“I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still.” That’s the opening line of the 1963 hit “Da Doo Ron Ron”, one of a string of songs that vividly captured the essence of teenage romance in a way American popular music had rarely done.
There’s been a recent resurgence of interest in those 1960’s tunes. Bette Midler leads off her new CD It’s The Girls, a glorious tribute to girl groups, with “Be My Baby”, which she credited to The Ronettes during a television appearance. In December, Darlene Love wrapped up a nearly 30-year annual tradition of performing “Christmas: Baby Please Come Home” on David Letterman’s late-night show. When singer Lesley Gore passed away in February, her song “Maybe I Know (That He’s Been Cheating)” was heard again on the radio. And on the latest edition of NBC’s The Sing-off, host Nick Lachey introduced one group’s number by saying “Now performing “River Deep, Mountain High” by Tina Turner, here is Traces.”
Yes, Turner’s 1966 version of that classic, produced by Phil Spector, brought it worldwide attention. But “River Deep” and all the other above-referenced songs were actually written by the late Ellie Greenwich, along with her then-husband Jeff Barry, two mainstays of the legendary Brill Building group of artists….
