Where Will You Be Boy
1965 · One-derful 4838 · USA
- Artist
- Beverly Shaffer
- Title
- Where Will You Be Boy
- Release
- Even the Score / Where Will You Be Boy?
- Year
- 1965
- Label
- One-derful # 4838
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Songwriter
- Jones, Shaffer, Rice, Nestor
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
In the song "Where Will You Be Boy?" (One-derful # 4838) a woman is wondering whether her boyfriend will be called-up in the near future: "will you be gone 12 months from now, will you...be my little soldier boy". She is also wondering whether the relationship will last during his service: "I'm hoping our love is strong enough". Beverly Shaffer, born on the West Side of Chicago in 1947, recorded this track at the young age of 18. She won a talent contest in 1965, run by The Chicago Defender, a weekly newspaper, which later ran a story on "Up and Coming Tunes, Teens" on 15 January 1966 which referenced Shaffer. Success in the competition led to interest from the One-derful label, which released this record in October 1965 - Beverly primarily wrote the song, although credits also went to Jimmy Jones and Larry Nestor (the arranger and conductor).1Sources1Chicago Soul (Robert Pruter, 1992)↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs
In the song "Where Will You Be Boy?" (One-derful # 4838) a woman is wondering whether her boyfriend will be called-up in the near future: "will you be gone 12 months from now, will you...be my little soldier boy". She is also wondering whether the relationship will last during his service: "I'm hoping our love is strong enough". Beverly Shaffer, born on the West Side of Chicago in 1947, recorded this track at the young age of 18. She won a talent contest in 1965, run by The Chicago Defender, a weekly newspaper, which later ran a story on "Up and Coming Tunes, Teens" on 15 January 1966 which referenced Shaffer. Success in the competition led to interest from the One-derful label, which released this record in October 1965 - Beverly primarily wrote the song, although credits also went to Jimmy Jones and Larry Nestor (the arranger and conductor).1 Sources1Chicago Soul (Robert Pruter, 1992)↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Where will you be boy, this time next year? / Will you remember all the fun we've had? / Or will you been gone and leave me so sad?... / Where will you be boy, 12 months from now? / Will you be mine boy, or will I miss you somehow? / Will you be over there without someone to care? / Will you tell me, please tell me?... / Will you be my baby, or be my little soldier boy / I'm hoping our love is strong enough / That time will not destroy
Notes
One-derful! 4838, matrix 3146; "Where Will You Be Boy?" (Jones, Shaffer, Rice, Nestor), 2:30, Vapac Music BMI; Beverly Shaffer; "Arr. & Cond. by Larry Nestor", "Prod. by Jimmy Jones & Larry Nestor"; "A One-derful Production! – 2642 So. Michigan – Chicago 16, Ill."; red and yellow swirl label. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
Chicago soul soprano who cut two singles for George Leaner's One-derful! label; her debut 'Where Will You Be Boy' (One-derful 4838, October 1965, produced by Jimmy Jones and Larry Nestor) became a local Chicago hit, and soul historian Robert Pruter wrote that she 'superbly typified the young soprano sound of Chicago'. [Source: Discogs; Robert Pruter, Chicago Soul]
Themes
In collections
US Domestic Perspective Songs [War Years] · Draft Songs · Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs