The Drifters, a name synonymous with smooth vocals and timeless melodies, are perhaps best recognized for their iconic hit, “Save The Last Dance For Me.” This track, a cornerstone of their catalog, anchors an album that’s ripe for rediscovery. While often presented as a straightforward greatest hits package, “Save The Last Dance For Me” (the album) reveals a more nuanced story of a band in transition, showcasing both their consistent quality and the evolving landscape of early 1960s pop music. Let’s delve into what makes this album a significant piece of music history, exploring the magic behind its most famous song and the gems hidden within its tracklist.
Image: The Drifters Save the Last Dance for Me album cover. Features a black and white photo of four well-dressed men, presumably The Drifters, against a plain backdrop. Album title in bold white text above the group.
A Band in Flux: Navigating Change and Chart Success
“The Drifters” wasn’t just a band; it was a brand, constantly evolving and adapting under the guidance of music industry veterans like Atlantic Records. This album, released during a period of significant shifts within the group, reflects this dynamic. While liner notes of the era often glossed over the internal band mechanics, it’s crucial to understand that by the time “Save The Last Dance For Me” hit record store shelves, The Drifters had already seen multiple lead singers come and go. This album captures a fascinating moment where different eras of the group converge, creating a somewhat chronologically jumbled but ultimately compelling listening experience.
The tracklist itself is a journey through time, spanning singles released from February 1962 back to August 1960. The title track, “Save The Last Dance For Me,” was actually one of the earliest recordings here, sung by the inimitable Ben E. King. By the time of its release in August 1960, King had already embarked on his solo career. History would vindicate his decision, with hits like “Spanish Harlem” and “Stand By Me” following, but “Save The Last Dance For Me” became The Drifters’ biggest commercial triumph, their sole chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100, and arguably the song most associated with their name.
“Save The Last Dance For Me”: Deconstructing a Timeless Hit
Written by the legendary songwriting duo of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and produced by the equally renowned Leiber & Stoller, “Save The Last Dance For Me” is a masterclass in crafting a pop classic. The song expertly blends soulful vocals, a subtle Latin rhythm, and lush, albeit slightly schmaltzy, strings. It revisits the formula that made their earlier hit “Dance With Me” successful but with a more mature and emotionally resonant theme. While “Dance With Me” explored the tentative beginnings of romance, “Save The Last Dance For Me” delves into the complexities of an established relationship, tinged with jealousy and possessiveness.
Pomus and Shuman’s songwriting shines in the song’s clever use of rapid internal rhymes (“every dance with the guy who gives you the eye…”) and verses that flow like graceful circles on a dance floor. The song’s personal touch adds another layer of depth. Rumor has it that Doc Pomus, wheelchair-bound due to polio, penned the lyrics about his wife’s dancing at their wedding reception, an experience he could only observe. Regardless of the absolute accuracy of this anecdote (the song was written in 1960, and the wedding was in 1957), it adds an undeniably poignant dimension to the song’s themes of longing and watching from the sidelines.
The song’s accessibility and universal themes of love and longing have made it a popular choice for covers, with versions ranging from Dion to Jerry Lee Lewis. While many covers emphasize the song’s upbeat and romantic qualities, the original Drifters’ version, with its undercurrent of drama and Ben E. King’s emotive delivery, retains a unique power. The ethereal violins in the second bridge further enhance the song’s bittersweet beauty. While debates may rage on about whether it’s their greatest song, its status as their best-selling and most recognized is undeniable, resonating with audiences across generations, much like other enduring classics such as The Nutcracker or the Wedding March.
Beyond the Title Track: Unearthing Album Gems
Interestingly, the B-side to “Save The Last Dance For Me,” “Nobody But Me,” is arguably just as strong. Also penned by Pomus and Shuman, it was initially considered for the A-side, showcasing the wealth of quality material The Drifters were producing. “Nobody But Me” possesses a similar level of catchiness and prettiness to its A-side counterpart, perhaps even surpassing it in soulfulness thanks to King’s passionate vocals. While the strings are more prominent throughout this track, “Nobody But Me” carries a stronger gospel influence, feeling less overtly commercial than “Save The Last Dance For Me.” Despite its quality, it never achieved the same level of public recognition, highlighting the unpredictable nature of hit songs.
Following the massive success of “Save The Last Dance For Me,” Atlantic Records capitalized on the momentum by releasing another Pomus-Shuman-King collaboration from their archives, “I Count The Tears.” While it didn’t replicate the chart-topping success of its predecessor, reaching a respectable #17, it showcased a different side of The Drifters. With its melancholic pop melody and rhythmic steadiness, the song feels almost tailor-made for the white teen idols of the era, like Del Shannon. However, The Drifters’ soulful rendition transcends genre boundaries. The “na-na-na-na-na-na late at night” harmonies, the clever lyrical shift from first to third person, and King’s heartfelt delivery create a compelling listening experience. It’s a testament to the song’s quality that even a cover version by The Searchers, while popular, doesn’t quite capture the soulful depth of the original.
The Rudy Lewis Era and Brill Building Songwriting
By February 1961, The Drifters had transitioned to a new lead singer, Rudy Lewis (formerly Charles Rudolph Harrell). Lewis, with his pleasant tenor reminiscent of Sam Cooke but with less grit, marked the beginning of the “Fourth Age” of The Drifters, as the review aptly calls it. This era saw them collaborate with the rising stars of the Brill Building, Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
“Some Kind Of Wonderful,” penned by King and Goffin, emerged from this partnership. While this original Drifters’ version might lack the intimate shyness of Carole King’s later solo rendition, it’s undeniably charming. With its bouncier, poppier rhythm and a touch of Latin influence, it’s pure rose-tinted happiness. While not the most groundbreaking melody from King and Goffin, it’s undeniably romantic and perfectly suited to The Drifters’ style.
Image: Vinyl record for The Drifters Save the Last Dance for Me album. Close-up of the record label showing the album title, artist, and track listings.
The same session also yielded “Please Stay,” a Burt Bacharach composition. While perhaps not Bacharach’s most memorable work, it’s a pleasant romantic trifle that found greater success in a later, more dramatic cover by The Cryin’ Shames. In contrast, “Sweets For My Sweet,” another Pomus-Shuman gem, is an upbeat and humorous ditty driven by a catchy piano riff from Mort Shuman himself and delightful backing vocals, rumored to include Dionne Warwick and Doris Troy. Its lighthearted charm and Afro-Cuban percussion elements make it a standout track, even if most listeners are more familiar with The Searchers’ jangly guitar-driven cover.
Further exploring the album’s depths, “Room Full Of Tears” and “Somebody New Dancin’ With You” represent the later Pomus-Shuman contributions. “Room Full Of Tears” is a more conventional mariachi-influenced ballad, while “Somebody New Dancin’ With You” offers a somewhat tragicomic sequel to “Save The Last Dance For Me,” exploring the aftermath of unheeded romantic advice. While these tracks may be considered minor works, they contribute to the album’s overall texture and showcase the breadth of Pomus and Shuman’s songwriting talent.
“When My Little Girl Is Smiling,” another Goffin-King collaboration, provided a much-needed chart resurgence after the underperformance of “Room Full Of Tears.” This simpler, lighter tune with practical lyrical advice for women dealing with men cleverly utilizes the chord sequence from “What’d I Say,” blending romantic pop with danceable R&B. The unexpected addition of harps to the arrangement, alongside strings, further elevates the song’s charm and showcases Leiber & Stoller’s innovative production.
Consistent Quality and Enduring Legacy
The “Save The Last Dance For Me” album arrived at a crucial juncture, capitalizing on the renewed success of “Little Girl” and compiling a collection of A- and B-sides from the preceding period. Despite the title track’s dominance and Ben E. King’s limited vocal presence on the album, it maintains a surprising consistency. The real distinction lies not so much in the shift from King to Lewis, but rather in the interplay between the songwriting styles of Pomus-Shuman and Goffin-King.
Tracks like “No Sweet Lovin’,” a boogie-wop throwback featuring Bill Pinkney, and “Jackpot,” a country-blues curiosity, add further stylistic variety. “Jackpot,” with its Fifties rhythms and early Sixties arrangements, is a stylistic mishmash that’s more intriguing than filler, unlike some of the less impactful B-sides like “Mexican Divorce.”
Ultimately, “Save The Last Dance For Me” reveals The Drifters as more of a trademark, a vehicle for showcasing the talents of songwriters, arrangers, and producers, rather than a band with a fixed artistic identity. While Clyde McPhatter and Ben E. King were distinct individual talents, singers like Johnny Moore and Rudy Lewis were more adaptable vocalists. This arrangement, common for vocal groups of the era, might explain why some listeners are more familiar with The Drifters’ hits than with the individuals behind the name.
However, this “conveyor belt production,” as the review cleverly terms it, yielded exceptional results thanks to the caliber of talent involved. With figures like Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Jerry Wexler, and Ahmet Ertegun at the helm, the music remained consistently high-quality. These “interim years” between rock ‘n’ roll’s initial explosion and its subsequent waves, while sometimes perceived as less groundbreaking, were crucial in laying the foundation for the pop music explosion that followed.
“The Drifters Save The Last Dance For Me” stands as a testament to this era, a collection of expertly crafted songs, anchored by a timeless classic, and showcasing the enduring appeal of The Drifters’ sound, even as the faces behind the voices changed. It’s an album that deserves to be revisited, not just for its iconic title track, but for the wealth of musical treasures it holds.
