No Alt Text Defined Click to Subscribe Now Click to give a gift Click to Renew Your Subscription Click to get a digital subscription Click to make a donation Click to buy the current issue

We'll Miss You, Ellie Greenwich

Music post by Andi Zeisler on August 28, 2009 - 12:17pm; tagged '60s Music, Brill Building, Ellie Greenwich, girl groups.

I can't add much to Annalee's farewell to Brill Building great Ellie Greenwich, who died this week at age 68. (Ann Powers of the L.A. Times also has an excellent appreciation of Greenwich's life and legacy here.) But as a devotee of the girl-group sound and the history of the songwriting women behind it (seriously, rent Allison Anders's film Grace of My Heart, whose fictional central songwriter, Denise Waverly—neé Edna Buxton—was based on Brill Building women like Greenwich, Carole King, and Cynthia Weill), I've spent the past few days revisiting her classics. Here are a handful.

 

"Share"

Comments

4 comments have been made. Post a comment.

Me too

Posted by Rachel Fudge on August 28, 2009 - 2:18pm

Thanks for this tribute, Andi, plus the reminder of the excellent Grace of My Heart. I can't think of Ellie Greenwich and the girl group sound without also thinking of Laurie Colwin's Goodbye Without Leaving, another great tribute to the era.

River Deep, Mountain High is

Posted by Ink-Stained Amazon on August 28, 2009 - 3:59pm

River Deep, Mountain High is a perfect, beautiful song.

It may be my imagination, but I seem to remember Lou Reed saying on MTV a long time ago that it was one of his favorite records.

And Tina just knocks it out of the park.

Jennifer K. Stuller
[email protected]
http://www.ink-stainedamazon.com/

Jennifer K. Stuller
[email protected]
http://www.ink-stainedamazon.com/

Condolences

Posted by jaleesa on August 28, 2009 - 8:19pm

I've never heard of her, but I love this mix. If she's the woman behind this, then this is sad. :(
-- -
Jaleesa L / Portfolio

Oh, Ellie!

Posted by TheBadassMuppet (not verified) on September 2, 2009 - 12:20am

I was sad to hear about Ms. Greenwich. I have been a fan of her songs for as long as I can remember, and of her specifically since I saw the musical based on her life (Leader of the Pack) as a kid. The show was nothing to write home about -- she writes songs, gets married, gets divorced -- but the frequent breaks for performances of her works were grand!
You did a great job on this mix; it's right up there with Ladies Talking About Sex!