When I read that Ellie Greenwich, the poet of doo-wah-diddy and da-do-ron-ron, the legendary songwriter of "Chapel of Love," "Be My Baby" and "River Deep, Mountain High," had passed away at the age of 68, I was sad. Yet just thinking about her songs -- musical narratives that got characters from meet-cute to marriage in two minutes flat -- made me smile.
Wanted to share Ann Powers' lovely tribute to the legend who worked with everyone from the Shangri-Las to Neal Diamond to Ike and Tina Turner. A good way of celebrating her life and reckoning her impact on pop music is to see Alison Anders' Grace of My Heart, a fascinating account of a Brill Building beatnik, played by Ileana Douglas, inspired by the lives of Carole King and Greenwich. From Hair to Hairspray, Greenwich's storytelling lyrics have been widely imitated. She put the snap and crackle into pop.
Carrie- I can't top what you already said - and in so few, carefully selected words. Well done! Now, I have to hunt down Anders' "Grace of My Heart," a movie deserving of wider regard. -J— Pash- Thanks, Carrie. I love Ellie, and all her Brill Building songwriting comrades of the early 1960s. The fact that she grew up at the corner of Starlight and Springtime is almost too perfect. There's a wonderful interview with her from 1988 at the Spectropop web site. (I'd post a link, but I'm not sure I can do that in the comments box.) These lyrics, by Ellie and Jeff Barry from the Ad-Libs' "He Ain't No Angel," always make me smile: "He didn't fly down from Heaven with white wings on his back/He drove in from Kansas City in a big black Cadillac/He makes his bread singin' rock and roll."— wwolfe
- VIEWED
- Commented
- News | Sports | Business | What's Happening | Restaurants & Food | Entertainment | Living | Marketplace | Jobs
