Today is the first day of September here on planet Earth, so it’s only fitting that today’s classic song of the day is one titled “See You in September.” It’s all about two young lovers separating at the beginning of summer vacation but knowing that they’ll be back together again when summer is over and school begins again in September.
“See You in September” was written by Sid Wayne and Sherman Edwards. Sid was a pro lyricist who penned the words for a lot of songs used in Elvis Presley movies throughout the ’60s. Sherman Edwards, a noted composer, also wrote a bunch of tunes for Mr. Presley, but was perhaps better known for writing the music for the Broadway musical 1776. They apparently wrote this one on a single day (it was a Friday) in June of 1959.
The same day they wrote the tune, Sid and Sherman shared it with Jack Gold, the owner of the Paris Records label. That night, Gold phoned up a local Pittsburgh vocal group called the Tempos and they cut the record the following Monday. They sent out pressings to radio stations on Thursday and on Friday, a week after Sid and Sherman wrote the thing, “See You in September” was being played on radio stations across the country. Things happened mighty quick back then.
Released in June of 1959, the Tempos’ version of “See You in September” was a hit. It went all the way to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was their version of the tune that was featured, a dozen years later, on the soundtrack to the movie American Graffiti.
In July of 1966, another vocal group, the Happenings, released their version of “See You in September.” They knew the Tempos’ version and thought they could do better, as related by group member Bob Miranda:
“I loved the song—we all always loved the song—and it was suggested by Mickey Eichner at Jubilee who said, ‘Why don’t you guys try “See You in September”?’ and we said, ‘Sure, we know the song,’ and so we did. We brought it into the woodshed and broke it all down—stripped it down and saved all the good parts—the music, the lyrics. We added a whole bunch of vocal hooks and changed the tempo to a Motown feel, which was a new feel for us—and it kind of set the stage for a whole formula for us: take a proven hit that’s a great song and strip it down, change it, and make it your own with the vocal hooks, etc.—and that’s really what we did.”
The Happenings’ cover of “See You in September” was a better recording. Produced by Bob Crewe, who co-wrote and produced a ton of hits for the Four Seasons, the Happenings’ single went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s the version most of us remember today—and, not surprisingly, sounds a lot like a Four Seasons record.
Which brings us to today’s daily bonus video of the day. It’s Bob Miranda and the Happenings lip synching “See You in September” on the TV show Where the Action Is back in 1966. And for all my Twin Cities readers, they’re singing in front of Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis!
