Song of the Day 8/21: Spanky and Our Gang, “Sunday Will Never Be the Same”
Elaine McFarlane had a helluva voice and a nickname based on her last name’s similarity to child star George McFarland, better known as Spanky, of the old “Our Gang” one-reelers from the 1930s. She fronted a mid-’60s sunshine-pop band that drew a lot of comparisons to the Mamas and the Papas, not just because of their harmonies but because McFarlane’s voice and figure reminded people of Mama Cass Elliot.
They had several hits from 1967 to 1969, when they disbanded after their leader and arranger, multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Hale — the tall guy in the green shirt — died of carbon monoxide poisoning. This was the first and biggest, reaching No. 9.
The song was co-written by Terry Cashman. He’s best known for “Talkin’ Baseball,” but he had a long career as a songwriter, producer and performer. He recorded it with his group Cashman, Pistilli and West in 1968. You’ll notice it doesn’t have the intro cadged from “Angels We Have Heard on High,” and it certainly misses McFarlane’s powerhouse vocals.
McFarlane, who sang in a jazz band before turning to folk and then pop, went on to a solo career, and briefly took Elliot’s parts in a mid-’70s revival of the Mamas and the Papas.
