| "Leader of the Pack" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bythe Shangri-Las | ||||
| from the albumLeader of the Pack | ||||
| B-side | "What Is Love" | |||
| Released | September 20, 1964[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1964 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:49 | |||
| Label | Red Bird | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | George "Shadow" Morton | |||
| The Shangri-Las singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Leader of the Pack" onYouTube | ||||
"Leader of the Pack" is a song written byGeorge "Shadow" Morton,Jeff Barry, andEllie Greenwich. It was a number one pop hit in 1964 for the American girl groupthe Shangri-Las. The single is one of the group's best known songs as well as a popular cultural example of a "teenage tragedy song". The song was covered in 1985 by the heavy metal bandTwisted Sister, who had a more modest chart appearance with their version (no. 53 in the US).
The tune of "Leader of the Pack" is credited to pop impresarioGeorge "Shadow" Morton together withJeff Barry andEllie Greenwich. According to Morton,[4] he wrote the song for the Goodies (also known as the Bunnies[5]), but instead it was needed as a follow-up to the Shangri-Las hit "Remember (Walking in the Sand)".
The song is about a girl named Betty, who is asked by friends to confirm that she is dating Jimmy, the leader of a motorcycle gang, whose ring they see on Betty's finger. After singing of love at first sight ("(By the way, where'd you meet him?) I met him at the candy store/He turned around and smiled at me/You get the picture?/(Yes, we see) That's when I fell for the Leader of the Pack"), Betty's heart turns to despair as she bemoans her parents' disapproval. The parents say Jimmy hails from "the wrong side of town" and ask Betty to tell Jimmy goodbye and find someone new. Betty reluctantly does as she is asked, and a crushed and tearful Jimmy speeds off on his motorcycle. Betty's pleas for Jimmy to slow down are in vain and Jimmy crashes on a rain-slicked surface and dies.
In July 1964, Morton recorded the vocals for "Leader of the Pack" with the Shangri-Las at Mira Sound Studios located on 145 West47th street on the second floor of a Manhattan hotel. The song was produced by Morton. These vocals were dubbed over the instrumental parts, which had been previously recorded at the Ultrasonic Recording Studios inHempstead, New York.[6] In 2007Tony Visconti wrote that pianistArtie Butler played on the track.[7]
To add the authentic sound of a motorcycle engine, one was reportedly driven through the lobby of the hotel and up to the floor of the recording studio. No one was arrested, but a ticket was issued. The motorcycle belonged to the assistant engineer on the session, who was Joe Venneri.[6] However, in an interview four decades later, Shangri-Las lead singerMary Weiss denied that there was any motorcycle in the studio.[8]Hugh Grundy, drummer forThe Zombies, revved up a motorcycle backstage when the Shangri-Las performed atMurray the K's 1964 Christmas show at the Brooklyn Fox Theater.[9] This live performance was recorded and released on the albumMurray the K's Greatest Holiday Show.[10]
"Leader of the Pack" was released as a single byRed Bird Records, aLeiber and Stoller label, and the song hit number one on theBillboard Hot 100 on November 28, 1964.[11] On Cashbox's R&B chart, it went to number 8.[12]In the United Kingdom, the single was refused airplay by theBBC, probably due to its death theme,[13] although some have speculated that it was considered likely to encourage violence betweenmods and rockers.[14] It charted three times on theUK Singles Chart: number 11 in 1965;[15] number 3 in 1972[16] (by which time the BBC ban had been lifted); and once again at number 7 in 1976,[15] when its sales figures as a reissue on two different labels (Charly and Contempo) were combined to arrive at its chart position.[17] The record also reached number 1 in Australia in 1964, and 39 in 1973.
Cash Box described it as "a heartbreaking cha cha thumper about a gal in love with the 'Leader Of The Pack'—who loses his life in a cycle crash" with "sensational vocal and instrumental sounds" and a "powerhouse"production."[18] In 2004,Rolling Stone ranked the song among the500 Greatest Songs of All Time at number 447.[19] In the 2010 revision of the list, it was moved to number 454 as new entries were added. In the 2021 update, it was moved to number 315.[20][21]Billboard named the song #9 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[22] In 2019, the song was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame under the newsingles category created in 2018.[23]
The song appeared in a Broadway musical based on the songs of Ellie Greenwich,Leader of the Pack, which opened in 1985.[24] In 1990, the song was used in theMartin Scorsese film,Goodfellas.[25]
| Chart (1964–1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Australian National Charts)[26] | 1 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[27] | 3 |
| New Zealand (Lever Hit Parades)[28] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[29] | 3 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[30] | 1 |
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[31] | 39 |
| "Leader of the Pack" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byTwisted Sister | ||||
| from the albumCome Out and Play | ||||
| Released | November 1985[32] | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Genre | Glam metal[33] | |||
| Length | 3:48 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Dieter Dierks | |||
| Twisted Sister singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1985, theheavy metal bandTwisted Sister recorded acover version of "Leader of the Pack" from the eponymous leader's perspective, where it is the female lover that was in a car accident, although, in the video, she does not die.[34] The track was included on the group's fourth studio album,Come Out and Play, and was released onAtlantic Records as the album's lead single. It reached number 53 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart and number 47 on theUK Singles chart.[35]
Twisted Sister began playing "Leader of the Pack" when performing live in the clubs during the early years of their career.[36] They first recorded a demo version of the song atElectric Lady Studios inGreenwich Village, withEddie Kramer as the producer, in November 1979,[37] and this recording was released on the band's 1982 EPRuff Cutts.[38]
When working on their fourth studio album,Come Out and Play, in 1985, frontmanDee Snider suggested Twisted Sister should record "Leader of the Pack" as their next single. Inspired byMötley Crüe's recent success with their cover of "Smokin' in the Boys Room", Snider was convinced "Leader of the Pack" would "appeal to everybody, including the parents of our fans who knew the original from when they were growing up". He recalled in his 2012 autobiographyShut Up and Give Me the Mic: A Twisted Memoir, "I was positive this was the track that would break down any barriers left for Twisted Sister and bring us to the level ofSpringsteen,Prince andMadonna. I believed that we were the band that could bring metal to the mainstream."[36]
Upon its release as a single, Nancy Erlich ofBillboard wrote, "The guitars are megaton metal, the melody is unchanged, and it's the girl who gets killed; one of the year's odder cultural artifacts."[39]Cash Box considered it to be a "supercharged version of a classic [which] is perfect for the comic book rock of Twisted Sister". They added, "Snider's vocal interpretation is heartful and humorous, and the power-chord backing is sure to catch the ear of manyCHR and rock radio programmers."[40]Malcolm Dome ofKerrang! noted that, as with the band's earlier recording of the song, "the humor is still prevalent as well as a genuine respect for a classic pop number", but this time there's "a fine production and a firmer, resonant arrangement".[41]
| Chart (1985–1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[42] | 80 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[43] | 45 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[44] | 47 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[45] | 53 |
| USMainstream Rock (Billboard)[46] | 32 |
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