The Shangri-Las, "Leader of the Pack"

The Shangri-Las had their biggest hit with "Leader of the Pack," which reached number one on the Billboard charts in 1964. It's the first song I remember hearing about a girl who may or may not have been a "bad" girl; she went out with the leader of a motorcycle gang! Yes, she broke up with him at her parents' behest, but how did that turn out? Broken glass and roaring out-of-control engines, that's how! I'm afraid the lesson I learned from this song was simple: be a good girl, or...someone will die. Perhaps I was a rather malleable audience for the teen tragedy genre of the pop world.

"Leader of the Pack" is a double treat. Not only is the climax of the song rendered in the form of a short speech, but the introduction is a dialogue between members of The Shangri-Las to set up the dramatic action.

Intro:
Is she really going out with him?
Well, there she is. Let's ask her.
Betty, is that Jimmy's ring you're wearing?
Mm-hmm
Gee, it must be great riding with him.
Is he picking you up after school today?
Uh-uh
By the way, where'd you meet him?

Verse:
He sort of smiled and kissed me goodbye
The tears were beginning to show
As he drove away on that rainy night
I begged him to go slow
But whether he heard, I'll never know
Look out! Look out! Look out! Look out!

(Ugh. Who, besides me, wants to deck Robert Goulet?)