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| Culprit | Randy and the Rainbows |
| Title | Denise |
| Year | 1963 |
| Written by | Neil Levenson |
| Submitted by | Siegfried Baboon |
Depending on your age group and viewpoint, this is either an original doo-wop classic, or a flawed diamond whose potential was only realised by Blondie, or just some song you've never heard of. In my opinion, it's a quease-inducing gear change which has an effect not dissimilar to air-travel turbulence.
There you are, chuckling away at the un-ironic falsetto, watching the in-flight movie (perhaps a censored version of Goodfellas), when suddenly everything slips down awkwardly, and all sorts of cabin baggage is tumbling about your person. But it's OK because almost immediately the song manages to right itself again. You've only just recovered, and are using the duty-free magazine to mop the coffee from your embarrassingly-stained lap, when a massive updraft triggers some fresh hell. Shortly afterwards, however, the captain's voice comes over the PA, reassuring you with the words "shooby-doo" that everything's going to be all right.
What I find really interesting about this song is that although it's basically doo-wop, it's also just on the edge of becoming surf, with its jangly guitar and its occasional deviation from the standard "Earth Angel" chord sequence. It always sounds like they're singing "Donny" rather than "Denise", doesn't it?