Billboard #1 Hits: #121: “Leader Of The Pack”- The Shangri-Las. November 28. 1964. #1 for 1 week.
- Single:”Leader Of The Pack”- The Shangri-Las
- Record Company- Red Bird
- Genre: Pop
- Written by George Morton, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich
- Time: 2:49
- B-side:”What Is Love”
- Album- Leader Of The Pack
- Grade: A
- Peaked at #1 1 week on the Billboard Hot 100. #11 on UK Singles chart.
The run on excellent #1 hits in 1964 continues- when I think of this song though I don’t think of hearing the entire song but I think back on when I was a youngster and the song was a part of one of those records sold over the television where they would play a little short clip of the song- the part with the roaring motorcycles and breaking glass.
The Shangri-Las were formed in 1963-at Andrew Jackson High School in Queens, New York. The group consisted of two sets of sisters- the Weiss and Ganser sisters. The girls were teenagers when they were signed by record producer George “Shadow” Morton. They had their first success with “Remember {Walking In The Sand} a #5 hit in 1964. The Shangri-Las had a reputation as a ‘bad girl” group- possibly growing up in New York City had something to do with that.
From 1964-66 The Shangri-Las had 11 Hot 100 singles with 6 making the Top 40. The Ganser sisters died young- Mary Ann from a drug overdose at the age of 22 in 1970 and Marge of cancer in 1996 at the age of 48.
slicethelife 
I only see one set of sisters? I think the guy on the motorcycle is one of two people (Gig Young or Robert Goulet.) I’m guessing the twins are the Ganser sisters?
I remember hearing this song growing up, but this is the first time I’ve seen the video. Not sure I’ll ever listen to this the same way again.