My Boyfriend's Back (song)

Last updated

"My Boyfriend's Back"
My boyfriends back the angels vinyl single 7-inch.jpg
Side-A label of the U.S. 7-inch vinyl single
Single by the Angels
from the album My Boyfriend's Back
B-side "(Love Me) Now"
ReleasedJuly 1963
Recorded1963
Genre Pop [1]
Length2:14 (45 version)
2:16 (album cut)
Label Smash
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer
The Angels singles chronology
"Everybody Loves a Lover"
(1962)
"My Boyfriend's Back"
(1963)
"Cotton Fields"
(1963)

"My Boyfriend's Back" is a hit song in 1963 for the Angels, an American girl group. It was written by the songwriting team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer (a.k.a. FGG Productions who later formed the group the Strangeloves). [2] The track was originally intended as a demo for the Shirelles, but ended up being released as recorded. [3] The single spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached No. 2 on the R&B Billboard.

Contents

Description

The song is a word of warning to a would-be suitor who, after being rebuffed by the female narrator of the song, spread nasty rumors accusing her of romantic indiscretions. Now, the narrator declares, her boyfriend is back in town and ready to settle the score, and she warns the rejected admirer to watch himself.

Other musicians on the record include Herbie Lovelle on drums, Billy Butler, Bobby Comstock, and Al Gorgoni on guitar, and Bob Bushnell overdubbing on an electric and an upright bass. This song also features a young Ronnie Dio on the trumpet. [4] Feldman, Goldstein & Gottehrer also wrote and produced some of Dio's early work with the band Ronnie Dio & The Prophets.

The song begins with a spoken recitation from the lead singer that goes: "He went away, and you hung around, and bothered me every night. And when I wouldn't go out with you, you said things that weren't very nice".

The album version, which has appeared on a few compilations in stereo, features the line: "Hey. I can see him comin'/ Now you better start a runnin'", before the instrumental repeat of the bridge section, a repeat of one stanza from the refrain ("My boyfriend's back/He's gonna save my reputation"), and finally, the coda section, just before the song fades.

The inspiration for the song came from co-writer Bob Feldman, who overheard a conversation between a high school girl and the boy she was rebuffing. [5]

Cash Box described it as "a handclappin’ mashed-potatoes-styled delighter...that can bust wide open in no time flat" and praised the arrangement by Leroy Glover. [6]

Billboard named the song No. 24 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. [7]

Notable cover versions

"My Boyfriend's Back" has been the subject of several notable cover versions.

Rival girl groups the Chiffons and Martha and the Vandellas recorded covers shortly after the Angels' original release. In 1983, Melissa Manchester released a faithful cover version as a single that reached No. 33 on the Adult Contemporary chart. [8]

Later in 1963, Bobby Comstock and the Counts issued an answer record titled "Your Boyfriend's Back" which peaked at No. 98 in the U.S. [9]

Parodies, features and references

Humorist Dave Barry is fond of this song, and often references it in his books and columns. In one essay, he says that if he were the President of the United States, "My Boyfriend's Back" would replace "Hail to the Chief" as his arrival song. [10]

A parody of the song lyrics was sung by characters of The Office in Season 8 – Episode 21 "Angry Andy". [11]

Episode 30 of the podcast Cum Town starts with co-host Stavros Halkias singing a parody version called "My Boyfriend's Black". [12]

Charts

Chart (1963)Peak
position
Canada ( CHUM Chart ) [13] 2
New Zealand ( Listener ) [14] 1
UK Singles (OCC) [15] 50
US Billboard Hot 100 [16] 1
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles [17] 2

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Angels (American group)</span> American girl group

The Angels were an American girl group best known for their 1963 No. 1 hit single "My Boyfriend's Back".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You've Really Got a Hold on Me</span> 1962 Motown song by the Miracles

"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, which became a 1962 Top 10 hit single for the Miracles. One of the Miracles' most covered tunes, this million-selling song received a 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame Award. It has also been selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was recorded by the Beatles for their second album, With the Beatles (1963). Many other musicians also recorded versions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Be My Baby</span> 1963 song by the Ronettes

"Be My Baby" is a song by American girl group the Ronettes that was released as a single on Philles Records in August 1963. Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, the song was the Ronettes' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in the U.S. and number 4 in the UK. It is often ranked as among the best songs of the 1960s, and it is regarded by some as one of the greatest songs of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby, I Love You</span> 1963 single by the Ronettes

"Baby, I Love You" is a song originally recorded by the Ronettes in 1963 and released on their debut album Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes (1964). The song was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, and produced by Spector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Strangeloves</span> American band

The Strangeloves were a band created in 1964 by the New York-based American songwriting and production team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer. They initially pretended to be from Australia. The Strangeloves' most successful singles were "I Want Candy," "Cara-Lin", and "Night Time".

"Blue Velvet" is a popular song written and composed in 1950 by Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris. A top 20 hit for Tony Bennett in its original 1951 version, the song has since been re-recorded many times, with a 1963 version by Bobby Vinton reaching No. 1.

Richard Gottehrer is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive. In 1997, he co-founded The Orchard with longtime business partner Scott Cohen, an independent music distribution company. His career began as a Brill Building songwriter in the 1960s. His first number one record as a songwriter and producer was "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels, followed by other hits like "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys and "I Want Candy" by the Strangeloves, of which the latter Gottehrer was a member. In 1966, he formed Sire Records with Seymour Stein, which played a crucial role in the rise of new wave, and went on to launch the careers of Blondie, Madonna, Ramones and Talking Heads. His career continued as producer for the Go-Go's' 1981 debut album, Dr. Feelgood, Richard Hell, the Bongos and Moonpools & Caterpillars' first release with a major label, 1995's Lucky Dumpling. In 2013, the Orchard was described as "the biggest digital music distributor on the planet".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want Candy</span> 1965 single by the Strangeloves

"I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">To Know Him Is to Love Him</span> 1958 single by The Teddy Bears

"To Know Him Is to Love Him" is a song written by Phil Spector, inspired by words on his father's tombstone, "To Know Him Was to Love Him." It was first recorded by the only vocal group of which he was a member, the Teddy Bears. Their recording spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, while reaching No. 2 on the UK's New Musical Express chart. Peter & Gordon and Bobby Vinton later had hits with the song, with its title and lyrics changed to "To Know You Is to Love You". In 1987, the song was resurrected by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris, whose Trio recording topped the U.S. country singles chart.

"My Girl Has Gone" is a 1965 R&B single recorded by The Miracles for Motown's Tamla label. Included on their 1965 album Going to a Go-Go, "My Girl Has Gone" was the follow-up to the group's number 16 Billboard Hot 100 million-selling hit "The Tracks Of My Tears".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roses Are Red (My Love)</span> 1962 single by Bobby Vinton

"Roses Are Red (My Love)" is a popular song composed by Al Byron and Paul Evans. It was recorded by Bobby Vinton, backed by Robert Mersey and his Orchestra, in New York City in February 1962, and released in April 1962, and the song was his first hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up</span> 1964 song

"(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" is a song written by Phil Spector, Pete Andreoli and Vince Poncia. It was first recorded by the Ronettes, produced by Phil Spector and arranged by Jack Nitzsche with Ronnie Spector on lead vocals and with backing vocals by Nedra Talley and Estelle Bennett, ably abetted by Darlene Love and the Blossoms, Bobby Sheen, and Sonny & Cher. The song was released in April 1964, the year widely recognized as the group's most successful year, and proved to be the group's third consecutive top forty hit in the US. The single peaked at number 39 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number 43 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>My Boyfriends Back</i> (album) 1963 studio album by the Angels

My Boyfriend's Back is the second studio album released by the American pop girl group the Angels. It was issued on the Smash Records label in September 1963. The album was produced by Robert Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer. It features the Angels' biggest hit, "My Boyfriend's Back", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Composed by the team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer, "My Boyfriend's Back" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.

Gerald Goldstein is an American producer, singer-songwriter, talent manager, music executive, musician and entrepreneur. He was one of the members of The Strangeloves, the co-writer of "My Boyfriend's Back" and "Come on Down to My Boat", the producer and songwriter of War, and the former manager of Sly Stone. Goldstein produced a single with teenage singer, Nancy Baron in 1963 for the Diamond Record label. Goldstein was part of a three-person production team which wrote and produced numerous records which are referred to as "FGG" – Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer. The numerous artists and their work in collaboration with FGG are listed in a Discography included in the references below.

Robert L. Comstock was an American rock and roll and pop singer and musician who had success in the late 1950s and early 1960s both as a solo singer and as a member of Bobby Comstock and the Counts. His biggest hits were a version of "Tennessee Waltz" in 1959, and "Let's Stomp" in 1963.

"I Adore Him" is a song written by Artie Kornfeld and Jan Berry and performed by The Angels. The song was produced by Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer and arranged by Alan Lorber.

"My Heart Belongs to Only You" is a song written by Frank Daniels & Dorothy Daniels. Bette McLaurin and June Christy both released versions of the song in 1952. In 1953, the song reached No. 27 on Cash Box's chart of "The Nation's Top 50 Best Selling Records", in a tandem ranking of June Christy, Bette McLaurin, these versions were marked as bestsellers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night Time (song)</span> 1965 single by The Strangeloves

"Night Time" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965. It was written by Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer, and is a track from their I Want Candy LP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ooh Poo Pah Doo</span>

"Ooh Poo Pah Doo" is a song written and performed by Jessie Hill. It was arranged and produced by Allen Toussaint. The single reached No. 3 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 28 on the Hot 100 in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Feldman</span> American songwriter (1940–2023)

Robert C. Feldman was an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his work in the 1960s with fellow writers Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer, including "My Boyfriend's Back", "I Want Candy", and "Sorrow".

References

  1. Breihan, Tom (May 31, 2018). "The Number Ones: The Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back"". Stereogum . Retrieved June 10, 2023. Just as important: ["My Boyfriend's Back" is] a hell of a pop song, crisp and propulsive, built on jittery guitar stabs and handclaps that hit at the exact right instant.
  2. Ankeny, Jason. "Song overview". AllMusic. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  3. "Biography: The Angels". AllMusic . Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  4. "Ronnie James Dio: The Early Years". loudersound. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  5. Archived August 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  6. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 20, 1963. p. 8. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  7. "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  8. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 147.
  9. "Billboard Hot 100 Chart History for Your Boyfriend's Back by Bobby Comstock & The Counts". Song-database.com. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  10. Dave Barry Turns 40 , chapter: "Politics After 40: You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know That Harsh Sunlight Can Harm Your BMW's Finish."
  11. "OfficeQuotes.net – The Comprehensive Source for The Office Quotes!". March 3, 2020.
  12. Ep. 30 – Copycats, December 7, 2016, retrieved July 16, 2022
  13. "CHUM Hit Parade - September 9, 1963".
  14. Flavour of New Zealand, 19 September 1963
  15. "Angels: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  16. "The Angels Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  17. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – My Boyfriend's Back The Angels Chart History, Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2018.