SONG: One Fine Day
ARTIST: The Chiffons
YEAR: 1963
Listen to it here:
THE SONG:
“One Fine Day” was written by the ICONIC Carole King and her husband Gerry Goffin. Carole was a precocious teenager, as gifted in classical music as she was pop songwriting, so this song was inspired by the Madama Butterfly aria Un bel di vedremo (One fine day we’ll see). Goffin and King had originally written the song for Little Eva of Locomotion fame and had put together a demo of them performing it, with Carole on piano. After several attempts, they gave up on making a passable demo, until it was brought to the Chiffons who were coming off their hit “He’s So Fine”, and thought another song with the word “fine” would carry on their success. Vocal group the Tokens produced the recording, and they pretty much just erased Carole’s singing and had the Chiffons sing over the piano track with a band to fill in the rest. The song proved to be another hit for the girl group, earning them a No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later, King would record her own version for her album Pearls: the Songs of Goffin and King
THE ARTIST:
The Chiffons were originally a trio and got together at their Bronx high school in 1960, and in 1962 they added a fourth girl to round out the sound. Their first single, “He’s So Fine” was written by Ronnie Mack and produced by “Lion Sleeps Tonight” artists the Tokens, and the song hit number 1 in the US and earned Gold status. They immediately began touring and a few months later released “One Fine Day”, followed by “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” and “I Have A Boyfriend”. After this first foray into success, the Chiffons ran into business problems, but continued to tour and release music through the majority of the 1960s. By the 1970s the Chiffons tired of touring so they called it quits and all got regular person 9 – 5 jobs. Some of the Chiffons have since passed, and others are enjoying their golden years.
FACTOID CORNER:
In 1970, fresh off the Beatles, George Harrison released the song “My Sweet Lord”, which was so incredibly similar to the Chiffon’s “He’s So Fine” that the estate of the song writer Ronnie Mack sued for copyright infringement. The Chiffons recorded “My Sweet Lord in 1975” and the judge ruled that Harrison unintentionally plagiarized the song.
KELLY’S REVIEW:
I…..fucking love this song. I haven’t even listened critically yet, I just decided that I needed to start my revue with my unbridled love of this song. Before I tear it apart or exalt it, I love it because I love that super enthusiastic piano part , and the lyrical content is something I identify with so much. Ok, let’s have a listen. I didn’t realize it was THE Carole King on the piano, and that makes me love it even more. The singing here is actually pretty tight, and I think this song is the reason why the Chiffons are my favourite girl group of the era. I believe the lead singer was doubled, which was a great way of adding depth without that annoying reverb. The backup singers are great! I love the “shoobie doobie doobie doobie doo wop bop” that introduce themselves into the song, then they sing it more quietly during the verse, and I LOVE how they join in with the ONE FINE DAY that the lead singer sings. Instrumentally I don’t notice much, except for Queen Carole absolutely killing it on the piano, some simple but great drum fills, and an appropriate and well done (bari?) sax solo!. The melody of this sounds pretty indicative of a Carole King song, a little more complex than a typical pop song of the time, but it doesn’t alienate the listener and it sounds great. What I love about Goffin-King lyrics is how they’re telling a basic story or emotion, but it’s evoked so well and so beautifully, and that’s true here. It’s not just a sad “I wish you loved me” number, but because it’s so upbeat and enthusiastic it almost seems cheeky and charming. I still love it.
HOLLY’S REVIEW:
Ah, this song is so fun! It’s the opposite of Louie Louie in a lot of ways, but has polish, AND energy at the same time. I LOVE the piano throughout, though especially at the beginning, the “shoobie doobie doobie doo wop bops” don’t actually get tiring, and wait – what’s this? ANOTHER bari sax solo? I’m here for it! The mix is really good, for the most part, and it really is the Chiffons and the piano that dominate the song. The words are teeny bopper in love kind of words, but it doesn’t matter because of the feel of this song. Kelly can probably tell, but are there two Chiffons singing unison the whole time, or is that a weird reverb choice? It feels like there are a couple spots in the tune where the lead singer(s) get to the tippy top of their range, and their voices start to get a little thin, but really, forgivable, because man is this fun!
Average mark out of 10:
Holly: 8.5/10
Kelly: 9/10
Other notable versions of this song:
Carole’s version:
Natalie Merchant and her slowed down, jazz combo version:
Listen with us!
Link to 1,001 Songs to Hear Before You Die spotify playlist:
Link to the Best of the Best 1,001 Songs to Hear Before You Die spotify playlist:
Holly & Kelly Music Review 