A few years back I was working at Kmart doing some bullshit far beneath my God given abilities task when "My Boyfriend's Back" by The Angels come on the piped in music over the PA system and about halfway through the song I thought to myself, "Has this song always been this good?" I moved so that I stood directly underneath one of the speakers so I could have an optimal listening experience, and sure enough, it was that good. Just to make sure, when I went home that night I downloaded it from iTunes and listened to it about ten times in a row, all the while wondering just how far my head had to have been up my fanny for umpteen years to have never noticed how utterly fantastic "My Boyfriend's Back" actually is.
The Angels actually began as The Starlets in 1961, with the sisters Phyllis and Barbara Allbut among others. The group would go through several incarnations in a relatively short period of time and fail to find a producer, after which the Allbut sisters would turn back to their education. Eventually one Gerry Granahan saw their potential and they released the single "Till" with Linda Jansen doing the lead vocals. Jansen would quit in 1962 and was replaced by Peggy Santiglia. Together the three Jersey girls would record "My Boyfriend's Back," with Santiglia on lead vocals, as a demo to be considered by the Shirelles, but--and thank heaven for small miracles--someone saw something in The Angels version and decided to release it as a single. It would go on to reach #1 (most assuredly with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100. The Angels would never again reach such heights, but still perform occasionally to this day.
"My Boyfriend's Back" is basically the story of a young woman telling a rejected suitor who has spread lies about her love life that her boyfriend is back in town and he's going to open a can of whoop ass on him. Released in 1963 on the quite aptly titled My Boyfriend's Back LP, the song features Santiglia on lead vocals, with the Allbut sisters harmonizing after each of her throaty declarations the ever so cool "Hey-la, hey-la, my boyfriend's back" with all the buddy you are so fucked now swagger their hearts can muster. Throw in some subtle drums and electric guitars, replete with some rhythmically magical hand claps (courtesy of the Allbuts), and that alone would be enough to brand "My Boyfriend's Back" as a classic, but--yes, it gets even better--before the song fades out Santimiglia bursts into a buckshot scream crescendo, singing over the Allbut sisters repeated harmonies rat-a-tat-tatting pure euphoria at the rebuffed young man's comeuppance. And at that point "My Boyfriend's Back" shoots into another stratosphere of classic song.
At least it does for me--it is a true case of pop music lightning in a bottle.
O joy! O rapture! words: "If I were you I'd take a permanent vacation, hey-la, hey-la...."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
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