For the month of January, I’m selecting some of the most memorable and influential songs of the 60’s. While they all hail from the same decade, these are some of my favorite songs of any era. They remind me that the 60’s were so much more than just Woodstock and psychedelic rock. It was a flourishing period for blues, folk, progressive and straight-ahead rock. #31DaysOf60sSongs
Neil Diamond might be most well known for his two big hits: “Sweet Caroline” and “America”, songs that flooded living rooms and neighborhood bars across the country. But some of his greatest songs were ones that were more popularized by their covers. The Monkees made “I’m a Believer” a classic. UB40 brought “Red Red Wine” to the masses. And, of course, Urge Overkill ushered “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” into the mainstream consciousness as part of the Pulp Fiction movie soundtrack. But, as far as the latter, I’ll take the original over the cover any day.
There’s more to “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” than the catchy chorus. Diamond skillfully navigates through several tempo changes and strumming styles, weaving in both string arrangements and flamenco romanticism. In the song, it feels like the girl rushes through the red muleta and emerges as a woman on the other side. Somehow this song was completely off my radar until Urge Overkill recorded it for Pulp Fiction, making it a perfect track for the heroin overdose scene. It’s one of Diamond’s most unique recordings from a long, storied career.
“Girl, you'll be a woman soon. Please, come take my hand. Girl, you'll be a woman soon. Soon, you'll need a man.”