In 1953, The Drifters released “Money Honey”. The song, their first single, also became their first No. 1 hit. For the next several years, the group had plenty more hits, including these four songs. Surprisingly, they would all still be perfect for a dance floor today.
“Under The Boardwalk”
One of The Drifters’ most popular songs, “Under The Boardwalk” came out in 1964, as the title track of a record that was released the same year. Written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick, “Under The Boardwalk” became a three-week No. 1 hit for The Drifters.
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“Under The Boardwalk” begins with, “Oh, when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof / And your shoes get so hot, you wish your tired feet were fireproof / Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah / Under the boardwalk.”
Former lead singer Johnny Moore returned to sing “Under The Boardwalk” after The Drifters’ Rudy Lewis unexpectedly passed away the morning The Drifters were scheduled to record this song.
The song was later covered by numerous other artists, including The Rolling Stones, Bette Midler, Lynn Anderson, and John Mellencamp, among others.
“Dance With Me” by The Drifters
Not all dance songs have to be fast songs. “Dance With Me”, a perfect song for a slow dance, came out in 1959. The song, written by Lewis Lebish and Elmo Glick, is on The Drifters’ Greatest Hits album.
“Dance With Me” says in part, “Dance with me, dance with me / Closer, closer and closer / And maybe we’ll be lovers / When the music ends.”
“Saturday Night At The Movies”
Hit songwriting duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil are the writers behind “Saturday Night At The Movies”. On The Drifters’ The Good Life With The Drifters record, “Saturday Night At The Movies” became a pop and R&B hit.
“Saturday Night At The Movies” says, “Saturday night at the movies / Who cares what picture you see / When you’re hugging with your baby / Last row in the balcony?“
Although they had other moderate hits, “Saturday Night At The Movies” became The Drifters’ final Top 20 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“On Broadway”
Another big hit for The Drifters, Mann and Weil wrote this song with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Released in 1963, “On Broadway” is also part of Under The Boardwalk.
The uptempo tune says, “They say the girls are something else on Broadway (On Broadway) / But looking at them just gives me the blues (On Broadway) / ‘Cause how ya gonna make some time / When all you got is one thin dime? / And one thin dime won’t even shine your shoes (On Broadway).”
Before The Drifters recorded their version of “On Broadway”, another version was first recorded by The Cookies. That one was written just by Mann and Weil.
Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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