You all know by now that I’ll take any opportunity to post music by Benjamin Orr and/or the Cars. This week’s Song Lyric Sunday is no exception; and I guarantee you have never heard this song before (unless you’re a Benjamin Orr fanatic like me). Helen Vahdati’s theme this week is “drink,” and Benjamin Orr’s first record fits the bill. Long before he became the co-founder, bassist, and a lead singer for the Cars, Ben Orzechowski was a teen rock star in his native Cleveland, Ohio. He had joined a popular local band, The Grasshoppers, at 15 years old as a rhythm guitarist and lead singer. The Grasshoppers soon became the house band for a local American Bandstand style TV show, The Big 5 Show (renamed Upbeat upon national syndication), opening for major acts such as Dave Clark Five and Paul Anka. In 1965, The Grasshoppers recorded two regional hits, including “Pink Champagne (And Red Roses)” written and sung by young Mr. Orr (second from the right in the first picture on the video). Take a listen:
Pink Champagne (And Red Roses)
Well, pink champagne and red, red roses
For you, my love, there will be, yeah
Pink champagne and red, red roses
If you spend your life with me
You are my angel from above
I’ll never cast away your love
If you’ll just say you’ll linger with me
Pink champagne and roses there will be
Sometimes a heart can be the very start
So, my dear… and come right here
Pink champagne and red, red roses
For you, my love, there will be, yeah
Pink champagne and red, red roses
If you spend your life with me
With me
With me
With me
Written in response to Song Lyric Sunday theme “drink”
J.E.M. Wildfire 
What a pretty little melody. Thanks for sharing that one!
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Kind of reminds me of Del Shannon’s “Runaway.” There must be hundreds of rock songs that use that chord progression. Sounds good!
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True. And most of those songs don’t end up sounding alike. Creativity is a marvelous thing!
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I love this! I hadn’t heard it before but it is nice to see his roots.
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I really like this one. Simple and sweet. It’s interesting to look back on an artist’s earlier work. 😉
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Never heard this before but it does make me miss the time when lyrics were simple and all about love. Thanks for the memories. 🙂
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I really liked this sweet, simple song. Thanks for the share!
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A simple song this may sound like, but the arrangement Ben came up with is the soul of this song. It belies a young man mature beyond his years musically with the haunting vibe this song carries. Specifically the background vocals and the added layer of atmosphere they provide. Though recorded in the mid 60’s this could have easily fit into the late 50’s/early 60’s style of ballad songwriting. Had it been recorded say in a major studio in Los Angeles with a top producer guiding the recording session, I have no doubt it would’ve been more than just a “regional” hit. Listening to this the first time gave me a feeling of sitting on a high sand dune on a full moonlit night in the hot summer with an old girlfriend watching the waves crashing onto the beach.
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