Vroom! Vroom! Eine epische Teenager-Tragödie in knapp drei Minuten und aus der Sicht des Mädchens erzählt. Der großartige Text dieser kurzen Liebesgeschichte ohne happy end zwischen Betty (right side of town) und Jimmy (wrong side of town) beginnt als typischer girls talk und endet mit blood on the track. Waren es 1955 in „Rebel without a cause“ (im Mittelpunkt eine Judy und ein Jim) chicken runs mit Automobilen, geht es 1964 um eine halbwüchsige Motorradgang, die Adoleszenz mit gefährlichen Spielen verbindet. Hätte Betty nicht auf Druck ihrer Eltern Schluss gemacht, wäre dann ihr Jimmy wohl noch am Leben?
Songtext:
Is she really going out with him?
Well, there she is. Let’s ask her
Betty, is that Jimmy’s ring you’re wearing?
Mm-hmm
Gee, it must be great riding with him
Is he picking you up after school today?
Mm-mm
By the way, where’d you meet him?
I met him at the candy store
He turned around and smiled at me
You get the picture? (Yes, we see)
That’s when I fell for the leader of the pack
My folks were always putting him down (down down)
They said he came from the wrong side of town
Whatcha mean when you say that he came from the wrong side of town?
They told me he was bad
But I knew he was sad
That’s why I fell for the leader of the pack
One day, my dad said find someone new
I had to tell my Jimmy we’re through
Whatcha mean when you say that you better go find somebody new?
He stood there and asked me why
But all I could do was cry
I’m sorry I hurt you, leader of the pack
He sort of smiled and kissed me goodbye
The tears were beginning to show
As he drove away on that rainy night
I begged him to go slow
But whether he heard, I’ll never know
No no no no no no no
Look out, look out, look out, look out!
I felt so helpless, what could I do?
Remembering all the things we’ve been through
In school, they all stop and stare
I can’t hide the tears but I don’t care
I’ll never forget him, the leader of the pack
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
(Gone) The leader of the pack, now he’s gone
[THE SHANGRI-LAS – Leader Of The Pack]
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