Stephanie Knows Who

Last updated
"Stephanie Knows Who"
Stephanie Knows Who label.jpg
US issue
Single by Love
from the album Da Capo
B-side "Orange Skies"
ReleasedNovember 1966 (1966-11)
RecordedOctober 2, 1966 [1]
Studio RCA Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles
Genre
Length2:29
Label Elektra
Songwriter(s) Arthur Lee
Producer(s) Paul A. Rothchild
Love singles chronology
"7 And 7 Is"
(1966)
"Stephanie Knows Who"
(1966)
"She Comes in Colors"
(1966)

"Stephanie Knows Who" is a song written by Arthur Lee and first released by Love on their 1966 album Da Capo . It has also been released on several Love compilation albums. It was to have been released as a single, backed with "Orange Skies", but the single was withdrawn, with "She Comes in Colors" replacing it under the same catalog number. The song was also covered by The Move.

Contents

Lyrics and music

The song was inspired by a woman about 18 years old named Stephanie Buffington who both Lee and Love's guitarist Bryan MacLean had affections for. [2] [4] Parts of "The Castle", another song on Da Capo, were inspired by the same woman. [4] Love drummer Michael Stuart-Ware claims that when Lee wrote the song, Stephanie was with him but by the time the band recorded the song she was with MacLean. [4] Stuart also believes that the romantic triangle helped lead to the deterioration of the friendship between Lee and MacLean, to the point where Lee tried to expel MacLean from the band. [4] According to guitarist Johnny Echols, the song's lyrics, "A tiger did, you said he did", referred to marks that Lee saw on her side, which she explained as having been caused by a childhood scratch from a tiger, though in fact they were stretch marks from a teenage pregnancy. [5] Still today, most of the lyric listings for this song have that line deciphered incorrectly.

The song's music contains jazz elements. [2] [6] AllMusic critic Matthew Greenwald has described the song as "a combination of hard, psychedelic rock with a free jazz interlude." [2] For the interlude, which features Johnny Echols' guitar playing and Tjay Cantrelli's (real name John Barberi) saxophone playing, the time signature shifts from 3/4 to 5/8. [4] [7] Echols has described the song as "a kind of a jazz waltz", though noting that the song isn't very danceable. [4] Stuart-Ware has also commented that the song is hard to dance to. [4]

Although Lee's singing on Love's debut album and on Da Capo's lead single "7 and 7 Is" (released months before the album) uses a harsh style, his singing most of Da Capo uses a softer style. [4] "Stephanie Knows Who" is an exception, and uses the raw singing style of the debut album. [4] However, the instrumentation of the album is more consistent with the rest of Da Capo. For example, Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer's harpsichord is prominent. [8] [9] The Da Capo instrumentation is particularly evident in the instrumental introduction to the song, which features MacLean's folk music-style guitar playing and Pfisterer's harpsichord. [4]

Critical reception

AllMusic critic Matthew Greenwald praised the song as being "wonderfully quirky." [2] Music critic Barney Hoskyns has described the song as having garage punk angst. [10] Chris Hollow of The Age described the song as a jewel. [11] Edna Gundersen and Ken Burns of USA Today described the song as being "among the most attractively sophisticated of the era." [12] Author Dominic Priore considers it a prime example of Lee's "fiery passion" and remarks how the song "breaks into a jazzy solo without losing its rock 'n' roll grit." [13] Author Bob Cianci praised Stuart-Ware's drumming on the song. [7] Colin Larkin called it one of the "strong tracks" on Da Capo. [14] Authors Scott Schinder and Andy Schwartz described Cantrelli's saxophone solo as being in a similar style to John Coltrane. [15]

Other appearances

"Stephanie Knows Who" had been intended as a single release in late 1966, backed with "Orange Skies." It was assigned catalog number EK 45608. [16] However, the single was withdrawn. "She Comes in Colors", backed with "Orange Skies", was released with catalog number EK 45608 instead. [16] After its original release as a single and on Da Capo, "Stephanie Knows Who" was also included on a number of Love compilation albums, including Comes in Colours and Best of Love . [2]

The Move covered "Stephanie Knows Who" on their 1968 live EP Something Else from The Move. [17] [18] AllMusic critic Cub Koda describes The Move's version as "a psychedelic number with loads of wah-wah guitar from Roy Wood." [18] AllMusic's Richie Unterberger commented on the song's "spinning and frenetic guitar work." [17] The song also appears on other albums by The Move, including the reissue of Shazam . [19] [20]

"Stephanie Knows Who" was also covered by The Aardvarks on the multi-artist compilation album Modstock Saarbrücken 94. [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>Forever Changes</i> 1967 studio album by Love

Forever Changes is the third studio album by the American rock band Love, released by Elektra Records in November 1967. The album saw the group embrace a subtler folk-oriented sound and orchestration, while primary songwriter Arthur Lee explored darker themes alluding to mortality and his creeping disillusionment with the 1960s counterculture. It was the final album recorded by the original band lineup; after its completion, Bryan Maclean left the group acrimoniously and the other members were dismissed by leader Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love (band)</span> American rock group

Love is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965. Led by frontman and primary songwriter Arthur Lee, they were one of the first racially diverse American rock bands. Their sound incorporated an eclectic range of styles including garage, folk-rock, and psychedelia. While finding only modest success on the music charts, peaking in 1966 with their Top 40 hit "7 and 7 Is", Love would come to be praised by critics as their third album, Forever Changes (1967), became generally regarded as one of the best albums of the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Lee (musician)</span> American musician (1945–2006)

Arthur Taylor Lee was an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame as the leader of the Los Angeles rock band Love. Love's 1967 album Forever Changes was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and it is part of the National Recording Registry.

Psychedelic folk is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hey Joe</span> Song written and composed by Billy Roberts

"Hey Joe" is an American song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and has been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics tell of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico after shooting his unfaithful wife. In 1962, Billy Roberts registered "Hey Joe" for copyright in the United States.

<i>Da Capo</i> (Love album) 1966 studio album by Love

Da Capo is the second studio album by the American rock band Love, released in November 1966 by Elektra Records. The album was recorded between September and October 1966 at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California.

<i>Love</i> (Love album) 1966 studio album by Love

Love is the debut album by the Los Angeles-based rock band Love; released in March 1966 by Elektra Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alone Again Or</span> 1968 single by Love

"Alone Again Or" is a song originally recorded in 1967 by the rock group Love and written by band member Bryan MacLean. It appears on the album Forever Changes, and was released as a single in the USA, UK, Australia, France and the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan MacLean</span> American singer-songwriter (1946–1998)

Bryan Andrew MacLean was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the influential rock band Love. His famous compositions for Love include "Alone Again Or", "Old Man" and "Orange Skies".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Echols</span> American songwriter and guitarist

John Marshall Echols is an American songwriter and guitarist, who was co-founder and the lead guitar player of the psychedelic rock band Love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7 and 7 Is</span> 1966 single by Love

"7 and 7 Is" is a song written by Arthur Lee and recorded by his band Love on June 17 and 20, 1966, at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood. It was produced by Jac Holzman and engineered by Bruce Botnick.

Psychedelic pop is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the mid-to-late 1960s, elements included "trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, sitars, and Beach Boys-style harmonies, wedded to melodic songs with tight song structures. The style lasted into the early 1970s. It has seen revivals in subsequent decades by neo-psychedelic artists.

"Cowgirl in the Sand" is a song written by Neil Young and first released on his 1969 album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. Young has included live versions of the song on several albums and on the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album 4 Way Street. It has also been covered by The Byrds on their self-titled album. Like three other songs from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, "Cinnamon Girl", "Down by the River" and the title track, Young wrote "Cowgirl in the Sand" while he was suffering from the flu with a high fever at his home in Topanga, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange Skies</span> 1966 single by Love

"Orange Skies" is a song written by Bryan MacLean and originally recorded in 1966 by the band Love for their second album Da Capo. It was first released the same month as the B-side to the band's single "Stephanie Knows Who". The original recording features band leader Arthur Lee on lead vocals instead of MacLean.

"Cod'ine" is a contemporary folk song by singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. Considered one of the earliest anti-drug songs, Sainte-Marie wrote the piece after becoming addicted to codeine which she had been given for a bronchial infection. She recorded it for her debut album, It's My Way! (1964).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She Comes in Colors</span> 1966 single by Love

"She Comes in Colors" is a song written by Arthur Lee and released by the band Love as a single in 1966 and on their 1966 album Da Capo. It was also included on a number of Love compilation albums, including Love Revisited and Best of Love and on the multi-artist compilation album Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra 1963–1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Little Red Book</span> Song composed by Burt Bacharach performed by Manfred Mann

"My Little Red Book" (occasionally subtitled "(All I Do Is Talk About You)") is a song composed by American songwriter Burt Bacharach with lyrics by Bacharach's songwriting partner Hal David. The duo were enlisted by Charles K. Feldman to compose the music to Woody Allen's film What's New Pussycat? following a chance meeting between Feldman and Bacharach's fiancé Angie Dickinson in London. "My Little Red Book" was composed in the time of roughly three weeks together with several other songs intended for the movie. Musically, the song was initially composed in the key of C major, largely based on a re-iterating piano riff performed. David's lyrics tells the tale of a distraught lover, who after getting dumped by his girlfriend browses through his "little red book" and taking out several girls to dance in a vain effort to get over her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">¡Que Vida!</span> 1967 single by Love

"¡Que Vida!" is a song written by Arthur Lee and first released in 1967 by the band Love. It was released both on Love's album Da Capo and as a single, backed with "Hey Joe". It has also been included on several Love compilation albums.

<i>Smile</i> (The Beach Boys album) Unfinished studio album by the Beach Boys

Smile is an unfinished album by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was planned to follow their 11th studio album, Pet Sounds (1966). It was to be a 12-track LP, with each track edited together from interchangeable fragments, similar to the group's 1966 single "Good Vibrations". Instead, after a year of recording, the album was shelved and the group released a downscaled version, Smiley Smile, in September 1967. Over the next four decades, few of the original Smile tracks were officially released, and the project came to be regarded as the most legendary unreleased album in popular music history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Hoh</span> American rock drummer

Edward Hoh was an American rock drummer who was active in the 1960s. Although primarily a studio session and touring drummer, Hoh exhibited a degree of originality and showmanship that set him apart and several of his contributions have been singled out for acknowledgment by music critics.

References

  1. Oxide, Chrome. "Chrome Oxide - Music Collectors pages - Love - 03/08/2014". www.chromeoxide.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Greenwald, M. "Stephanie Knows Who". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  3. No Depression. No Depression. 2004. p. 17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Einarson, J. (2010). Forever Changes: Arthur Lee and the Book of Love. Jawbone Press. pp. 139–141, 146. ISBN   9781906002312.
  5. "Interview: Johnny Echols (Love)", Hit-Channel.com. Retrieved November 26, 2021
  6. Unterberger, R. "Da Capo". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  7. 1 2 Cianci, B. (2006). Great Rock Drummers of the Sixies. Hal Leonard. p. 135. ISBN   9780634099250.
  8. Phares, H. (September 14, 1995). "All You Need Is Love". The Michigan Daily . p. 15. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  9. Iwasaki, S. (September 2, 1995). "Continue Psychedelic Love Affair With 2-CD Set". Deseret News. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  10. Hoskyns, B. (2009). Waiting for the Sun: A Rock 'n' Roll History of Los Angeles. Hal Leonard. p. 123. ISBN   9780879309435.
  11. Hollow, C. (March 30, 2003). "The one true love". The Age . Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  12. Gundersen, E. & Barnes, K. (July 18, 2007). "20 albums that defined an era". USA Today . p. D5.
  13. Priore, D. (2007). Riot on Sunset Strip. Jawbone Press. p. 89. ISBN   9781906002046.
  14. Larkin, C. (2006). The encyclopedia of popular music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780195313734.
  15. Schinder, S. & Schwartz, A. (2008). Icons of Rock. ABC-CLIO. p. 263. ISBN   9780313338465.
  16. 1 2 Hoskyns, B. (2003). Arthur Lee: Alone Again Or. Canongate. pp. 52, 141. ISBN   9781841953151.
  17. 1 2 Unterberger, R. "Something Else from The Move". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  18. 1 2 Koda, C. "Something Else from the Move [Something Else from the Move...Plus!]". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  19. Erlewine, S.T. "Shazam". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  20. "The Move: Stephanie Knows Who". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  21. "Modstock Saarbrucken 94". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-07-12.