Girl Group is an aesthetic based on the girl group songs of the '50s and '60s. This motif deals with music sung by young women who are typically best friends, and typically involves teenage tragedy, heartbreak, and other lyrics.
History[]
In the '50s, doo-wop ruled the United States' youth. Several female groups, like the Teen Queens, had songs in this genre. But it wasn't until the Chantels' "Maybe" became a success in 1958 that girl groups began to rise to prominence. The Shirelles, with their hit "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" was one of these first famous girl groups.
In 1963, the Ronettes scored a hit with "Be My Baby," produced by Phil Spector. He also produced the Crystals' "He's a Rebel," leading him to become a name to know in this aesthetic. The Shangri-Las, fronted by Mary Weiss, also emerged during this period, with songs like "Leader of the Pack" dealing with tragic themes such as death. Many copycats also tried to cash in on the success of all these groups.
Eventually, the girl group scene died down by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones' popularity in the '60s. In the mid-'70s, Saturday Night Live first aired, which had a multitude of girl group parody songs by the female cast members (Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman), such as "Cathode Ray" and "Chevy's Girls." The latter gave way to a Sonic the Hedgehog parody in the late-'00s, "Sonic, Sonic," which was the first known Internet presence of the aesthetic. "Sonic, Sonic" introduced the fanon portrayal of Amy Rose, Sally Acorn, and Mina the Mongoose (three girls from the Sonic series) as a group of best friends who sing as a girl group.
Themes[]
Girl groups usually had three or more girls who sang together. Usually, only the lead singer got solos, with the other two or three acting as backing vocals or participating in conversation during spoken sections. However, the Saturday Night Live and Sonic the Hedgehog parodies had the other two girls get solo lines, too.
In spoken sections, the other two or three girls would speak in unison, rarely breaking tempo. You can find this sort of chemistry with Wilma and Betty in The Flintstones, who had very girl group-esque looks.
The girls also seemed to be best friends. Saturday Night Live also had sketches with the female cast members being friends like that, most notably a sketch where Jane, Laraine, and the guest host surprise Gilda on her bridal shower. Again, Wilma and Betty also had this motif.
Music[]
- The Teen Queens - Eddie My Love (1956)
- The Chantels - Maybe (1958)
- The Shirelles - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (1960)
- The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman (1961)
- The Ronettes - Be My Baby (1963)
- The Crystals - He's a Rebel (1963)
- The Shangri-Las - Leader of the Pack (1964)
- The Supremes - You Keep Me Hanging On (1966)
- The Whyte Boots - Nightmare (1966)
- Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman - Chevy's Girls (1976)
- Gilda Radner - Goodbye Saccharin (1980)
- Julie Brown - The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun (1983)
- Amy, Sally, and Mina - Hang On, Sonic (2024)