THE ZOMBIES - SHE’S NOT THERE

Estrena: 24 de juliol de 1964

Llistes: EUA: #2   Regne Unit: #12

"She's Not There" és el primer senzill de la banda de rock anglesa The Zombies, escrita pel seu teclista Rod Argent. La banda, composada per adolescents de Hertfordshire, Anglaterra, la va gravar després de guanyar un concurs de talent que els va valer una sessió de gravació. Llançada el 1964, el senzill va arribar al número 12 a la llista de singles del Regne Unit i al número 2 al Billboard Hot 100 als Estats Units, així com al número 2 a Canadà. El 2016, va ser inclosa al Grammy Hall of Fame.

"She's Not There" narra la història d'una dona captivadora que es nega a comprometre's amb un sol home. El cantant intenta transmetre la seva naturalesa esquiva i l'impacte que ella té sobre ell, però només pot descriure-la amb paraules, ja que ella ja no està present. La lletra reflecteix la frustració del cantant i la fascinació persistent amb aquesta figura enigmàtica.

Rod Argent, el compositor, es va inspirar en "No One Told Me" de John Lee Hooker del seu LP de 1964 “The Big Soul of John Lee Hooker”. Argent va explicar que, encara que no hi ha similituds directes en melodia o acords, la frase "no one told me" de la cançó de Hooker va influir en el flux de la lletra de "She's Not There".

Una de les característiques més distintives de la cançó és l'ús d'un piano elèctric com a instrument principal, una rara avis en aquell moment i un precedent per a un èxit al Regne Unit. Les veus etèries del cantant principal Colin Blunstone afegeixen rang dinàmic a la cançó. Blunstone comença suaument, introduint la història amb frases com "Well, no one told me about her, the way she lied", i gradualment augmenta la intensitat, culminant en la tornada èmfatica, "Please don't bother trying to find her, she's not there!"

"She's Not There" va sorgir a la habitació del baixista i vocalista Chris White i inicialment només tenia una estrofa. El productor de The Zombies, Ken Jones, va jugar un paper crucial en el seu desenvolupament. Després d'escoltar la versió inacabada durant un concert a Hatfield, Jones va suggerir que la cançó necessitava una segona estrofa, cosa que va portar Rod Argent a escriure frases addicionals.

Jones també va contribuir al so distintiu de la peça introduint una tècnica de producció recurrent que es va utilitzar en moltes de les gravacions de The Zombies: afegir overdubs durant el mescla a mono de l'enregistrament original de 4 pistes. Per a "She's Not There", Jones va superposar alguns ritmes addicionals per crear un patró de bateria únic, convertint la barreja original en mono en la versió definitiva de la cançó.

THE ZOMBIES - SHE’S NOT THERE

Released: July 24, 1964

Charts:  US: #2     UK: #12 

"She's Not There" is the debut single by the English rock band The Zombies, written by their keyboardist Rod Argent. The band, consisting of teenagers from Hertfordshire, England, recorded the song after winning a talent contest that earned them a recording session. Released in 1964, the single reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, as well as No. 2 in Canada. In 2016, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

"She's Not There" tells the story of a captivating woman who refuses to be committed to just one man. The singer tries to convey her elusive nature and the impact she has on him, but he can only describe her with words, as she is no longer present. The lyrics reflect the singer's frustration and lingering fascination with this enigmatic figure.

The writer Rod Argent drew inspiration from John Lee Hooker's "No One Told Me" from his 1964 LP “The Big Soul of John Lee Hooker”. Argent explained that while there are no direct similarities in melody or chords, the phrase "no one told me" from Hooker's song influenced the way the lyrics in "She's Not There" flowed. 

One of the song's most distinct features is Argent's use of an electric piano as the lead instrument, a rarity at the time and a first for a hit song in the UK. Lead singer Colin Blunstone's breathy vocals add a dynamic range to the song. Blunstone begins softly, introducing the story with lines like "Well, no one told me about her, the way she lied," and gradually builds intensity, culminating in the emphatic chorus, "Please don't bother trying to find her, she's not there!" 

"She's Not There" originated in bassist and vocalist Chris White's bedroom and initially had only one verse. The Zombies' producer, Ken Jones, played a crucial role in the song's development. After hearing the unfinished version during a gig in Hatfield, Jones suggested that the song needed a second verse, prompting Rod Argent to write additional lyrics. 

Jones also contributed to the distinctive sound of the track by introducing a recurring production technique used in many of The Zombies' recordings: adding overdubs during the mixdown to mono from the original 4-track recording. For "She's Not There," Jones superimposed a couple of extra beats to create a unique drum pattern, making the original mono single mix the definitive version of the song.