ellie greenwich for dummies

Ellie Greenwich was a head coach of popular music. A motivator. A playbook writer. A guiding light. She was a bedrock member of the Brill Building team, working alongside Carole King, Burt Bacharach, and Liber & Stoller. Phil Spector turned some of her finest songs into startlingly affecting 150 second teen soap operas of sound. And like King, she was an artist in her own right, though never as acclaimed.

Greenwich died yesterday at 68, but not before gifting the world with a unique and feminine perspective that resulted in more  bone-chilling ’60s pop compositions than can be counted. Still, we’ll try to count some down here. You’ll know most, and you’ll want to hear the rest. Trust.

The Exciters: “He’s Got the Power”

This is hardly Greenwich’s biggest hit, but it is a stonecold flurry of melody and rhythm. “He makes me do things I don’t wanna do!” is how it opens. How’s that for psychosexual tug of war? Greenwich, with her writing partner and husband, Jeff Barry, attacked the troubles and (small) triumphs of relationships all the time, sometimes with grace and other times with might. This is mighty.

The Dixie Cups: “Chapel of Love” and “Another Boy Like Mine”

This angelic trio who had a hit with the irresistible “Iko Iko,” have two Greenwich classics to their name. “Chapel of Love,” especially, is a must.

The Shangri-Las: “Leader of the Pack”

Greenwich got a production credit on this song written by Shadow Morton (another personal favorite). When they say songs used to sound like movies, this is what they mean. Incorporating interstitial dialogue and sound effects – the rumbling motorcycle is a particularly nice touch – made this unlike anything else on the radio.

Ike & Tina Turner: “River Deep, Mountain High”

I’m going to go ahead and assume you know this one. In Tina’s hands a song that could have been a bit saccharine (”When I was a little girl I had a rag doll…”) is a force of nature. Greenwich seemed to have an innate ability to tap into the longing and manic sense of frustration that comes with obsession. The Turners, a tumultuous love if ever there was one, were born for this.

The Donnas: “Da Doo Ron Ron”

Greenwich’s songs are uncomplicated but they’re never simple. The Donnas – in their early Ramones-aping phase – covered this gem made famous by The Crystals and knew well enough to keep things tight, fast (less than 90 seconds!) and true.

Neil Diamond: “Kentucky Woman” and “Cherry Cherry”

Diamond later became a Brill Building regular, but Greenwich gets the credit for discovering him. Say what you will about some of the turgid schlock he’s been responsible for, his early years – and the above-linked compilation – are filled with masterstrokes of pop songcraft.

Cyndi Lauper: She’s So Unusual

Greenwich sang backup on the ’80s icon’s breakout. Sweet harmonies, straightforward songs, instant iconography. Call it a generational baton-pass.

The Warriors: “Be My Baby”

There’s only one way to get the Ronettes’ seminal original and that’s by grabbing the entire Dirty Dancing soundtrack here (Don’t sleep, there are some classics on there). If you don’t oblige, I understand. So I offer this in its stead, a ramshackle, shoddily recorded version of the song by British invasion band the Warriors, who are perhaps best known as Yes frontman Jon Anderson’s first band. How the Warriors correlate to Yes is beyond me. But this cover retains the glistening eyes and steely heart of the Ronettes version.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: “Hanky Panky”

From Jett’s Bad Reputation. Tommy James and the Shondells made this a decency-challenging hit in the ’60s, but Jett is a more appropriate messenger. The production is clean, but the feel is dirty. It’s no longer a wink and a nudge. Now it’s a full pelvic thrust.

The Ad-Libs: “He Ain’t No Angel”

Right down the middle girl group sparkle. “I don’t want no lover with a halo ’round his head.” Greenwich had a wonderfully sick mind.

The Raveonettes: “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”

Weren’t you hoping these blissed-out fuzz rockers would make Christmas sound like a narcotized night terror? I love XMas!

REQUIRED YOUTUBING:

• The Beach Boys performing Greenwich’s “I Can Hear Music.” (Check out those blazers.)
• The hard-to-find “(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Going To Marry,” by Darlene Love. I have no idea why this is soundtracking clips form the little-seen James Franco vehicle Flyboys.
• Another rare one: Greenwich performing, as Ellie Gaye,  “Cha Cha Charming.” A brassy, snappy number from the Levittown, Long Island native. Again the insinuations–both physical and emotional–are inescapable. Someone hug this woman.

For more on Greenwich, check out this delightfully innocent, fawning interview.