#105 I’m On The Outside (Looking In) – Little Anthony & The Imperials (1964)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xezsVMOATc

 

Little Anthony & The Imperials do a wonderful job on this aching soul ballad, but plenty of credit should go to the unjustifiably obscure Teddy Randazzo, who co-wrote and produced a string of hit singles for the group in 1964-65. This one was the first (and, for me, the best), although “Goin’ Out Of My Head” and “Hurt So Bad” were even more successful for the group, and subsequently for other artists as well. Randazzo also produced and wrote for the Baltimore girl group The Royalettes, including their great 1965 track “It’s Gonna Take A Miracle” (a must-hear in its own right), which a few years later became the title song of a classic Laura Nyro album, and finally became a hit in 1982 for Deniece Williams.