Digging Our Own Crates: The Shangri-Las – Leader of the Pack
“You know, just because we’re talking about girl-pop doesn’t mean that the records are all sugar ‘n’ honey. The Shangri-Las were tough as hell, singing about death and devastation and topics way ahead of their time. There are a myriad of fine examples of some heavy soul and freakbeat female-vocal records that couldn’t be less sweet.” – Sheila Burgel
Dust & Grooves interviewee Sheila Burgel highlighted The Shangri-Las Leader of the Pack as a high point for 1960’s girl pop groups. While it’s true that The Shangri-Las had Top 40 hits like “Leader of the Pack” and “Remember (Walking in the Sand),” this double trouble sibling group never backed away from the realities that many lower class girls and boys faced, with songs about juvenile delinquency and sneaking out to see your lover boy. Made up of Mary and Betty Weiss (with Mary typically as lead vocal) and Marge and Mary Ann Ganser, these girls formed The Shangri-Las in high school and quickly hit it big with “Remember (Walking in the Sand).” By the mid-60’s, the group was performing alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
The Shangri-Las go beyond themselves. Their songs have stretched beyond the 60’s, beyond girl groups, beyond their hometown of Queens. They’re so far beyond they would make Captain Kirk blush. Their music was a seance, a summoning. Teenage angst had never been sung about so sweetly, so honestly, and by girls before. There is no doubt in the fact that these girls paved the way for groups like The Stooges (Iggy had actually backed the girls on drums before while they toured in his area), and other emotionally-backed-up bands. The Shangri-Las songs were like talking to a friend in school, learning all about their dating life at the lunch table. With lyrics like “He’s good-bad/But he’s not evil” (from “Give Him a Great Big Kiss”) and tales of making a man act like a dog when she’s around him (“Bull Dog”), these girls were the baddest, rode with the baddest, and talked the baddest game around.
Though The Shangri-Las and their hardened bad girl juvenile delinquent image had disappeared by 1968, they had overtly and covertly influenced many bands and artists to come, namely punk music. The Damned took their opening line to “New Rose” (“Is she really going out with him?”) from “Leader of the Pack.” The New York Dolls used “When I say I’m in love you best believe I’m in love, L-U-V” from “Give Him a Great Big Kiss.” There are many other bands who owe at least a little bit to The Shangri-Las, but if I listed them all this article would be too long and I would become obsessed with uncovering every Shangri-Las reference in recorded history, surely ending in my demise.
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Legendary editor of New York Rocker Alan Betrock summed up the girl groups like this “They looked like they could slit your belly with a nail file.” That’s The Shanghai-Las all right. Great article about a group that will never fade away.