Jerry Lewis’ son Gary had his share of hits as leader of the group Gary Lewis & the Playboys. Today’s classic song of the day, “Save Your Heart for Me,” is one such record. Released in June of 1965, this tune almost went to number one, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Cash Box Top 100. (It did hit #1 on Billboard’s East Listening chart.)
“Save Your Heart for Me” was written by Gary Geld and Peter Udell. They were responsible for writing “Sealed with a Kiss” for Brian Hyland and “Hurting Each Other” for the Carpenters, as well as collaborating on the musicals Purlie, Shenandoah, and Angel.
In fact, Geld and Udell originally wrote “Save Your Heart for Me” for Brian Hyland. He recorded it but it only got as far as inclusion as a B-side of his single, “I’m Afraid to Go Home.” Gary Lewis’ producer Snuff Garrett heard the song and recommended it for Mr. Lewis and his group. It was a good choice; the song was easy enough for Mr. Lewis to sing and the Wrecking Crew provided more than adequate backing tracks. (And, no, Gary Lewis, who was purportedly the drummer and lead singer in the band, did not play drums on this or any other recording—although he did do the whistling on “Save Your Heart for Me.”)
Gary Lewis has maintained that the reason the song was such a success was because it was really short, clocking in at just 1:56. That made it an ideal space filler between longer songs on the radio.
Now, for your viewing pleasure, here are Gary Lewis and the Playboys lip-synching their way through “Save Your Heart for Me” on some television program back in 1965. Good song, mediocre performers greatly enhanced by studio wizards and wizardry. It never hurts to have a rich and famous daddy.
