In 1967 I gave birth to a little girl. I was 15 1/2+ one day old. There wasn’t even any discussion about the fact that she was going to go up for adoption. I spent seven of my nine months in a home for unwed mothers. My mother put me there so I wouldn’t “shame“ the family. I lived in orange county and she sent me to Los Angeles county. On April 11, 1967 I gave birth to that baby girl. While in the home for unwed mothers I made a very special friend, her name is Diana. This song was the reason why I gave my baby girl the middle name Renee. Every word to this song seemed to express everything I was feeling except for the tears I had. On my baby girl’s 18th birthday I called the adoption agency and I told them who I was and where I was in case you ever wanted to get a hold of me. I waited and waited full well knowing the odds of her trying to find me were pretty slim. One day while watching judge Wapner, on the peoples court, my phone rang. The woman asked me my name and I told her. She identified herself as being Maria somebody I don’t remember her name, from orange county adoption agency. My husband and I were getting ready to adopt a baby girl and for some reason it just didn’t click in my mind that orange county was in California and I now lived in Iowa. Then she asked me if I gave birth to a baby on April 11, 1967. I shut off the TV and said yes, yes! I asked Marie if she was trying to find me. Marie said yes she had just talked to her in her office and she very much wants to meet you. I jumped on the next plane to California. At 1 PM the following day I was given her address and I drove to her house. My heart was pounding. I started to cry and I couldn’t hold back the tears. She open the door and she had a baby in her arms. She said hi come on in. I walked in and there were two more little girls playing in the living room. She told me her name and then introduced me to the children. She told the kids this is your grandma. She had a really long couch… Probably nine or 10 feet long. We sat on her couch her at one end and me at the other LOL she looked at me and she said I have dreamed of this day since the day I knew I was adopted. She said I knew I looked just like you! And then she said, “wow!. I don’t look like you at all“ LOL I said no you look just like your father. I mean you really look like your father. She said I’m looking for him too. She said I found you from a private detective and the same detective is working on my biological father. She told me I know his name is William but I don’t know his last name yet. I told her his middle name is William and I told her she could fire her private detective because I talked to your father last night. She said you found him? I told him I didn’t find him that we had always stayed in contact just for this day. Here is his work phone number and home phone number and he told me to tell you to call him if you wanted to meet him. She didn’t even wait… She grabbed her phone and called him. He said he would be over after he went home from work and took a shower He showed up about 7 PM. That couch wasn’t long enough when we were sitting on it LOL he was plastered against one end and I was plastered against the other end. That couch seemed even smaller when my daughter and I were sitting on opposite ends LOL She sat on the floor with her little baby in her lap and just kept looking at him and looking at me and looking at him and looking at me many times. She looked at him and said I do look exactly like you. Yes he said you look exactly like me. Anyway, that was 1990. I was sad because she also had a brother and a sister who are no longer with us. I showed her their pictures and talked a lot about them. She sat there and cried because she said I’m sorry I missed them. Of course it wasn’t her fault she missed knowing them. It is now 2021 and I have been blessed since 1990. She is still in my life and very much so in her father’s life since she lives two blocks from him… Yes, she was raised two blocks from her biological father. She took dance lessons from my best friend. She was never really out of my life I just didn’t know where to find her. I love her dearly and I am so happy she found me. That’s the reason why this song is so important to me. I told her about the song and that I would like for her to listen to it sometime. She listen to it through UA-cam with the lyrics. She said I cried for you because I know how much it would’ve hurt to know you had to give your baby away when you didn’t want to do it. Every time she hears that song she sends me a message and says today I am Renee. She loves music just like I do. We both believe that when words fail music speaks. Oh, one more thing, I have a degree in accounting and she has a degree in accounting LOL she may look like him but she’s just like me. Some days I wonder if that’s a good or bad thing LOL thanks for listening to my story.
Thank you for that lovely story. I am puzzled about her brother and sister though. I am glad that you grew from your experience into a loving person--not bitter at all.
WHAT A STORY! I was astounded. Thank you so muchfor sharing such a story of heartbreak, wondering, waiting and always hoping, while ever giving up. When there is much suffering, there is the chance of great joy. You all recd that... you, your daughter and her father. God's Providence allowed all this. Grace comes. God bless each of you!❤
How many of us watched someone walk away? How many have hearts upon a wall? And how many have rain fall upon their weary eyes? Rene was that mythological girl that each of us knew.
Well said. Several times in my life I had fleeting glimpses of some beauty near me who captured my heart in mere seconds then was gone. Never knew who she was but carried that feeling for many years afterward.
@@allenanderson3277 Perhaps her beauty was for the heart only because the eye is easily fooled. I find that the sadness of this song quakes long lost memories of sweet sadness. Perhaps the melody will be with you for a lifetime. Look around, she maybe closer than you think.
@billd.4701: You hit the bulls-eye there! I like that...the girl I met in my teens in the 1960s..... now mythologised. But now in 2023 I may still catch a passing glimpse of her in my minds-eye. When its late twilight, fall, and raining...................
I am 65, I grew up with this...it still breaks my heart...such a powerful tune ...I have been blessed to have this inside me, part of me...Thank You Left Banke chaps!
@@patriciathemaras3274 Dear Patricia some do some do not. Depends on upbringing and values they were able to catch. Believe me it was no different 1966. I was 12 yo then and can still remember the garbage present everywhere. We have forgotten the garbage, the good things are still present in our memories.
@@richardetling876 On the same scale? Probably not, it is not easy to compare. I'd say the total amount of garbage is much bigger than then. Much, much bigger. But it doesn`t mean the total amount of amazing and valuable pieces is smaller. It appears smaller, alright, but only in relation to the amount of trash. Trash is present everywhere in this digital world in ours where everybody may prize even the last sh*t and make his opinion public.
Another piece of baroque rock (I'd call it 'modern baroque ballad.') which I like and which cross connects well with 'Renee' is 'Juliet' from "The Four Pennies," about 1964.
I was born the year this came out .but it does make you think about high school girlfriends .oh how i wished i could go back .80's child but love the 60's
Wow, the memories this song holds for me. Lying in bed with a big clumsy transistor radio under my pillow and grooving to this song as well as thoughts of one of my earliest crushes - Renee F. who sat next to me in 8th grade Science, and usually ignored my presence. The song always brings back memories of walking home from school in the bitter grey winter days of Upstate New York, the scene was as melancholy as the song.
I lived in Syracuse then great memories of Jimmy who I smiled at Twitter ceo in 8th grade then knew I liked him a lot so many memories of him damn sure miss him A& great times I’m a young at heart at 71 thanks for sharing those were the days!!👍❤️☮️🇺🇸😹😱🙀
They played the instrumental version at work today and I almost broke down crying. Such a simple song but so powerful. Thank you Left Banke for music that never dies❤️
My beautiful mother named me after this song . She always song this song to me as I grew up. I think this song holds a lot of special memories for so many amazing people/souls.Now this song makes me think of her. Rip mom❤️️
I had a close friend by the name of Renee She rescued many cats and stray dogs. A BMW killed her on the road one Sunday early morning at around 8 am as she was walking her two dogs in centereach, long island. This was about 20 years ago. I associate this song with her. May she rest in peace!
I Had a girlfriend named Renee whom I dated in HS in 77-78, and I was also working at my first job as a radio DJ back then. I would play this song for her, sometimes she knew it sometimes not. We remained good friends after HS and she left to work in Atlanta. But she had health issues, and they got worse and worse as time went on. She finally passed away from kidney failure in 2014, far too young yet. Though she had good family she had never been married nor any children. I think of her often and especially when I hear this song. It's in regular rotation in my collection. God Bless you, Renee.
@@ntvypr4820 sorry for the sad comment, but what happened is true. Her name was Rene Buch.. everyone was sad especially her elderly father at the time. Rene was his only daughter whom he cherished. By now he's probably gone as well.
I agree with your statement. I’m not a fan of 1960’s music but this song is at the top of my list for that era. Great tune. Love the violin. This song is equal to anything from 1966.👍
Sean Wilkinson please I enlighten me. “I don’t want you to cry!” I’m needing to know what your take is from this song. I would appreciate your view. Thanks in advance! In the meantime take good care of yourself and stay well. Looking forward to hearing back from you. L.
I’m also 65 and we were so lucky to have had the best music ever created during our young lives, no one will ever be able to create and sing songs with such strong emotions like they did in our day. We are truly blessed
One of those songs that reaches deep into your soul and brings a torrent of feelings to the surface. Such a beautifully composed and performed song that brings me back to the innocence of my youth.
Behold the power of the unrequited teenage crush, of the first love. Something as simple as a beautiful melody floods the heart with so many fond memories. Bittersweet.
I was clueless as to the words of this song until now. It takes talent to accurately understand lyrics like this, especially when they are blanketed in deep orchestration. Bravo!!
My mom grew up to this song. I'm 40 years old and always loved it when I heard it, but she told me she cries everytime she hears it. One of her best friend's had a sister named Renee who died tragically in a house fire when she was 12 along with her grandmother. RIP Renee
What defines a song is the poetry of it, second place is the sound. This song does both, but especially the poetry. I like that it goes minimal in the language it uses, instead of random flowery metaphors, he sings about the things that are really in front of him. The empty sidewalks and their names in a heart on the wall. Yet it’s also sad that the author had to make this up, he was never with Renee. They were friends but he could never tell her how he felt; so he made the song. Love is complicated, but it makes good music
I was 9 years old. By far, the music that affects me most profoundly today was the stuff from when I was between 8 - 14 years old. The wonder years indeed.
Baroque Rock. Inspired by a foxy teenage girl in 1966 - 15 year old Michael Brown penned Renee and Pretty Ballerina. She moved away and Brown's inspiration was gone. But- with the help of his professional musician father, we are left with two classics the media dubbed Baroque Rock. RIP Michael.
"There's something about 'Walk Away Renee' that's one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard, just in terms of provoking an emotional reaction." -- Marshall Crenshaw
I grew up in bay ridge. Born in 57. FHHS. Probably a few years older than me. What beautiful lyrics. Hard to believe he was only 16 years old. Thanks for the back story about Renee. I wonder if we ever hung out on shore rd. or bliss park maybe......
Les Evenchick thanks for Sharing! With you knowing (the) true meaning behind the music. Please do tell. I’m very interested. In the meantime take good care and stay safe. Looking forward to hearing back from you. L.
mike revello wow brilliant for that age still love his voice & great song legend icon epic I’m 71 still love how it takes back to a better place than now in 2020 thanks for info stoked at his young brilliant age 16 damn that!s unreal he is killer writer & singer hot looking as well rip to him!!!!!❤️☮️🇺🇸😹👍
Renée Fladen-Kamm was dating The Left Banke’s bass player, Tom Finn, and used to hang out in the studio during the band's practice sessions. Keyboard player Michael Brown was only 16 at the time and his hands used to shake whenever he would look at the tall, blonde Renee. "I was just sort of mythologically in love, if you know what I mean, without having evidence in fact or in deed … But I was as close as anybody could be to the real thing," Brown later recalled, and added that because Fladen-Kamm was looking on during the recording of the song, he couldn't play his part! "My hands were shaking when I tried to play, because she was right there in the control room," he says. "There was no way I could do it with her around, so I came back and did it later." It's a good thing too, since in the years that passed, the song has come to be considered one of the greatest songs ever recorded by Rolling Stone Magazine
A hit in 1966 for " Baroque Rock " style, written & performed by members of the band The Left Banke and perfectly sung by lead vocalist Steve Martin who's melancholy voice played on the heartstrings of the listeners....💔
Twists me now as it did in 1966...still in high school ... it moves me to tears...not sure why...also saddens me knowing the original 5 members are all dead...like hundreds of the people I have had the pleasure of knowing...both parents...wife...35 aunts and uncles...just for starters...my best friends are also gone..."The Goodbyes Make The Journey Harder Still"...
This song was released 5 years before I was born and was still in strong rotation well into the 70s. My Dad used to fall asleep with a radio on. I have a very vivid memory of getting up in the middle of the night and walking down the hallway and hearing this song playing softly. It was the first time I recall seeing the face of God.
In 1966 I was 13. I loved this song. There happened to be a girl whose name was Renee and I had such a terrible crush on her, something that still remains today. Every time I hear this song the feeling I had back then returns as I see her face as she was back then and I feel as melancholy as Michael Brown must have felt when he wrote this song at 16. I have her picture that I keep in a secure place... Young love,...it never gets old.
One of those rare and GREAT songs that evokes deep feelings of both love and sadness simultaneously......and quite often you can't even say why. A rare MASTERPIECE of the right words and the right music at the right time......
I have a notion to second that emotion ! Though I've loved this song for years & have heard it countless times on local oldies stations, I didn't know the exact lyrics till today ! Thanks for your comment, Bunny !! CHEERS !! :-)
Scott, you have absolutely No idea how much I did the same thing! I'd write a list of the ones I wanted hear, then run to my computer and download them~those were the days!
This is a killer sog makin me want to CRYbringing up old memories of my beloved I miss so very much! The empty sidewalks on my block..ur not to blame.. but am I? Makin me feel like I am to blame. Songs loke this tear me up so much but yet there comforting too.. can't win I guess, darn it all!!
One of the beauties of this classic pop song is the economy of words. It is simple, but sad and evocative. The melody and accompanying music is sophisticated, yet the message and words are spare and basic.
This song was before my time, but I grew up listening to a radio station that played stuff from the 50's, 60's, and 70's ("oldies" to me), and this shortly became a favorite of mine. For some reason, I consider it a "comfort" song, because it's one song I can listen to when I'm feeling down, and then I feel better.
I always played this song for a girl I dated in HS while I was also a radio DJ back in 77-78. I think of her often though she passed away young from increasingly poor health. She was such a sweet kid. I think of you often, Renee. God Bless You.
Got my middle name from this song. My grandma wanted my moms middle name to be Renee and she wanted it passed down to me. I’ll be passing it on to my daughter.
For some strange reason this song was in my head all day at work today and of course my phone was acting up and not playing music for me, could not wait to get home to hear it. I've been really getting in to so many songs from the 60s (and 70s) recently. I was just a kid (b. 1963) but for some reason these songs keep bouncing around in my head. Two decades of insanely great music!!!!
A very powerful and soulful song about our connections in life. This great song, written by a 16 yr old, reminds me that we have life lessons at any age… ❤❤❤❤❤ #LeftBanke
The power of emotions this song has on me is unnameable... It's almost as if it sends me back to that time frame even though I am an 80s baby. That melody of the first line in the chorus just does so much to me... I wish for those days when this I never personally saw them
Such a somber, dreary but pretty song. Back in the 70's I had a crush on a blond girl named Renee and her girlfriends' knew about it, they told her, but I didn't know that. At a party I let a floozy jump on me , in Renee's presence, and the party was stopped by the unexpected appearance of the hosts' mother . Her friends' said she was hurt---I had no idea. I let it go because we were young and I thought we had too much time ahead to stick together and too little experience. I can still see that beautiful face in my memory, ironically letting her walk away, back home without telling her I was enamored. Not a false word I speak now, a tear in my eyes and the curiosity of what might have been. It's such a coincidental experience/song and I wonder, all the time. I know it probably sounds like bull but I swear it's truthful. I regret some things of my naive youth.I hope she's well.
![I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight - Cutting Crew (Lyrics) [HD]](/img/n.gif)
In 1967 I gave birth to a little girl. I was 15 1/2+ one day old. There wasn’t even any discussion about the fact that she was going to go up for adoption. I spent seven of my nine months in a home for unwed mothers. My mother put me there so I wouldn’t “shame“ the family. I lived in orange county and she sent me to Los Angeles county. On April 11, 1967 I gave birth to that baby girl. While in the home for unwed mothers I made a very special friend, her name is Diana. This song was the reason why I gave my baby girl the middle name Renee. Every word to this song seemed to express everything I was feeling except for the tears I had. On my baby girl’s 18th birthday I called the adoption agency and I told them who I was and where I was in case you ever wanted to get a hold of me. I waited and waited full well knowing the odds of her trying to find me were pretty slim. One day while watching judge Wapner, on the peoples court, my phone rang. The woman asked me my name and I told her. She identified herself as being Maria somebody I don’t remember her name, from orange county adoption agency. My husband and I were getting ready to adopt a baby girl and for some reason it just didn’t click in my mind that orange county was in California and I now lived in Iowa. Then she asked me if I gave birth to a baby on April 11, 1967. I shut off the TV and said yes, yes! I asked Marie if she was trying to find me. Marie said yes she had just talked to her in her office and she very much wants to meet you. I jumped on the next plane to California. At 1 PM the following day I was given her address and I drove to her house. My heart was pounding. I started to cry and I couldn’t hold back the tears. She open the door and she had a baby in her arms. She said hi come on in. I walked in and there were two more little girls playing in the living room. She told me her name and then introduced me to the children. She told the kids this is your grandma. She had a really long couch… Probably nine or 10 feet long. We sat on her couch her at one end and me at the other LOL she looked at me and she said I have dreamed of this day since the day I knew I was adopted. She said I knew I looked just like you! And then she said, “wow!. I don’t look like you at all“ LOL I said no you look just like your father. I mean you really look like your father. She said I’m looking for him too. She said I found you from a private detective and the same detective is working on my biological father. She told me I know his name is William but I don’t know his last name yet. I told her his middle name is William and I told her she could fire her private detective because I talked to your father last night. She said you found him? I told him I didn’t find him that we had always stayed in contact just for this day. Here is his work phone number and home phone number and he told me to tell you to call him if you wanted to meet him. She didn’t even wait… She grabbed her phone and called him. He said he would be over after he went home from work and took a shower He showed up about 7 PM. That couch wasn’t long enough when we were sitting on it LOL he was plastered against one end and I was plastered against the other end. That couch seemed even smaller when my daughter and I were sitting on opposite ends LOL She sat on the floor with her little baby in her lap and just kept looking at him and looking at me and looking at him and looking at me many times. She looked at him and said I do look exactly like you. Yes he said you look exactly like me. Anyway, that was 1990. I was sad because she also had a brother and a sister who are no longer with us. I showed her their pictures and talked a lot about them. She sat there and cried because she said I’m sorry I missed them. Of course it wasn’t her fault she missed knowing them. It is now 2021 and I have been blessed since 1990. She is still in my life and very much so in her father’s life since she lives two blocks from him… Yes, she was raised two blocks from her biological father. She took dance lessons from my best friend. She was never really out of my life I just didn’t know where to find her. I love her dearly and I am so happy she found me. That’s the reason why this song is so important to me. I told her about the song and that I would like for her to listen to it sometime. She listen to it through UA-cam with the lyrics. She said I cried for you because I know how much it would’ve hurt to know you had to give your baby away when you didn’t want to do it. Every time she hears that song she sends me a message and says today I am Renee. She loves music just like I do. We both believe that when words fail music speaks. Oh, one more thing, I have a degree in accounting and she has a degree in accounting LOL she may look like him but she’s just like me. Some days I wonder if that’s a good or bad thing LOL thanks for listening to my story.
Thank you for that lovely story. I am puzzled about her brother and sister though. I am glad that you grew from your experience into a loving person--not bitter at all.
That's the best story I've heard in a long time.
WHAT A STORY! I was astounded. Thank you so muchfor sharing such a story of heartbreak, wondering, waiting and always hoping, while ever giving up. When there is much suffering, there is the chance of great joy. You all recd that... you, your daughter and her father. God's Providence allowed all this. Grace comes. God bless each of you!❤
@@marymurray9351 crying like a baby
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story !
How many of us watched someone walk away? How many have hearts upon a wall? And how many have rain fall upon their weary eyes? Rene was that mythological girl that each of us knew.
Well said. Several times in my life I had fleeting glimpses of some beauty near me who captured my heart in mere seconds then was gone. Never knew who she was but carried that feeling for many years afterward.
@@allenanderson3277 Perhaps her beauty was for the heart only because the eye is easily fooled. I find that the sadness of this song quakes long lost memories of sweet sadness. Perhaps the melody will be with you for a lifetime. Look around, she maybe closer than you think.
Perfect
😢😢😢
@billd.4701: You hit the bulls-eye there! I like that...the girl I met in my teens in the 1960s..... now mythologised. But now in 2023 I may still catch a passing glimpse of her in my minds-eye. When its late twilight, fall, and raining...................
Grief is the price we pay for love. 💔
I am 65, I grew up with this...it still breaks my heart...such a powerful tune ...I have been blessed to have this inside me, part of me...Thank You Left Banke chaps!
Shame young people just listen to garbage today. Clueless to the music we had and how great it was.
@@patriciathemaras3274 Dear Patricia some do some do not. Depends on upbringing and values they were able to catch. Believe me it was no different 1966. I was 12 yo then and can still remember the garbage present everywhere. We have forgotten the garbage, the good things are still present in our memories.
@@renemagritte8237 on the same scale as today? I was 8 then
@@richardetling876 On the same scale? Probably not, it is not easy to compare. I'd say the total amount of garbage is much bigger than then. Much, much bigger. But it doesn`t mean the total amount of amazing and valuable pieces is smaller. It appears smaller, alright, but only in relation to the amount of trash. Trash is present everywhere in this digital world in ours where everybody may prize even the last sh*t and make his opinion public.
It was the inspiration for Bostons More Than a Feeling 9 years later.
Some songs are timeless. This is one of them. Incredible.
Never, never get tired of listening to this classic song.
About as classic as classic gets.
Right on Chris!- Timothy (your ''Left Banke soul brother''!)
Man I love this song.
Me either!
'Stay classy, Chris Tennant'...
Still one of the most emotional songs ever written!
And to think he was 16 when he wrote it. Pretty powerful
song never bothered me as a kid , but now 47 years old it tears me up every time I hear it
Baroque rock may be a mythical genre, but this song is a masterpiece.
Jim Steinman (RIP) would disagree.
Another piece of baroque rock (I'd call it 'modern baroque ballad.') which I like and which cross connects well with 'Renee' is 'Juliet' from "The Four Pennies," about 1964.
@richardryan5826: I wouldn't call it 'Baroque Rock' I'd call it a Modern Baroque Ballad.'
This song triggers so many memories for me, high school, a special girl, family moving away, never seeing her again. Nostalgia can be so bittersweet.
Absolutely and also a haunting song for many
I was born the year this came out .but it does make you think about high school girlfriends .oh how i wished i could go back .80's child but love the 60's
@q08
I'm 17 and have been going through the same thing, thats why I'm here
I feel you
Wow, the memories this song holds for me. Lying in bed with a big clumsy transistor radio under my pillow and grooving to this song as well as thoughts of one of my earliest crushes - Renee F. who sat next to me in 8th grade Science, and usually ignored my presence. The song always brings back memories of walking home from school in the bitter grey winter days of Upstate New York, the scene was as melancholy as the song.
Awesome memory
I lived in Syracuse then great memories of Jimmy who I smiled at Twitter ceo in 8th grade then knew I liked him a lot so many memories of him damn sure miss him A& great times I’m a young at heart at 71 thanks for sharing those were the days!!👍❤️☮️🇺🇸😹😱🙀
The boy who attracted me so much usually ignored my presence too..😞
So, you were in school in upstate NY with Renee Fladen, the girl who this song is about?
They played the instrumental version at work today and I almost broke down crying. Such a simple song but so powerful. Thank you Left Banke for music that never dies❤️
ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME
I agree big time
YESSS!
U so damn right!!! Never tire of it. Takes me back to a better place than now in 2020!!!!👍❤️☮️😻🇺🇸🐾
My beautiful mother named me after this song . She always song this song to me as I grew up. I think this song holds a lot of special memories for so many amazing people/souls.Now this song makes me think of her. Rip mom❤️️
my mother named me also after this song...
Renee Beaty so is my daughter.
Renee Beaty my mother did, too, and passed when I was a baby, this song makes me cry.
She always told you to "Just walk away"?
Renee Beaty beautiful memories. My friend named her daughter Renee too.
This song still touches my heart and almost brings me to tears. Ah... The power of music!
I had a close friend by the name of Renee
She rescued many cats and stray dogs. A BMW killed her on the road one Sunday early morning at around 8 am as she was walking her two dogs in centereach, long island. This was about 20 years ago. I associate this song with her. May she rest in peace!
Oh, I'm so sad to hear that. :( Such horrid people around us in this place.
I Had a girlfriend named Renee whom I dated in HS in 77-78, and I was also working at my first job as a radio DJ back then. I would play this song for her, sometimes she knew it sometimes not. We remained good friends after HS and she left to work in Atlanta. But she had health issues, and they got worse and worse as time went on. She finally passed away from kidney failure in 2014, far too young yet. Though she had good family she had never been married nor any children. I think of her often and especially when I hear this song. It's in regular rotation in my collection.
God Bless you, Renee.
Your comment made me Cry !!!
God Bless You !!!!
@@ntvypr4820 sorry for the sad comment, but what happened is true. Her name was Rene Buch.. everyone was sad especially her elderly father at the time. Rene was his only daughter whom he cherished. By now he's probably gone as well.
May you friend rest in peace.
The pain we've all had resonates in this song
This song is just as good as anything Lennon and McCartney wrote at that time and even after.
Am a huge Beatles fan and I agree with you sir 1000 percent
@@paulcolli9841 I am a huge Beatles fan as well. Glad to meet you.
Agreed
What a bunch of losers.
I agree with your statement. I’m not a fan of 1960’s music but this song is at the top of my list for that era. Great tune. Love the violin. This song is equal to anything from 1966.👍
This is one of those rare songs that just cuts to the core.
Modern Milner mbmm
Q
A
Steve Martin Caro has a Voice I could listen to forever. I remember when this song came out.
Sean Wilkinson please I enlighten me.
“I don’t want you to cry!”
I’m needing to know what your take is from this song.
I would appreciate your view.
Thanks in advance!
In the meantime take good care of yourself and stay well.
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
L.
I’m also 65 and we were so lucky to have had the best music ever created during our young lives, no one will ever be able to create and sing songs with such strong emotions like they did in our day. We are truly blessed
One of those songs that reaches deep into your soul and brings a torrent of feelings to the surface. Such a beautifully composed and performed song that brings me back to the innocence of my youth.
DITO
Behold the power of the unrequited teenage crush, of the first love.
Something as simple as a beautiful melody floods the heart with so many fond memories.
Bittersweet.
I remember my dad working on his Impala with this song playing on the radio. How I miss him.
I was clueless as to the words of this song until now. It takes talent to accurately understand lyrics like this, especially when they are blanketed in deep orchestration. Bravo!!
My mom grew up to this song. I'm 40 years old and always loved it when I heard it, but she told me she cries everytime she hears it. One of her best friend's had a sister named Renee who died tragically in a house fire when she was 12 along with her grandmother. RIP Renee
rip GOD REST HER BEAUTIFUL SOUL IN JESUS CHRIST NAME
What defines a song is the poetry of it, second place is the sound. This song does both, but especially the poetry. I like that it goes minimal in the language it uses, instead of random flowery metaphors, he sings about the things that are really in front of him. The empty sidewalks and their names in a heart on the wall. Yet it’s also sad that the author had to make this up, he was never with Renee. They were friends but he could never tell her how he felt; so he made the song. Love is complicated, but it makes good music
I was 9 years old. By far, the music that affects me most profoundly today was the stuff from when I was between 8 - 14 years old. The wonder years indeed.
Baroque Rock. Inspired by a foxy teenage girl in 1966 - 15 year old Michael Brown penned Renee and Pretty Ballerina. She moved away and Brown's inspiration was gone. But- with the help of his professional musician father, we are left with two classics the media dubbed Baroque Rock. RIP Michael.
Yes
"There's something about 'Walk Away Renee' that's one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard, just in terms of provoking an emotional reaction." -- Marshall Crenshaw
Love Marshall Crenshaw.....great guy too
RIP the lead singer steve Martin Caro. He was 71
Aw, man. His voice, so heartfelt....
This just made me cry......😥😥😥
Damn didn’t know he passed I’m a71👍😹😱🙀
Very sad.
It was a year ago this month I believe that he passed. It's hard to believe cause I always think of him as this age.❤❤
song was written for Renee Fladen of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. A friend of mine knew her family. Beautiful song.
I grew up in bay ridge. Born in 57. FHHS. Probably a few years older than me. What beautiful lyrics. Hard to believe he was only 16 years old. Thanks for the back story about Renee. I wonder if we ever hung out on shore rd. or bliss park maybe......
Les Evenchick thanks for Sharing!
With you knowing (the) true meaning behind the music. Please do tell. I’m very interested.
In the meantime take good care and stay safe.
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
L.
Thanks for info groovy!❤️☮️👍
mike revello wow brilliant for that age still love his voice & great song legend icon epic I’m 71 still love how it takes back to a better place than now in 2020 thanks for info stoked at his young brilliant age 16 damn that!s unreal he is killer writer & singer hot looking as well rip to him!!!!!❤️☮️🇺🇸😹👍
Lea Buck yes plz me too plz thanks 👍❤️☮️🇺🇸😻
Those of us who were teenager grew up in the 60s had a very special time, with Great music, cars, & sweet kind girls.
Love Left Banke. This song is my namesake. Absolutely Love it. Another underrated group. They were Phenominal!
Renée Fladen-Kamm was dating The Left Banke’s bass player, Tom Finn, and used to hang out in the studio during the band's practice sessions. Keyboard player Michael Brown was only 16 at the time and his hands used to shake whenever he would look at the tall, blonde Renee.
"I was just sort of mythologically in love, if you know what I mean, without having evidence in fact or in deed … But I was as close as anybody could be to the real thing," Brown later recalled, and added that because Fladen-Kamm was looking on during the recording of the song, he couldn't play his part!
"My hands were shaking when I tried to play, because she was right there in the control room," he says. "There was no way I could do it with her around, so I came back and did it later."
It's a good thing too, since in the years that passed, the song has come to be considered one of the greatest songs ever recorded by Rolling Stone Magazine
Sadly, Tom Finn passed away June 27? 2020. RIP.
It stings whenever love is not reciprocated, or relationships end. You’re just left with emotions, and nowhere to put them.
A hit in 1966 for " Baroque Rock " style, written & performed by members of the band The Left Banke and perfectly sung by lead vocalist Steve Martin who's melancholy voice played on the heartstrings of the listeners....💔
Great song from the best of times. Thank God that I'm a baby boomer. .
So glad I found this. Made me cry.
What a great song. The chorus is extremely melodic & memorable. The string arrangement is almost "crying" in the song. Fabulous!
Twists me now as it did in 1966...still in high school ... it moves me to tears...not sure why...also saddens me knowing the original 5 members are all dead...like hundreds of the people I have had the pleasure of knowing...both parents...wife...35 aunts and uncles...just for starters...my best friends are also gone..."The Goodbyes Make The Journey Harder Still"...
This song was released 5 years before I was born and was still in strong rotation well into the 70s. My Dad used to fall asleep with a radio on. I have a very vivid memory of getting up in the middle of the night and walking down the hallway and hearing this song playing softly. It was the first time I recall seeing the face of God.
Beautifully said.
beautiful...reminds me of the 60's so much
Richard Wyland I never went to Vietnam, but it it so touching.
My dad went to nam.
Happy 68th birthday Renee Ellen..4/17/53. Hoping life is going well for you n hoping for many more to come. Hope Andrew is doing great as well.....
For those who don't know this song was the guitarrist Tom Scholz from Boston's inspiration for his hit "More than a feeling".
I just read that this morning..which brought me here to another favorite.
Cool, thanks.
The more I just feel this song emotionally and the less I analyze it, the more beautiful it is to me.
An absolute masterpiece I will always be thrilled to hear this song until I die😊
In 1966 I was 13. I loved this song. There happened to be a girl whose name was Renee and I had such a terrible crush on her, something that still remains today. Every time I hear this song the feeling I had back then returns as I see her face as she was back then and I feel as melancholy as Michael Brown must have felt when he wrote this song at 16. I have her picture that I keep in a secure place... Young love,...it never gets old.
Thanks for sharing that
This was my sister's favorite song. How I miss her
An all time favorite of mine which takes me through a lifetime of memories.
One of the first songs to introduce classical music of the rock era great song
Your name and mine inside a heart upon a wall, still finds a way to haunt me though they're so small.
Beautiful piece of music. Takes me back.
Remember lads, when writing your autobiography, bring some beer, Crown Royal, and lots of the music you love.
Such a beautifully magnanimous song, that we all remember from those days of our lives.
Such a beautiful song. Hard for me to sing without crying.
I can't.....sing it without crying, that is. The song itself plus the loss of Steve Martin Caro is just too much to deal with. 😪😪😪
I was in Jr. High when this came out and I knew a girl in school named Renee and it reminds me of her.
I was thirteen when this came out, loved it then , even more so now ! now in my sixties and still tear up a little when I hear it ! young love hurts
w p so does mature love
@@jackiemack8927 But as they say , ' the first cut is the deepest !"
One of those rare and GREAT songs that evokes deep feelings of both love and sadness simultaneously......and quite often you can't even say why. A rare MASTERPIECE of the right words and the right music at the right time......
Beautiful song, I always loved it but never knew all the words to it till now!!!! Cool song
Bunny Towne Four Tops also.I like this one best.
Bunny Towne same here! It speaks for me, even though I didn't have a GF back then,in the 70s.
Bunny Towne
Same here. I just made up my own lyrics. Lol.
I have a notion to second that emotion ! Though I've loved this song for years & have heard it countless times on local oldies stations, I didn't know the exact lyrics till today ! Thanks for your comment, Bunny !! CHEERS !! :-)
Me too I lived it when I was a kid but hated that I couldn’t understand the lyrics because they were mumbling or singing with cotton in their mouths!
One of my favorite non-Beatles songs.
One if the best favorite songs that still brings me back to those awesome great times lovin it still at 71 great upload thanks!!!!!❤️☮️👍
Best song of all time......
66 here and like Alan I feel the same. The chords on the electronic instrument that sounds like maybe a mellotron are drop dead gorgeous.
One of the nicest songs of the 60's.
I just saw this on one of those Time Life 60's infomercials selling music from that era. I hadn't heard this song in a long time so I came here.
Scott, you have absolutely No idea how much I did the same thing! I'd write a list of the ones I wanted hear, then run to my computer and download them~those were the days!
This is a killer sog makin me want to CRYbringing up old memories of my beloved I miss so very much! The empty sidewalks on my block..ur not to blame.. but am I? Makin me feel like I am to blame. Songs loke this tear me up so much but yet there comforting too.. can't win I guess, darn it all!!
One of the beauties of this classic pop song is the economy of words. It is simple, but sad and evocative. The melody and accompanying music is sophisticated, yet the message and words are spare and basic.
young innocence at its best
This song was before my time, but I grew up listening to a radio station that played stuff from the 50's, 60's, and 70's ("oldies" to me), and this shortly became a favorite of mine. For some reason, I consider it a "comfort" song, because it's one song I can listen to when I'm feeling down, and then I feel better.
This song always was and always will be a favorite of mine. ❤️
My goodness, I'm tearing up! I adore this song!
One of my favorite songs of all time.
I love this song and Pretty Ballerina. They never get old or boring.
Love the harmony in this one!
One of the greatest songs ever
I love this song.
hard to believe it was their only big hit. very talented group.
What about Pretty Ballerina?
I always played this song for a girl I dated in HS while I was also a radio DJ back in 77-78. I think of her often though she passed away young from increasingly poor health. She was such a sweet kid. I think of you often, Renee. God Bless You.
My favorite song from the1960's
Got my middle name from this song. My grandma wanted my moms middle name to be Renee and she wanted it passed down to me. I’ll be passing it on to my daughter.
The good news is that it's a pretty name so you're not carrying a burden; you have a blessing.
I think I must have heard this song a thousand times, but without the lyrics. What a beautiful, sad song.
I’ll love this song forever.
I woke up this morning with this melody hauntingly floating slowly out from my dreams.
Yes, one of the greatest sadest love songs of all time. Epic lyrics.
This Song is
Very Spiritual for
me !!!
I met Renee when I was
10 Yrs old.
I still believe my
Soulmate Will be
The best part of
Me !!! ❤
The 60's produced awesome music! This song is just but one more gem.
This song always makes me think of a person with that name. It was something that just couldn’t ever be.
I loved This beauty from the 1st time I heard it. I love it I find it so beautiful! And what can one say, it's just BEAUTIFUL! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!
I never cared that much for this song when it was popular. But listening to it now, I realize was a great love ballad it was.
For some strange reason this song was in my head all day at work today and of course my phone was acting up and not playing music for me, could not wait to get home to hear it. I've been really getting in to so many songs from the 60s (and 70s) recently. I was just a kid (b. 1963) but for some reason these songs keep bouncing around in my head. Two decades of insanely great music!!!!
A very powerful and soulful song about our connections in life. This great song, written by a 16 yr old, reminds me that we have life lessons at any age…
❤❤❤❤❤
#LeftBanke
The power of emotions this song has on me is unnameable... It's almost as if it sends me back to that time frame even though I am an 80s baby. That melody of the first line in the chorus just does so much to me... I wish for those days when this I never personally saw them
Such a Beautiful Song.
many of us who went to Nam remember this
This song is the most underrated song of the 60s it's a gem better than today's music.
Man this song really brings back the memories !
My best friend Jim in High School married Rene after graduation...ended up in Nam and never seen them again...I was so in love with her...
Such a somber, dreary but pretty song. Back in the 70's I had a crush on a blond girl named Renee and her girlfriends' knew about it, they told her, but I didn't know that. At a party I let a floozy jump on me , in Renee's presence, and the party was stopped by the unexpected appearance of the hosts' mother . Her friends' said she was hurt---I had no idea. I let it go because we were young and I thought we had too much time ahead to stick together and too little experience. I can still see that beautiful face in my memory, ironically letting her walk away, back home without telling her I was enamored. Not a false word I speak now, a tear in my eyes and the curiosity of what might have been. It's such a coincidental experience/song and I wonder, all the time. I know it probably sounds like bull but I swear it's truthful. I regret some things of my naive youth.I hope she's well.
A wonderful example of Baroque rock.
Epic, it still speaks volumes.
Very deeply felt
raw emotion so eloquently portrayed. delicious.