"She's Not There" is the debut single by the English rock band the Zombies, written by keyboardist Rod Argent. It reached No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1964,[1] and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States at the beginning of December 1964. In Canada, it reached No. 2.
Rod Argent built the lyrics of "She's Not There" from a John Lee Hooker song, whose title – "No One Told Me" – became a part of the opening phrase of "She's Not There". Following an 29 April 1964 performance by the Zombies at St Albans Market Hall, Argent played the one verse he had written of the song for Ken Jones who was set to produce the band's first recording session. Jones encouraged Argent to write a second verse, intending the band to record it. Argent recalls: "I wrote the song for Colin's range" – referring to Zombies' vocalist Colin Blunstone – "I could hear him singing it in my mind."[4] Describing his first impression of the song, bassist Chris White stated: "It was absolutely fascinating. The song was breathtaking in its approach. We worked on some ideas and found out what to play in the bass. [...] That was Rod's first real experience of songwriting."[5]
Lyrically, the song takes place after the breakup of an adolescent relationship, where the male narrator laments "someone who wasn’t what they seemed, leaving a trail of lies and broken hearts."[11] Whilst many lines remenisce about the ex-girlfriend's allure and physical beauty, the refrain of "But she’s not there" carries both a "literal and metaphorical [meaning], suggesting her physical absence and the emotional void she left behind," in addition to implying a lack of sincerity beneath her charming exterior.[11] However, the narrator is not addressing the girl, but rather his friends who were aware of her character yet failed to warn him.[12] When asked about the identity of the song's female subject in a 2020 interview with Forbes, Argent responded that "she wasn’t anybody, just a fictional character. It was just me weaving a story, basically."[13]
Recording and single release
"She's Not There" was the second of four songs recorded by the Zombies at a 22 June 1964 recording session at Decca's West Hampstead Studio 2. The backing tracks needed seven takes.[14] One of the song's most distinctive features is Argent's electric piano sound; the instrument used was a Hohner Pianet. The backing vocals are in a folk-influenced close-harmony style. To make the single sound stronger for single release, Ken Jones organised Hugh Grundy to record a strident drum line overdub which only appears on the original mono single mix.
The B-side was the Chris White-penned "You Make Me Feel Good", which band biographer Claes Johansen characterized as "pure Beat Boom. With its mid-tempo performance and accentuation on the first beat and second off-beat of each bar it is also a blueprint for how a typical Zombies song would sound during most of their Decca period."[15] Initially, the band considered releasing this song as their debut single, but ultimately opted for "She's Not There". Argent has since praised the track, contending that it "should have been the follow-up [single]."[16]
This minor key, jazz-tinged single was first aired in the United States during the first week in August 1964, on New York City rock radio station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted it on his daily noontime "Hot Spot" segment, during which new songs were played. The tune began to catch on in early autumn and eventually reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1964.[17]
The song was later included both on the Zombies' debut album Begin Here, released in the UK in December 1964, and the US album The Zombies issued January 1965. It was also included on the soundtrack to the 1979 feature film More American Graffiti and the 2021 feature film Titane.
"She's Not There" was a hit for Santana when it appeared on their 1977 album Moonflower. Their version peaked at No. 11 in the UK.[26] It was also a hit in the US, spending 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at No. 27,[27] as well as reaching No. 20 on the Cash Box Top 100 chart. Their take on it features Greg Walker as the lead vocalist.
In February 1965, Swedish pop group Ola & the Janglers released the song as their second single, backed by Manfred Mann's "Don't Ask Me What I Say".[42] It became their breakthrough hit, reaching No. 10 on Tio i Topp for a week before being voted off.[43]
Airing September 1965, the episode "Sting in the Tail," of the British TV series Danger Man, featured a French version of the song by Jeanne Roland with French version "Te Voilà" lyrics by Jacques Chaumelle.[44]
^Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Needles And Pins: The Beat Boom". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
^Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 – 74. Premium Publishing. ISBN 919727125X.
