#1 for weeks of February 9, 16, and 23rd, 1963.
This song should be no stranger to anyone who's watched Animal House before. For those who have never heard it, it is certainly the epitome of an early 1960's sugary lovey dovy romantic pop song. Yet for whatever reason, I can't bring myself to dislike the tune.
The actual artist "Paul And Paula" was a semi-prefabricated musical duo, at least by name. Their real names were Ray Hildebrand and Jill Jackson. To the song's credit, Hildebrand fully wrote the song himself although his "Paula" wasn't even his girlfriend but instead an acquaintance of his. Despite the non-authenticity of the song's romance, it no doubt inspired countless duo acts throughout the rest of pop music history.
Musically, this song is very much in the classic 1950's slow dance style. It's got the classic doo-wop progression and this is especially enforced by the very innocent sounding lyrics. The song is yet another example of a 1960's hit single that was still grounded in the 1950's.
Vocally, "Paul" is the stronger vocalist as sometimes "Paula" seems to falter a bit on her solo vocal delivery. Both of them together on the other hand turn out to be a good combination. However, due to the fact that this was not a genuine romance, the song loses some of its authenticity.
While the duo weren't a one hit wonder (their follow up "Young Lovers" hit #6), this is really the only song of theirs that has somewhat transferred over to later decades, (No doubt helped again by its use in Animal House). It's very innocent sounding and a bit twee, but If you're a married couple who wants to have a private singalong, this song would surly be welcomed in that mixtape.
Final Verdict - Despite this song being on the twee side, it's got enough charms on its own. If you need some slower/softer music to wind down to, this song might be just what you're looking for.
Coming Up Next - "Walk Like A Man" by The Four Seasons.
Until Next Time - "Hey, Hey, reader...my name is Dr. Rock"
No comments:
Post a Comment