“She’s Not There” (1964) – The Zombies * Produced by Ken Jones (Marquis Enterprises) * Written by Rod Argent * 45: “She’s Not There” / “You Make Me Feel Good” * Label: Decca (UK) / Parrot (US). Charts: Billboard (#2); UK (#12).
Released amid the grins and frolics of 1964’s British pop music imports, “She’s Not There” stood out for its foggy shroud and minor key. Hugh Grundy’s drums kick and click like a secret code. Rod Argent’s organ (a Hohner Pianet) slinks about under Colin Blunstone’s voice-on-the-wind words about a series of situations—causing more than one person to cry—that no listener can really figure out. (For some fun, go read entries on songmeanings.com, some of which refer to incidents that happen long after the song was released.) “Why should I care?” sings Blunstone, who’s all counterculture sunglasses in a dark and smoky room, his insouciance masking the sting.
Tenses and points of view shift out of sync, while contextual clues, like the woman in the song, never appear. This sense of mystery is crucial to the song’s allure and gives it ongoing callback utility for anyone feeling bewildered by the non-presence of a certain female. Rod Argent reportedly drew his inspiration from John Lee Hooker’s organ-juiced “No One Told Me.” The US Parrot version mislabels the B-side as “You Make Me Feel So Good.”
Notable cover versions: Ola and the Janglers, UK Subs, Santana, Neko Case and Nick Cave.