“Julie, Do Ya Love Me” (Bobby Sherman)

Our look back at that classic year of 1970 wouldn’t be complete without a catchy song by a toothy teen idol. Hence today’s classic 1970 song of the day, “Julie, Do Ya Love Me” by Bobby Sherman. This frothy pop confection was released in July of 1970 and peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and #2 on the Easy Listening cart) on September 19.

Unlike today’s manufactured bad boy bands, complete with their attitudes, tattoos, and nose rings, Bobby Sherman was as wholesome as white bread, although not quite as nutritous. He was totally nonthreatening, smiled a lot, and had perfect hair. All the teen and pre-teen girls loved him—and so did their moms, truth be told. If you were a girl born around 1960 there’s a very good chance you had a poster of Bobby Sherman, ripped from the pages of Tiger Beat magazine, taped to your bedroom wall. He was dreamy.

Mr. Sherman was all over the radio (and on the covers of teen magazines) back then. Even though he’d been recording since the early ’60s, it took him until the end of the decade to score his first big hit with “Little Woman (#3 in 1969). He promptly followed that up with “La La La (If I Had You)” (#9), “Easy Come, Easy Go” (#9), and “Julie, Do Ya Love Me” (#5), all in 1970. He had a few minor hits after that that nobody remembers and pretty much retired from the business by 1975.

Like all of Mr. Sherman’s hits, “Julie, Do Ya Love Me” (written by old pro Tom Bahler) had more in common with the brassy big band sounds of Brits like Petula Clark than the teen-focused genre some deride as bubblegum music. His arrangements typically featured a big, brass-heavy orchestra and a large background choir.

Speaking of brass, take a listen to that killer high lead trumpet on “Julie.” It was played by New York session ace Lloyd Michels, who played with the Woody Herman, Clark Terry, and Buddy Rich big bands, and was also in the house band for The Merv Griffin Show. He had the nickname “Karate Chops,” and you can hear why.

“Julie, Do Ya Love Me” and Mr. Sherman’s other singles hummed along much like something you’d expect to hear at a Bobby Darrin show on the Las Vegas Strip. Not surprisingly, Mr. Sherman could work the crowd like a Las Vegas pro, too. It was all an act, but a catchy one.

Of course, some remember Bobby Sherman not just for his pop recordings but also for his acting skills. In addition to guesting on American Bandstand, Where the Action Is, and other teen-oriented jukebox TV shows, he was a regular in Here Come the Brides on ABC television. He played the youngest of the three Bolt brothers, Jeremy, who brought all those brides to their Seattle mining camp.

After Here Come the Brides ended, Mr. Sherman guest-starred on a lot of TV shows, including The Mod Squad, The F.B.I, and The Partridge Family. His 1974 guest shot on the show Emergency presaged his post-music career; when he left the music business he became a paramedic, volunteered with the Los Angeles Police Department, and later became an official reserve police officer. He was also a medical training officer for the Los Angeles Police Academy, training thousands of officers in first aid and CPR. He was even named LAPD’s Reserve Officer of the Year in 1999.

In 1999, Sherman moved from Los Angeles to San Bernardino, continuing as a reserve police officer and trainer. He retired in 2010. That wholesome teen idol is now 80 years old.