Famed songwriter Ellie Greenwich has passed away. She will be greatly missed. I remember my queer childhood filled with her songs in my house. My parents raised me on a strict diet of 103.3 Oldies, The Beatles, Broadway showtunes, and that was pretty much it. When the CD generation came about, I remember my first records being Joan Jett and Richie Havens. Everyone else was getting Jewel or something, but that's just not what I was raised on (until like 10 years later when she released "Intuition" and you KNOW homegirl got buck to that).
I don't think people quite realize what a legacy she is. She worked with Phil Spector, Neil Diamond, and ex-husband Jeff Barry. She wrote songs for The Shangri-Las, The Dixie Cups, Ike & Tina Turner, The Crystals, The Ronettes, UK sensation Elkie Brooks, and The Beach Boys (as well as the b-side for Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"). She provided back-up vocals for Frank Sinatra and Dusty Springfield. In 1991, she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. She was a pioneer not just for women but for all songwriters that came after her. She really did encompass the feeling of a rising teenage nation with her straightforward words and compositions. The results have been classic songs that get stuck in our heads on a regular basis. Teenagers today with their Lady Gaga and iPhones make me so mad.
Yesterday, Ms. Greenwich died of a heart attack after being admitted earlier for pneumonia. She will be greatly missed as one of the most talented figures in musical history. I was super sad about Michael Jackson, but this one hits home a little bit more. Today is pretty much gonna be spent blasting her tunes and remembering a time when things were just simpler.
Oh P.S. My first kiss was to "Be My Baby".
The Shangri-Las - Leader Of The Pack
The Ronettes - Be My Baby
Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep Mountain High
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