Elenore by The Turtles

Album: The Turtles Present The Battle Of The Bands (1968)

Charted: 7 6

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Songfacts®:

The line, "You're my pride and joy etcetera" ends the main chorus of this song. This was a dig at their record label, White Whale, who had been hounding them for another "Happy Together," which was The Turtles' big hit in 1967. They quickly threw together this overly-clichéd song ("Gee I think you're swell") and it proceeded to be another smash despite their best effort at sabotage. In the liner notes of The Turtles' Anthology Solid Zinc, Howard Kaylan of The Turtles explained: "Elenore was a parody of 'Happy Together.' It was never intended to be a straight-forward song. It was meant as an anti-love letter to White Whale (their record company), who were constantly on our backs to bring them another 'Happy Together.' So I gave them a very skewed version. Not only with the chords changed, but with all these bizarre words. It was my feeling that they would listen to how strange and stupid the song was and leave us alone. But they didn't get the joke. They thought it sounded good. Truthfully, though, the production on 'Elenore' WAS so damn good. Lyrically or not, the sound of the thing was so positive that it worked. It certainly surprised me." >>
Suggestion credit:
Steve - Salt Lake City, UT
Many of The Turtles' hits were composed by other writers, but this one they wrote themselves. The who band was given writer credit: Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman, Al Nichols, Jim Pons and John Barbata.

Comments: 17

Gary Kolosey from St. Petersburg, FloridaThey did a great live version of this song and many others. I just saw the Happy Together tour 6.1.22 and it reinforced my belief that there never will be music as great as that produced during this era. https://youtu.be/f09itrlXcic
Jake Mcclake from PhiladelphiaThe song sounds fantastic, especially with the singers harmonizing on the chorus. However, with the lines in the chorus like: "Gee I think you're swell" and "you're my pride and joy et-cetera" , one would believe the writer drew a blank, in coming up with words to fit the beat in the song. I remember wondering did I hear that right? Did they sing "et-cetera"? I'll bet this is the only song that has ever had that in the chorus.
Jordan Kamnitzer from Los AngelesThis song made use of the Moog synthesizer, heard in the second group of verses.
Maggie from CarlisleI was watching tv late one night when I came across a film about a group of disaffected 16 year olds who put on a school play which was a version of Romeo and Juliet but was done with pop music from the 60's and included the Turtles song Elenore. It at first seemed a trashy film but by the end I was fascinated. I cannot find what the film was called and so cannot find it t watch again. I haven't found anybody who knows the film. Any ideas anyone?
Mark from Lancaster, Ohio UsaI have always wondered if other groups--specifically the Beatles--ever released songs that were purposely rotten.
Sean from CanadaI might be off the mark here but Elenore Bron was something of an "It" girl around the time this would have been written. She starred in Help! as well as Bedazzled (with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook). And I have always thought that she was the inspiration for the song.
Jennifur Sun from RamonaAlways liked this tune. Thanks guys.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn September 15th 1968, "Elenore" by the Turtles entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #97; and on October 27th, 1968 it peaked at #6 {for 1 week} and spent 12 weeks on the Top 100...
It reached #1 in New Zealand...
The group’s next release, "You Showed Me", also peaked at #6 on the Top 100 and also spent 12 weeks on the chart...
Between 1965 and 1970 the Los Angeles-based group had seventeen Top 100 records; five made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "Happy Together" for 3 weeks on March 19th, 1967 {the record it replaced at #1 was "Penny Lane" by the Beatles}...
Their 17th and last charted record was a covered version of Barry McGuire's #1 hit, "The Eve of Destruction", it stayed on the Top 100 for two weeks and was at #100 for both those weeks.
Martin from Fresno, CaGreat love song.The turtles had great harmonies.
Guy from Montrï¿½al, QcFor years I was under the impression that Elenore was a British song. My mother language is not English and I thought it sounded British to make "et cetera" rhyme with "better"! I love the song though. One of the very best of 1968.
Jesse from Madison, WiAnd Paul Beaver played one of the first-ever-heard recordings of the infamous Moog synthesizer after the chorus. It kinda sounds like a tripped out and twisted organ, but TRUST ME, it's Paul Beaver's Moog. It also appeared on their "You Showed Me" hit.
Beth from Charleston, WvI heard this was an expression of their "love" for Leslie(Elenore)Gore. Anyone else heard this?
Michelle from Seattle, WaThe concept album from which this song came (Battle of the Bands) featured songs in a number of different pop-music genres, with the character of the imaginary bands explained via the aforementioned photos. The song suited the dickey-wearing wholesome teen band persona they adopted for ELENORE.
Dave from Des Moines, IaThis was supposed to be a novelty like song which would cut into their record label's profits (because they had been pestered for another "Happy Together". Instead the plan backfired and it ended up being one of their biggest hits--despite the "Gee I think you're swell..." bit which parodied typical love songs of a few years before. The album it appears on "The Turtles present the Battle of the Bands" is a sight to see. The album contains a two pane fold with pictures of themselves posing as different bands for each songs. Many of the other songs are novelties with the exception of "You showed me" which appears. ("Food" is a particularly interesting cut.)
Pete from Nowra, Australiagreat song , Happy Together, great song ....
Teresa from Mechelen, Belgium"Eleanore Rigby" from the Beatles and "Elenore" from the Turtles : two completely different songs,
no way to be compared. I have this song of the Turtles on a double-cd "Best of the 60's" and I love it, also the ah-HAH-ha-ah-ahaaaaaaaa! Sweet 60's, the best period of popmusic!
Leya Qwest from Anchorage, AkThis hit came out two years after the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby. It was quite the gutsy endeavor to bust out a light-hearted love song about a girl named Elenore, when the public's previous experience with music about a woman with the same name had been a serious, dark, but beautiful one. Kudos to The Turtles for their boldness and for crafting a snappy pop tune in the face of such an intimidating precedent, dig at their record label though it might've been. I think the song's swell...ah-HAH-ha-ah-ahaaaaaaaa!