For the past few Forgotten Music posts, I’ve featured songwriting duos: Groffin & King,, Mann and Weil , Greenwich and Barry, and Bacharach and David. Doc Pomus and Mort Schuman wrote some of my favorite songs from my youth: “Teenager in Love” by Deon and the Belmonts, the classics by The Drifters–“Sweets for My Sweet,” “This Magic Moment,” “Save the Last Dance for Me”–and hits like (Marie’s the Name of) His Latest Flame.” Do you have a favorite Pomus & Schuman song?
TRACK LIST:
Disc: 1
1. Sweets for My Sweet – the Drifters – the Drifters
2. Little Sister – Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley
3. A Teenager in Love – Dion & the Belmonts – Dion and the Belmonts
4. School of Heartbreakers – Ral Donner – Ral Donner
5. Don’t You Dare Let Me Down – Conway Twitty – Conway Twitty
6. Turn Me Loose – Fabian – Fabian
7. Pajama Party – Bobby Pedrick Jr. – Bobby Pedrick JR
8. Angel Face – Billy Fury – Billy Fury
9. You’re Teasing Me – Lavern Baker – Lavern Baker
10. Teenage Heartache – Ray Peterson – Ray Peterson
11. Foxy Little Mama – Little Tony and His Brothers – Little Tony and His Brothers
12. (You’ve Got) the Magic Touch – the Platters – the Platters
13. Seven Day Weekend – Gary U.S. Bonds – Gary U.S. Bonds
14. Souvenir of Mexico – Ben E. King – Ben E. King
15. Comes the Day – Rusty Lane & the Mystics – Rusty Lane & the Mystics
16. Sorrow Tomorrow – Bobby Darin – Bobby Darin
17. Boogie Woogie Country Girl – Big Joe Turner – Big Joe Turner
18. I Ain’t Sharin’ – Sharon Jimmy Darren – Sharon Jimmy Darren
19. Two Fools – Frankie Avalon – Frankie Avalon
20. Misery’s Child – Richard Hayes – Richard Hayes
21. The Snake and the Bookworm – Cliff Richard – Cliff Richard
22. Sun Glasses – the Shades – the Shades
23. You Be My Baby – Ray Charles – Ray Charles
24. Spanish Lace – Gene McDaniels – Gene McDaniels
25. You Never Talked About Me – Del Shannon – Del Shannon
Disc: 2
1. Surrender – Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley
2. The Tiger and the Mouse – Connie Francis – Connie Francis
3. Don’t Fly Away – Jan & Dean – Jan & Dean
4. Go, Jimmy, Go – Jimmy Clanton – Jimmy Clanton
5. If You Need Me – Dave Sampson – Dave Sampson
6. I Count the Tears – the Drifters – the Drifters
7. (Since You’re Gone) I Can’t Go on – Bobby Darin – Bobby Darin
8. Carryin’ That Load – Ray Charles – Ray Charles
9. Stampede – Danny Valentino – Danny Valentino
10. Kiss and Make Up – the Crowns – the Crowns
11. Teenage Tears – James Darren – James Darren
12. I Need a Girl – Big Joe Turner – Big Joe Turner
13. Your Other Love – the Flamingos – the Flamingos
14. Would You Stand By Me? – Billy Fury – Billy Fury
15. Hey Memphis – Lavern Baker – Lavern Baker
16. Ginny in the Mirror – Del Shannon – Del Shannon
17. A Texan and a Girl from Mexico – Anita Bryant – Anita Bryant
18. This Magic Moment – the Drifters – the Drifters
19. Havin’ Fun – Dion – Dion
20. Once Upon a Time – Ricky Valance – Ricky Valance
21. Footsteps – the Skyliners – the Skyliners
22. People Gotta Talk – Ersel Hickey – Ersel Hickey
23. Hushabye – the Mystics – the Mystics
24. I’m on Fire – Tommy Bruce & the Bruisers – Tommy Bruce & the Bruisers
25. I Dig Girls – Bobby Rydell – Bobby Rydell
Disc: 3
1. Hound Dog Man – Fabian – Fabian
2. Too Hot to Handle – Jimmy Simmons – Jimmy Simmons
3. Little Ship – the Delicates – the Delicates
4. (Marie’s the Name of) His Latest Flame – Del Shannon – Del Shannon
5. Doin’ the Best I Can – Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley
6. Rag Doll – Jess Conrad – Jess Conrad
7. Lonely Avenue – Ray Charles – Ray Charles
8. Sweet Talk – Bobby Comstock & the Counts – Bobby Comstock & the Counts
9. I’m a Man – Adam Faith – Adam Faith
10. So Close to Heaven – Ral Donner – Ral Donner
11. Say the Word – Mickey & Sylvia – Mickey & Sylvia
12. It’s Been Nice – Marty Wilde – Marty Wilde
13. Too Good – Little Tony & His Brothers – Little Tony and His Brothers
14. Love Roller Coaster – Joe Turner – Joe Turner
15. Senor Big and Fine – Lavern Baker – Lavern Baker
16. Wait – Jimmy Clanton – Jimmy Clanton
17. Happy Time – the Skyliners – the Skyliners
18. My Island of Dreams – Clyde McPhatter – Clyde McPhatter
19. Mess of Blues – Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley
20. It’s Not True – Ricky Valance – Ricky Valance
21. (Wake Up) Miss Rip Van Winkle – the Tibbs Brothers – the Tibbs Brothers
22. Music Man – Danny Valentino – Danny Valentino
23. Plain Jane – Bobby Darin – Bobby Darin
24. I’ve Cried Before – Dion & the Belmonts – Dion and the Belmonts
25. Save the Last Dance for Me – the Drifters – the Drifters
Wow! Memories of AFN in the late 50s and early 60s for me.
Save the last dance for me would be my favourite!
Not too much OT:
When I read “Ricky_Valance” I first thought this was a mistake, should have been Richie Valens but then I searched:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Valance
Censorship on radio …
Interesting story, especially about this song:
Tell Laura I love her – last words …
Wolf, it seemed like every band in the Sixties was playing “Save the Last Dance For Me” as part of their set. Great song!
I’m not as familiar with this songwriting duo as with some of the others you’ve featured, but of the songs listed here, “Little Sister” by Elvis is my favorite.
It’s interesting that the songs here run the gamut from R&B legends like Big Joe Turner to teenage heart-throbs on both sides of the Atlantic (Fabian, Cliff Richard): a pretty diverse group.
Deb, Pomus & Schuman churned out a lot of hits in the Sixties for a variety of artists and groups. “Teenager In Love” was the first pop song I memorized all the words to when I was 10 years old.
Not one song, but I like all the songs they wrote for the Drifters. Also “Hushabye” is a favorite. Mort Schuman did a lot to popularize Jacques Brel in this country too.
So we have him to thank for “Seasons in the Sun”?
Deb, sadly…yes.
Jeff, like you I think The Drifter songs are classics. Who can sit still when “Sweets For My Sweet” starts playing!
Well, that is about as bad as it gets, admittedly, but no, it was Rod McKuen who wrote that.
Eric Blau & Shuman did the translations for Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.
I was just referring to the fact that he was instrumental in introducing Brel to an American audience. Although I suppose like any noxious weed, “Seasons in the Sun” would have found a way to insinuate itself in our brains.
Oddly, that terrible song came up in passing in a discussion of the band Big Star and how their song “Thirteen” should have gotten the kind of saturation the McKuen spew got back in the early ’70s…and that from a consistent KISS fan, albeit one who realizes the utter cheesiness of that band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pte3Jg-2Ax4
I had never heard of these guys, but I am familiar with some of their songs, not nearly as many as the other songwriting teams you’ve featured. I’m guessing I may need to hear some of the songs I don’t remember by the title. No song listed that I’d say is a must listen with the volume turned way up.
Maggie, I had forgotten many of these songs until I played the CDs.
Those Brill Building guys turned out a lot of stuff as George has shown us – and probably here also Sturgeon’s Revelation aka Sturgeon’s Law applies:
“ninety percent of everything is crap”
Made it to wiki even – and the Oxford English Dictionary … 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law
But they wrote many great songs and had a big influence on my youth!
A bit OT:
Living in the French Occupied Zone of Germany I had to learn French and Latin – English came later but I invested a lot of energy there, wanted to understand what all those rock songs were about!
And that really helped me in life and in my job and got me involved in interesting projects – even brought me to the USA on a business trip, beacause some managers needed an IT person who could “pose intelligent questions in English” …
Wolf, I’m amazed that the Brill Building music had international appeal.
George, think of all the traditions Brill Building pop drew on…much as with the rock it enmeshed with, a real stew of Euro- and Afro-American traditions, from the old countries and developed here…or back and forth with those down south in the Latin Americas…simple-minded nations that rock is simply black music played by white people manages to misunderstand how country and blues and pop and R&B in the original sense and gospel and jazz–coming as the last did out of the classical forms of ragtime and the influence of the “Spanish Tinge” that was encouraging tango music and eventually samba elsewhere–grew up together, and constantly interacted (hence such things as western swing and Afro-Cuban jazz and the improvisational flow of bluegrass). This is why music from the Americas tends to inspire around the world…particularly after it started pulling in Asian elements in various ways, to add to the native and emigrant traditions from elsewhere.
Todd, my admiration of the Brill Building songs is that for years teams of songwriters were able to produce so many hits. It’s astonishing!
This Magic Moment
Hushabye
Save The Last Dance for Me
Overall, I’m not sure this is a collection I’d listen to much.
Rick, you’re right. There’s a lot of filler here. But some of the songs are gems!
Good, but some of the other Brill collections you’ve done do stroke the memory harder…
Todd, I included Pomus and Schuman for completeness. I much prefer David & Bachrach and Goffin & King.
I like the Drifters and a couple of other songs but way too much Bobby Rydell and Fabian crap. I didn’t start listening to music much until The Beatles, Dylan and the Stones showed up. Before that maybe Link Ray or Chuck Berry. Most of this music I associated with the guys with greasy pompadours.
Steve, Dion and The Belmonts were slick. No greasy pompadours for them!
Doc Pomus also wrote songs with Lou Reed for his Magic & Loss record.
The Drifters was one of the first bands whose work I actively sought out, so theirs do stick in the memory…even if “Up on the Roof” and a few others were more favored…
Todd, when The Drifters’s piano starts “Sweets for My Sweet” I just can’t sit down. Their music just gets me hopping!