“Bobby’s Girl” is today’s classic song of the day—and it was a hit for one singer here in the U.S. and other in the UK and Europe.
The song “Bobby’s Girl” was written by the team of Gary Klein and Henry Hoffman. The guys enlisted Marcie Blane, then a senior in high school (and captain of the cheerleading squad), to record a demo of the song. Marv Holtzman, the A&R man for Seville Records, heard the demo and liked it enough to release it as-is, with 16 year-old Marcie Blane as the credited artist. Ms. Blane’s recording, released as a single in September of 1962, went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Cash Box Top 100. It was also a top ten hit in Canada, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
Meanwhile, over in jolly old England, singer Susan Maughan had heard the demo and recorded her own version of the song. Ms. Maughan’s version of “Bobby’s Girl” featured a dramatically different arrangement, with backing by Wally Stott and his orchestra and chorus. Susan Maughan’s recording of “Bobby’s Girl,” released in October of 1962, went to #3 on the UK singles chart. It was also a top ten hit in Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, and Norway. (Yes, both versions of the tune got major airplay in Norway.)
Interestingly, the Marcie Blane version of “Bobby’s Girl” was not released in the UK, nor was Susan Maughan’s version released in the U.S. Things worked differently back then.
“Bobby’s Girl” has had lasting power, however. I particularly liked the version recorded by Tracy Ullman on her album, You Broke My Heart in 17 Places. That one is today’s daily bonus track of the day.
