The Soundtrack For The Baby Boomer Generation

Step back to a time when singers were as bright as the stars in the heavens
and the music they sang was really swingin'. Stacks of wax to fit every occasion!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Lifeguard On Duty

Artist: Diane Ray
Song: That's All I Want From You (b-side) (a-side is Please Don't Talk To The Lifeguard)
Label: Mercury 72117
Number: YW27051
Songwriters: F. Rotter-H. Rotha
Time: 2:32
Released: 1963

Diane Ray was born September 1st, 1942 in Gastonia, North Carolina. She was considered a rock and roll singer in the early 1960's and is best known for her 1963 hit single, Please Don't Talk To The Lifeguard, which was the flipside of today's record. It was her only hit, (so far), and she is known as a "one-hit wonder" because of it.
Her hit record was a good example of the early 1960's solo girl sound of rock and roll, but her voice shows more promise than mere top-40 radio. She recorded several more singles in that vein, but they were not hits. Songs such as Slow Dancin' With Don, My Summer Love, You'd Be So Proud Of Me, That Boy's Gonna Be Mine, Just So Bobby Can See and No Other Arms are some of her other recordings. There is a collection that gathers up her non-charting songs, the lp album called The Exciting Years.
The b-side of her only hit, That's All I Want From You, however, reminds me more of the pop sound than rock and roll. It features an orchestra driven by a wailing saxophone and is a nice number for playing on your hi-fi stereo system on warm Summer days. So, put on your suntan lotion and please enjoy Diane Ray as she delivers That's All I Want From You. And remember: Walk, don't run at the pool! The lifeguard is watching you.