Album: released as a single (1963)
Charted: 10

Songfacts®:

  • Running a brisk 1:57, this doo-wop song is emblematic of the genre, complete with "dooby-doo"s and a super-innocent lyric about a girl this guy is crazy for. It was a #10 hit in the US in the summer of 1963; a year later The Beatles invaded and doo-wop suddenly sounded dated.
  • Randy & The Rainbows were from Queens, New York, a doo-wop hotspot. In this lineup, they were comprised of two sets of brothers: Randy and Frank Safuto, and Mike and Sal Zero, plus Ken Arcipowski. "Denise" was their first single.
  • The song was written by Neil Levenson, who wasn't a member of the group. According to his 2008 obituary in Billboard, Levenson wrote the song for Denise Lefrak, his childhood friend.

    Levenson also wrote the next Randy & The Rainbows single, "Why Do Kids Grow Up," which stalled at #97 - it was their last chart appearance. Levenson also shows up on the credits for "When It's All Over" by Jay & The Americans and "I Wanna Swim With Him" by The Daisies.
  • Songwriter Neil Levenson brought Randy & The Rainbows in contact with the Tokens ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight"). The Tokens producers worked on the track, and it became the last doo-wop hit for the Laurie label.
  • Blondie revived this song in 1977, changing the title to "Denis" but keeping the pronunciation as "Denise," thus making it about a French guy so their frontwoman Debbie Harry could sing it. This was early in Blondie's career, and the song was their breakthrough in Europe. They didn't have a hit in their home country of America until a year later with "Heart Of Glass."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.