Today’s classic sunshine pop song of the day is “Will You Be Staying After Sunday” by a group called the Peppermint Rainbow. Released in January of 1969, this track spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #32, and sold more than a million copies.
I love this song. It’s not groundbreaking or award winning or anything, but it perfectly captures a time and place—the groovy ’60s! It’s actually kind of a weird mix of styles and mores. The sound is pure sunshine pop with Spanky and Our Gang/Association-type vocal harmonies. The words, however, are all ’60s sex and sin; she’s asking if he’ll hang around after their funky little free love weekend.
That contradiction carries over to the group itself. Even though they’re singing about a weekend lovefest, the ladies look like they stepped right out of the Lawrence Welk Show via Up with People while the guys are wearing some kind of color-coordinated Baroque leisure suit things. It is a weird mix, for sure, but the song is pure ear candy.
The Peppermint Rainbow got together in 1967 in Baltimore, Maryland, originally calling themselves the New York Times and playing a repertoire of tunes from the 5th Dimension and the Mamas and the Papas. The members of the group were girl singers (and sisters) Bonnie and Patty Lamdin, along with guitarist Doug Lewis, bassist Skip Harris, and drummer Anton Corey.
The group signed to Decca Records in 1968 and subsequently changed their name to the Peppermint Rainbow, probably because it sounded groovier. They had two big hits at Decca, “Will You Be Staying After Sunday” and the similarly themed and similar sounding “Don’t Wake Me Up in the Morning, Michael,” which only hit #54 on the Hot 100. They released three other singles, none of which charted, and split up in 1970. Not quite a one hit wonder, but close. Groovy, baby!
