50th Anniversary Of The Shangri-Las Final Three Charting Singles
This quintessential quartet of true Rock Rebelle icons helped pave the way for generations of bad boy loving bad girls. One of the most famous of the Girl Groups to emerge from the 60's, The Shangri-Las were composed of two sets of sisters, Mary and Betty Weiss, and identical twins Marge and Mary Ann Ganser. They perfected the look and sound of what it was to be a bad boys' best girl, the coolest thing you could be if you were a teenage girl at the time! They released a few more singles after 1966, but their three from this year were their last to chart, or see success on radio. Continue on to see which three were thee.
The Shangri-Las: Long Live Our Love
The first single 1966 would see from The Shangri-Las was "Long Live Our Love", their highest single to chart this year, making it to number 33. This song could easily resonate with many today, as it is a tender ode to love, a love that has been sent off to war. Not sad or sappy as expected, it is instead an inspirational tale of the strength of "Johnny", and the girls' undying love for him. If that track gets too serious in subject matter, flip the single over, and the playful B-side will have you smiling in no time! It's a cheeky little ditty about discovering the fanciest spot in town, with it's own signature dance steps! "Sophisticated Boom Boom" is guaranteed to make you shake your hips.
The Shangri-Las: He Cried
The next we hear from them is with their gender flipped "He Cried", made famous by Jay & The Americans in 1962 with "She Cried". The girls keep close to the original, aside from the change in pronouns, and their version climbs to number 65 on the charts. It's B-side is one the ultimate odes to loving a bad boy. The Shangri-Las have mastered the art of musical monologue, most of their songs have some point where one of the girls ramble on about "Johnny", and how no one could understand the depths of their love. "Dressed In Black" is no exception. Bipolar in their delivery, the girls bounce back and forth between gloomy verses of being doomed in love, to the happy chorus of being wrapped in love.
The Shangri-Las: Past, Present and Future"
Lastly they released "Past, Present and Future". A song completely spoken over a sweeping orchestra sees it's way almost to the Top 50, coming in at number 59. In the song, the Shangri-Las tell us "there were moments when.....well.....there were moments when". Melodramatic melancholy at it's finest! The single had two pressings, which meant it also had two B-sides, "Paradise" and "Love You More Than Yesterday". Not to be confused with Spiral Staircase's 1969 smash hit "More Than Yesterday", the Shangri-Las song was perhaps the inspiration of that hit, as they are both extremely similar lyrically, but sound nothing alike musically. "Paradise" is however the same song most commonly know by the Ronettes. The Shangri-Las give the song a rougher, tougher rendition, but that has always been their reputation, Rebelles out on the streets looking for Johnny so he can take them away to "Paradise".
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