December 3, 2021 —– Chart #120
Hello music friends,
Welcome to Friday and the 120th edition of Chart of the Day. Today we go way back to 1964 with a very fun song by The Zombies. “She’s Not There” is the debut single by British rock band the Zombies, written by keyboardist Rod Argent. It reached No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1964, and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States at the beginning of December 1964. In Canada, it reached No. 2. Rolling Stone magazine ranked “She’s Not There” No. 297 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Rod Argent built the lyrics of “She’s Not There” from a John Lee Hooker song, whose title – “No One Told Me” – became a part of the opening phrase of “She’s Not There”. Following an April 29, 1964 performance by the Zombies at St Albans Market Hall, Argent played the one verse he had written of the song for Ken Jones who was set to produce the band’s first recording session. Jones encouraged Argent to write a second verse, intending for the band to record it. Argent recalls: “I wrote the song for Colin’s range” – referring to Zombies’ vocalist Colin Blunstone – “I could hear him singing it in my mind”. The song’s genres and musical styles are described by authors and music journalists as jazz rock, beat and pop rock.
“She’s Not There” was the second of four songs recorded by the Zombies at a June 22, 1964 recording session at Decca’s West Hampstead Studio 2. The backing tracks needed seven takes. One of the song’s most distinctive features is Argent’s electric piano sound; the instrument used was a Hohner Pianet. The backing vocals are in a folk-influenced close-harmony style. To make the single sound stronger for single release, Ken Jones organized Hugh Grundy to record a strident drum line overdub which only appears on the original mono single mix.
This minor key, jazz-tinged single was first aired in the United States during the first week in August 1964, on New York rock radio station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted it on his daily noontime “Hot Spot” segment, during which new songs were played. The tune began to catch on in early autumn and eventually reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1964. It was kept from the No. 1 spot by “Mr. Lonely” by Bobby Vinton.
The video:
The Zombies love at their 2019 induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: https://youtu.be/-vD5RoGPG-4
Excellent cover of the song by Santana: https://youtu.be/K4jdiJA2TtQ
Keep rockin,
Stan