"When
I think of all the worries...." wait, I'm getting way ahead of myself.
Most people associate this song with the
Grass Roots. The Grassroots (original spelling) started out as a studio concoction made up
primarily of it's producers, Steve Barri and P. F. Sloan. The "group" was
beginning to have some success with a song called "Where Were You When I Needed
You", so a real group was needed in an effort to promote the song. After some
searching, which included a west coast group calling themselves the Bedouins, a group
called the Thirteenth Floor (not to be confused with the Thirteenth Floor Elevators) was
chosen to fill the group's identity. Headed by lead singer, Rob Grill, the group was
filled out by Warren Entner, Creed Bratton, and Rick Coonce. As the Grass Roots, "Let's
Live For Today" was to be their first release. However, they were not quite the
first in line to have recorded this tune.
The song, in it's original form, had it's
roots firmly planted in Italy. Amidst the beautiful scenery and wine and all things good
associated with this wonderful Country, there stood a band calling themselves the Rokes.
David "Shel" Shapiro, Mike Shepstone, Johnny Charlton, and Bobby Posner made up
this popular Italian Beat Band, which actually had it's origin in the UK. The group
debuted in 1964 with an assortment of sides, some sung in English, but most in Italian. It
was the Italian sides that won the Fans over. Many of the sides were remakes or covers of
well established English language songs, though not necessarily word-for-word
translations. For instance, Jackie DeShannon's "When You Walk In The Room"
became "C'e Una Strana Espressione Nei Tuoi Occhi". The Tremeloes hit,
"Here Comes My Baby", became "Eccola Di Nuovo". They
even took two Bob Lind songs and turned them around with some success. "Remember
The Rain" became "E La Pioggia Che Va". And "Cheryl's
Goin' Home" became their all time most popular song in the Summer of 1966 when
they sang it as "Che Colpa Abbiamo Noi" (Arc 4081). It was that release
that inspired a multitude of covers. Not the Bob Lind tune, but the flip side, "Piangi
Con Me" (translation: "Cry With Me").
Unlike many of the Rokes songs where Shel
would take on lead vocals, it was Mike who handled the lead on this one, with Shel picking
up main vocals on the bridge. The song's popularity took it to new directions in other
Latin translations, including "Plora Per Ellis" by els XOXS (from Spain),
and "Llora Commigo" by los Beat 4 (from Chile).
But it was when the song found it's way to
the Netherlands in late 1966 that the song would find it's first English words of
expression. A quintet called the Skope, from Herleen, gave the song a new title as "Be
Mine Again" (Fontana YF 278 136). The song even made the Dutch Charts in January
of 1967, peaking at #36 in Holland. Unfortunately, the song was unheard of outside this
immediate area, apparently even going unnoticed by the Rokes.
It was only a couple of months later that
the Rokes decided on an English language version of their now Italian classic. That song
would be called "Passing Thru Grey". After recording the tune, it was
decided by their publisher in London (Dick James Music) that the lyrics were in need of a
change. So with some new words by the publisher's writing staff, "Let's Live For
Today" was borne. The Rokes recorded the song expecting to have it released in
the UK right away. But somehow or other, the song came into the hands of another group
from the UK, the Living Daylights, first. The Living Daylights were a band from Newcastle.
Members included Garth Watt-Roy (guitar, vocals), brother Norman Watt-Roy (bass, vocals),
Curt Cresswell (guitar), and Roy Heather (drums). In early April, 1967, the Living
Daylights version saw release on the Philips label (BF 1561). It is said that it was this
version that got the attention of Grass Roots member, Warren Entner, who happened to be in
Europe at the time.
This is where it gets questionable and
speculative. Listening and comparing the Living Daylights version to the Grass Roots, I
(personally) find little comparison in terms of arrangement and style. In fact, I'd have
to say that the Grass Roots version more emulates the Rokes arrangement and sound than the
Living Daylights version. The problem is that the Rokes version had yet to be released!
Certainly, their Italian original was out there, but the Grass Roots had the Rokes English
version nailed, albeit some changes to the bridge, as well as the title lyric. You see,
the Grass Roots sang the lyric as "Sha-la La-la-la-la Live for today..."
throughout, whereas the Rokes and the Living Daylights sang it consistently as
"Sha-la La-la-la Let's live for today...". Could it be that Warren managed
access to the Rokes unreleased side, perhaps in the same manner that the Living Daylights
got the tune? Again, this is entirely speculation on my part. But the facts do speak for
themselves.
Speaking of facts, let's get back on
track. The earliest evidence I could find of the Grass Roots version getting some
attention was over WMCA (AM) in New York. For the week of April 19, 1967, it became the
Station's "Long Shot". It was released on Dunhill Records #4084. One thing that
brought upon my speculation is the fact that the release lacked any writer's credit on
that side, which should have read "(Mogol - Shapiro - Julien)", though it did
note the publisher of the song, Dick James Music.
It wasn't until their "Let's Live For
Today" LP was released later that spring (Dunhill 50020) that any credit would be
given. On that, "Mogol" was mis-spelled as "Mogal", which leads me to
believe that all the Grass Roots actually had on the song was probably a tape of the Rokes
original. But again, I'm speculating. Here’s something of an explanation by Rokes
member, Bobby Posner:
“Vic Lewis, our English
impresario, shagged us really good. He came over here and wined us and dined us (mind you
we were the ones who paid out the money). He took our single back to England with him.
It’s funny how the Grassroots released Lets live for today before our record, and all
the promotion TV that we had talked about just never happened.”
On the fact track once again, the Rokes
version was finally released in the UK on April 21, 1967 (RCA Victor 1587) and started to
give the Living Daylights version some competition.
The Rokes version made it's way to the US
as late as April 25, 1967, released on RCA Victor 47-9199. That issue, however, was
different from their UK release, having been remixed, as well as chopped off at the end by
about 5 seconds. The remix took away much of impact of what makes the song so special,
sounding almost bland in comparison. Most of the versions released outside the UK seem to
have suffered from the same fate, at least those from Australia, Turkey and Canada, which
used the same master as the US release, UPKM-4000. For the record, the UK master used was
SKAA 2391.
Meanwhile, the Living Daylights version
saw release in the US on Buddah Records #2. It, too, suffered a similar fate as the Rokes,
that being chopped off at the end by about 5 seconds in the transition. The mix,
fortunately, remained intact.
Paul Haney, from Joel Whitburn's Record
Research (Billboard), was gracious enough to pass along the following:
"Let's Live For Today" by
the Grass Roots was a Billboard Spotlight pick (predicted to reach the Top 60 of the Hot
100) on April 29, 1967. Here is the brief review: "The "Where Were You When
I Needed You" group has powerful sales potential with this folk-rock ballad. Lyric
content is right up the alley of the teen buying market. If exposed, should prove a
smash."
"Let's Live For Today" by the
Rokes was a Spotlight pick (predicted to hit the Hot 100) on May 6, 1967. (No
review).
"Let's Live For Today" by
the Living Daylights was a Spotlight pick (predicted to hit the Hot 100) on May 13, 1967. (No
review).
On May 27, 1967, Buddah Records gave the
Living Daylights version an extra push by placing full page ads in both Billboard and Cash
Box Magazines, billing their version as “THE ORIGINAL HIT ENGLISH VERSION”
.
I was able to find further background of
this US release from chart historian, Randy Price:
“WOR-FM” (New
York) “played the Living Daylights' version of "Let's Live For
Today." On its survey for the week of May 16, 1967, the Daylights' version is listed
as holding at #36. IIRC, it eventually reached the top 20. However, I don't believe WABC
or WMCA ever played any other version but the Grass Roots'. “
“The Living Daylights version was listed as #10 on
the WOR-FM (New York) survey for June 6, 1967; however, this version was getting played
instead of the Grass Roots' rendition, which was nowhere to be found on that survey. As a
side note, the original version of "The River Is Wide" by The Forum was #37 on
that week's survey.”
- Randy
By October of 1967, the song made
it's way to Japan, with actual inspiration from the Living Daylights. By then, the group
had reformed from a quartet into a quintet, having the Watt-Roy brothers as the only
common members. The new members included Ron Prudence, Doug Ellis, and Bob O'Nale, and a
stereo mix of their full version was released there on Philips SFL-1127.
.
The Japanese group that was inspired by
them were a quintet called the Tempters, who recorded the song as the flip side of their
then Japanese Hit, "Wasure-Enu Kimi" (Philips FS-1029). They recorded
their version in Japanese.
The song, "Let's Live For Today",
has since become a Classic, and a staple amongst Oldies Stations around the world. I can
only imagine what may have happened had things not worked out as they did. Some say the
episode of the song and it's history is unfair, but in the end, I feel things worked out
for the better. The Grass Roots rescued the song from relative obscurity. In the UK, the
Rokes and Living Daylights versions did make some smaller Charts, but neither version made
the Guinness Chart, which is looked upon as the National Chart by the locals, comparable
to Billboard in the US.
