A Jubilant Ode to Love’s Unshakable Thrill
When The Shangri-Las unleashed “Give Him a Great Big Kiss” in December 1964, it burst onto the Billboard Hot 100 with an irrepressible charm, debuting at number 83 and climbing to a peak of number 18 by late January 1965. For a generation of listeners now silver-haired but still young at heart, this song wasn’t just a chart entry—it was a clarion call of teenage devotion, a snapshot of a time when love felt like the loudest beat in the room. Released on Red Bird Records, it arrived as the group’s fifth single, following the mournful melodrama of “Leader of the Pack”, and quickly became a standout, later opening their 1965 debut album of the same name. Its buoyant spirit offered a counterpoint to their signature tales of tragedy, proving these Queens girls could wield joy as deftly as heartbreak.
The story behind “Give Him a Great Big Kiss” is a tale of spontaneity and swagger, orchestrated by the enigmatic George “Shadow” Morton. Fresh off crafting the operatic sorrow of “Leader of the Pack”, Morton pivoted to something lighter, stitching together a track that bubbled with the effervescence of first crushes and fearless affection. Picture the scene: Mary Weiss, her voice a blend of grit and glee, stepping to the mic in a New York studio, flanked by her sister Betty and the Ganser twins, Marge and Mary Ann. The song’s spoken intro—“When I say I’m in love, you best believe I’m in love, L-U-V!”—wasn’t scripted polish but a raw, off-the-cuff declaration, caught live as the tape rolled. Morton, ever the alchemist, layered in handclaps, a stomping rhythm, and playful call-and-response vocals, turning a simple ode into a rollicking anthem. For those who tuned in via fuzzy AM radios or caught the group on Hullabaloo or Shindig!, it was a jolt of pure, unfiltered nostalgia—a memory of sock hops, scuffed sneakers, and the thrill of spotting your sweetheart across a crowded gym.
The meaning of “Give Him a Great Big Kiss” lies in its unapologetic celebration of love’s reckless abandon. It’s a portrait of a girl—bold, brash, and utterly smitten—praising a boy who’s “good-bad, but he’s not evil,” with his tight pants, dirty fingernails, and dancing beat. There’s no room for doubt here; this is devotion delivered with a smack of a kiss and a shout of “Mwah!” that echoes through decades. For older fans, it’s a bittersweet echo of youth—those fleeting years when emotions ran hot and every glance held the weight of forever. The song shrugs off the era’s polished veneer, trading prim romance for a streetwise swagger that defined The Shangri-Las’ tough-girl mystique. It’s less about the boy himself and more about the feeling he ignites—a spark that once lit up transistor radios and now flickers in the hearts of those who still hum its tune.
To hear it now is to step back into a world where love was a loud, defiant act, a promise sealed with a beat you could feel in your chest. “Give Him a Great Big Kiss” isn’t just a song—it’s a time machine, whisking you to a place where the air smelled of hairspray and rebellion, and every note carried the weight of a memory you didn’t know you’d cherish. For those who lived it, it’s a reminder of the girls they were—fearless, free, and forever in love with the music that shaped them.