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When discussing the music produced by the Shangri-Las in the mid-60s, there is often a focus on the contribution of their producer, George “Shadow” Morton. This is understandable, as Morton’s production style was hard to ignore from the very first hit, 1964’s “Remember (Walking in the Sand).” Despite claiming to have no experience or musical ability, Morton’s approach was far from subtle or tasteful. He heavily relied on techniques such as echo and dramatic sound effects, including screaming birds and crashing waves, thunder, train whistles and noises, screeching tires, and the sound of vehicles colliding at high speed.
Morton may have believed that in order to succeed in the American pop music scene, you needed to stand out. This was during a time when the British invasion was dominating the charts, with multiple hits from popular British bands such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Dave Clarke 5. Despite this competition, Morton’s strategy seemed to have worked as Remember (Walking in the Sand) became the first of many successful songs for the Shangri-Las in the following two years.
Mary Weiss, the unofficial leader of The Shangri-Las, was the main vocalist for almost all of the band’s successful songs and managed to shine through the chaotic sound. She, along with her bandmates – her sister Betty and identical twins Marge and Mary Ann Ganser – were originally discovered performing at local talent shows and school events. However, it wasn’t until they teamed up with Morton that their singles found success.
Weiss was only 15 years old when the song Remember (Walking in the Sand) was recorded. Despite her sweet appearance with blonde hair and an “angelic little face”, her voice told a different tale. It was sharp and piercing, with a slight nasal quality, able to stand out amidst Morton’s extravagant productions. Her voice was a clear representation of her upbringing in Queens, as heard in her exclamation of “I’m walking out that door!” on Never Again. However, it may have been from a nicer part of the neighborhood than one would assume based on her sound.
She had quite an emotional range – distraught on Never Again, stoical on The Train from Kansas City, sweetly lovestruck on Heaven Only Knows, consumed with lust at the end of Give Him a Great Big Kiss – but always sounded tough and streetwise: far from the matching gowns worn by her fellow girl groups, you somehow got the feeling she might be chewing gum or filing her nails as she sang. Perhaps that lent her voice a certain realism that accounts for the emotional impact of the Shangri-Las’ singles.
The staging was very over-the-top and the emotional dramas involving young adults could sometimes come off as a bit ridiculous. In the 1965 song Give Us Your Blessings, a couple tragically dies in a car accident because they were too distraught over their parents’ disapproval of their love to see a road closure sign. However, despite these moments, the songs still managed to have a strong emotional impact on listeners. In fact, music critic Greil Marcus once commented that these were “records [that] left wounds in their listeners.” Even singer Amy Winehouse proclaimed their 1965 single I Can Never Go Home Anymore as “the saddest song in the world.”
Weiss’s voice was the perfect fit for the Shangri-Las’ music, which often defied parents and relentlessly pursued unsuitable boyfriends. When asked about her sweetheart’s character on “Give Him a Great Big Kiss,” Weiss nonchalantly replied that he was “good-bad, but not evil.” Death was a common theme in their songs, usually as a result of road accidents. On their 1964 hit single “Leader of the Pack,” Weiss screamed “Look out!” as her biker beau Jimmy angrily rode off into the night and met a grisly fate. Morton provided sound effects to emphasize the tragedy.
Other girl groups had also sung about being attracted to bad boys, such as the Crystals’ 1962 hit “He’s a Rebel.” They also challenged the idea that their matching outfits made them delicate, with Peggy Santiglia of the Angels sounding similar to Weiss on their 1963 song “My Boyfriend’s Back,” which warns someone that their boyfriend will physically harm them. However, the Shangri-Las took this tough attitude to the extreme, pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable for girls in the pop industry.
Their rebellious males were not actually misunderstood like the protagonist in “He’s a Rebel,” but rather, they were alluring precisely because of their rebellious nature. Weiss joyfully sings about their “dirty fingernails” on “Give Him a Great Big Kiss,” proclaiming them to be a desirable prize. Their perspective can be best summarized by their 1965 hit “Out in the Streets,” where Weiss declares that her love has reformed her former gang member boyfriend. However, instead of feeling content with this change, she is distressed, lamenting that he no longer engages in wild behavior and no longer wears his signature black boots. She even regrets ever meeting him.
It is noteworthy that their successful career ended with the release of “Long Live Our Love” in 1966. The song, which was about a boyfriend being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, showcased the group’s support for the war effort by using the tune of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again.” This was a questionable decision, given the growing anti-war movement and counterculture at the time. It also seemed to contradict the image they had built for themselves in the previous years with their edgy lyrics, leather outfits, and stories of their rebellious behavior. This included lead singer Weiss carrying a gun and getting into a fight with police after using a segregated bathroom at a Texas venue where they were opening for James Brown. There were also rumors of them throwing dishes at each other backstage, nearly hitting Marvin Gaye in the process. It was surprising to see them meekly saying goodbye to their boyfriend instead of trying to smuggle him away to Canada. Additionally, it was unexpected that they would be interested in a clean-cut, patriotic boyfriend instead of a long-haired, draft-card-burning rebel.
For whatever reason, that marked the end of their career, although they did manage to release one more remarkable record. The song, titled “Past, Present and Future”, is a combination of spoken word and musical accompaniment inspired by Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. It could be interpreted as another song about a failed teenage romance, but the weighty strings and Weiss’s soft, subdued delivery suggest that the issue goes beyond just being dumped. There is an implication that something much worse has happened to the main character: “Would you like to take a walk along the beach tonight? / I’d love to / But don’t try to touch me / Don’t try to touch me / Because that will never happen again.”
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It is not surprising that a song implying abuse or rape of the protagonist led to the decline of the Shangri-Las and their eventual disappearance from the music scene. The group’s member, Weiss, moved on to work for an architectural firm. However, their music did not suffer the same fate and continued to be popular with audiences, despite being considered disposable teen pop. In 1972 and four years later, The Leader of the Pack was a hit once again in the UK. As expected, the Shangri-Las became the preferred girl group among proto-punk and punk fans. The New York Dolls borrowed Weiss’s spoken-word introduction in Give Him a Great Big Kiss – “when I say I’m in love, you best believe I’m in love – L-U-V” – for the beginning of their song Looking for a Kiss in 1973. However, their decision to work with producer Shadow Morton on their second album, Too Much Too Soon, turned out to be disastrous. The first British punk single, New Rose by the Damned, also took inspiration from The Leader of the Pack, with singer Dave Vanian asking “Is she really going out with him?” at the start of the song. Blondie’s cover of Out in the Streets and their debut single X Offender also reflected the influence of the Shangri-Las’ sound.
During the punk era, there was renewed interest in The Shangri-Las, leading to a brief reunion where they performed at CBGBs with a backing band including Lenny Kaye, guitarist for Patti Smith. They also began work on a new album, but it remained unfinished. Despite this, by the mid-80s, they were recognized as an influence by bands such as The Jesus and Mary Chain and were even covered by glam metal group Twisted Sister. The late Amy Winehouse was a devoted fan and often incorporated lines from The Shangri-Las’ “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” into her live performances of “Back to Black”. The Swedish pop group ABBA also showed their appreciation for The Shangri-Las, with member Agnetha Fältskog covering “Past, Present and Future” on her 2004 album “My Colouring Book”. Interestingly, fandom for The Shangri-Las has brought together unlikely artists such as Lana Del Rey, Sonic Youth, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Bette Midler, and Belle and Sebastian.
Ultimately, Weiss emerged from hiding and put out a successful solo record titled Dangerous Game in 2007. She granted a handful of interviews, but they didn’t provide much insight – reporters had a tough time reconciling the professional, middle-class woman they encountered with the voice behind songs like “Out in the Streets” and “Give Him a Great Big Kiss.” Whether it was genuine or an act, it doesn’t make much of a difference – Mary Weiss’s voice remained powerful.
Source: theguardian.com
