BARBARA LEWIS

Hello Stranger: The Best of Barbara Lewis

Total time - 51:30

1. My Heart Went Do Dat Da (2:14) - This fast song features (in the right speaker) orchestral strings, whose rapid playing represents the beating of the narrator's heart; it beats fast all the time ever since her boyfriend asked her for a date. In some cases, the strings substitute for the words "do dat da..."

2. My Mama Told Me (2:13) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. The narrator, having been told by her mother to be careful when falling in love, falls for a rich guy named Joe and ends up seeing for herself why her mother gave the advice she did. Very often, teenagers and people in their 20s are deaf to parental advice, so experience is a more effective teacher.

3. Puppy Love (2:21) - This fast song features handclaps and backup vocals in the right speaker. No, it's not the same song that Paul Anka sang. The narrator thought she was in love with the guy to whom she's singing, but now she realizes that her love for him wasn't real.

4. Hello Stranger (2:44) - This song, slightly slower than moderate, is the first of Barbara's three radio classics. An organ plays in one speaker while backup singers sing in the other, as is common in this disc. The narrator is glad to see a long-lost boyfriend, even if he reappeared just to say hi. She does, however, warn him not to tease her if he's not gonna stay, for she still loves him.

5. Think A Little Sugar (2:17) - The tempo is moderately fast. The narrator doesn't want the guy to waste any more of her time. The sugar she has in mind must be tenderness: kissing, sweet words, etc.

6. Straighten Up Your Heart (2:21) - The tempo is moderate. The guy was unfaithful to the narrator ever since their relationship began. Still, if he ever tells her goodbye, she'll cry. But if he changes his attitude, they can start over.

7. Snap Your Fingers (3:04) - This moderately slow song features finger-snaps the 2nd and 4th beats of some measures. Also, horns play in the right speaker. The guy has only to snap his fingers; the narrator will run back to him and beg him to resume their relationship. Whatever she must do for her part, she'll do it.

8. How Can I Say Goodbye (2:45) - The tempo is moderate. Her boyfriend ran around on her and made her cry, but just when the narrator was about to bid him, he embraced and kissed her. Although "can" is in the title, Barbara always sings "could."

9. Spend A Little Time (2:55) - The tempo is similar here as in the previous song. The narrator invites the guy to come to her house and keep her company, on just one condition: that he tells her he still loves her.

10. Someday We're Gonna Love Again (2:05) - This fast song features horns in the right speaker. When the narrator and the guy broke up, she pretended to be heartbroken, but deep inside she knows that one of these days they will get back together; it's just a matter of when.

11. Pushin' A Good Thing Too Far (2:44) - This moderate-speed song opens with castanets. As much as the narrator loves the guy, he is testing how much he can get away with. He cheats on her, and her friends tell her she should dump him. That's just what she'll do if his behavior continues. Shortly after the 1:30 mark, the backup singers play the part of the guy, who begs for a kiss; Barbara's reponds with lines such as "Don't you abuse me or you will lose me."

12. Baby I'm Yours (2:31) - If you fell asleep during the last 7 tracks, you'll probably wake up to a tune that sounds more familiar. Barbara's second hit has a tempo somewhat slower than moderate. Her character uses various phrases to describe how long she will be in love with the guy she's singing to: "until I die," "till the poets run out of rhyme" and "until 2 and 2 is 3" and many more. In ONE other word, forever.

13. Make Me Your Baby (2:30) - This song, slightly faster than moderate, was Barbara's third and last hit. Chimes roll gently in the beginning. From the time Barbara starts singing, a tambourine plays on every fourth beat. The narrator will give the guy a special kiss and make sure every day that he's satisfied, if he'll just accept her as his girlfriend.

14. Don't Forget About Me (2:31) - This version is slightly slower than Dusty Springfield's. A tambourine plays in the left speaker, horns and an oboe in the right.

15. Make Me Belong To You (2:29) - The tempo is slightly slower than moderate. Drums and a tambourine play in the right speaker, while horns, a piano and chimes play in the left. The narrator can be a beggar or a queen, depending on what he desires her to be; all she asks is that he make her his girlfriend.

16. Baby What Do You Want Me To Do (2:36) - This moderate-speed song features horns, crash cymbals, chimes, and a tambourine . The guy acts differently toward the narrator when they're alone than he does when they're in a crowd. This confuses her so much that she wonders if he's only playing a game with her; she asks him what he wants her to do.

17. I Remember The Feeling (2:32) - This moderately fast song features horns and a tambourine. Between the first two words of the title, the lyrics often insert "still." No matter how hard she tries, the narrator can't forget how she used to feel about the guy when they were together. The memory is still so fresh that finding someone new would be futile.

18. I'll Make Him Love Me (2:16) - This moderate-tempoed song opens with a slow 8-second horn intro. Other instruments include orchestral strings and a tambourine. The verses in this song sound musically similar to those "Make Me Your Baby." Of course, the idea is also similar; the narrator loves the guy so much that she's determined to make him her boyfriend.

19. Thankful For What I Got (2:46) - This song is slightly slower than the previous one. While drums play in the right speaker, orchestral strings and horns play in the left. The narrator has little as far as material goods go, but she does have a boyfriend and that's enough for her. Even Barbara sings the line "She's got herself a real live fella," which confused me at first; I thought some other gal was the one with a boyfriend, and the narrator was content being alone.

20. Sho-Nuff (It's Got To Be Your Love) (2:34) - The tempo is moderate. Instruments include horns in the right speaker, a piano in the left. At first the narrator was determined to stay single, but now some force has made her habits change. That force has to be the guy's love for her.

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