Things got a little unglued when some of his earlier material was rush released by a former label (thus confusing the market) but interestingly Lou also co-wrote Cryin' in the Streets. The problem with that song was the glueing it together". We'd have an intro, then part of a verse, then another refrain, then the hook. There were four different parts to the song. It's an interesting song beyond its very compelling vocals, as Christie noted: "The structure was unique then. And pouty Lou looked like he might also liked to take a walk on the wild side.Ī few other minor hits followed, then came the army stint in early '65, the signing to Marcucci's roster, and this Herbert-Christie penned Lightnin' Strikes which had as much ear-piercing anguish as anything by Johnny Ray and Gene Pitney combined.Īnd sex: "If she gives me a sign she wants to make time. Given his voice, a lot of listeners thought he was a she. Within a short period they spun out four pretty interesting hits including The Gypsy Cried which was released under the name "Lou Christie". They fell in with each other (they shared a love of classical music, notably opera) and became songwriting partners. It was when they attended a bogus audition that Lou met Twyla Herbert who was twice his age, a former concert pianist and psychic. When Christie was 15 he and his sister Amy Sacco had formed a group called the Crewnecks. Maybe it was the tight trousers, maybe it was the falsetto. And by that time the British Invasion was at its peak.įew American teen idol acts like Christie - his fellows in Bob Marcucci's management stable included Fabian and Frankie Avalon - would survive the Invasion, but Lou was always kind of different. It was quite a comeback for Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco from rural Glenwillard near Pittsburg: he'd had some skirmishes with the charts and been on Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars traveling revue (he was seated next to Diana Ross for 72 consecutive nights) but he'd been sidelined by a six month stint as an army reservist. Since then, it has been covered by everyone from Del Shannon to Klaus Nomi, but no one has ever been able to top the masterful mixture of melodrama and hooks that Christie achieved on the original version of "Lightnin' Strikes.Few people can say they celebrated their 23rd birthday in quite the same way as Lou Christie, this single was number one the US - and just starting to go global. Thus, it wasn't much of a surprise when "Lightnin' Strikes" became a chart-topping hit in 1966 and achieved similarly stellar success elsewhere in the world. All these elements gel beautifully to create a song that many pop fans consider to be the ultimate in 1960s pop psychodrama. However, the true star of the song is Christie's pop-operatic lead vocal: he comes on like a sweet Romeo during the verses but launches into a wailing falsetto on the chorus that perfectly captures the song's underlying tension. His stylish work maintains a swinging pop/rock feel with stomping drumbeats and a muscular brass arrangement but adds inspired touches like the heavenly bells and tinkling piano used on the pre-chorus bridge. Christie's recording lives up to the song's dramatic potential thanks to an energetic arrangement from frequent Four Seasons arranger Charles Calello. This ambiguity carries over to the music: it immediately starts to build tension with an constantly ascending verse melody then gives way to a deceptively peaceful pre-chorus bridge before launching into a feverish chorus. With lines like "When I see lips begging to be kissed/I can't stop, I can't stop myself," it's not clear whether he is a cool Casanova or a predatory stalker. The first-person lyric describes the thoughts of someone who is torn between settling down and sowing his wild oats: the narrator sounds innocent enough while begging his potential "one and only" to give him time to settle down but gets downright disturbing when he describes the urges he feels away from her. Lou Christie's biggest hit is also one of the most daring and unusual pop songs to top the charts during the mid-'60s.
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