{"id":5202,"date":"2024-05-25T06:20:59","date_gmt":"2024-05-25T10:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/?p=5202"},"modified":"2024-05-25T06:18:10","modified_gmt":"2024-05-25T10:18:10","slug":"under-the-boardwalk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/","title":{"rendered":"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters)\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wz9jsgRk324?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I always liked the Drifters, as who didn&#8217;t? Like most vocal group fans, I particularly liked the original line-up featuring Clyde McPhatter, a defining lead vocalist of the early Rhythm and Blues era, and I&#8217;ve paid tribute already with a version of their early hit, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/money-honey\/\">Money Honey<\/a>&#8221; &#8212; not that I do it justice. But I must admit that I actually know more songs by the second iteration: by the late 1950s McPhatter had gone solo, the group&#8217;s fortunes had declined, and their manager fired the remaining singers and replaced them with another group, which until then had been known as the Five Crowns.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5205\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5205\" style=\"width: 324px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-5205\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg?resize=324%2C325&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"324\" height=\"325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg?w=486&amp;ssl=1 486w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 324px) 100vw, 324px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5205\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Version 1.0.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The second Drifters originally featured Ben E. King, who sang lead on their defining hits, &#8220;There Goes My Baby&#8221; &#8212; the first major R&amp;B hit to use a string section and the Brazilian <em>baion<\/em> rhythm that their producers, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller made a trademark &#8212; and &#8220;Save the Last Dance for Me&#8221; (which I should probably do in a future post). King then went solo, and their next big hits featured Rudy Lewis, who was in turn replaced by Johnny Moore, who had previously replaced McPhatter as lead in the first group, and that brings us to &#8220;Under the Boardwalk,&#8221; their last top ten hit&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;which is probably more than most people care to know, but I&#8217;m currently writing a short history of rock &#8216;n&#8217; roll, so am deep in these weeds.<\/p>\n<p>I have no memory of learning this song &#8212; or rather, I have a vague memory of learning it while I was living in Seville, Spain, in a small apartment with ten other foreigners, most of us street musicians, but can&#8217;t think of how or why I would have learned it there. In any case, I&#8217;ve known it for well over forty years, but only began fooling around with a guitar part when I considered putting it up here, at which point I realized it was yet another opportunity to play around with the semi-African approach I worked out for &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/iko-iko\/\">Iko Iko<\/a>&#8221; and &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/jamaica-farewell\/\">Jamaica Farewell<\/a>&#8221; (as well as &#8220;Margaritaville,&#8221; which I suppose I&#8217;ll have to put up here at some point). Meanwhile, summer is right around the corner, and I&#8217;m playing this a lot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I always liked the Drifters, as who didn&#8217;t? Like most vocal group fans, I particularly liked the original line-up featuring Clyde McPhatter, a defining lead vocalist of the early Rhythm and Blues era, and I&#8217;ve paid tribute already with a version of their early hit, &#8220;Money Honey&#8221; &#8212; not that I do it justice. But &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters)<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters) - Old Friends: A Songobiography<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A mid-1960s vocal group classic from the Drifters, with an African-flavored guitar arrangement, in celebration of summer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters) - Old Friends: A Songobiography\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A mid-1960s vocal group classic from the Drifters, with an African-flavored guitar arrangement, in celebration of summer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Old Friends: A Songobiography\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-25T10:20:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elijah Wald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ElijahWald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ElijahWald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elijah Wald\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elijah Wald\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/20e4f69f2f284ea0ff728a9d1b7720a9\"},\"headline\":\"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters)\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-25T10:20:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":402,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/20e4f69f2f284ea0ff728a9d1b7720a9\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/\",\"name\":\"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters) - Old Friends: A Songobiography\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-25T10:20:59+00:00\",\"description\":\"A mid-1960s vocal group classic from the Drifters, with an African-flavored guitar arrangement, in celebration of summer.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg?fit=486%2C488&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg?fit=486%2C488&ssl=1\",\"width\":486,\"height\":488,\"caption\":\"Version 1.0.0\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/under-the-boardwalk\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Old Friends: A Songobiography\",\"description\":\"Revisiting the songs that have made a home in my head\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/20e4f69f2f284ea0ff728a9d1b7720a9\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/20e4f69f2f284ea0ff728a9d1b7720a9\",\"name\":\"Elijah Wald\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i1.wp.com\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/elijahbut.jpg?fit=70%2C85&ssl=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i1.wp.com\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/elijahbut.jpg?fit=70%2C85&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i1.wp.com\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/elijahbut.jpg?fit=70%2C85&ssl=1\",\"width\":70,\"height\":85,\"caption\":\"Elijah Wald\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i1.wp.com\\\/www.elijahwald.com\\\/songblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/12\\\/elijahbut.jpg?fit=70%2C85&ssl=1\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters) - Old Friends: A Songobiography","description":"A mid-1960s vocal group classic from the Drifters, with an African-flavored guitar arrangement, in celebration of summer.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters) - Old Friends: A Songobiography","og_description":"A mid-1960s vocal group classic from the Drifters, with an African-flavored guitar arrangement, in celebration of summer.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/","og_site_name":"Old Friends: A Songobiography","article_published_time":"2024-05-25T10:20:59+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Elijah Wald","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ElijahWald","twitter_site":"@ElijahWald","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elijah Wald","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/"},"author":{"name":"Elijah Wald","@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/#\/schema\/person\/20e4f69f2f284ea0ff728a9d1b7720a9"},"headline":"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters)","datePublished":"2024-05-25T10:20:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/"},"wordCount":402,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/#\/schema\/person\/20e4f69f2f284ea0ff728a9d1b7720a9"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/","url":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/","name":"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters) - Old Friends: A Songobiography","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg","datePublished":"2024-05-25T10:20:59+00:00","description":"A mid-1960s vocal group classic from the Drifters, with an African-flavored guitar arrangement, in celebration of summer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg?fit=486%2C488&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Drifters-Boardwalk-e1715238537321.jpg?fit=486%2C488&ssl=1","width":486,"height":488,"caption":"Version 1.0.0"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/under-the-boardwalk\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Under the Boardwalk (The Drifters)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/","name":"Old Friends: A Songobiography","description":"Revisiting the songs that have made a home in my head","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/#\/schema\/person\/20e4f69f2f284ea0ff728a9d1b7720a9"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/#\/schema\/person\/20e4f69f2f284ea0ff728a9d1b7720a9","name":"Elijah Wald","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/elijahbut.jpg?fit=70%2C85&ssl=1","url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/elijahbut.jpg?fit=70%2C85&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/elijahbut.jpg?fit=70%2C85&ssl=1","width":70,"height":85,"caption":"Elijah Wald"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/elijahbut.jpg?fit=70%2C85&ssl=1"}}]}},"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1103,"url":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/money-honey\/","url_meta":{"origin":5202,"position":0},"title":"Money Honey (Tom Rush\/The Drifters)","author":"Elijah Wald","date":"May 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A classic early R&B hit from Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, though I originally heard it from Tom Rush, to whom I am forever grateful.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Tom Rush take a little walk","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Tom-Rush-take-a-little-walk.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6221,"url":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/save-the-last-dance\/","url_meta":{"origin":5202,"position":1},"title":"Save the Last Dance for Me (Doc Pomus)","author":"Elijah Wald","date":"August 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Save the Last Dance for Me\" is yet another Latin-flavored\u00a0classic of vocal group rock 'n' roll, an apt follow-up to last week's \"Little Darlin'.\" It was\u00a0 a number one R&B and pop hit for the Drifters in 1960, and their all-time best-selling record. I've written about the Drifters before, in\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2027\/08\/Doc-Pomus-on-crutches-e1786563012737.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3185,"url":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/someday\/","url_meta":{"origin":5202,"position":2},"title":"Someday (You&#8217;ll Want Me to Want You)","author":"Elijah Wald","date":"November 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This is another I learned off Red Steagall's Lone Star Beer and Bob Wills Music LP, and the odd thing is I'd never heard it before and have rarely heard it since, though it has been recorded by dozens of major artists, from Elton Britt, Gene Autry, Vaughan Monroe, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Someday-sheet-music-Elton-Britt-219x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6210,"url":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/little-darlin\/","url_meta":{"origin":5202,"position":3},"title":"Little Darlin&#8217; (Latin rock &#8216;n&#8217; roll)","author":"Elijah Wald","date":"August 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the less-explored byways of rock 'n' roll history is the influence of \"Latin\" or Caribbean rhythms, styles, and instrumentation. I have a section on this in my new book, Rock 'n' Roll: A Very Short Introduction, including such relatively familiar touchstones as \"La Bamba\" (which I will post\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/RockVSIcover-e1784990381494.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1468,"url":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/riot-number-nine\/","url_meta":{"origin":5202,"position":4},"title":"Riot in Cell Block Number Nine (The Coasters)","author":"Elijah Wald","date":"June 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Though my record-buying at Dayton\u2019s focused on prewar blues, there were a handful of notable exceptions \u2013 most significantly, a trio of reissue albums on the Atlantic label featuring the Drifters, the Clovers, and \u2013 far and away most memorably \u2013 the Coasters. Aside from Chuck Berry and Ray Charles,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Coasters","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Coasters-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1066,"url":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/book-of-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":5202,"position":5},"title":"Book of Love (Sha Na Na\/The Monotones)","author":"Elijah Wald","date":"May 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A classic vocal-group oldie from the Monotones, via Sha Na Na, thanks to my sister Debbie, with some stray thoughts on the pleasures of singing this stuff.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Sha Na Na","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Sha-Na-Na-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5202"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5229,"href":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202\/revisions\/5229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elijahwald.com\/songblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}