"Leader of the Pack" | ||||
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Single by the Shangri-Las | ||||
from the album Leader of the Pack | ||||
B-side | "What Is Love" | |||
Released | 20 September 1964 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1964 | |||
Genre | Pop [2] | |||
Length | 2:49 | |||
Label | Red Bird | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | George "Shadow" Morton | |||
The Shangri-Las singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"Leader of the Pack" on YouTube |
"Leader of the Pack" is a song written by George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich. It was a number one pop hit in 1964 for the American girl group the Shangri-Las. The single is one of the group's best known songs as well as a popular cultural example of a "teenage tragedy song". The song was covered in 1985 by the heavy metal band Twisted Sister, who had a more modest hit with their version (no. 53 in the US).
The tune of "Leader of the Pack" is credited to pop impresario George "Shadow" Morton together with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. According to Morton, [3] he wrote the song for the Goodies (also known as the Bunnies [4] ), but instead it was needed as a follow-up to the Shangri-Las hit "Remember (Walking in the Sand)".
The song is about a girl named Betty, who is asked by friends to confirm that she is dating Jimmy, the leader of a motorcycle gang, whose ring they see on Betty's finger. After singing of love at first sight ("(By the way, where'd you meet him?) I met him at the candy store/He turned around and smiled at me/You get the picture?/(Yes, we see) That's when I fell for the Leader of the Pack"), Betty's heart turns to despair as she bemoans her parents' disapproval. The parents say Jimmy hails from "the wrong side of town" and ask Betty to tell Jimmy goodbye and find someone new. Betty reluctantly does as she is asked, and a crushed and tearful Jimmy speeds off on his motorcycle. Betty's pleas for Jimmy to slow down are in vain and Jimmy crashes on a rain-slicked surface and dies.
In July 1964, Morton recorded the vocals for "Leader of the Pack" with the Shangri-Las at Mira Sound Studios located on 145 West 47th street on the second floor of a Manhattan hotel. The song was produced by Morton. These vocals were dubbed over the instrumental parts, which had been previously recorded at the Ultrasonic Recording Studios in Hempstead, New York.[ citation needed ]
In 2007 Tony Visconti wrote that pianist Artie Butler played on the track. [5]
To add the authentic sound of a motorcycle engine, one was reportedly driven through the lobby of the hotel and up to the floor of the recording studio. No one was arrested, but a ticket was issued. The motorcycle belonged to the assistant engineer on the session, who was Joe Venneri. [6] However, in an interview four decades later, Shangri-Las lead singer Mary Weiss said the motorcycle sound was taken from an effects record.[ citation needed ] Hugh Grundy, drummer for The Zombies, revved up a motorcycle backstage when the Shangri-Las performed on a US tour. [7]
"Leader of the Pack" was released as a single by Red Bird Records, a Leiber and Stoller label, and the song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 28, 1964. [8] On Cashbox's R&B chart, it went to number 8. [9] In the United Kingdom, the single was refused airplay by the BBC, probably due to its death theme, [10] although some have speculated that it was considered likely to encourage violence between mods and rockers. [11] It charted three times on the UK Singles Chart: number 11 in 1965; [12] number 3 in 1972 [13] (by which time the BBC ban had been lifted); and once again at number 7 in 1976, [12] when its sales figures as a reissue on two different labels (Charly and Contempo) were combined to arrive at its chart position. [14] The record also reached number 1 in Australia in 1964, and 39 in 1973.
Cash Box described it as "a heartbreaking cha cha thumper about a gal in love with the 'Leader Of The Pack'—who loses his life in a cycle crash" with "sensational vocal and instrumental sounds" and a "powerhouse" production." [15] In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at number 447. [16] In the 2010 revision of the list, it was moved to number 454 as new entries were added. In the 2021 update, it was moved to number 315. [17] [18] Billboard named the song #9 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. [19] In 2019, the song was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under the new singles category created in 2018. [20]
The song appeared in a Broadway musical based on the songs of Ellie Greenwich, Leader of the Pack , which opened in 1985. [21] In 1990, the song was used in the Martin Scorsese film, Goodfellas .
Chart (1964-1972) | Peak position |
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Australia (Australian National Charts) [22] | 1 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [23] | 3 |
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parades) [24] | 1 |
UK Singles (OCC) [25] | 3 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [26] | 1 |
Chart (1973) | Peak position |
Australia (Kent Music Report) [27] | 39 |
"Leader of the Pack" | ||||
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Single by Twisted Sister | ||||
from the album Come Out and Play | ||||
Released | November 1985 [28] | |||
Recorded | 1985 | |||
Genre | Glam metal [29] | |||
Length | 3:48 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Dieter Dierks | |||
Twisted Sister singles chronology | ||||
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In 1985, the heavy metal band Twisted Sister recorded a cover version of "Leader of the Pack" from the eponymous leader's perspective, where it is the female lover that was in a car accident, although, in the video, she does not die. [30] The track was included on the group's fourth studio album, Come Out and Play , and was released on Atlantic Records as the album's lead single. It reached number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 47 on the UK Singles chart. [31]
Twisted Sister began playing "Leader of the Pack" when performing live in the clubs during the early years of their career. [32] They first recorded a demo version of the song at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, with Eddie Kramer as the producer, in November 1979, [33] and this recording was released on the band's 1982 EP Ruff Cutts . [34]
When working on their fourth studio album, Come Out and Play , in 1985, frontman Dee Snider suggested Twisted Sister should record "Leader of the Pack" as their next single. Inspired by Mötley Crüe's recent success with their cover of "Smokin' in the Boys Room", Snider was convinced "Leader of the Pack" would "appeal to everybody, including the parents of our fans who knew the original from when they were growing up". He recalled in his 2012 autobiography Shut Up and Give Me the Mic: A Twisted Memoir, "I was positive this was the track that would break down any barriers left for Twisted Sister and bring us to the level of Springsteen, Prince and Madonna. I believed that we were the band that could bring metal to the mainstream." [32]
Upon its release as a single, Nancy Erlich of Billboard wrote, "The guitars are megaton metal, the melody is unchanged, and it's the girl who gets killed; one of the year's odder cultural artifacts." [35] Cash Box considered it to be a "supercharged version of a classic [which] is perfect for the comic book rock of Twisted Sister". They added, "Snider's vocal interpretation is heartful and humorous, and the power-chord backing is sure to catch the ear of many CHR and rock radio programmers." [36] Malcolm Dome of Kerrang! noted that, as with the band's earlier recording of the song, "the humor is still prevalent as well as a genuine respect for a classic pop number", but this time there's "a fine production and a firmer, resonant arrangement". [37]
Chart (1985-1986) | Peak position |
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Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [38] | 80 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [39] | 45 |
UK Singles (OCC) [40] | 47 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [41] | 53 |
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [42] | 32 |
The Shangri-Las were an American girl group of the 1960s, consisting of Mary Weiss, her sister Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss and twin sisters Marguerite "Marge" Ganser, and Mary Ann Ganser. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit pop songs of theirs documented teen tragedies and melodramas. They continue to be known for their hits "Remember ", "Give Him a Great Big Kiss", and in particular, "Leader of the Pack" which went to #1 in the United States in late 1964. Following the death of Mary Weiss in 2024, her sister Betty is the only living member of the group.
Mary Louise Weiss was an American singer and interior designer, best known as the lead singer of the Shangri-Las in the 1960s. Their single "Leader of the Pack" went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1964. She had little involvement in the music scene for decades, returning in 2007 to record her first and only solo album with Norton Records.
"Little Sister" is the first single released by the rock group Queens of the Stone Age from their fourth album Lullabies to Paralyze. It was first issued as a promotional single in December 2004, but was later released as a commercial single on March 7, 2005. The song was recorded live in the studio in one take.
"Shout" is a popular song, written and originally recorded by American vocal group the Isley Brothers in 1959. Later versions include a UK Top 10 hit in 1964 by Scottish singer Lulu.
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George Francis "Shadow" Morton was an American record producer and songwriter best known for his influential work in the 1960s. In particular, he was noted for writing and producing "Remember ", "Leader of the Pack", and other hits for girl group the Shangri-Las.
Jeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer. Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Then He Kissed Me", "Be My Baby", "Chapel of Love", and "River Deep - Mountain High" ; "Leader of the Pack" ; "Sugar, Sugar" ; "Without Us", and "I Honestly Love You".
The Detergents were an American music group consisting of Ronnie (Ron) Dante, Danny Jordan, and Tommy Wynn. The group's specialty was parody songs, as with their first and best-known single, "Leader of the Laundromat". A spoof of the then-current hit song "Leader of the Pack", "Leader of the Laundromat" became a hit in its own right, reaching the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1965.
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Eleanor Louise Greenwich was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Be My Baby", "Maybe I Know", "Then He Kissed Me", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Christmas ", "Hanky Panky", "Chapel of Love", "Leader of the Pack", and "River Deep – Mountain High", among others.
"Chapel of Love" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector, and made famous by The Dixie Cups in 1964, spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song tells of the happiness and excitement the narrator feels on her wedding day, for she and her love are going to the "chapel of love", and "[they'll] never be lonely anymore." Many other artists have recorded the song.
"Wild One" is a dance single by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. Written and produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. The song was another Top 40 triumph for the group as it reached #34 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart and #11 on the Hot R&B singles chart. The backing track for 'Wild one' was an alternative version of the backing track to 'Dancing in the Street'.
"Remember (Walking in the Sand)", also known as "Remember", is a song written by George "Shadow" Morton. It originally was recorded by the girl group the Shangri-Las, who had a top five hit with it in 1964. A remake by Aerosmith in 1979 was a minor hit. There have been many other versions of the song as well.
A teenage tragedy song is a style of sentimental ballad in popular music that peaked in popularity in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Lamenting teenage death scenarios in melodramatic fashion, these songs were variously sung from the viewpoint of the dead person's romantic interest, another witness to the tragedy, or the dead or dying person. Examples of the style are also known as "tear jerkers", "death discs" or "splatter platters", among other names coined by DJs that passed into the vernacular.
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Leader of the Pack is the 1965 debut album by girl group the Shangri-Las. The album was produced to capitalize on the group's breakthrough hits "Remember " and "Leader of the Pack" which had been co-written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. After the album's focal track went to number one, The Shangri-Las' style and image had evolved into something tougher and earthier.
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"Give Him a Great Big Kiss" is a song written by Shadow Morton and performed by the Shangri-Las. It debuted at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late December 1964, and peaked at #18 for two weeks in late January/early February 1965. It was featured on their 1965 album Leader of the Pack.
Ruff Cutts is an EP by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released by Secret in 1982.
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