The 10 Best The Turtles Songs of All-Time
The Turtles were an American rock band that dominated the industry from 1965 to 1970, when they opted to disband. According to Wnrn, the group was disbanded after conflicts with their record label. Originally, the band was known as Crossfire, and they had once tried to re-brand to the Tyrtles. The American band had one of their hits, Happy Together, hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 list.
This song remained at its peak for three weeks which stands as one of their most popular songs. Upon disbanding in 1970, Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan became known as Eddie & Flo in the industry. Apart from their “Happy Together” hit, this band released several other songs, including Elenore, Let Me Be, and many more. In this piece, we take you through The Turtles’ ten best songs of all time.
10. Let Me Be
“Let Me Be” was done by an American Band, The Turtles, which made its debut in 1965. This track was the second single from this band after their cover of “It Ain’t Me Babe” by Bob Dylan.
This single peaked at position 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. P.F. Sloan wrote this song while Bones Hawe was involved in its production. The lyrics of the song send a defiance message from societal norms. The track advocates for freedom of personal expression.
9. Happy Together
Alan Gordon co-wrote this song alongside Garry Borner. The Turtles then recorded the track, later released in 1967 as a single. This song peaked at position one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. it became the band’s chart-topper in the United States.
Gordon and Bonner composed this tune while still belonging to “The Magicians” team. According to Songfacts, this song expresses an imagined and unrequited love despite its title. Upon the successful release of the song, the Turtles were invited to perform the song on different TV shows, including The Smothers Brothers Show.
8. Elenore
This is a song by The Turtles band that was released in 1968. All five band members take credit for this hit despite being written by Howard Kaylan. In his autobiography, Kaylan made it clear that the band members had agreed that any song written by any band member would be credited o every band member.
This song was a parody of their huge pop hit, Happy Together. Describing the song, Kaylan claimed that he wrote this song in one hour after locking himself in a hotel room.
7. She’s My Girl
This is a 1967 song and a single from this American band. The song was released under the White Whale label in the same year. This song charted in the top 20 list of the Billboard Hot 100.
Later, in 1994, this song was featured as a bonus track in the band’s album, Happy Together. “She’s My Girl” was written by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon. It starts with lyrics and themes inspired by jazz and later transitions into pop.
6. She’d Rather Be with Me
This is another tune from The Turtles written by Alan Gordon and Garry Bonner. It was released in 1967 and followed the band’s popular hit, Happy Together. This song was a major international hit that lasted up to 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and peaked at number three.
It also peaked at position one in countries like South Africa and Canada. Music critics termed this song a brassy and big pop song that was among the least cheerful songs from this band.
5. It Ain’t Me Babe
This is the first studio album from the American band, The Turtles. This song was released in 1965 under the White Whale record label. According to Songfacts, the band required written permission from their parents before recording this song.
This is because all the band members were underage by that time. According to the song’s lyrics, the singer tells a girl he isn’t her true love. The singer tells the girl to forget about him as he is only a temporary solution to her loneliness.
4. You Baby
This song was written by Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan and originally recorded in 1965 by The Vogues. The Turtles did their version of the song as their second studio album.
Their version was released under the White Whale record label in 1966. The song topped at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the song’s lyrics, this one is a love song where the singer praises his lover.
3. You Showed Me
Jim McGuinn and Gene Clark wrote this song. The Turtles later recorded the song and released the song as a single in 1968. At the time, this was the biggest hit in the United States. Many other artists and bands have covered this tune in the past years.
The Turtles’ version of this song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 6. Their version features a good number of strings, including violas, cellos, and violins.
2. Let Me Be
This song was written by a great songwriter P.F. Sloan who also doubles up as a producer. The track was featured in the band’s It Ain’t Me, Babe album and released in 1965. Sadly, this song by The Turtles was not successful financially, but you will like it as it is.
1. Wanderin’ Kid
We close this list with this song by the American rock band. While this might not be the most popular hit from this band, it remains to be a brilliant piece of music. This track is found in the band’s debut album; It Ain’t Me Babe. It is the opening track of this album. Howard Kaylan takes credit for writing this song.
Conclusion
There you have it! These are the ten amazing hits from The Turtles that define their musical prowess and commercial success. Sadly, the group was disbanded in 1970, citing conflicts with their recording label. Band members Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman bounced back as Flo & Eddie.
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