Anybody out there remember
The Left Banke? They were a kinda Beatle-y 60's pop/rock outfit out of New York City. Critics labeled them "baroque-pop", apparently due to the "classical" influences in their music. They're surely best known for their catchy little harmony vocals hit from 1966,
Walk Away Renée. And in a reversal of the more common trend of white artists covering Motown hits, a rather unexpected version by
The Four Tops turned up. Arguably, the song wasn't
exactly a perfect fit for the soul vocal quartet at the time they first recorded it, but more
recent performances show that they've grown comfortable with it over the years: maybe it's the slower tempo. Here's the
lyrics. And the
story behind the song. And what the hell, the
Wikipedia page. And
Songfacts. They all have something of interest to offer concerning this durable little number, originally written by a 16-year-old!
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jul 24, 2007 -
51 comments