Elenore

Label

White Whale Records

Genre

Sunshine Pop

Media Type

45s

Duration

2:31

Composer(s)

Howard Kaylan;Mark Volman;Al Nichol; Jim Pons;John Barbata

Entered Chart

Sep 21, 1968

Peak Date

Nov 2, 1968

Released

September 1968

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

White Whale 276

B-Side

Surfer Dan

The line, "You're my pride and joy etcetera" ends the main chorus of this song. This was a dig at their record label, White Whale, who had been hounding them for another "Happy Together," which was The Turtles' big hit in 1967. They quickly threw together this overly-clichéd song ("Gee I think you're swell") and it proceeded to be another smash despite their best effort at sabotage. In the liner notes of The Turtles' Anthology Solid Zinc, Howard Kaylan of The Turtles explained: "Elenore was a parody of 'Happy Together.' It was never intended to be a straight-forward song. It was meant as an anti-love letter to White Whale (their record company), who were constantly on our backs to bring them another 'Happy Together.' So I gave them a very skewed version. Not only with the chords changed, but with all these bizarre words. It was my feeling that they would listen to how strange and stupid the song was and leave us alone. But they didn't get the joke. They thought it sounded good. Truthfully, though, the production on 'Elenore' WAS so damn good. Lyrically or not, the sound of the thing was so positive that it worked. It certainly surprised me." >> Many of The Turtles' hits were composed by other writers, but this one they wrote themselves. The who band was given writer credit: Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman, Al Nichols, Jim Pons and John Barbata.

You got a thing about you
I just can't live without you
I really want you, Elenore, near me
Your looks intoxicate me
Even though your folks hate me
There's no one like you, Elenore, really

Elenore, gee I think you're swell
And you really do me well
You're my pride and joy et cetera
Elenore, can I take the time
To ask you to speak your mind?
Tell me that you love me better

I really think you're groovy
Let's go out to a movie
What do ya say now, Elenore, can we?
They'll turn the lights way down low
Maybe we won't watch the show
I think I love you, Elenore, love me

Elenore, gee I think you're swell
And you really do me well
You're my pride and joy, et cetera
Elenore, can I take the time
To ask you to speak your mind?
Tell me that you love me better

(One more time)

Elenore, gee I think you're swell, ah-hah
Elenore, gee I think you're swell, ah-hah-hah