This was the first Motown single I ever got. Not that in primary school I even knew what Motown was. But the sound was very distinctive. And I loved the Supremes. But songs were about what was on the radio. As a kid I didn't know genres or labels. Just great songs. And back then the pop charts were a mixture of soon to be classics rubbing up next to crooners and novelty songs.
This was from a stack of singles given to me bu one of our neighbours. He had too many records. He worked for 3AK "Where No Wrinklies Fly" I was a friend of his son so he gave me boxes of singles. Not many good ones but this was a sparkling jewel. My copy was an ep. 4 songs on a single. There was also a deadful cover of a Broadway show tune on it. Hello Dolly I think. The idea makes me shudder. I had to be quick to get the needle off the groove before it came on.
I would listen to it a lot. All through the seventies. I couldn't believe someone could sit down and write a song this good. I never got sick of it. I can still listen to it now and marvel at it's brilliance. I didn't know it was a cover of a 1966 song by The Left Banke. The guy who wrote was only 16.
Billy Bragg also did a cover of the song as a kind of spoken word thing on the b-side of one of his singles. It's a great version cos he kinda captures the essence of teenage love.
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