Song of the Week #35 – “She’s Not There”
Written by admin on January 3, 2011 – 8:57 am - |
The first Song of the Week for 2011 is The Zombies’ 1964 hit “She’s Not There.”
“She’s Not There” was released in July 1964 on single, backed with “You Make Me Feel Good.” It was also released on The Zombies’ UK album “Begin Here” (December 1964) and US album “The Zombies (January 1965). |
The Zombies had been together several years when they won first place in the Herts Beat Competition in the spring of 1964. The prize consisted of £250 and a recording deal with Decca. In advance of the first recording session, Decca staff producer, Ken Jones, had encouraged the band to write their own material. On April 29, Jones was given a single verse preview of “She’s Not There” by Rod Argent after watching the band play a gig in St Albans. At this point the song had the working title “No One Told Me” – inspired by the John Lee Hooker song of the same name. Jones encouraged Argent to finish the song for the forthcoming recording session in June. “She’s Not There” became the band’s debut single and biggest hit.
“She’s Not There” was unlike anything else being recorded in 1964. The strong bass line, jazzy electric piano (Hohner Pianette Mk I) and soulful vocals combine to create one of the most memorable pop songs of the decade.
The lyrics of “She’s Not There” are quite scathing, referring to a woman who seems to receive much attention through her good looks, but ultimately lies and cheats to those she attracts. The message is that when you look past her obvious physical attributes, there’s nothing else to admire. It’s not just the girl who is criticised by the singer though; his friends are blamed for not warning him about what type of girl she was.
The Zombies – “She’s Not There”
Authorship
Rod Argent wrote the words and music of “She’s Not There.”
In the 2001 book, “The Zombies: Hung Up on a Dream“, Argent told author Claes Johansen:
| “It’s really quite an unusually constructed song, when you look at it. It’s in three little sections. It was in my mind to build up the excitement, and I wanted to use the metre of the actual lyrics to propel it towards that final note. So the idea was of having the final section just on one note with chords changing underneath it, but with displaced rhythms. The accentuation of the words ‘way’, ‘acted’ and colour’, those are displaced accents in the metre. That was almost a poetic urge I had, to move it along that metre.” |
Recording date/location
“She’s Not There” was recorded on June 12, 1964 at Decca Studio No. 2, West Hampstead, London.
Musicians
The following musicians appeared on “She’s Not There”:
- Colin Blunstone – lead vocals
- Rod Argent – electric piano, vocals
- Paul Atkinson – guitar, vocals
- Chris White – bass, vocals
- Hugh Grundy – drums.
Author Claes Johansen suggests that studio engineer Terry Johnson might have overdubbed additional drum work on “She’s Not There.”
Chart performance
“She’s Not There” hit number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in December 1964 and made number one on the Cashbox chart. It peaked at number 12 in the UK.
This was the only single by The Zombies to break the top 20 in the UK, but two others (“Tell Her No” and “Time of the Season”) hit the top 10 in the US.
Covers
Santana – “She’s Not There”
Santana included “She’s Not There” on their 1977 double album “Moonflower“. The familiar electric piano break of the original is replaced by blistering guitar work from Carlos Santana. There’s also a good vocal from Greg Walker, which is inspired by Blunstone.
Vanilla Fudge – “She’s Not There”
Psychedelic rockers Vanilla Fudge featured “She’s Not There” on their debut album “Vanilla Fudge“. The album consisted entirely of cover songs, including the Beatles tracks “Eleanor Rigby” and “Ticket to Ride.” In common with all songs on the album, their version of “She’s Not There” is performed at a slower tempo than the original. Mark Stein’s Hammond organ is prominent throughout and Carmine Appice deserves mention for the complicated drum work. This version definitely has that “love it or hate it” quality. If you aren’t usually drawn to psychedelia, stick to the original.
The Litter – “She’s Not There”
The Litter’s 1967 arrangement on “She’s Not There” is like The Doors meets The Zombies, with the organ part in particular reminiscent of Ray Manzarek’s style. The song featured on the band’s debut album “Distortions.”
There will be a new Song of the Week on January 10.
The Zombies’ “She’s Not There” features on their album “Begin Here” and on a number of compilations, including the 2-CD “The Zombies – The Singles A’s and B’s”.
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The Zombies – Begin Here (extended) (CD) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
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The Zombies – The Singles A’s and B’s (2 CDs) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
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The Zombies – Hung Up on a Dream (Claus Johansen) (Book) |
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
Tags: Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, Santana, She's Not There, The Litters, The Zombies, Vanilla Fudge
Posted in American Rock, British Invasion, Rock music, Song of the Week |
