Mary Weiss (Shangri-Las)

https://variety.com/2024/music/obituaries-people-news/mary-weiss-shangri-las-dead-girl-groups-1235879771/

 

The Shangri-Las, best known for the #1 smash “Leader Of The Pack”, were perhaps the most distinctive of the 1960s “girl groups”. While there are several collections of their material available, 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection - The Best of The Shangri-Las is almost worth picking up just for Dave Thompson’s splendid liner notes, which start as follows:

 

Is she really going out with him?

 

Yes, but probably not for long.

 

The course of true love has never run smoothly, but few girls ever suffered so much tragedy as the Shangri-Las. Mary, Betty, Marge and Mary-Ann endured enough heartache, heartbreak, sadness, sorrow, disaster and death to turn them off romance forever. They watched one boyfriend die in a head-on motorcycle accident, saw another one drafted to Vietnam, dumped a third because his kisses were not sweet enough, lost their mother and their innocence – yet they still came bouncing back for more. When I say I’m in love, you’d best believe I’m in love—LUV.

 

Favorite songs:

Leader Of The Pack

Out In The Streets

Give Him A Great Big Kiss

Remember (Walkin’ In The Sand)

I Can Never Go Home Anymore

Favorite Music of 2023

Another good year song-wise, with several “comeback acts” in the AAA list, although I only bought 3 albums of new material in the past 12 months.

 

Songs (AAA division)

 

1.      The Narcissist – Blur (#19 WTMD Top 89)

2.      Trinity River – Charley Crockett

3.      Talk To Me – The Record Company (#86)

4.      Are You Gonna Run? – Low Cut Connie

5.      Love Is The Way – Thee Sacred Souls (#69)

6.      Ghosts Again – Depeche Mode

7.      Nothing Left To Lose – Everything But The Girl

8.      Psychos – Jenny Lewis (#24)

9.      More Than A Love Song – Black Pumas (#16)

10.   Go Down River – The Heavy Heavy (#21)

11.   Evicted – Wilco (#48)

12.   Lost – Linkin Park

13.   Running Away – Thee Sacred Souls (#10)

14.   Now And Then – The Beatles (#5)

15.   Rescued – Foo Fighters (#58)

 

Songs (Top 40 division)

 

1.      Makeba – Jain

2.      Cupid – Fifty Fifty

3.      Dance The Night – Dua Lipa

4.      Hell N Back – Bakar

5.      Flowers – Miley Cyrus

6.      Sure Thing – Miguel

7.      Die For You – The Weeknd

8.      Snooze – Sza

9.      Cruel Summer – Taylor Swift

10.   Creepin' – Metro Boomin

11.   Satellite – Harry Styles

12.   Special – Lizzo

13.   Star Walkin’ – Lil Nas X

14.   Favorite Song – Toosii

15.   Made You Look – Meghan Trainor

 

Albums

 

1.      The Record Company – The Fourth Album

2.      Jenny Lewis --- Joy’All

3.      Once More: Jenni Muldaur & Teddy Thompson Sing The Great Country Duets

 

None of these albums made the mvyradio top 25 for the year. I was somewhat surprised by the absence of Jenny Lewis.

Shuffle #169 (December 25, 2023)

Like It’s Christmas – Jonas Brothers

That Spirit Of Christmas – Chuck Brown & Eva Cassidy

River – Joni Mitchell

You’re My Christmas Present – The Skyliners

This Christmas – Donny Hathaway

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love

Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town – Bruce Springsteen

White Christmas – The Statues

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – The Pretenders

Do You Hear What I Hear? – Whitney Houston