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"Wedding Bell Blues" is a song written and recorded by Laura Nyro in 1966 that became a number one hit for The Fifth Dimension in 1969 and subsequently a popular phrase in American culture. LAURA NYRO ORIGINAL But 19 years old, the startlingly talented Nyro wrote "Wedding Bell Blues" as in effect a "mini-suite," featuring several dramatic rhythmic changes - a trait Nyro expanded on future albums. It was to be recorded in 1966 for Verve Folkways label as part of what would become her '' More Than A New Discovery '' album. However, producer Herb Bernstein did not allow Nyro to record this version, which led to Nyro more or less disowning the entire album. What was recorded was fairly similar in content and arrangement to the later, much more familiar Fifth Dimension version, albeit with a somewhat more soulful vocal line. It was released a s a single in September 1966 and remained on the Billboard Pop Singles "Bubbling Under" Charts Segment for several weeks, peaking at #103. And there the song lay for some time. Lesley Gore recorded it for Mercury Records , and hoped to make a splash with it when released in September 1969,http://www.patswayne.com/lesley/lesdisc.htm but ... FIFTH DIMENSION HIT The Fifth Dimension had already found hits with Nyro's " Stoned Soul Picnic " and " Sweet Blindness " during 1968. When recording tracks for their upcoming album '' The Age Of Aquarius '', producer Bones Howe suggested it would be amusing to record another Nyro song, this one about a woman trying to get someone named Bill to commit to marriage. As it happened, Fifth Dimension singer Marilyn McCoo was engaged to another member, Billy Davis, Jr. , and he was not getting to the altar any time soon. So the group recorded it, and in May 1969 the album was released. The first single ahead of the album, " Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In ", was a tremendous hit, while success of the second single, "Workin' On a Groovy Thing", was much more moderate. Then a Disc Jockey in San Diego began playing "Wedding Bell Blues" off the album, Soul City Records saw its potential, and in October 1969 it was put out as a single.http://members.aol.com/laruemccoo/ Regardless of how it happened, in the hands of the smooth pop of the 5D, "Wedding Bell Blues" became an irresistible concoction. A piano brightly starts off the melody, bass, horns, and drums kick in on the next measure, then Marilyn McCoo's strong but silky lead vocal begins: :''BIIILLLL! :''I love you so, I always will, :''I look at you and see the passion eyes of May (eyes of May) :''OHH, but am I ever gonna see my wedding day (wedding day!) The group backing responses continue off an on as the song winds its way through its dual tale of adoring love and frustrated lament. While the quintet's Sunshine Pop style might seem to undermine the emotionality of the latter aspect, McCoo's inflections manage to preserve meaning. "Wedding Bell Blues" quickly soared to number one on the U.S. Pop Singles Chart , spending three weeks there in late autumn 1969. It also topspotted on the U.S. Adult Contemporary Chart , made one of the group's somewhat rare appearances on the U.S. R&B Singles Chart , was a Top Five hit in Canada , and placed in the Top 20 on the UK Singles Chart (and their only hit there save for the earlier "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"). The Lesley Gore single was completely ignored and failed to chart. In 1969 television appearances, McCoo would explicitly sing parts of the song to Davis; Davis would respond with quizzical looks.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkMhWQgkZ8c (As it happens, they would indeed marry in 1969, a very successful union that was still in place as of 2007.) The rest of The Fifth Dimension's early hits featured more unison singing than this, and McCoo's prominent vocal and stage role on "Wedding Bell Blues" may have led to her being more featured in the group's early 1970s productions. CULTURAL RESONANCE The phrase "wedding bell blues" soon became cultural shorthand for anyone in doubt about the subject event or the state of being unmarried in general. As such many written or dramatic works have been named after the song title. These include:
REFERENCES SEE ALSO
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