She's Not There

"She's Not There" is the debut single by British rock band The Zombies, written by organist Rod Argent. It reached No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1964,[3] and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States at the beginning of December 1964. In Canada, it reached No. 2.

"She's Not There"
Single by The Zombies
from the album Begin Here
B-side	"You Make Me Feel Good"
Released	24 July 1964 (UK)[1] 7 September 1964 (US)[2]
Recorded	12 June 1964
Studio	Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London
Genre	Jazz rock beat pop rock
Length	2:25
Label	Decca F11940 (UK) Parrot 45PAR 9695 (US)
Songwriter(s)	Rod Argent
Producer(s)	Marquis Enterprises
The Zombies singles chronology
"She's Not There" (1964) "Leave Me Be" (1964)

Rolling Stone magazine ranked "She's Not There" No. 297 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[4]

Song profile

Rod Argent built the lyrics of "She's Not There" from a John Lee Hooker song, whose title – "No One Told Me" – became a part of the opening phrase of "She's Not There". Following an 29 April 1964, performance by the Zombies at St Albans Market Hall, Argent played the one verse he had written of the song for Ken Jones who was set to produce the band's first recording session. Jones encouraged Argent to write a second verse, intending for the band to record it. Argent recalls: "I wrote the song for Colin's range" — referring to Zombies' vocalist Colin Blunstone – "I could hear him singing it in my mind". The song's genres and musical styles are described by authors and music journalists as jazz rock,[5] beat[6] and pop rock.[7]

"She's Not There" was the second of four songs recorded by the Zombies at a 22 June 1964 recording session at Decca's West Hampstead Studio No. 2. The backing tracks needed seven takes.[8] One of the song's most distinctive features is Argent's electric piano sound; the instrument used was a Hohner Pianet. The backing vocals are in a folk-influenced close-harmony style. To make the single sound stronger for single release, Ken Jones organised Hugh Grundy to record a strident drum line overdub which only appears on the original mono single mix. In 2002, Ace/Big Beat releases The Decca Stereo Anthology, a 48-track 2-CD release which mixed all the Decca/Parrot recordings into true stereo for the first time. As the multitrack for "She's Not There" does not contain the additional, stronger drum line, Grundy specially re-created for this stereo remix project.

According to the lyrics of this song, the narrator has unsatisfactory dealings with an untrustworthy woman. He reproaches unspecified associates for failing to warn him of her unsavoury character: "Well no one told me about her / The way she lied." The real inspiration behind the song, however, was Argent's first love, Patricia, who called off their wedding weeks before and broke his heart.

This minor key, jazz-tinged single was first aired in the United States during the first week in August 1964, on New York rock radio station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted it on his daily noontime "Hot Spot" segment, during which new songs were played. The tune began to catch on in early autumn and eventually reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1964.[9] It was kept from the No.1 spot by "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton.[10]

The release of the song by The Road in 1969 attributes Chris White as the composer.

Album releases

The song was later released both on The Zombies' UK album Begin Here (December 1964) and US album The Zombies (January 1965). It was also included on the soundtrack to the 1979 feature film More American Graffiti. In 1987 Dino Music released a cover version of She’s Not There by German Pop Group Musicbox. It was preceded by a 1’26 intro called “Overture” and featured a special orchestrated solo part. Musicbox was successful in the German, Austrian, and Suisse market with cover versions of so-called "One Hit Wonders". Musicbox - The First Project - A Tribute To The 60th (1987, Vinyl LP & CD)[11]

Chart history

Chart (1964–65)	Peak position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12]	2
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[13]	1
UK Singles (OCC)[14]	12
US Billboard Hot 100[15]	2

"She's Not There"
Single by Santana
from the album Moonflower
B-side	"Zulu"
Released	October 1977
Genre	Jazz rock beat pop rock
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Rod Argent
Santana singles chronology
"Let It Shine" (1976) "She's Not There" (1977) "Stormy" (1979)

Santana cover

"She's Not There" was a hit for Santana when it appeared on their 1977 album Moonflower. Their version peaked at No. 11 in the UK.[16] It was also a hit in the US, reaching No. 27 (Billboard) and No. 20 (Cash Box). Their take on it features Greg Walker as the lead vocalist.

Chart history

Chart (1977–78)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	19
Canada RPM Top Singles[17]	21
Ireland (IRMA)[18]	4
Netherlands	3
New Zealand	9
UK	11
US Billboard Hot 100 [19]	27
US Cash Box Top 100[20]	20

References

1. https://www.45cat.com/record/f11940
2. https://www.45cat.com/record/45par9695
3. "UK Top 40 Hit Database". EveryHit.com. Retrieved 12 August 2007.
4. "297 The Zombies, 'She's Not There'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
5. Bob Mason (2004). Magic Circles: Another Side of the Beatles. Duffy & Snellgrove. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-876631-87-1.
6. Peter Buckley (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 1222. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0.
7. Martin Charles Strong; Brendon Griffin (2008). Lights, camera, sound tracks. Canongate. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-84767-003-8.
8. Johansen, Claes (2001). The Zombies: hung up on a dream. London: SAF Publishing. pp. 74–75, 80–81. ISBN 978-0-946719-34-1.
9. "The Zombies". Billboard Music Charts. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2007.
10. "Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.com.
11. https://otto10.fr/Musicbox/First-Project-Tribute/90979
12. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4677." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
13. "Lever hit parades: 31-Dec-1964". Flavour of New Zealand.
14. "Zombies: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
15. "The Zombies Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
16. "The Official Charts Company – She's Not There". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
17. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 7 January 1978. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
18. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – She's Not There". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
19. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
20. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 10, 1977". Tropicalglen.com.