Perhaps you would have expected our coverage of the girl groups to sort of fizzle away at the end. After all, the Beatles had completely changed the face of pop music, and the subsequent ‘Invasion’ from Great Britain washed away everything that stood in its path – especially the fragile girl groups that had dominated the pop charts for a couple of years.

Nevertheless, the girl group format proved to be heartier than you might have expected. For one thing, Motown shifted focus by emphasizing the rhythms of the songs, thus making groups like the Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas sound positively contemporary. For another, the girls seemed to grow tired of placating their boyfriends. Either that, or they just developed tougher personalities to suit the tougher rhythms of their songs, as can be seen in the music of the Shangri-Las, who were the last true ‘Girl Group’.

Here are the songs that close out this theme for How Music Changed;

1) Chapel of Love- The Dixie Cups

2) Walk On By – Dionne Warwick

3) Where Did Our Love Go – The Supremes

4) Remember (Walking in the Sand) – The Shangri-Las

5) Dancing in the Street – Martha & the Vandellas

6) Baby Love – The Supremes

7) Leader of the Pack – The Shangri-Las

8) Give Him a Great Big Kiss – The Shangri-Las

9) The Boy from New York City – The Ad-Libs

10) A Lover’s Concerto – The Toys

11) Rescue Me – Fontella Bass

12) I Can Never Go Home Anymore – The Shangri-Las

13) Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – Cher

14) Sweet Talkin’ Guy – The Chiffons