Everyone likes girl group songs. Why? Because they combine what was then considered cutting-edge, uptown R&B with commercially successful teenage pop. Perhaps more than any other genre in American music history, the songs produced by all female or female-led groups in the 1960s continue to be recycled and revived. Pop stars struggling for hit singles today often return to these original gems--Sheryl Crowe's "The First Cut is the Deepest" is one that comes to mind.

The Shirelles formed in 1958 as a high school singing group near New York City.  Four close friends (Shriley, Doris, Addie and Beverly) wrote the song "I Met Him on a Sunday" and performed it for their high school talent show. Lightening struck, and by the year's end, the song would enter the Top 50 chart.

The group continued to produce singles, like "Tonight's the Night" and "Dedicated to the One I Love", but didn't really blow up until they released "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" in 1961, the first hit song written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.  The song is considered by many to be the hit that solidified the girl group genre.

1. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" - The Shirelles (1961, re-cut in 1978)

2. "Party Lights" - Claudine Clark (1962) 

3.  "Boy From New York City" - Ad Libs (1965)

I've included Claudine Clark's "Party Lights" here, which was an early girl group gem that climbed to the US top 5 in 1962. Clark's song contains the same R&B sound that paved the way for groups like Ad Libs. The Ad Libs song "Boy From New York City", is an American classic. Not surprisingly, the song has seen many revivals, including hit versions by the Darts and Manhattan Transfer.