The Shirelles: the band who inspired The Beatles to early greatness
The era in which girl bands reached stardom was marked by The Shirelles. Founded in 1957, the vocal group inspired countless artists, including The Beatles. The group of high schoolers from New Jersey were the only artist to be honoured twice on the Fab Four’s first album, and their influence echoed through the ages as a success for the Civil Rights Movement.
An early relic of female groups in the rock era, The Shirelles were discovered during a school talent show. The mother of one of their schoolmates happened to be Florence Greenburg, the future owner of Sceptre Records. She signed the group, which went on to be included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Their success as black artists in the US and across the pond also brought significance to an increasingly loud racial equality movement.
Pioneers of the girl group genre, The Shirelles achieved their first number 1 Billboard hit with ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’. But the B-side of that single was what caught The Beatles’ attention. By the early 60s, the band had already become known for breaking the script, so if other bands were making covers of hit songs, they would be performing the B-sides instead. For ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’, that was ‘Boys.’
Another Shirelles hit ‘Baby It’s You’ became a staple in The Beatles’ repertoire between 1961 and 1963, and its Beatles rendition was awarded a place on their debut album Please Please Me together with ‘Boys’. Of all the songs in the album, ‘Boys’ was the only one to be recorded in one take.
Initially, Lennon was to sing lead vocals for ‘Boys’, but Pete Best was eventually awarded the spot until Ringo Starr took his place in the band in 1962. Star took on the track’s lead vocals as well as Best’s spot on the drums. This switch of vocal roles is a well-known Beatles convention, but it was unusual in contemporary pop. Most ’60s bands took the name of their lead vocalist, like Johnny Kid and The Pirates, Gerry and The Pacemakers. The balance in the Liverpool boy band would have been put to the test in initial auditions as scrutinising producers looked for a frontman, but since admiration soon grew for the group of four, and each of them took their turn at vocals, their name and identity were preserved.
The Shirelles’ effect expanded beyond The Beatles’ early success. In a 1980 interview for Playboy, John Lennon explained that ‘PS I Love You’, written by Paul McCartney, was inspired by The Shirelles’ 1962 number one hit ‘Soldier Boy’. The upbeat rendition echoes The Shirelles’ longing lyrics calling to a lover gone to war, a topic resonating with listeners at the time as the Vietnam war was unfolding.
The influence brought by the American quartet impacted artists with their singing style, while also bringing in attention for cover songs. Beyond The Beatles, Manfred Mann gave a hit rendition of ‘Sha La La,’ The Smiths brought another ‘Baby It’s You’ to life, The Mamas And The Papas played a hit cover of ‘Dedicated To The One I Love,’ and Amy Winehouse effortlessly covered ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’.
The Shirelles group helped launch Dionne Warwick’s career, as their own advanced, since two of the four needed to be filled in as they married and went on maternity leave. Ironically, it was the British invasion and the growth of the girl band that pushed The Shirelles’ popularity to decline, but their influence wore on.
