as I love The Shangri Las strong image, I have to disagree re this song.
Just look at the lyrics: -
"We just met that night
felt i always knew him
so i knew it was right
to give my kisses to him
and he said he wanted me so
and my heart said don't let him go
what's a girl supposed to do but hold him
so i held him"
I hold this group in high regard. :-)