The Raindrops
Label: Jubilee
Released: 1963
With two-thirds of their lineup consisting of Brill Building vets Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, The Raindrops had access to plenty of good material, and their eponymous 1963 debut brims with wonderful songs. And while it wasn’t one of their hits, the album’s “That Boy’s Messin’ Up My Mind” just might be The Raindrops’ best. As would be expected from such talented songsmiths, the lyrics are a notch above the usual love song fodder. Many girl groups sang of boyfriends who were “rebels,” but this is the only ode I know to an ordinary schlub — it’s less about this great guy than about how the singer has learned to appreciate the little things about him. Structurally, it’s even more sophisticated, shifting from a loud and brassy “kiss, like his kiss” to the more subdued realization of the title without missing a beat.
—John Hagelston
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October 7th, 2009 at 11:41 am
This is exactly the kind of music I hate.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Not exactly my style, but I found it interesting enough to listen to it all the way through.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
For a guy/gal with a moniker like “RetroHound”, that’s quite a diss. But, frankly, I have to agree. There were so many other great tunes penned by Ms. Greenwich, that this one fall completely flat for me. I also disliked the organ solo during the bridge. So…Keep those Raindrops from Falling on My Head, please!
October 7th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
That’s one weird mix — this was mono originally, so maybe that explains why they stuck all of the vocals in the left channel - to play with the “new sound”?
Okay, I’ll jump on the bandwagon, not the best cut selection from DFD - and not the Raindrops best IMHO…
October 7th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Definitely not hit material.
“That Boy John” was excellent, though.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Yeah, Jeff & Ellie were great.
This track is not evidence of that, though.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Wow, I thought my craptastic headphones were messing with the vocals, which sounded “off”, but it looks like I’m not the only one who’s not into this one. I was kinda stoked when I saw it’s Ellie / Jeff / Raindrops, but I’ll give it two thumbs hooked in my pockets.
October 7th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
I like the lead vocal, and the lyrics are good. It’d sound better in mono with the backing vocals mixed down a few notches. This mix definitely sounds like one of those “electronically reprocessed stereo” jobs inflicted on so many mono records back then.
October 7th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I don’t know. I guess I liked it a lot more than everyone else. Thought the song was well written. And it was very nice to hear something I’d never heard from 2 of the greatest songwriters of all time. Thanks again DFD.
October 7th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
I’m with tulsabravo. This rules. Jeff and Ellie did no wrong.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Ah, the days of the girl groups! Remember when this was done! Remembering might provide some context and allow us to be more forgiving of the ‘limitations’ of the style, the lyrical approach, the technology. For me, this is like a little bit of salt & pepper… not the steak and potatoes of my listening …
October 8th, 2009 at 12:27 am
it sounds better now than it did then….which makes me smile.
October 8th, 2009 at 5:21 am
good doo wop for a girl group
October 8th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Jeff & Ellie, what’s not to like? RIP Ellie.
October 8th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I wonder how the folks @ The Brill Building felt when The Beatles hit the scene? Kind of Ironic, since Spector produced Let It Be.
October 10th, 2009 at 10:22 am
this is exactly the kind of music that I love. Pure pop heaven. Thanks DFD
October 11th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Thank God for the Beatles
March 4th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Look forward to reading more from you in the future this is really good stuff