First released in 1962, "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" became Neil Sedaka's signature song. Co-written with Howard Greenfield, his frequent composing partner, the original had a teenage pop tempo, introduced by nonsense lyrics and backed by The Cookies. Lenny Welch released it as a torch balled in 1970, also arranged by Sedaka and Greenfield, with a very different intro. Sedaka himself released the slow tempo version in 1975. It was only the second time an artist had two Billboard top-ten hits — number 1 for the original and number 8 for the second release — with two different renditions of the same song.
Born in Brooklyn to a Sephardic family — his last name is a slight transliteration of tzedaka, which means charity in Hebrew — Sedaka was classically trained at the Julliard prep division, but he gave it up, breaking his mother's heart, to pitch songs at the Brill Building. He was the original lead singer of The Tokens, but he quit before they recorded The Lion Sleeps Tonight. His first solo hit was "Oh Carol," named after Carol King, whom he had dated in high school. King released a less successful answer song, "Oh Neil," written with her then-husband Gerry Goffin, who was in on the joke.
There are two surprises and a question at the bottom of the post.
First surprise:
Second surprise: In 1958, Jivin' Gene and the Jokers recorded a completely different song with the same name.
Could that be where Sedaka got the idea?
I note that the Jokers' song is on Mercury and denotes "Big Bopper Records." So did J.P. Richardson have anything to do with that song?
Here is a version Sedaka did for Scopitones, the original music video service (sort of). What’s interesting about this one is that he recorded it with African-American dancers, which was unusual for the time for a White artist. I’ve often wondered if it was a purposeful statement.
(Sedaka actually did two Scopitones videos; he also did a version of Calendar Girl.)
https://youtu.be/rpujCZtjjd8?si=9iW2sm5mzSKdUwcW
Thanks for this, Ian. I think we can be sure that the casting of dancers was purposeful.
I noticed though that there was no interaction with the dancers. He never appears in a shot with them – were they even in the same room together?
Burning issues of contemporary significance.
That is the Lubet's Lounge.
"he recorded it with African-American dancers, which was unusual for the time for a White artist."
This was 1962. 62 YEARS AGO.
What is your point again?
Paul Butterfield, Chambers Bros (65) Hendrix (66), BST (67), Sly (67), Three Dog Night (68) and so many more.
Faux intellectualism around Lubet's attempts to relive his youth, based on the vague memories and political agendas of the idle and self-important desperately reaching for some searing insight, is really telling.
Lubet posts his political "opinions" (DNC agitprop) elsewhere. He has abandoned this blog, folks. For that reason, the owners of this blog, if any are present and interested, should perhaps ask Steve to retire and find someone who wants to revive it.
No matter where Lubet posts, however, no one is allowed to question the wizard's agitprop.
Not no way, not no how.
Hey anon — Take your meds and stay off the internet for 24 hours.