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Elenore Lyrics
You’ve got a thing about you
I just can’t live without you
I really want you Elenore near me
Your looks intoxicate me
Even though your folks hate me
There’s no one like you Elenore really
Elenore gee I think you’re swell
And you really do me well
You’re my pride and joy etcetera
Elenore can I take the time
To ask you to speak your mind
Tell me that you love me better
I really think you’re groovy
Let’s go out to a movie
What do you say now Elenore can we?
They’ll turn the lights way down low
Maybe we won’t watch the show
I think I love you Elenore love me
Elenore gee I think you’re swell
And you really do me well
You’re my pride and joy etcetera
Elenore can I take the time
To ask you to speak your mind
Tell me that you love me better
Elenore gee I think you’re swell ah ha
Elenore gee I think you’re swell ah ha a a a…
I just can’t live without you
I really want you Elenore near me
Even though your folks hate me
There’s no one like you Elenore really
And you really do me well
You’re my pride and joy etcetera
To ask you to speak your mind
Tell me that you love me better
Let’s go out to a movie
What do you say now Elenore can we?
Maybe we won’t watch the show
I think I love you Elenore love me
And you really do me well
You’re my pride and joy etcetera
To ask you to speak your mind
Tell me that you love me better
Elenore gee I think you’re swell ah ha a a a…
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It saddens me to think that some people will simply look at these lyrics without hearing the actual song and even worse not knowing the story behind the song and just see it as fluff that's so cheesy it makes McCartney look like Dylan.
This song is brilliant satire.
See to keep the story as short as possible.. The Turtles wanted to start doing more experimental records, because they were inspired by the stuff The Beatles and other bands had been doing, but the label was basically like, "no.. keep churning out those simple pop tunes."
Elenore is pretty much the result of the writer being like "So they want cliched simplistic pop songs, eh? Let's give 'em the most cliched simplistic pop song ever!"
The "You're my pride and joy etcetra" line is ingenius and pretty much the key point in recognizing that this song is sarcastic. Who the hell would write a "serious" love song that instead of name a person's traits and all, simply said "etcetera"?
Plus it has a great hook/melody.
Hear, hear!
Hear, hear!
I heard an interview with some of the band members and the higher-ups at White Whale, their record company kept saying, "We need another hit, boys! Write another hit.", so they wrote this to appease them, and happy/sadly, up the charts it shot.
I heard an interview with some of the band members and the higher-ups at White Whale, their record company kept saying, "We need another hit, boys! Write another hit.", so they wrote this to appease them, and happy/sadly, up the charts it shot.
@modestmaus The Turtles didn't limit their spoof of lyrics to this song. Near the end of "Happy Together" they include "How is the weather?" a complete non-sequitur that has nothing to do with the rest of the song. It poked at another popular song lyric which had the inane line "I love you no matter the weather". Also, The Doors ended their hit song "Light My Fire" with the last bar a lift from a jingle of an Ajax detergent commercial: "stronger than dirt".
@modestmaus The Turtles didn't limit their spoof of lyrics to this song. Near the end of "Happy Together" they include "How is the weather?" a complete non-sequitur that has nothing to do with the rest of the song. It poked at another popular song lyric which had the inane line "I love you no matter the weather". Also, The Doors ended their hit song "Light My Fire" with the last bar a lift from a jingle of an Ajax detergent commercial: "stronger than dirt".
Sorry, not Light My Fire, but Touch Me Baby.
Sorry, not Light My Fire, but Touch Me Baby.
@modestmaus It's essentially self-parody, a cynical rewrite of "Happy Together". The band assumed that their label would reject it, but they didn't. The result was a hit single that the band themselves didn't expect.
@modestmaus It's essentially self-parody, a cynical rewrite of "Happy Together". The band assumed that their label would reject it, but they didn't. The result was a hit single that the band themselves didn't expect.
This is one of my favorites! I agree with the first person who commented (modestmaus). It's so true. Great melody and it's absolutely brilliant satire. I love it.
Brilliant song. Way better than happy together!!
PS: the first one to comment was abselutely rigth.
Cute song. One of the band's hits. LUV the word "groovy" in the lyrics. I recall the decade when all of us girls had furry neon feet stickers on our bedroom doors; wore hotpants with chain belts; and worshipped The Monkees. Those were fun times coming on the heels of the radical 60's and Woodstock. It was a time of awakening and rebirth, and it was great to witness the first major changes in society. And they were HUGE (not always positive, but nevertheless fascinating).
The line 'you're my pride and joy etc' was a direct lift from someone in the band's management, who on hearing the song originally, said it was ok but needed something more to it 'say something like you're my pride and joy etc' and so, they took him literally!
Love it, love the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes version of it, just a great song.
I love all of the turtle's songs and this and Happy Together are my two faves, they were a pretty smart group, poking fun of the pop norm for their time and I love them for it!