Only to Other People is a ballad that sets out its gloomy stall with three descending chords before unveiling a tale familiar to any lonely teenager: “I’ve been told that dreams come true, and handsome boys fall in love with you,” goes the opening line, before such youthful fantasies are quashed: “But I’ve only seen it happen in the movies, only in fairytales, only in the books I’ve read … and only to other people.” The feeling that real love is something out of the protagonist’s reach is a theme Morrissey would pick up and run with on songs such as How Soon Is Now?, so it’s no surprise that the Smiths covered the band's equally brilliant I Want a Boy for My Birthday during one of their first rehearsals (although only a teasing 30 seconds of that rough recording exists on the web). They’re known mostly for Chains – a Goffin/King number that went on to be covered by the Beatles – but some of their other songs had a deeper emotional pull. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the Cookies, whose dorky charm chimed perfectly with their songs’ lyrics of longing and despair.
I especially love the way the end of the chorus – a high pitched “over yoooou-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh” – continues into the next verse, to serve as backing vocals for the next verse.
This song, like Smokey Robinson’s Tracks of My Tears, concerns hiding heartbreak in public behind a fixed smile, but you barely notice thanks to a skipping rhythm ideal for sliding along the floor of Wigan Casino and an uplifting chord change during the instrumental break.
That’s When the Tears Start is a great example of girl groups’ knack for pairing uplifting, danceable music to lyrics of despair. The Blossoms featured yet another Spector protege, Darlene Love, who featured heavily on his Christmas album, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Redferns The Blossoms – That’s When the Tears Start The song – which riffs on a common girl-group theme of how other people, most likely killjoy parents, won't accept your love – was originally set to be the Ronettes' first single with Spector, before the producer decided to go with Be My Baby instead.Ĥ.
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The latter is the first song the group recorded with Spector after he signed them to Philles Records in 1963, and showcases the full force of his production: echo-laden drums, multi-layered instruments and a swooning brass motif that has been replicated many times, including on Dion’s Only You Know (also produced by Spector) and Jarvis Cocker’s cheeky steal Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time. Is it blasphemous to pick a girl group playlist without including Be My Baby, for many people the greatest pop song ever released? Probably, but by sticking only to the classics there’s a danger of us overlooking some great music – in the Ronettes' case I Wonder, Walking in the Rain and Why Don’t They Let Us Fall in Love to name just three. Photograph: Allstar Collection/Sportsphoto Photograph: Sportsphoto/Allstar