(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer to the "Poor Little Fool" post)
The Angels - "My Boyfriend's Back"
Hit Number 1: August 31, 1963
Stay at Number 1: 3 Weeks
We've reached the part of the 60s where girl groups were the "big thing" in the music industry. It all started brewing in 1961, when the Shirelles and the Marvelettes had their respective #1 hits. Follow that up with a little more of it in 1962, before they really started to take off in 1963, with the Shirelles continuing to create hits, the Chiffons were at their peak, and then a girl group by the name of the Angels had their first real hit "My Boyfriend's Back". A little bit of an interesting note, is that most of the girl groups in the early 60s were African American, with some being part of the Motown Record Label. But the Angels were different, just in the fact that they were white (well, I guess they STILL are) thus making them the first white girl group to score a #1 hit on the Hot 100.
Another interesting note about this song, is that it wasn't necessarily intended to be a hit for the Angels. The Angels only recorded the song originally as a demo for the Shirelles, but for whatever reason, it was decided that the song would just be released as it was, with the Angels' version being released to the public. It's safe to say that that was a decision that wouldn't be regretted, and it's probably a good thing that the Shirelles never got the song, cause I can't imagine the same group that did "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Soldier Boy" taking a song like "My Boyfriend's Back" anywhere. Maybe I'm wrong, but we'll never know. "My Boyfriend's Back" is a song with an "attitude", and a lot different from the sweet love songs that the Shirelles brought to the table.
Anyway, "My Boyfriend's Back" is a song about a girl who rejects a guy who wanted to go out with her, and as some sort of revenge, starts telling lies that she was cruel to him in a relationship that never even existed. That's further evidenced by the opening lines that are spoken as "He went away, and you hung around, and bothered me every night. And when I wouldn't go out with you, you said things that weren't very nice." It's basically the kind of story you'd expect to hear straight out of a high school drama story. And then the girl threatens the guy that's telling lies that her boyfriend's coming back to town (where he was in the first place is never determined) and he's basically going to beat the living daylights out of him. So, it's quite a lovely song.
All jokes aside, "My Boyfriend's Back" is a good song, but there are some things it could go without. First, the background singers chant "Hey la, hey la, my boyfriend's back!" , which is probably the most notable part of the song, but when the second verse comes along, it's kind of annoying. The background singers sort of act as the tagalongs of the really popular girl in school, that everyone can't stand. (You know exactly the kind of girls I'm talking about) So even though that part of the song is nice enough at first, it makes me want to slam my head in the wall when the second verse comes. There's also some pretty corny lines in there like "You're gonna be sorry you were ever born" and "He knows I wasn't cheating, now you're gonna get a' beaten'" that I think were unintentionally funny lines, that I have to mock a little bit. Those two things aren't enough to make me dislike the song however, and I have to admit, that the thing is pretty fun. I also have a fun theory about it: Maybe this boyfriend doesn't even exist, and he was just made up as one big threat to scare the jerk who's telling lies in the song. Either way, the song is a lot of fun, and it still remains as one of the most iconic girl group songs ever.
GRADE: 6/10
I have always liked this song for some reason....can't really explain it.