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My Boyfriend's Back (song)

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"My Boyfriend's Back"
Side-A label of the U.S. 7-inch vinyl single
Single by the Angels
from the album My Boyfriend's Back
B-side"(Love Me) Now"
ReleasedJuly 1963
Recorded1963
GenrePop[1]
Length2:14 (45 version)
2:16 (album cut)
LabelSmash
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer
The Angels singles chronology
"Everybody Loves a Lover"
(1962) 		"My Boyfriend's Back"
(1963) 		"Cotton Fields"
(1963)

"My Boyfriend's Back" is a hit song in 1963 for the Angels, an American girl group. It was written by the songwriting team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer (a.k.a. FGG Productions who later formed the group the Strangeloves).[2] The track was originally intended as a demo for the Shirelles, but ended up being released as recorded.[3] The single spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached No. 2 on the R&B Billboard.

Description

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The song is a word of warning to a would-be suitor who, after being rebuffed by the female narrator of the song, spread nasty rumors accusing her of romantic indiscretions. Now, the narrator declares, her boyfriend is back in town and ready to settle the score, and she warns the rejected admirer to watch himself.

Other musicians on the record include Herbie Lovelle on drums, Billy Butler, Bobby Comstock, and Al Gorgoni on guitar, and Bob Bushnell overdubbing on an electric and an upright bass. This song also features a young Ronnie Dio on the trumpet.[4] Feldman, Goldstein & Gottehrer also wrote and produced some of Dio's early work with the band Ronnie Dio & The Prophets.

The song begins with a spoken recitation from the lead singer that goes: "He went away, and you hung around, and bothered me every night. And when I wouldn't go out with you, you said things that weren't very nice".

The album version, which has appeared on a few compilations in stereo, features the line: "Hey. I can see him comin'/ Now you better start a runnin'", before the instrumental repeat of the bridge section, a repeat of one stanza from the refrain ("My boyfriend's back/He's gonna save my reputation"), and finally, the coda section, just before the song fades.

The inspiration for the song came from co-writer Bob Feldman, who overheard a conversation between a high school girl and the boy she was rebuffing.[5]

Cash Box described it as "a handclappin’ mashed-potatoes-styled delighter...that can bust wide open in no time flat" and praised the arrangement by Leroy Glover.[6]

Billboard named the song No. 24 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[7]

Notable cover versions

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"My Boyfriend's Back" has been the subject of several notable cover versions.

Rival girl groups the Chiffons and Martha and the Vandellas recorded covers shortly after the Angels' original release. In 1983, Melissa Manchester released a faithful cover version as a single that reached No. 33 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[8]

Later in 1963, Bobby Comstock and the Counts issued an answer record titled "Your Boyfriend's Back" which peaked at No. 98 in the U.S.[9]

Parodies, features and references

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Humorist Dave Barry is fond of this song, and often references it in his books and columns. In one essay, he says that if he were the President of the United States, "My Boyfriend's Back" would replace "Hail to the Chief" as his arrival song.[10]

A parody of the song lyrics was sung by characters of The Office (US) in Season 8 – Episode 21 "Angry Andy".[11]

Episode 30 of the podcast Cum Town starts with co-host Stavros Halkias singing a parody version called "My Boyfriend's Black".[12]

Since 1988, advertising campaigns for Hess Corporation have used a jingle that parodies the song in the commercials during the Christmas season for its toys. (“The Hess Truck's back and it's better than ever...”)[13][14]

Charts

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Chart (1963) Peak
position
Canada (CHUM Chart)[15] 2
New Zealand (Listener)[16] 1
UK Singles (OCC)[17] 50
US Billboard Hot 100[18] 1
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles[19] 2

References

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  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (May 31, 2018). "The Number Ones: The Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 10, 2023. Just as important: ["My Boyfriend's Back" is] a hell of a pop song, crisp and propulsive, built on jittery guitar stabs and handclaps that hit at the exact right instant.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Song overview". AllMusic. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  3. ^ "Biography: The Angels". AllMusic. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  4. ^ "Ronnie James Dio: The Early Years". loudersound. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  5. ^ [1] Archived August 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 20, 1963. p. 8. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  7. ^ "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 147.
  9. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart History for Your Boyfriend's Back by Bobby Comstock & The Counts". Song-database.com. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  10. ^ Dave Barry Turns 40, chapter: "Politics After 40: You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know That Harsh Sunlight Can Harm Your BMW's Finish."
  11. ^ "OfficeQuotes.net – The Comprehensive Source for The Office Quotes!". March 3, 2020.
  12. ^ Ep. 30 – Copycats, December 7, 2016, retrieved July 16, 2022
  13. ^ https://hesstoytruck.com/hesstory/
  14. ^ "The History of the Holiday Hess Trucks". December 7, 2023.
  15. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - September 9, 1963".
  16. ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 19 September 1963
  17. ^ "Angels: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  18. ^ "The Angels Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  19. ^ Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – My Boyfriend's Back The Angels Chart History, Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
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