As the Hubster and I sat down to breakfast at the Black Bear Diner this morning, the stereo speakers began streaming the song, “Dedicated to the One I Love.”
Suddenly, I was transported decades back to junior high school, singing this song, arm-in-arm with my girlfriends.
The version we heard this morning wasn’t my favorite. That fave was sung by The Shirelles. I looked the song up on Wikipedia and found far more than you may want to know—and far more than I remembered.
The Shirelles R&B version wasn’t the first for that song. Instead, the original was an R&B version written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass. Pauling was the guitarist for the "5" Royales, who released it in 1957.
I'd also forgotten that The Mamas and the Papas recorded a smooth, folk-chorale version, released in 1967. I didn't much like that one, probably because it didn't have a beat, and I'd first gone teenage nutty for The Shirelles.
Maybe it’s a Girl Thing
I can’t recall which male teacher bolted out a classroom door and gave me and my girlfriends a no-no stink-eye for singing "Dedicated to the One I Love" down a hallway. It was after school hours, so maybe it was a girl thing, and the teacher didn't get it.
I played The Shirelles' version for the Hubster today, and he found an excuse to leave my office soon after.
Still, isn’t it fun to know that a song you loved so long ago is so popular? I didn't realize so many versions have been recorded. Wikipedia lists 15 more versions than the ones mentioned below. After listening to several versions on YouTube, I think the one I heard at Black Bear Diner was by Bitty McLean. Released in 1994, it has a bouncy reggae beat and is on some Karaoke song lists.
Quoting Wikipedia:
"Dedicated To The One I Love" is a song written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass that was a hit for the "5" Royales, the Shirelles, the Mamas & the Papas and Bitty McLean. Pauling was the guitarist of the "5" Royales, the group that recorded the original version, produced by Bass, in 1957. Their version was re-released in 1961 and charted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Shirelles version
“A cover version recorded by American girl group the Shirelles reached number 83 in 1959. This version was re-released in 1961 and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides. The song was subsequently included on their 1961 album Tonight's the Night. In Canada, the re-release reached number 13.
The Mamas & the Papas version
“In 1967, a subsequent and slightly more popular cover version by the Mamas & the Papas released on the Dunhill label went to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, kept from number 1 by "Happy Together" by The Turtles. This version also reached number 2 on the UK's Record Retailer chart. The lead singer on the Mamas & the Papas version was Michelle Phillips. It was the first time that Phillips was given the lead over Cass Elliot. The song was also included on the group's 1967 album The Mamas & The Papas Deliver.”
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