Bob Feldman, the producer and songwriter behind some of the biggest hits of the 1960s, including the hit “My Boyfriend’s Back,” died on Wednesday (August 23). He was 83. A cause of death was not revealed.
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“It’s with great sadness that I announce the passing of Bob Feldman, my friend, and legendary songwriting partner, in Grand Canyon Music and FGG Productions – Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Myself,” said Richard Gottehrer, Feldman’s close friend, longtime collaborator, and former Strangeloves bandmate, in a statement.
“As a team, we go back to the 1960s and the Brill Building days, where we wrote and/or produced classics like ‘My Boyfriend’s Back,’ ‘I Want Candy,’ ‘Hang on Sloopy’ and ‘Sorrow,’ which was eventually recorded and became an everlasting hit by David Bowie,” added Gottehrer. “We were even an ‘Australian’ band that called ourselves The Strangeloves.”
The group wrote The Angels’ 1963 hit “My Boyfriend’s Back.” They also co-produced The McCoys’ Hot 100 No. 1 “Hang on Sloopy,” along with the band’s 1965 UK hit “Sorrow,” which was later covered by David Bowie in 1973 and The Merseys in 2007.
Born June 14, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York, Feldman was once a member of the All-City Choir with Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand. Along with his friend Jerry Goldstein, the two co-wrote a theme song for the Alan Freed TV show, The Big Beat, in 1959 before meeting songwriter Richard Gottehrer in 1962. The three went on to write a number of hits throughout the 1960s and also formed their group The Strangeloves in 1964.
The Strangeloves released their hit, “I Want Candy,” a year later, the title track of their 1965 album. It was the group’s only album release, and the song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1982, British new wavers Bow Wow Wow covered the song on their The Last of the Mohicans album, which helped the song reemerge on the charts and reach the Top 10 in the UK.
Their songs “Cara-Lin” also hit No. 39 and “Night Time” went to No. 30, and The Strangeloves continued releasing singles together before disbanding in 1968. On December 4, 2018, all three members reunited with Yo La Tengo for a surprise performance at Bowery Ballroom in New York City.
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“We were young and inexperienced but learned how to produce by making demos of our songs,” shared Richard Gottehrer, in his statement. “This led each of us to ongoing active careers in music after we went our separate ways. We remained friends and to this day 60 years later are still partners in those same companies we started back then.”
In 2019, Feldman published his memoir and book of lyrics, Simply Put! Thoughts and Feelings from the Heart.
“The memories of the times we shared; the songs we wrote and the adventures that filled our lives remain,” concluded Gottehrer. “Sooner or later we’ll all pass, but the music will live on. Rest in peace, Bob. We’ll meet again.”
Feldman is survived by his daughters, Kyle and Mahr, and is also the biological father of actor Corey Feldman.
Photo by PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
