One of the most noteworthy and best crafted girl group songs to come out of the early 1960's. "He's So Fine", by The Chiffons is the perfect example of how to do a pop song right. The Chiffons were also one of those lucky few groups to have their very first song be a #1 hit.
Other great Chiffons songs include "One Fine Day", the slightly trippy "Nobody Knows What's Going On In My Mind But Me", and "When The Boy's Happy (The Girl's Happy Too)" which they recorded as The Four Pennies. All of these songs have several things in common - Underneath the traditional girl group pop lyrics are an amazing musical accompaniment and vocals which rival The Beach Boys and The Four Seasons at times!
"He's So Fine" was where it all began for the group and compared to the above listed songs, it sounds much less musically complex with no wall of sound or horn/string section to be found. The real magic lies in the incredible verses and choruses. The particular note and chord combinations used are the types of progressions I could only dream of coming up with on my own.
Vocally, the song is absolutely chock full of hooks, mainly those "Doo-Lang-Doo-Langs" which harken back to the days of Doo-Wop. There's just the right amount of backing vocals in the song to assure the listener that everytime they press play they will catch something different.
It is worth mentioning the controversy that would erupt some 10 years later over George Harrison's song "My Sweet Lord". George was accused of taking the main melody of "He's So Fine" and using it on his song. While there is a slight resemblance, the two songs are very different instrumentally and lyrically. I'll talk about "My Sweet Lord" in more detail come 1970/1971.
Final Verdict - One of the top 5 girl group songs ever made. "He's So Fine" is musically and vocally entertaining and has such timeless quality that it can still be enjoyed to this very day. Give it a listen and hear for yourself!
Coming Up Next - "I Will Follow Him" by Little Peggy March.
Until Next Time - I'm Dr. Rock and I'm so fine.
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