My Boyfriends Back by the Raveonettes

Sune Rose Wagner & Sharin Foo

    The Raveonettes are a Danish rock band fronted by the duo of Sune Rose Wagner & Sharin Foo who have been flying one inch under the radar for far to long.  According to wiki they are like the Everly Brothers and frankly that's bullshit.  While many of their songs do feature a strong 2 part harmony that may be a bit reminiscent of the Everly's that is where the comparison ends.  This is a very talented band with a knack for writing witty and ironic lyrics underscored by very strong and varied musicianship.  They feature raw guitar sensibilities somewhat reminiscent of the mid-60's Rolling Stones but easily match the depth and elegance of the keyboard driven music of Sarah Mclachlan.   If that sounds like hyperbole check out the song Love in a Trashcan or Recharge & Revolt.  

The Angles, Peggy
Santiglia (bottom left)

       Today I'm featuring their cover of the Angles 1963 hit My Boyfriends Back.  The Angles version is 100% teeny-bopper but it is nicely performed with the lead being sung by Peggy Santiglia.   Santiglia's vocals are by turns sweet, sexy, and adolescent.  She only gets to cut loose near the end of Boyfriend which always made me wonder what she could have done if she had better songs.  It might have been interesting to hear her interpret something like I Only Want To Be With You made famous by Dusty Springfield just two months earlier.  The Angles version of Boyfriend is still an extremely popular song and has shown up in movies, TV shows, and has been covered perhaps 20 times both seriously and as parody's.  

Stubbs the Zombie
My boyfriends back?

      The Raveonettes covered it for the 2005 video game Stubbs The Zombie.  Compared to the indignant & kind of bitchy reading by the Angles the Raveonettes version is quite chilly.  Both songs open with the spoken lines "He went away and you hung around and bothered me every night. And when I wouldn't go out with you You said things that weren't very nice."   Santiglia sounds like a 13 year old girl on the verge of tears whereas Foo just sounds pissed off.  

       The sound engineering on the 1963 version was poor but the musicianship was very good.  The song features nice drum work, a double bass reminiscent of the early Four Seasons hits and a horn section that sounds like it's topped by a trumpet but also includes an alto-sax that does a bit of honking throughout the song.  The subtext of the song is the narrator (Santiglia) being a bit uncertain that her boyfriend would mete out the justice she promised.  Which meant she was stuck somewhere between the fear of ostracism and the fear of humiliation.  Perhaps that's what gave the song it's ability to be remembered 50 years later.

       The Raveonettes open with a similar drum pattern except the downbeat is played on a synth pad signalling that this is something new that deserves our attention.  The spoken lines at the opening as interpreted by Foo are not those of a powerless indignant teenybopper.  She is simply telling the guy that wronged her that some shit is coming down on his head that he might want to avoid.  The band picks up on this with an energetic but not overstated garage rock groove.  If I had to compare it to something I would say We've Got The Beat by the Go Go's but without the uptempo rock/punk drive.  This version is played slightly slower and Sharin Foo has a sexy magnetic quality to her voice.  This gives you a clue as to why the guy on the receiving end of the threat would have wanted to be with her to begin with.  At the bridge the back-up waa-oo's are a little deeper and fuller and they harmonize with the bass.  Coupled with Foo's darker more reserved and threatening tone there is a gravitas here the song never had in 1963.  Towards the end, very similar to Santiglia, Sharin Foo shows a strength and versatility that makes you think she could do more.  The difference is that, unlike Santiglia & the Angles, The Raveonettes have done more, a lot more.  

       The Raveonettes are a great band and if you haven't heard them please listen to the songs I've included in this post.  I would be surprised if you didn't come away wanting to hear more from this superlative Danish export.

The Raveonettes covering My Boyfriends Back

       Like the Dollyrots and their song California Beach Boy, the Raveonettes and My Boyfriends Back is a song I learned about while listening to SiriusXM channel 25 which is Little Steven's Underground Garage.  Many of the songs featured here I first heard on that channel.  If you happen to have SiriusXM and are looking for the best in cutting edge rock, the best oldies, and great storytelling provided by people like Steve Van Zandt, Manfred Mann, and Andrew Loog Oldham that is the place to go.