“Lightnin’ Strikes” was written by Lou Christy and Twyla Herbert. I must say I went down a number of very interesting rabbit holes when I looked into this song. From the relationship between Christy and Herbert to the producer and session musicians associated with the recording, it was all very interesting.
In this Songfacts interview, Ralph Casale explains the bass solo on the song and how it made it into the recording.
Songfacts: Please describe the sessions for “Lightnin’ Strikes.”
Ralph: I was asked by producer-arranger Charlie Calello to play the 6-string bass guitar which sometimes doubles the same line the bass plays. When the track was being played back without vocals I started jokingly improvising a solo on the bass guitar with a fuzz box. I didn’t know what the song was about, but Charlie obviously did. He stopped the playback and said “I love it!” I laughed, and asked if he was joking. He excitedly replied, “I’ll tell you where to play it!”
Lou Christy was extremely popular and quickly became a teen idol – an label that often relegated performers to the ‘oldies’ category as they tried to progress their careers.
Goldmine magazine did a comprehensive interview with Christy which highlights much of his career. I will post the link to that article here if you are interested. I found it very interesting.
Lou Christie Goldmine Interview
“Lightnin’ Strikes” was released on Christmas Day in 1965. By March of 1966 the record reached gold status having sold over a million copies. There lyrics smack of the double standard of what is acceptable behavior for a man vs. a woman.
But for today, try not to over analyze and just drift back to the sixties and enjoy.
fromcavewalls.wordpress.com 