Saturday, May 9, 2009

The 10 Greatest Doo Wop Songs (Part 1)

1)Gloria- The Cadillacs

The original version is by the Cadillacs and it's one of the greatest records ever made. A lot of groups have covered it but the message is always the same. In the words of Robert Zimmerman, "Life is sad, life is a bust, all you can do is do what you must. You do what you must do and you do it well. I do it for you honey, baby, can't you tell?" And if you can't tell with this song honey you've got a tin fucking ear. Sherie and Marie mean nothing.




2) Who's That Knockin'- The Genies

Martin Scorsese's first full length movie was called Who's That Knocking At My Door, and I assume it was named after this song because it plays in the last scene. I can't embed the original version of it by the Genies but here's the opening minutes of the movie and a link to the original version. Scorsese's the best ever and he uses music in his movies better than anyone. The best songs from that era suggest a world of possibilities that songs in later decades felt the need to narrow down until they could be seen in just one way. But songs like this leave in room to breathe; Whos That Knockin' is about the demons in your heart that won't ever be escaped, and also the girls who throw bricks through window panes. And just for the hell of it here's the opening to Mean Streets, by a man who fucking gets the Ronettes.

Link to the original Version of Who's That Knockin'











continued next post

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