Album: Leader of the Pack (1964)

Charted: 3 1

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• "Is she really going out with him?
  "Well, there she is, let's ask her"
  "Betty, is that Jimmy's ring you're wearing?"
  "Mmm-hmm"
  "Gee, it must be great riding with him"
  "Is he picking you up after school today?"
  "Mmm-mmm"
  "By the way, where did you meet him?"
  
  I met him at the candy store
  He turned around and smiled at me
  You get the picture
  (Yes, we see)
  That's when I fell for the leader of the pack
  
  My folks were always putting him down (down, down)
  They said he came from the wrong side of town
  (What you mean when you say that he came from the wrong side of town?)
  They told me he was bad, but I knew he was sad
  That's why I fell for the leader of the pack
  
  One day, my dad said, "find someone new"
  I had to tell my Jimmy, "we're through"
  (What you mean when you say that you better go find somebody new?)
  He stood there and asked me why, but all I could do was cry
  I'm sorry I hurt you, the leader of the pack
  
  He sort of smiled, then kissed me goodbye
  The tears were beginning to show
  As he drove away on that rainy night
  I begged him to go slow, whether he heard
  I'll never know (know, know, know, know, know, know, know)
  Look out, look out, look out
  
  I felt so helpless, what could I do?
  Remembering all the things we'd been through
  In school, they all stop and stare
  I can't hide the tears, but I don't care
  I'll never forget him, the leader of the pack
  
  Ooh-ooh-ooh (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
  The leader of the pack, now he's gone (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
  The leader of the pack, now he's gone (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
  the leader of the pack, now he's gone (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone) Writer/s: Ellie Greenwich, George Morton, Jeff Barry
  Publisher: Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 27

• Alexander Nadeau from MeThat looks like a 64 Yamaha YG1 80cc . Lol
• AnonymousI 100% agree that is NOT aV twin harley never! Thoughts were a BSA C25 ? And iv played and replayed it and yes possibly a 250 harley not a v twin not a honda benly lmao.Not a honda full stop .
• Bob G from Wickliffe, OhHaving owned a few Harleys, that's the lamest Harley I ever heard. My guess is that it could have been Harley-Davidson's single cylinder 250 Sprint. Still a Harley but definitely not a V-twin.
• Chloe AI always thought this song was ahead of its time. Wicked tune!
• Happy from HonoluluBRRRRRRRROOOOM! BRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOM! I have the bike of Joe Venneri still intact running its a piece of history that makes me so happy Avery time I ride it ....
• David Maskrey from Bangkok In the black n white video of the "leader of the pack" what bike was used in the video "not the sound the bike"
• Ross Vertigan from Morwell Victoria AustraliaEvery time I hear this song it makes me sad, as the lyrics of this song talk about young love being frowned upon by an uncaring society. Although I didn't grow up in the 50s or 60s, this song has a Shakespeare influence in its emotionally poetic storyline and will haunt me forever.
• Paul Osman from Liverpool, EnglandI don't know if any USA senior citizens remember a similar British song called TERRY, sung by a teenage singer called Twinkle. In the song Terry is like the LOTP killed while on his motor bike. The two songs came out around the same time, mid 1960s. There is a poignant line "Please wait at the gates of heaven for me, Terry". Sadly Twinkle died a few years ago. I hope she was reunited with Terry at the gates of heaven.
• Jennifur Sun from RamonaJohny is the picture of you? also to me the really sad saga they recorded was Give Us Your Blessing. had never (although I grew up in the late 50's and into the now 2000 but I had never heard that song or Never Go Home Anymore. have to say the last one just gave me goosebumps. and i'm very surprised to find out here, that Phil did not engineer their recordings, it does sound like his Wall. also if he didn't who played on their recordings, if it was in LA, I bet it was the Wrecking Crew, If not, who then?
• Moanin' Lisa from Chillicothe Mo.Cool song from '64. I hear it's called a teen tragedy now. Back then, me & my cousins would come home after school and play our new records & this was one. You couldn't dance too well to it, but it was popular. It sounded a bit like a Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" production, but I learned the producer was Shadow Morton. A real weirdo. I was a Shangri-Las fan back then & had several of their 45s. They had a good sound.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn January 13th 1965, the Detergents performed "Leader of the Laundromat" on the ABC-TV program 'Shindig!'...
  At the time the song was at #21 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; the week before it was at #19 {for 1 week} and that was also its peak position the chart...
  The trio had one other Top 100 record, "Double-O-Seven", it stayed on the chart for 3 weeks, peaking at #89.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn October 4th 1964, "Leader of the Pack" by the Shandri-Las entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #86; and on November 22nd, 1964 it peaked at #1 { for 1 week} and spent 12 weeks on the Top 100...
  On November 29th, 1964 the parody of the song, "Leader of the Laundromat", by the Detergents entered the Top 100 at #80 and at the time "Leader of the Pack" was at #3, the week before it was at #1...
  Between August 1964 and June 1966 the Shandri-Las had eleven Top 100 records, with three making the Top 10, their two other Top 10 records were "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)" {peaked at #5 in 1964} and "I Can Never Go home Again" {reached #6 in 1965}.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 10th 1966, the Shangri-Las performed at the Surf 'N See Club in Seabright, New Jersey...
  At the time their record "Past, Present, and Future" was at #63 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; it would peak at #59 and it was also their 11th and last charted record...
  Also on the bill that night was a local band, 'The Castiles', and 16 year-old Bruce Springsteen was a band member.
• Barry from Sauquoit, Nyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4dEuqKAgn8&feature=related
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyIn 1974 Brownsville Station released a record titled "I'm the Leader of the Pack", it peaked at No. 48... I personally don't remember this song, is it an answer song or a stand alone song???
• Johnny from Hershey, Pa, PaIf you go to starfiresforever.com and click on photography, you will see a photo of the Starfires, a band from Wilkes-Barre, PA, on stage with the Shangri-Las in 1965. Look for the left-handed musician. This was pre-"Leader of the Pack."
• Meredith from Wauwatosa, WiYes, he died in a motorcycle accident. I like this song, but it's depressing.
• Chenel from Salamanca, NyMy mom & dad were acting out this song for a talent show at our local Bingo Hall. as my mom was singing, my dad was playing the leader of the pack. when it came time for him to "crash and die" so to speak, he fell and actually did a great job. some old lady did not know the song and she came over to my dad to help him up and ask him if he was okay. but anyway, this is one of the greatest teen tradgedy songs i have ever heard. :)
• Krista from Elyria, OhStiv from bathurst canada, that band is twisted sister!I like both versions.
• Fyodor from Denver, CoWhat do y'all think: did the leader of the pack hear her when she told him to be careful?
• Frank from Westminster, ScThe longest motorcycle skid in history...LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT!!
• Howard from St. Louis Park, MnBRRRRRRRROOOOM! BRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOM! Leader of the Pack was a classic girl-group song and one of the great teen tragedy hits. I always got a kick out of the motorcycle sound. I have been a Billy Joel fan for years and I didn't know he was the piano player of the song.
• Melissa from Duluth, MnThe "Detergents" did the Leader of the Laundromat. The Detergents were Ron Dante (of the Anchies and the Cuff Links), Tommy Wynn and Danny Jordan. Went to #19 in 1964.
• Bob from Sacramento, CaAnybody know who did the parody (the original is pretty much a parody of itself, but never mind...) the parody of this called "Leader of the Laundromat," also circa 1964? I figure they had to set it in a laundromat so they could use the lines, "My folks were always putting her down/Because our laundry came back brown" and, "She was in a quandary/when she left the laundary."
• Stiv from Bathurst, CanadaThe heavy metal band recorded a version of this song on their album < Come out and play>
• Mikael from Helsinki, FinlandMy first comment ever on Songfacts ... I've read that BBC banned "Leader" for violence, immorality or some other dubious reason. Can anybody tell more? Here are comprehensive lists of banned or otherwise suspect tunes.
  
  http://www.rocklist.net/banned.html
  http://www.ericnuzum.com/banned/
  
  Great site, at least so far! ;o)
• Eric from Buffalo, NyThe song was written by Ellie Greenwich and is featured in the musical "Leader of the pack:The Ellie Greenwich Musical"

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