My Boyfriend's Back (song)
| "My Boyfriend's Back" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side-A label of the U.S. 7-inch vinyl single | ||||
| Single by The Angels | ||||
| from the album My Boyfriend's Back | ||||
| B-side | "(Love Me) Now" | |||
| Released | July 1963 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1963 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length |
02:14 (45 version) 02:42 (album cut) | |||
| Label | Smash | |||
| Writer(s) |
Bob Feldman Jerry Goldstein Richard Gottehrer | |||
| The Angels singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"My Boyfriend's Back" was a hit song in 1963 for the Angels, an American girl group. It was written by the songwriting team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer (a.k.a. FGG Productions who later formed the group The Strangeloves). The recording, employing the services of drummer Gary Chester,[1] was originally intended as a demo for The Shirelles, but ended up being released as recorded.[2] The result was a single that spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number two on the R&B Billboard.
The song is a word of warning to a would-be suitor who, after the narrator of the song rebuffed his advances, went on to spread nasty rumors accusing the narrator of romantic indiscretions. Now, the narrator declares, her boyfriend is back in town and ready to settle the score, and she tells the rebuffed would-be suitor to watch his back.
Other musicians on the record included Herbie Lovelle on drums, Billy Butler, Bobby Comstock, and Al Gorgoni on guitar, and Bob Bushnell overdubbing on an electric and an upright bass. This song also features a brass section as well.
The song begins with a spoken recitation from the lead singer that goes: "He went away, and you hung around, and followed me every night. And when I wouldn't go out with you, you said things that weren't very nice."
The album version features the line: "Hey. I can see him comin'/ Now you better start a runnin'". before the instrumental repeat of the bridge section and a repeat of one stanza from the refrain, before the coda section.
The inspiration for the song was when co-writer Bob Feldman overheard a conversation between a high school girl and the boy she was rebuffing.[3]
Covers, parodies and references
"My Boyfriend's Back" has been the subject of several notable cover versions.
Rival girl groups The Chiffons and Martha and the Vandellas recorded covers shortly after The Angels' original release. In 1983, Melissa Manchester released a faithful cover version as a single that reached number 33 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[4] The song was also covered by former American Idol contestant Paris Bennett on her 2007 album Princess P.
Later in 1963, Bobby Comstock & The Counts issued an answer record titled "Your Boyfriend's Back" which peaked at #98 in the U.S.[5]
The song has also been covered in punk rock-influenced recordings by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Bracket, and Australian female punk trio The Spazzys, and by the post-punk revival band The Raveonettes.
UK Powerpop originators The Pleasers featured the song as a highspot of their live stage shows as 'My Girlfriends Back' and recorded it for their Thamesbeat Album in 1978.
Bette Bright and the Illuminations released a cover in 1978 as their debut single.
The rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's track "Guess Who's Back" borrows heavily from the structure and lyrics of "My Boyfriend's Back".
Fictional music group The Chipettes covered the song for "Hooping It Up," a 1986 episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks.
The song is featured in the 2006 Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys. It was also featured on the U.S. television show "American Dreams," where it was sung by Christian Pop singer Stacie Orrico, backed by series stars Brittany Snow and Vanessa Lengies.
A version of the tune has been used in a commercial jingle for the Hess toy truck, sung as "The Hess Truck's Back".
A cover by Australian band The Chantoozies featured in the film "The Crossing" (1990).
The song was parodied by Bob Ricci on his debut album Get a Life as "My Girlfriend's Back".
Sarah Brightman released a cover version of the song on a single in 1981.
In 1983, Mike Love of The Beach Boys covered the song on Love's and Dean Torrence album Rock 'N' Roll City. The song was retitled "Her Boyfriend's Back" [6]
The song figured prominently in the 1989 made for television film My Boyfriend's Back, which featured Jill Eikenberry, Sandy Duncan and Judith Light as former members of a fictitious girl group The Bouffants. In the story, "My Boyfriend's Back" was their only hit song.
Disney Channel did a DTV music video of the song set to clips from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow segment of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
Comedian Frank Caliendo often sings a cover of the song, with the lyrics changed to be about Brett Favre, when doing his John Madden impersonation. (My Brett Favre's back and your defense is in trouble/Hey now, hey now, my Brett Favre's Back!) A viral video was later posted on YouTube, with Caliendo's lyrics put over the original song.
The English indie pop band Peggy Sue released a cover version of the song on their 2012 album Peggy Sue Play the Songs of Scorpio Rising.
Dire Straits referenced "Hey la, my boyfriend's back" in their song "Romeo and Juliet".
Aerosmith album's title Permanent Vacation refers to a phrase from "My Boyfriend's Back".
The song was quoted in National Lampoon's parody of a 1964 American high school yearbook. Each photo of a graduating senior was accompanied by a quote which reflected on the student's qualities; for Bruno Lezniak, star lineman on the football team with an IQ to match his uniform number, the quote was "He's kinda big and he's awful strong."
References
- ↑ "The Official Gary Chester Website - Discography". Angelfire.com. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- ↑ "Biography: The Angels". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ↑ Archived August 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 147.
- ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart History for Your Boyfriend's Back by Bobby Comstock & The Counts". Song-database.com. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- ↑ >"Rock 'N' Roll City".
| Preceded by "Fingertips – Part 2" by Little Stevie Wonder |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single August 31, 1963 (three weeks) |
Succeeded by "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton |
| Albums | |
|---|---|
| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
 Book:The Angels | |