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Post by Kapitan on Aug 3, 2023 12:22:33 GMT
The lyrics are quite graphic for the late 1950s. I'm curious if other folk songs displayed such dire(?) lyrics. I guess Dylan hit a nerve with some of his songs.
They are, but remember that the song itself is almost a century older. There is a tradition of "murder ballads" in folk music, and so I think it's unremarkable in that respect. Now, as far as songs with those lyrics topping the charts and being popular among 1950s teenagers? That is surprising! But consider Mississippi John Hurt's "Nobody's Dirty Business," which includes lines like "one o' these days, gonna wake up crazy, gonna grab my gun, gonna kill old Daisy / nobody's business but mine."
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 3, 2023 12:30:41 GMT
Your introductory post is a fabulous read, Cap'n. Thanks, jk. One thing I really enjoy about these rolling threads is the opportunity to research and try to appropriately retell the stories of these bands, albums, songs, or whatever the subjects of the threads may be.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 4, 2023 15:11:40 GMT
To Know Him Is To Love Him, The Teddy Bears
Dec. 1, 8 & 15
“Tom Dooley” lasted just one week atop the Hot 100 before Conway Twitty’s “It’s Only Make Believe” returned for a week.
The song that replaced it came from Harvey Philip Spector, aka Phil Harvey, aka Phil Spector. His father, Baruch Spektres or Spektus (later Americanized to Benjamin Spector), was deeply in debt and committed suicide in New York in 1949. His tombstone read: “Ben Spector. Father. Husband. To Know Him Was To Love Him.”
In 1953, young Harvey’s mother moved the family to Los Angeles. Beginning in 1954 he attended Fairfax High School, where he met and befriended an assortment of music-minded students including Lou Adler, Sandy Nelson, Steve Douglas, and Bruce Johnston. He also became interested not only in playing, singing, and writing music, but in production: Stan Ross of Gold Star Studios began tutoring a young Spector. Still in high school, Spector formed The Teddy Bears with friends Marshall Leib, Harvey Goldstein (who quickly left the group), Annette Kleinbard, and Sandy Nelson.
After graduating high school, Era Records financed recording sessions under a two- to three-single contract. Their first recording, in 1958, was Spector’s “Don’t You Worry, My Little Pet.”
The second was another Spector song, this one inspired by his father’s epitaph. “To Know Him Is To Love Him” was recorded at Gold Star studio and released by Era’s Dore imprint as the A-side (with “Don’t You Worry, My Little Pet” as the B-side) in August 1958.
The song did not receive airplay for several months, but eventually became a hit: it stayed in the Hot 100 for 23 weeks, in the Top 10 for 11 weeks, and the week of Dec. 1 it topped the charts, remaining there for three weeks. The song was the first to feature a woman’s lead vocal to top the Hot 100.
The Teddy Bears’ next single, “Oh Why?,” cracked the Hot 100, peaking at #91. Its B-side, “I Don’t Need You Anymore,” also made the charts, peaking at #98. While they went on to release three more singles and an LP (The Teddy Bears Sing!) in 1959 on Imperial Records, they did not reach the Billboard charts again.
Sales were bad. Spector preferred working behind the scenes to performing. So when Kleinbard was in a serious auto accident in 1960, it only hastened what was already a likely conclusion to the group. It disbanded.
Kleinbard remained in the music industry, changing her name to Carol Connors and co-writing several hits, including the Rip Chords’ “Hey Little Cobra” and the theme song from the film Rocky.
Leib went on to work as a singer, guitarist (including for Duane Eddy), and producer.
Nelson became an established session drummer and had a handful of instrumental hits, including the #4 “Teen Beat” in 1959 and the #6 album Let There Be Drums in 1962 before being seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in 1963, requiring the amputation of his right foot and part of his right leg.
Spector went on to become a prominent producer and murderer.
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Post by kds on Aug 4, 2023 15:25:24 GMT
With those one, I'm more familiar with The Beatles version. (Although that tends to me the case with several hits from the late 50s / early 60s).
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 4, 2023 22:31:34 GMT
I like "To Know Him Is To Love Him". While it was certainly just as popular, I didn't hear it played as much growing up or see it featured on as many comps (not that it wasn't). The first time I purchased the song was on Phil Spector's Back To Mono boxed set.
"To Know Him Is To Love Him" has a kind of subdued intro which was uncommon for a Spector record, or at least different from his future productions. You can pick out Spector's voice in the backgrounds. Every version I've heard, and I've checked out quite a few, has bad mastering, probably due to the muddy mix. The bridge, in particular, goes way up volume-wise. But, the melody is infectious and carries the song. It's a touching little record.
Oddly, The Teddy Bears' only album, 1959's The Teddy Bears Sing!, does not include "To Know Him Is To Love Him". And I know I'm being picky, but for some reason, on the 45, there's a comma in there ("To Know Him, Is To Love Him"). I'm curious, and I'm being serious, but I wonder if To Know Him Is to Love Him is on Phil Spector's tombstone, too?
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 4, 2023 22:50:31 GMT
I actually had noticed that not only is "To Know Him Is To Love Him" not on the album, but the majority of their singles and B-sides aren't. I know he preferred the single, and so maybe it had something to do with that idea of splitting the formats. Or maybe it was the change in label from Era/Dore to Imperial?
As for the comma, it seems only to appear on the single itself--not on anything written about it. The comma would be grammatically incorrect, for what it's worth.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 4, 2023 23:14:38 GMT
You know what's freaking me out about this thread so far? I was born in May 1958, and with each song we're discussing, I'm picturing myself as this three-month-old baby, or more specifically picturing my parents, and what they were doing with me as they're listening to these songs on the radio - and I'm positive they had a radio on somewhere in the house. My parents didn't buy 45s or many albums during this time frame, but I know they enjoyed listening to the radio.
So, I'm picturing my Mom changing my diaper as "To Know Him Is To Love Him" is being played on the local radio station and wondering if she was smiling and singing along. Or, if my Dad is holding me and talking "baby talk" to me, his new son, after he comes home from work as "It's Only make Believe" comes on the radio. I mean, sometimes it freaks me out to know that I was actually...alive...during this great and happy period in popular music.
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Post by jk on Aug 5, 2023 9:27:16 GMT
Oddly, The Teddy Bears' only album, 1959's The Teddy Bears Sing!, does not include "To Know Him Is To Love Him". And I know I'm being picky, but for some reason, on the 45, there's a comma in there ("To Know Him, Is To Love Him"). I'm curious, and I'm being serious, but I wonder if To Know Him Is to Love Him is on Phil Spector's tombstone, too? According to this obituary: He revealed his wish for his own epitaph, not drawn from music, but from the movie King Kong. We can make of it what we will: "He was a king in his own civilization Now he comes here a captive, for your amusement. Ladies and Gentlemen, here lies Spector." No idea whether Uncle Phil's wish came true...
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 5, 2023 11:07:19 GMT
Oddly, The Teddy Bears' only album, 1959's The Teddy Bears Sing!, does not include "To Know Him Is To Love Him". And I know I'm being picky, but for some reason, on the 45, there's a comma in there ("To Know Him, Is To Love Him"). I'm curious, and I'm being serious, but I wonder if To Know Him Is to Love Him is on Phil Spector's tombstone, too? According to this obituary: He revealed his wish for his own epitaph, not drawn from music, but from the movie King Kong. We can make of it what we will: "He was a king in his own civilization Now he comes here a captive, for your amusement. Ladies and Gentlemen, here lies Spector." No idea whether Uncle Phil's wish came true... Good catch, jk, and great article, too.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 5, 2023 12:59:49 GMT
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Post by jk on Aug 5, 2023 13:20:51 GMT
Cool! The Beatles do a reasonable job on it but the original rules in my book. I read in Richard Williams' book on Spector that Marshall Lieb "was probably selected for the group [on the road] as much for his beefcake appearance as for his voice". An "all-round athlete", he was the complete opposite of Phil, who looked "small and runty, with a pursed mouth and recessed chin". Not just that, when the Teddy Bears were doing a one-nighter Phil was locked in the men's room and peed upon by four blokes, an event that scarred him for life. This "led him to surround himself at all times -- even in the studio -- with bodyguards".
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Post by lonelysummer on Aug 6, 2023 1:49:44 GMT
It's a great song, but I'm partial to the Beatles version, cause I can sing along to it.
A lot of the songs in this thread remind me of a station we had back in the 70's, KUUU, the first oldies station I can remember.
Which brings up another point - how oldies stations have changed. Back then, circa 1975, the oldies format was real heavy on music from 1955-63. They also played a fair amount of stuff after that, including current material by artists from the era (Frankie Valli, Neil Sedaka).
In the 90's, the oldies format didn't play ANY current music - not even the Beatles reunion tracks. Our oldies station, KBSG, still played a fair amount of 50's/early 60's, but they focused most heavily on the the British Invasion, 1964, and up till around 1972.
Now we have one lowered powered oldies station, and they play quite a bit of 80's stuff. I haven't heard them play any 90's yet, but there are several other stations that do. And we have one oddball non-commercial station that goes all the way from the mid 50's up to 1990. Thanks to the oddball station, I am still hearing songs from 50 or 60 years ago that I have never heard before.
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Post by jk on Aug 6, 2023 8:40:33 GMT
It's a great song, but I'm partial to the Beatles version, cause I can sing along to it. Good point!
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 6, 2023 11:14:21 GMT
Why can't you sing along to the original?
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Post by jk on Aug 6, 2023 11:58:47 GMT
Why can't you sing along to the original? Well it's bit high, isn't it. Of course, you might get there wearing the right pants.
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