(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 Drifters - "Save the Last Dance for Me"
Hit Number 1: October 17, 1960
Stay at Number 1: 3 Weeks
There are two different ideas on what "Save the Last Dance for Me" is even about. To some, the song is about a lonely guy who happens to be at some dance, and has his eyes set on a specific girl who is dancing with several other men. He has a plan to ask her to dance with him and then make her his. That's why he says she must decline other guys' requests to take her home for their own, and that she should save her last dance of the night for him. That's not the way I see it. In fact, I'm pretty sure that wasn't even the intention of the song being about, but it is an interesting take. Instead, I think the song is about a guy who is okay with his lover dancing and mingling with other guys, but she should remember who she even went to this dance with, and should save her last dance for him.
Supposedly, the song's inspiration (which was written by Doc Pomus) was revealed by fellow musician Lou Reed. He said in an interview on Elvis Costello's show "Spectacle" that the song was written on the day of Pomus' wedding, and he was bound to a wheelchair due to him suffering polio. He sat and watched his bride, who happened to be a Broadway actress and singer, dancing with guests. He tells her to have her fun, but she needs to remember who is taking her home and "in who's arms she's gonna be". It's a pretty cool story to say the least, and of course, a great story inspires a great song.
The Drifters were the first group to record the song, and had Ben E. King on lead vocals. King is perhaps best known for "Stand By Me" which is likely one of the most legendary singles ever. (So in other words, it's an obvious 10) And by the time "Save the Last Dance for Me" was released, King had already left the Drifters and began his solo career. But he had to of known that the song would blow up. I mean, it's just a great piece of music. For starters, it was produced by the well-respected duo producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and might have had some contributions from Phil Spector. So even if you've never heard the song, and knew the great work these producers were capable of, you would already assume that this was a good song. And it sure is. King's vocals are so rich and effortless, and the gleeful strings that back him up are a great touch for sure. The backup Drifters (as I like to call them) pretty much repeat the same lines over and over while King does his thing. It gets to be a bit much overtime, and might be my one complaint about the song. But it's a pretty subtle thing, and there definitely can be worse things that can bring a song down. "Save the Last Dance for Me" is a damn good song.
GRADE: 9/10
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