Remember (Walking in the Sand) by The Shangri-Las

Album: Leader of the Pack (1964)

Charted: 14 5

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This was the Shangri-Las' first national hit single. Like their other hits "Leader Of The Pack" and "I Can Never Go Home Anymore," the song is about young love gone wrong, as the singer remembers all the good times with the guy who inexplicably left her.
George "Shadow" Morton wrote this song. Morton was an aspiring songwriter who was recommended by Ellie Greenwich to her husband Jeff Barry. Barry wanted to find out if Morton could give him a song, so Morton arranged meetings with musicians and the Shangri-Las for a future demo session. However, while driving to Barry's studio for the session, Morton remembered that he forgot to write a song! So, he pulled over to the side of the road and began writing. Thus, the song was born.
This song contains the sound effects of seagull cries. Shadow Morton was once asked how these sound effects were included, as many people assumed that they were taped from a beach. His response to the question was: "sound effects record."
A young Billy Joel played the piano on the sessions for this and The Shangri-Las' followup (and biggest) hit "Leader of the Pack." In a 1987 interview with Q magazine, Joel explained: "I met a guy at an Echoes gig - was about 15 and he asked me if I wanted to play piano on a recording. So I go down to this little studio in a guy's basement in Levittown, Dynamic Studios, and they've got this sheet music down there. There's two songs, one's called 'Leader Of The Pack' and the other is called 'Remember (Walking In The Sand)' and this is pretty easy stuff to play and then Shadow comes in. He's a pretty strange guy, Shadow. He's wearing this big cape and dark glasses and he played the producer role to the hilt. I think he had a thing about Phil Spector. He wanted to be the Phil Spector of the East Coast. And he talked in these wild, dramatic, theatrical terms – he wanted more 'thunder' and he wanted more 'purple' in the record. He's waving his arms in the air saying 'give me more PURPLE'. And I'm sitting there kind a nervous – this is my first time ever in a recording studio – and I'm hissing to the other musicians, What does that mean? How do I play "purple"? And the guitar player leans over and say, Oh, just play louder, kid.

So we did these songs in a couple of hours and the singers didn't actually sing with us, we just did the backing tracks and I was never really sure who it was for and then I heard 'Remember (Walking In The Sand)' by the Shangri-Las on the radio and I went Wait a minute, that's me, and the guys in the band said, Oh, what did you get paid? I didn't get paid anything. What did I know. I guess Shadow pulled in guys like me so he could save some money."
Aerosmith covered this song in 1979 with Shangri-Las lead singer Mary Weiss on uncredited backup vocals. Their version reached US #67 a year later. >>
Suggestion credit:
Jerro - New Alexandria, PA, for all above

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Comments: 7

Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 16th 1964, "Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)" by the Shangri-Las entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #78; and on September 20th, 1964 it peaked at #5 {for 3 weeks} and spent 11 weeks on the Top 100 {and for 6 of those 11 weeks it was on the Top 10}...
Between 1964 and 1966 the New York quartet had eleven Top 100 records; three made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "Leader of the Pack" for 1 week on November 22nd, 1964...
Sadly, two members of the group have passed away, Marge Ganser {1948 - 1996} and Mary Ann Ganser {1948 - 1970}; they were identical twin sisters.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 12th 1979, "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" by Louise Goffin entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #82; and September 30th, 1979 it peaked at #43 {for 1 week} and spent 9 weeks on the Top 100...Fourteen weeks after Ms. Goffin peaked with her version, Aerosmith entered the Top 100 chart with their covered version of the song, on January 6th, 1980 it entered at #84 and eventually it peaked at #67 and spent 6 weeks on the Top 100.
Charles Hollingswort from Leeds, AlTo AnDre in The Bronx: The first record by the Shangri-las was "Simon Says" b/w "Simon Speaks".It was released in 1963 as a 45 on Smash Records #1866. "Hate To Say I Told You So" b/w "Wishing Well" was released as a 45 on Spokane Records #4006 in 1964 and reissued in 1965 on Scepter Records #1291 with the same two cuts.
Mary S. Twist from Succasunna, NjWonderful news..... Mary Weiss has recorded a new album in 2007 and she has finally returned to performing again. I hear that Mary's voice is remarkably untouched from her Shangri-Las heyday. Folks who have attended her concerts in the Autumn of 2007 have confirmed her vocal pipes are as strong and sultry as they were back then. Oh, and Mary is as svelt and pretty as you remember.
Andre from The Bronx, NyOoops! Someobody posted that "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" was the first single of The Shangri-Las? It wasn't. Their first single record was the rockin' "Wishing Well" (on Scepter Records). The young lead singer Mary Weiss sings through a lively and numbered list of her 'wishes'. That record (both sides) is included in the compact disc "The Definitive Shangri-Las: Myrmidons of Melodrama" (RPM 136). It is the absolute best collection of the super Shangri-Las.
Williamson Henderson from Manhattan, NyThe compelling, dramatic and unique Shangri-Las' hit song "Remember, Walkin' In The Sand" is played in its entirety in the movie "Stonewall" (1996). "RWITS" is the effective background song for the gay scene in Cherry Grove, Fire Island.
Justin from Glen Burnie, MdI wonder if some of the lyrics of Skid Row's "I Remember You" were influenced by this song... Some of that songs lines are: "Remember yesterday - walking hand in hand
Love letters in the sand - I remember you" (compare to chorus of this song).