"Leave Me Be" (also recorded as "You'd Better Leave Me Be") is a song by the English rock band

the Zombies The Zombies are an English Rock music, rock band formed in St Albans in 1961. Led by keyboardist/vocalist Rod Argent and lead vocalist Colin Blunstone, the group had their first British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the U ...

. Written by Chris White, the band's bass guitarist, "Leave Me Be" was released on a non-album single in October1964. Following the release of the band's debut

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

She's Not There "She's Not There" is the debut single by the English rock band the Zombies, written by keyboardist Rod Argent. It reached 12 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1964, and 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States at the beginnin ...

" in July 1964, White wrote a handful of songs in between performances during the band's heavy schedule. Most of the work on the song occurred in August 1964, when the Zombies recorded both a demo and the backing track for it. The instrumentation largely differs from both earlier and later Zombies records; it features

electric organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since develop ...

played by

Rod Argent Rodney Terence Argent (born 14 June 1945) is an English musician. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Argent came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the keyboardist, founder and leader of the rock band the Zombies, and went on to form the ba ...

, compared to his previous usage of the

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...

. Together with

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

Ken Jones, they returned in September to finish the vocal track, which was disliked by most band members for its similarity to "She's Not There"; the vocals would eventually be re-recorded a few months later.

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

released the song as the follow-up to "She's Not There". Characterized by its usage of

minor chord In music theory, a minor chord is a chord that has a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a minor triad. For example, the minor triad built on A, called an A minor triad, has pit ...

s and

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...

, the song lyrically deals with loneliness, a theme previously present in the band's music. The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

release was cancelled and instead, the song appeared as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of "

Tell Her No "Tell Her No" is a hit single written by Rod Argent and included by English rock band the Zombies on their debut album ''The Zombies'' in 1965. It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States in March 1965 and was one of thr ...

" in the US. The song received mixed reviews upon release, with some critics deeming it inferior to "She's Not There". Unlike its predecessor, which was a top-20 hit in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, "Leave Me Be" became a commercial failure due to flopping worldwide, only gracing the lower regions of the Australian charts. First appearing on the

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

''I Love You'' in 1966, the song has since been re-released on several occasions. Although largely ignored and forgotten after release, the song has received retrospective praise, becoming a

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

song among fans. It has been covered by several notable artists, including

Ola & the Janglers Ola & the Janglers were a garage rock and beat group, founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1962. Its lead member was Ola Håkansson. Guitarist Claes "Clabbe" af Geijerstam wrote many of their hits. He was later a member of the duo Nova (Swedish name ...

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of spouses Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as rhythm and blues, R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. ...

and

the Posies The Posies were an American rock band. The band was formed in 1986 in Bellingham, Washington, United States, by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. Their music has its origins in Merseybeat and the Hollies. They are influ ...

Background and composition

Background and recording

On 24 July 1964, the Zombies released their debut

" in the United Kingdom. It proved to be a relatively large hit there, reaching number 12 on the ''

Record Retailer ''Record Retailer'' was the only music trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker (who died on 27 December 1964). The ti ...

'' chart. Being among the first songs written by keyboardist

, the track largely established him as a songwriter. Chris White had composed the

"You Make Me Feel Good", which despite being positively reviewed sparsely, was largely ignored. This was due to it being a B-side, a side that contained songs that the British press and record-buying public oftentimes ignored. This meant that Argent, who wrote the A-side, received the majority of the acclaim from both fans and critics alike. During this time, as their popularity was growing, the Zombies managed to gain more bookings and as a result, less and less time could be wasted writing songs as the hectic schedule proved to be time-consuming. This largely led to White starting to write songs as a substitute to Argent. In July–August 1964 during the chart success of "She's Not There", he wrote an entire batch of songs intended for single and album release. "Leave Me Be" was initially recorded as a demo at

Ryemuse Studios Mayfair Recording Studios was a recording studio in London, England, which was in operation from the 1960s until 2008. Background The studio, located at 64 South Molton Street in the Mayfair area of the West End of London, was originally establi ...

in London on 13 August 1964, together with Argent's "Kind of Girl" and "Woman". This version wasn't released for over 30 years, and instead the group entered

Decca Studios Decca Studios was a recording facility at 165 Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, North London, England, controlled by Decca Records from 1937 to 1980. History The building that housed Decca Studios at 165 Broadhurst Gardens in London was bu ...

West Hampstead West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden. Neighbouring areas includes Childs Hill to the north, Frognal to the east, Swiss Cottage to the south-east, South Hampstead to the south and Kilburn to the south-west. The neighbourh ...

, London on 31 August 1964 to professionally lay down the backing track to the song. Producer Ken Jones who had previously collaborated with them was also present during the session. Both "Kind of Girl" and "Woman" were also recorded during this session, along with another of Argent's compositions "Sometimes". The group performed eight takes of the song during that session. They then didn't finish the song for another 6 days, until 5 September 1964, once again returning to Decca for recording the vocal track. This continued the Zombies style of recording, which included recording several takes of the backing track on a prior date sometime prior, before choosing the best to

overdub Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more a ...

and add the vocal track over. Jones, who liked the "whispery" singing on "She's Not There", wanted singer

Colin Blunstone Colin Edward Michael Blunstone (born 24 June 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Blunstone came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Rock music, rock band the Zombies, which rel ...

to have a similar vocal performance on "Leave Me Be", much to Blunstone's and the Zombies' disappointment. This led to the group re-recording the vocals during a chapter of their first United States tour.

Composition

In the months leading up to the recording session, the Zombies had equipped themselves with several new instruments. Drummer Hugh Grundy had purchased a Ludwig drum kit, with White buying a Gibson EB-3, two instruments that would dominate the remainder of the group's output on Decca Records. For the recording, guitarist Paul Atkinson had equipped himself with a

Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures and markets musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Fri ...

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), also known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson (musician), Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nash ...

semi-acoustic guitar A semi-acoustic guitar, also known as a hollow-body electric guitar, is a type of electric guitar designed to be played with a guitar amplifier featuring a fully or partly hollow body and at least one electromagnetic pickup. First created in t ...

, an instrument he did not like, in hindsight wishing he had purchased a Gretsch Country Gentleman, played by

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

. However, author Claes Johansen praises Atkinson for his work on the song, writing that his playing "elevates it to another level." "Leave Me Be" also marked the first instance the

Vox Continental The Vox Continental is a transistorised combo organ that was manufactured between 1962 and 1971 by the British musical equipment manufacturer Vox. It was designed for touring musicians and as an alternative to the heavy Hammond organ. It supp ...

organ appeared on a Zombies Record. Previously, Argent had played a

Hohner Pianet The Hohner Pianet is a type of electric piano, electro-mechanical piano built by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany and designed by Ernst Zacharias. The Pianet was a variant of his earlier reed-based Hohner electric piano, the Cemba ...

on the group's recordings. Johansen however, stated that due to the way the Vox Continental was built, Argent was "in the dark" when using the keyboard, which in Johansens words "would have probably been a better option at the time if he had just stayed with the Pianette." According to Johansen, "Leave Me Be" features several distinct features that connect it to "She's Not There" musically. Both songs are in the key of

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic ...

along with the "incorporation of both

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed ...

and

D major D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...

chords. Further similarities to "She's Not There" can according to Johansen be found in the

song structure Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common piece-level musical forms for vocal music include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus ...

, as both songs contain "three part structures" of verses "leading into an inner bridge leading into the chorus". These liknesses are most likely coincidental, as White claims he is musically illiterate. When interviewed, White stated that "something comes in my head and then I have to find it on instrument". Johansen also adds that the song is unlike White's regular songwriting since he uses an odd

on it, as the chord of A-minor does not appear until the conclusion, while also using the unusual F major 7 chord. The author states that White used the tonic scale on the song in order to give comfort to the listener. He also indicates that this use of a chord progression will not leave the listener "unoccupied until the last note". Lyrically, "Leave Me Be" refers to despair and hopelessness which was also a theme found on "She's Not There". Matthew Greenwald of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

called the song a "minor-key

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

", and Johansen compares it to the soft and

jazz rock Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music Music genre, genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, a ...

that was present on "She's Not There".

Release and commercial performance

Although recorded during August–September 1964, Decca kept "Leave Me Be" in its vaults until October. This was most likely to allow for a US-release of "She's Not There", which occurred only a few days after the vocal track for "Leave Me Be" was finished, on 7 September through

Parrot Records Parrot Records was an American record label, a division of London Records, which started in 1964. The label usually licensed (or leased) recordings made by Decca Records, England, for release in the United States and Canada, most notably by th ...

. The song proved to be a huge chart success, reaching number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the ''Cashbox'' Top 100. As "She's Not There" was more successful in the United States than in the UK, Decca decided to release "Leave Me Be" in the latter territory in order to see whether it would become a hit or not. Therefore, on 16 October 1964, Decca released "Leave Me Be" as the Zombies' second single. The B-side chosen was Argent's "Woman", which had been recorded during the same sessions as the A-side. Unlike "She's Not There", which had reached the UK top-20, "Leave Me Be" failed to chart in ''Record Retailer''. The reason behind this is unknown, but at the time of the single's release, "She's Not There" was still in the top-20, which meant that the two singles competed with each other, significantly reducing sales for "Leave Me Be" since record-buyers wanted the hit instead. "Leave Me Be" was issued in several other territories, including Australia, which was the only country in which the song actually landed on the national charts,

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...

. The song entered the chart on 12 December 1964, at a position of number 81, which it held for two weeks before dropping out on 19 December 1964. The failure of the single led to it being withdrawn from US release and instead being relegated to the B-side of the Zombies' follow up "

". This version features alternate vocals that were recorded during their US tour. According to White, the reason behind the disappointing chart success of "Leave Me Be" was that the song didn't have the same aura when recorded in the studio as it did during live performances. He claims that it was a fantastic track during

rehearsal A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of Practice (learning metho ...

s and on tour, but that the "produced sound" on the studio version most likely hindered further chart success. "Leave Me Be" was not included on any original UK album releases, however, the B-side "Woman" was included on the band's debut UK album '' Begin Here''. (1965) Although "Woman" was also included on the Zombies eponymous US album, (1965) "Leave Me Be" was left out. The song experienced its first album release on a Swedish compilation album known as ''I Love You'' in 1966. It was first issued in the US four years after the initial release, on a

titled ''Early Days'', which compiled several early recordings by the band. The song would not get a release on an album in the UK until 1973, when it was issued on ''Time Of The Zombies'', which compiled all their 1964–66 recordings. The initial demo version was released on '' Zombie Heaven'' in 1997. Furthermore, both the

stereo Stereophonic sound, commonly shortened to stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configurat ...

version and the backing track were issued in 2002 on the compilation album ''The Decca Stereo Anthology.''

Critical reception and legacy

Contemporary reviews

Although not a commercially successful single, "Leave Me Be" managed to garner some positive reception. In a review for ''

Disc and Music Echo ''Disc'' was a weekly British popular music magazine, published between 1958 and 1975, when it was incorporated into ''Record Mirror''. It was also known for periods as ''Disc Weekly '' (1964–1966) and ''Disc and Music Echo '' (1966–1972). ...

'', critic Don Nicholl writes that "Leave Me Be" seems to be self-pitying, though "it should register another hit". He notes the "soft beat" contrasting to the "orchestrated power of Colin Blunstone's vocals", further praising Argent's organ playing. Nicholl ends by stating that he prefers "Woman" due to the A-side being "too wistful". In a

blind test In a blind or blinded experiment, information which may influence the participants of the experiment is withheld until after the experiment is complete. Good blinding can reduce or eliminate experimental biases that arise from a participants' expec ...

for ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'', musician

Sandie Shaw Sandra Ann Goodrich (born 26 February 1947), known by her stage name Sandie Shaw, is a retired English pop singer. One of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s, she had three UK number one singles with "(There's) Always Some ...

states that she likes the sound of the song's introduction and almost immediately recognized it to be the Zombies. She enjoys the mysterious sound that the band established, however, deems the song inferior to "She's Not There". Shaw says it had a chance of reaching the charts, but not to the extent of their debut single. Peter Aldersley of ''Pop Weekly'' states that he likes the song, due to the "haunting fascination springing from the melody and the vocal". Furthermore, Aldersley adds that the single is balanced and seems restrained in a positive way. He adds that the song is dance friendly and concludes that it is an "uncomplicated performance of a straightforward composition. In an anonymous review for ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'', the single is described as a "a gentle medium pace ballad with some good soft vocal work". They also state that the vocals and guitar most likely will become better with each time listening, and compare the sound to that of "She's Not There". As "Leave Me Be" was issued as a B-side in the US, it was largely ignored by the media. However, it did receive some reviews in American newspapers. Writing for ''Cashbox,'' the reviewer states that "Leave Me Be" is "whisper-like" which offers "a pleasant melody and meaningful lyrics." Though they note that both sides of the single had commercial potential, "Tell Her No" was eventually considered the superior song. According to ''Music Business'', "Leave Me Be" proved the Zombies a "staying power", stating that it is a strong song. In ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'', it was called a "frenzy to sing", with the coupling being awarded four-stars.

Retrospective assessment and covers

Retrospectively, Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic considered "Leave Me Be" to be among White's earlier songwriting masterpieces. He compared it to the music of

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

and positively notes the self-referencial lyrical content that "was probably deeply felt by every heartbroken teenager that ever heard it". The single became a favorite of guitarist

John Du Cann John William Cann (2 June 1946 – 21 September 2011), later known by his stage name John Du Cann, was an English guitarist primarily known through his work in the 1970s band Atomic Rooster. Life and career His early bands included the Wil ...

Atomic Rooster Atomic Rooster are a British rock band originally formed by members of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, organist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer. Their history is defined by two periods: the early-mid-1970s and the early 1980s. The band ...

, who stated he enjoyed both the inclusion of minor chords and Blunstone's phrasing on the song, leading to him getting a copy of it signed during a Zombies concert. Vernon Joynson writes that "Leave Me Be" has a "muffled, surly feel", while Dafydd Rees and Luke Crampton compared the song to "She's Not There", lacking a hook that would have made it more commercial. The options of the Zombies members have stayed the same as they did during the time "Leave Me Be" was released. White still insists that the song was stronger on stage than on record and states his dislike for the vocal track. Argent has similarly expressed dismay regarding the vocal performance, stating that whereas on "She's Not There", the performance seemed natural which was the complete contrast to "Leave Me Be", which he believed had forcefully achieved this effect. He closed by stating that "You Make Me Feel Good" had a sound that they should have attempted on "Leave Me Be". However, engineer

Gus Dudgeon Angus Boyd "Gus" Dudgeon (30 September 1942 – 21 July 2002) was an English record producer, who oversaw many of Elton John's most acclaimed recordings, including his commercial breakthrough, " Your Song". Their collaboration led to seven US N ...

stated that this was an attempt to ensure commercial success, as many follow-ups to debuts had a similar arrangement to the originals. "Leave Me Be" eventually achieved something similar to a

status among the Zombies' fans, due to its chord progression, lyrical relevance and relative obscurity. Though not a commercially successful record upon release, the song managed to be covered by several artists only 1–2 years after initial release. The song was initially covered by Swedish

beat Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...

group

in 1965 for their debut album ''Surprise Surprise.'' Self-proclaimed Zombies fans,''Ola & The Janglers, 1964–71!'' (liner notes pg. 4). Liimatainen, Keijo. Ola and the Janglers.

Gazell Gazell is a jazz record label founded by John Engelbrekt in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1949. History In 1949, John Engelbrekt created the label Gazell in Stockholm, Sweden, to distribute jazz albums. In September 1950, he founded a jazz club in Sto ...

. 1983. the group also included "Remember When I Loved Her" on the album, while a cover of "She's Not There" was their breakthrough hit. Based on the Janglers version, "Leave Me Be" was picked up by Kenneth "Kenta" Gustafsson and Gustav "Stoffe" Svensson, which was later featured in the Swedish cult film '' They Call Us Misfits'' in 1968. In April 1966, Timothy B. Schmit's first band the New Breed covered it as "You'd Better Leave Me Be."

recorded a cover for their second studio album '' The Wondrous World of Sonny & Chér'' in May 1966. Critic

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' The Daily P ...

praised their ability to find "eclectic" songs to cover, while simultaneously praising their versions. American group

covered the song for the compilation album ''The World of the Zombies.'' AllMusic critic Nitsuh Abebe called the song "charming".

Personnel

Personnel according to the liner notes of ''Zombie Heaven''. *

lead vocals *

keyboards, backing vocals * Paul Atkinson guitar * Chris White bass guitar, backing vocals *

Hugh Grundy Hugh Birch Grundy (born 6 March 1945) is an English musician. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Grundy came to prominence in the mid 1960s as the drummer of the English rock band the Zombies. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of ...

drums

Charts

References

NotesReferences

Sources

* * * * * * {{The Zombies The Zombies songs 1964 songs Songs written by Chris White (musician) Decca Records singles Parrot Records singles 1964 singles British pop rock songs