Song of the Day 1/17: The Contours, “First I Look at the Purse”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frCr6eq2Vfc

I quoted the title of this song the other day with a friend whose knowledge of ’50s and ’60s music is deeper than mine and was surprised when he said he had never heard it. So here it is. Smokey Robinson co-wrote it, but these might be the least romantic lyrics he ever had recorded. The Contours were signed by Berry Gordy in 1960, and they hit #1 in 1962 with “Do You Love Me?” When this one came out in 1965 it only reached #57 on the Hot 100, though it did much better on the R&B charts. It got wider exposure in 1970, when the J. Geils Band covered it for their first album.