Song of the Day 5/30: The Zombies, “Care of Cell 44”

It looks like Elizabeth Holmes is finally headed to prison for defrauding investors (who included Rupert Murdoch and Betsy DeVos so, y’know, limited sympathy) with her bogus blood-testing device. Will she really serve 11 years? My Magic 8-Ball says “outlook not so good,” but I’m not going to take the chance I’d have to wait that long to play the prison song that broke up the Zombies.

Rod Argent wrote “Care of Cell 44” as a fresh take on the genre: Instead of a prisoner longing for freedom, the narrator is at home waiting for his partner’s release. It’s set to a buoyant pop melody that sounds a lot like a McCartney tune with some Beach Boys touches, and the band and the record company expected it to be a hit when it was released in 1967 in advance of “Odessey and Oracle.” Instead it sank like a stone, failing to chart anywhere. The lack of sales caused the band to split by the end of the year, before the album was even released.

It wasn’t until “Time of the Season” reached the charts in 1969 that interest in “Odessey and Oracle” picked up, and the LP’s prestige has grown over the years. “Care of Cell 44” has gotten particular attention, covered by Elliott Smith as well as Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs on their album “Under the Covers, Vol. 1.”