March 2024. I graduated from high school in 1971. I was on the road hitchhiking North America. Back packing the mountains of the west. Lots of people on the road. Lots of guitars and music at crowded on ramps. Great time to be young and free. Peace and love was in the air for a while. It was a magical and musical time. Namaste'
Moi aussi les années 60 me manquent énormément surtout avant que ce beau monde musical soit perturbé par les événements violents provenants de la Californie de 1969. On semble contaminé par l'Amérique. Merci à tout ceux qui nous font planer avec des airs subtils..
I didn't even know I was a fan of "baroque pop" until I found out that THIS is an example... turns out I've been a major fan of baroque pop all my life!
I wrote this for somebody who complained about people who find the 60s so wonderful in terms of Music Etc. So don't take it personally. Just read it and I think you already understand it for what it is. [You should take a screenshot of the original comment and also of the comment you wrote. Now, some night when you're 75 years old and you find yourself reminiscing to some song on TH-cam, go find that comment and I'll bet you will understand THEN at 75 that he wasn't just talking about listening to a song and that's all he missed. No, my child there is a complete Gestalt Sensation that music can trigger; it incorporates everything that was going on at the time. It's not just the music, it's what was going on in the culture, who your girlfriend or boyfriend was, the politics of the time, the fashion of the time, the type of car you were driving, and on and on. Those are the individual slices of deeply embedded memory that music strums the chord of within your brain and makes all those strings resonate together. That's why there is nothing that can trigger memories of the past like a song. It ain't just the song, it's everything happening at that time. Including the idea that you were so very young and everything was in front of you :: not 75, when everything is behind you.]
You hit the sweet spot, I always say I was born 15 years too late. You got to spend the prime of your life in the greatest two decades of all humanity. 60s-70s.
They are all gone now, which is sad. It seems like yesterday when these hits came out. The lead singer didn't like this song and thought it wouldn't be a success. So he didn't put much effort into singing it. But it worked out great because his voice sounded just right for the song. It had a sad, longing quality that matched the lyrics. They also have another song called "Pretty Ballerina" that is haunting and beautiful.
I grew up in the 1960s. I'm lucky to have done so. Songs like this were a part of those innocent and great times. I will take my age and my memories over anything today.
@@dufunia8313 well I am a bitter old asshole but that's not why I hate today's music... It's because it's pure shit. I still love good music lmfao peace brother
@@mythrapi73 you hate because you wanna fuck young hot girls just like me and can't keep up or even get it up. The music of today is hard and fast, it is no longer that sissy shit we listened to. We can actually blame our music for our limp dicks, but fuck it, today's music is shit an yes I jerk off soft.
I have always thought this was one of the most beautiful songs every written. Other bands wrote great songs but this one just always make me drift away.
I Do, each song brings me back to a certain place,time, heartbreaks,loves. We were soo Lucky to live in the 60,70, music was the best... You could feel the words, emotion. I would give anything to go back and be young dumb and stupid again!! Those were the days... And then go running into my mommy's arms... And smell her perfume that she always wore Taboo By Prince matchabelli. 🙏R.I.P.🙏
I had 100% forgotten about this song. Then a couple weeks ago (May 2024) I clicked a video about forgotten hits of the 60's. What the hcck why not listen to it. Glad I did and the memory was found hidden under piles of decades of music. Now I appreciate the song so much more, vocals, arrangement, excellent writing skills and the lyrics. The lyrics can be heard to mean different moods, not too sad but pine for time now lost. Listen to it every day now. Top of my 60's playlist.
@@LuvBorderCollies I can relate. There was so many great songs and bands back then that I found myself in the same predictament. Coupled with my memory loss lmao. I loved this song then but hadn't heard it in a millenia like so many songs that lay forgotten beneath my forgetful brain cells. This song came up on my feed after watching Grass Roots song...a million years..after watching Pachinko...love and peace to all
I can't believe its been 54 years since this song came out in 1966. I was only 12 years old then. Now that I'm 66. This songs still sounds as fresh to me now, as it did when I was a 12 year old boy. Priceless!
Thank goodness I had parents who had an exspansive genre of music, From the 40's through the 70''s. You name it they had an album of them, r and b, jazz, rock, country, ......The radio was always on or a vinyl spinning on the record player we would dance and singing the day/night away. When this song played on the radio I truely believed it was about me. Yes my name is Renee and I was 6 when this song first aired on the radio. I told my dad and he thought I was pretending or didn't hear the words correctly. He heard it on the radio a few days later and came home with my very first 45 vinyl "Don't walk away Renee" I played it so much he had to get 2 more copies and had one preserved in a glass frame like a gold record. It has hung on a wall in every home I've lived in and the other 2 are in my 45 record holder. What a wonderful reminder of days gone past of a simplier time and the greatest era's of wonderful music. I picked where they left off with music from the 70's to now, continuing my love for music. I believe it's still out there it's just harder to find what touches the soul. ❤😊✌
Renee wasn't Steve's girlfriend. Michael Brown, their genius keyboard player, wrote this gorgeous music for the girlfriend of Tom Finn, their bass guitar player.
@@denysellyn : "Walk Away Renee" always, from the first time I heard it, had a "something" to it; and thanks to you I now realize that it is the "haunting" feeling that it inspired in me. And then I see the lyrics for the first time in a reply, and I realize that the "Haunting" is encrypted into the words. No wonder. I'm 68 here in 2018 still enjoying this song. Thanks for posting.
I was 15 years old when I first heard this song. I am 71 now and when I heard it today, I loved it more than I ever did. Along with NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN my 2 most loved songs That and a 100 more songs from the 60's----the best decade ever. The 70s were close behind. What a time to be a young man.
Still remember that moment when Johnny Carson asked his guest Linda Ronstadt if there was any popular song by anyone else that was special to her - and without much hesitation she mentioned specifically this song (Walk Away Renee) and this group. That meant something.
This song came out the summer before 7th grade. Totally blew my mind. Melodic perfection expressing the romantic longings of an 11 year old. I have played this song well over a thousand times, and I never tire of it.
I heard the song while stationed in the Coast Guard in Monterey Ca, I was 17. 1966, I ran down to the record store and listened to it 10 times in a listening room. Best 79 cents I ever spent.
I was 7 yrs old in grammer school living in Marina! You probably heard it on the AM radio station KNBY on Cannerey Row!!!! When Ft. Ord was BOOMING...now its just low cost housing and shopping!
@@johngrauman4208 Or more realistically, not yet brainwashed by leftist "progressive" socialism. They could express themselves more honestly, and not be forced to conform to phony woke narratives.
takfam07 republicans have been stifling arts programs and civics. The mortar and bricks of creative thinking being banned by radicalized conservative zealots
@@johngrauman4208 In fact, the exact opposite is true. In the last thirty years we've seen the progressive socialist takeover of society. Moreover, there is a direct correlation between this fascist neo-Marxist takeover and the erosion of the quality of music. Again, that's due to Leftist cancel culture censorship stifling individual expression and creativity--via fear. Same thing has happened to comedy, movies, and other previously flourishing creative arenas.
takfam07 that is about the dumbest load of crap 😆. Conservatives have been eliminating arts programs in schools for decades. Few musicians support republicans because of it. Fascists and marxists are different theologies 🖕🖕🖕the attack on public education is a republican sponsored agenda
Man, this group hit it out of the park with that song! As a child of 6-7 I was heartbroken long before I even knew the meaning from listening to this one.
I know what you mean... I first heard this song when I was 16 and was hooked on 'romance' not just sex with a girl ... It is so heartwarming and genuine and full of 'heat brake'.. I listened to this song at many 'make-out' Parties in the sixties when back then kissing and hugging was heaven on earth..Today it seems nothing is far enough or satisfying.
It's difficult knowing the people who brought such great music are passing on. Seeing all my friends and family grow old and pass is the the toughest part of growing old One thing I am glad of is all the fantastic music Ive experienced since the 1950s
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said---"Your not getting too old, the music just sucks!" The 60's and 70's were great creatively in so many ways. The cars, the music, the art, architecture, the clothes. I could go on, but, I've said my piece.
certainly one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs ever written and recorded. How many of us had "walk away Renee" experiences in our lives? How deeply this song touched that chord in my soul. Thanks for posting this.
following susan lang back home, before that vivian kinney,...put me down for the walk away renee experience....I knew renee in prep school, but she followed me back home.
Another awesomely beautiful song is (Lamour est Blu) love is blue by Paul Meraiut(cant spell last name sorry) & sung by Claudette Longett. Yes its in french but that makes it even more beautiful. Have a listen i think all will agree. Peace!
Sixties music was so real. No technology. Just heart felt, authentic songs. I feel lucky I was there to experience it. There are just a wealth our great songs.
Tony nice to read your comment. Can you please tell more about the collaboration? I know you were involved, but Michael tends to get most of the credit. He had a crush on Renee and she was the GF of which band member?
Perfect arrangement,the instruments, that beautiful haunting voice . A masterpiece . Rip, to those gifted to share the most powerful, and beautiful music the world has known.
When this song came out, it was an instant anthem for my romantic adolescent heart, and it still works its magic today. Back then, old farts invariably complained (Leonard Bernstein was a notable exception) that long-haired rock musicians like these didn't know a thing about music and couldn't hold a candle to the classic crooners and songwriters of their youth. Clearly, nothing has changed!
This song came out when I was 9 years old and I still love it today! I am now 63 and when I listen to this song it is still hauntingly beautiful but there's a feeling of loneliness that accompanies it...❤
An interesting piece of trivia regarding the lead singer. His name is Steve Martin but he eventually added his family surname, "Caro" to avoid any confusion with the comedian/actor of the same name. If you use your imagination he looks a little like Paul McCartney.
Cedarcity1 I knew the song but had never seen the band members until watching the videos on TH-cam. Never realized the lead singer was such a hottie! Love his voice, too. After the band broke up did Steve ever do anymore singing do you know? I don't recall hearing anything. And yes, he does look like a very young Paul McCartney! Thanks for the info.
L Broderick I haven't heard one mention of Steve Martin since the band broke up amid turmoil in 1969. Some of the original members reunited a few years ago but Steve wasn't among them. Walk Away Renee is a great song but what puts it over the top, in my opinion, is the fact that it was written by a 16-year-old member of the group and it proclaims his deep infatuation with the girlfriend of one of his band mates. He simply could not function in her presence! Shortly after the song was released, Renee moved with her family to Boston, and no one associated with the band ever saw her again.
Cedarcity1 That's too bad about Steve because he really had a unique voice. Actually, the sound of the whole band was very unique. What a shame they could not work out their problems and stay together!. Very interesting story about the girl, Renee. Thanks for all the info.!
I feel bad for generations who grew up after us because they never got to experience the joy of the music in the 60's and 70's. We can always relive the music, the times and the memories anytime we want but what do they have? Clown rappers, Justin Bieber, and Lady GagGag? WOO HOO!
The illegal downloading has killed all development and investment in the music like they had- now they are all shooting for one hit wonders. The public created this mess...by not supporting songs with their 99 cents on itunes.
Don't feel sorry for them, they think their music is the best, the same as we did & our parents before us with the big band sound. We loved our music because it was what we grew up with, and I do like a lot of the music of today
Such a perfect voice for this deep and beautiful song. This tune has got to be one of the most emotionally stirring I have ever heard. What a genius the young man who wrote this must have been!
@@TheBlueCream That is what Wikipedia says, but proof that they can also have misinformation on rare occasions, like this one. Michael Brown never once claimed to have written the song. He never even said a word about it after it came out for the 50 years he was still alive. He was “assumed” to be the principle writer because a female journalist heard that the bassist’s girlfriend Renee was in the studio when Michael Brown was recording the harpsichord part of the song and said his hands were shaking when Renee was nearby. The journalist thought Oh, this girl named Renee must be the muse for “his” song, and he’s in love!. Misunderstandings can become the accepted truth in a band, that became splintered from drug usage and a fast breakup. Michael Brown’s older friend Tony Sansone, is the only one with the background on how he was the principle writer and the song references he used were from his Bronx neighborhood ("And when I see the sign that points One Way. The block we used to pass by every day"). And how he wanted a French sounding name like Renee since he was inspired by the French lyrics in the Beatles song Michelle. Sansone's interview is in the Catholic Register. He's the oldest and only surviving connection to the Left Banke.
A very heart felt song. I know what it's like to have someone walk away for no reason. This is a very beautiful emotional song that should be preserved forever.
I was fortunate to grow up during the 60's AND be a musician. Man, what a time for us all and songs like this were on radio rotation like ever 45 minutes. Talk about competition! The Beatles. The Byrds. The Stones. I just can't name them all but they were all so fine.
First off, Steve Martin is not only adorable, but such a beautiful, haunting voice. I have watched this video several times in the last week. Thanks for posting! It brings back many memories!
wow ... I have not thought about this in so long .... the Left Banke only had two hits and then they faded,but before they broke up they played for my high school prom ....we thought we were so hot hiring a real name band, but it was a waste of money, they could not play anything else and spent most of the night scribbling on the chalk board in my english classroom .....boy, that takes me back .......
It's hard to imagine that almost 50 years ago, when this was made, people experienced this amazing performance in clear, spotless audio and visual quality.
I was born in 1973 but I'm infatuated with music from the 60s🌻 you guys had it all when it came to the music, style,cars,homes...... what an awesome to have been alive✌
I was 20 years old and sang along in my test car 1 of 5 in CANADA yes later in the year became 442 on the side rear fender so thanks for the song & MEMORY
I perform a lot of 60’s and 70’s music mostly for hi-school class reunions. Singing this song still elicits emotion in me. Well written with lyrics that can haunt one’s soul from remembrance of failed relationships
Always loved this song since it came out in the 60's,..now it hurts to listen to it,..loved his beautiful voice!. Sleep with the Angels Steve Martin-Caro,...you will be forever loved & missed!
I was lucky to see the Left Banke several times. I love them. They did what I felt was rock with a classical/baroque twist. I wanted them to be there for the rest of my life. I have their three albums but, damn it, the law suits ruined it all. I will still insist this was one one the greatest groups of all time. They regrouped a few years ago.Please do it again. You're awesome.
Omgoodness I was 11 yrs old when I heard this song..and I would actually Sing Along and did through out the years..I know all the songs from the 60s and 70s...decades have come and gone and I still love this song..absolutely great memories...those WERE the days weren't they???
I was born in 1970. When I was about 4 years old, my mother played this on our new turntable console. I sang along to it and knew every word. It was a family day, her birthday, and when I noticed everyone watching me, I ran into my room in the back of the house and hid. I thought I was in trouble. Before she left when I was nine, she told me her childhood friend had been a huge fan of the song. It was, in fact, his 45 she had played for the gathered relatives. They all were quiet because, I later found out, I sounded just like him, in harmony, and I had never sung before (I had been silent and essentially deaf for a year from a horrible infection between 2 and 3yo). She showed me his picture and I did not then, but do now, look a lot like him. This song always resonates, and I feel a lump in my throat rise when hear it, each time. Its musical DNA is woven into a dozen genres that have risen since, and it and the other Baroque pop groups of the era all played a role in everything from New Wave to modern day hip hop and its string interludes. Thanks, Left Banke.
This is a good example of why I am so thankful that while human civilization was real bad for quite some time at preserving high quality video, that we have been consistently solid at preserving high quality through the ages!
March 2024. I graduated from high school in 1971. I was on the road hitchhiking North America. Back packing the mountains of the west. Lots of people on the road. Lots of guitars and music at crowded on ramps. Great time to be young and free. Peace and love was in the air for a while. It was a magical and musical time.
Namaste'
Same here...but I didn't hitchhike. The best of times for young people.
I AM CLASS OF 71 AS WELL . . . BOLSA GRANDE . . . GARDEN GROVE . . .GUITAR PLAYER . MUSIC LOVER! love this song! Had a girlfriend Renee way back when
This song played during my first gay experience at a Texaco bathroom stall.
So was ted bundy
Glad you got to experience that. I wasn't born but just a few years later, but it's good to know that there were decent people around.
I am 75 but feel like 17 when I first heard this song, feel very lucky.
Yea
Time flies doesn't it.
I was dead when this came out.
'zoeyzed5127: The same for me. I'm 75 and heard this song first on my radio in my ships cabin, as we arrived in Houston, from London UK..
I was 16 yrs old and 4th year high school when I first heard this song!
Written by a 17 year old, sung by an 18 year old. Still being played 54 years later. I so miss 60s music.
An epic, moving expansive sounding ballad - in less than two minutes
Yep, study hall is just not the same today.
Moi aussi les années 60 me manquent énormément surtout avant que ce beau monde musical soit perturbé par les événements violents provenants de la Californie de 1969. On semble contaminé par l'Amérique. Merci à tout ceux qui nous font planer avec des airs subtils..
Mind blowing ! 17 damn that’s genuine genius!....
@@derekgee ty for info bro lol 🇺🇸👍❤️
Anyone else miss this time period and the music, art, and culture?
Definitely yessss
I was just a kid, but yes, I miss those times.
Everyday
Yes, me!
I didn't even know I was a fan of "baroque pop" until I found out that THIS is an example... turns out I've been a major fan of baroque pop all my life!
Man I love this song, I was 21 the first time I heard it am 78 now.🌹
I wrote this for somebody who complained about people who find the 60s so wonderful in terms of Music Etc. So don't take it personally. Just read it and I think you already understand it for what it is.
[You should take a screenshot of the original comment and also of the comment you wrote. Now, some night when you're 75 years old and you find yourself reminiscing to some song on TH-cam, go find that comment and I'll bet you will understand THEN at 75 that he wasn't just talking about listening to a song and that's all he missed. No, my child there is a complete Gestalt Sensation that music can trigger; it incorporates everything that was going on at the time. It's not just the music, it's what was going on in the culture, who your girlfriend or boyfriend was, the politics of the time, the fashion of the time, the type of car you were driving, and on and on. Those are the individual slices of deeply embedded memory that music strums the chord of within your brain and makes all those strings resonate together. That's why there is nothing that can trigger memories of the past like a song. It ain't just the song, it's everything happening at that time. Including the idea that you were so very young and everything was in front of you :: not 75, when everything is behind you.]
So young, oh youth. Enjoy that life. Best years of my great life. I'm 75. Thank you God.
I don't think any of these youths made it to 75. I'm sure they'd think old age was not so bad.
The ‘60’s and early ‘70’s were some of my best years too. I’m 70 now. Sure miss those days
You hit the sweet spot, I always say I was born 15 years too late. You got to spend the prime of your life in the greatest two decades of all humanity. 60s-70s.
So wisely said 1:42
Iam 70. God bless us!
Growing up in the 60s and 70s we were privileged to hear and see some great music. We were so very lucky
Yes in deed! I'm grateful all the time ;) I was 10yrs old...
Yes we were so lucky to have been teenagers and young adults during the 60 and 70s.
Yes we were too bad it went by much to fast.
BLESSED...not lucky. We believed and sang about God.
I agree 100% the music in the 60's and 70's were wonderful
The most amazing song. It has everything- ballad, angst, heart, harmony, style, melody, catchy lyrics. This sweet song has everything.
They are all gone now, which is sad. It seems like yesterday when these hits came out. The lead singer didn't like this song and thought it wouldn't be a success. So he didn't put much effort into singing it. But it worked out great because his voice sounded just right for the song. It had a sad, longing quality that matched the lyrics. They also have another song called "Pretty Ballerina" that is haunting and beautiful.
Angst? This must be the least angst-ridden song ever written! Along with "More than a feeling" :D No need for Valium here...
Both the Beatles and The Rolling Stones were influenced by this group. They should have been far more famous. So talented and such beautiful songs.
For sure!.....
@@velvetbees yes I know that other song too. Gone but never forgotten!....
I grew up in the 1960s. I'm lucky to have done so. Songs like this were a part of those innocent and great times. I will take my age and my memories over anything today.
Me too
Such a beautiful, haunting song with such depth. So glad we can still enjoy all these years later. Nothing like it in this day and age. Pure magic.
the music of today is pure shit and I am not a bitter old asshole.
@@dufunia8313 well I am a bitter old asshole but that's not why I hate today's music... It's because it's pure shit. I still love good music lmfao peace brother
@@mythrapi73 you hate because you wanna fuck young hot girls just like me and can't keep up or even get it up. The music of today is hard and fast, it is no longer that sissy shit we listened to. We can actually blame our music for our limp dicks, but fuck it, today's music is shit an yes I jerk off soft.
One of the most beautiful songs ever recorded in my opinion.
This and Cara Mia
@@paulryan4947 Excellent song!
I wonder how many girls, were named Renee, after this song.
@@paulryan4947 Love Cara Mia! However I saw “Jay” in person, he was So drunk. I can’t listen to his music anymore.
@@maureenmcgovern6119 Wow, that's so sad to hear. What a voice he had.
I have always thought this was one of the most beautiful songs every written. Other bands wrote great songs but this one just always make me drift away.
For sure....
May be the greatest song ever. Maybe
Songs like this ..prove just how much rap sucks. Autotuner sample crap.
I named my first daughter after this song ♥️♥️♥️ I love it still 👍
@@Knailgirl5456 de p no me sorprende la
Damn! Does anyone else yearn for the days of their youth again when hearing these classics?
I Do, each song brings me back to a certain place,time, heartbreaks,loves. We were soo
Lucky to live in the 60,70, music was the best... You could feel the words,
emotion. I would give anything to go back and be young dumb and stupid again!!
Those were the days... And then go running into my mommy's arms... And smell her perfume that she always wore Taboo
By Prince matchabelli.
🙏R.I.P.🙏
Yes I do everyday. I miss those days so much
Me too. I'm now 70 and can't believe it! Wish I could go back.
I'd like to be that age again and know what I know now....
@@andreamaldonado681 was called TABU.. 😁
1966 training to go Vietnam the first time. last night in the States and this was on the radio.
Thank for your service
Thank you for your service...👍🏻🇺🇸
That almost makes me want to cry...so poignant.
perfect intro for Khe San, lovely song, fucked up war
Here you man.
So here we are 60 years later, and still listening to, and making comments about this song. Can there be a better compliment?
I'm 74 now & STILL LOVE this song!!!!
This really is a fantastic song. It's both sweet, and haunting.
Yes it absolutely is.
loved this song, I gave my daughter the middle name of Renee...Susan Renee DuPee She's half French too and a total beauty
... along the lines of "Boys of Summer."' Great song; great lyrics; sad, sweet and haunting all at the same time.
@@vivianpatterson1434 Beautiful name.
Best song ever.
Walk Away Renee is one of my favorite 60s songs
I had 100% forgotten about this song. Then a couple weeks ago (May 2024) I clicked a video about forgotten hits of the 60's. What the hcck why not listen to it. Glad I did and the memory was found hidden under piles of decades of music. Now I appreciate the song so much more, vocals, arrangement, excellent writing skills and the lyrics. The lyrics can be heard to mean different moods, not too sad but pine for time now lost. Listen to it every day now. Top of my 60's playlist.
@@LuvBorderCollies I can relate. There was so many great songs and bands back then that I found myself in the same predictament. Coupled with my memory loss lmao. I loved this song then but hadn't heard it in a millenia like so many songs that lay forgotten beneath my forgetful brain cells. This song came up on my feed after watching Grass Roots song...a million years..after watching Pachinko...love and peace to all
I've heard this song my entire life since I was just a baby because of my 60s hippie parents and it STILL gives me chills. Such a haunting song.
Same here.
1 was 3 and loved it.❤
I forgot about this one. Found it again on TH-cam. Thanks for TH-cam and rediscovering so many memories.
I can't believe its been 54 years since this song came out in 1966. I was only 12 years old then. Now that I'm 66. This songs still sounds as fresh to me now, as it did when I was a 12 year old boy. Priceless!
Mr54nomore awesome
me too it zoomed me back to the first time I heard it. I wanted to be Rene' I would not have walked away
Wish I grew up when all this terrific music was made. I was born in 68' but the 1960's is my favorite decade for music. Rock, Pop, R&B, Blues.
I too was born in 68 and this is the only type of music I listen too. the oldies. lol
You and me both brother. I was 13 then. Put a lot of miles on my Magnavox transistor radio.
Thank goodness I had parents who had an exspansive genre of music, From the 40's through the 70''s. You name it they had an album of them, r and b, jazz, rock, country, ......The radio was always on or a vinyl spinning on the record player we would dance and singing the day/night away. When this song played on the radio I truely believed it was about me. Yes my name is Renee and I was 6 when this song first aired on the radio. I told my dad and he thought I was pretending or didn't hear the words correctly. He heard it on the radio a few days later and came home with my very first 45 vinyl "Don't walk away Renee" I played it so much he had to get 2 more copies and had one preserved in a glass frame like a gold record. It has hung on a wall in every home I've lived in and the other 2 are in my 45 record holder. What a wonderful reminder of days gone past of a simplier time and the greatest era's of wonderful music. I picked where they left off with music from the 70's to now, continuing my love for music. I believe it's still out there it's just harder to find what touches the soul. ❤😊✌
The greatest tribute to unrequited love (the writer, openly, for the singer's girlfriend)
Renee wasn't Steve's girlfriend. Michael Brown, their genius keyboard player, wrote this gorgeous music for the girlfriend of Tom Finn, their bass guitar player.
Listening to this today with eyes closed I go back 50 years in time. Great memories. Thanks for posting this song.
Me too
The four tops sung it better
@@Angel-tw3ko I love both versions, but I agree the Tops put their own great spin on it.
Graduated in '68. Now 75 and music like this is the closest thing to a time machine.
It still sounds so fresh and clean. It is sweet and beautiful. Never to be forgotten.
There has always been something beautifully haunting about this song. I still love it.
"beautifully haunting" Absolutely agree. It completely transports me back in time.
"Pretty Ballerina" is more haunting to me.
and Pretty Ballerina
@@denysellyn :
"Walk Away Renee" always, from the first time I heard it, had a "something" to it; and thanks to you I now realize that it is the "haunting" feeling that it inspired in me.
And then I see the lyrics for the first time in a reply, and I realize that the "Haunting" is encrypted into the words.
No wonder.
I'm 68 here in 2018 still enjoying this song. Thanks for posting.
malleyc - well we all did ! - her name wasn’t Renee but that didn’t matter someone shared our pain! - he shared mine ( more than once)!
Taught this song to my HS choir; we performed it with the flute solo. HS kids love this song.
Awesome!👍
RIP Steve and Tom! Your music will live on! Had no idea they passed away! Now they can make even more beautiful music! Bless em!
Gone but never forgotten!....
I was 15 years old when I first heard this song. I am 71 now and when I heard it today, I loved it more than I ever did. Along with NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN my 2 most loved songs That and a 100 more songs from the 60's----the best decade ever. The 70s were close behind. What a time to be a young man.
I disagree about the seventies.
I was a kid in the 60's. I didn't realize best music of my life would come out during that incredible decade!
Yeah fer sure, our social media was the Good old Transistor Radio back then 👍😊🇺🇸
Well, the 70s for me!😀
@@berzerker1100 for sure! 1 little speaker!!
Still remember that moment when Johnny Carson asked his guest Linda Ronstadt if there was any popular song by anyone else that was special to her - and without much hesitation she mentioned specifically this song (Walk Away Renee) and this group. That meant something.
RIP Steve...Thanks for the heart felt vocals...passing on memories of the 60s.
Great vocalist! Tyx for the memories Steve!.... RIP 🙏
RIP Steve Caro 1948 - 2020 Thank you for the beauty of your art...
Damn I was born in 1949! Still hanging around in 2022 at age 73. That’s crazy!
Just another beautiful song from a beautiful time to be young. I was 16 when I first heard this song and I still love it today. Thanks!
This song came out the summer before 7th grade. Totally blew my mind. Melodic perfection expressing the romantic longings of an 11 year old. I have played this song well over a thousand times, and I never tire of it.
I heard the song while stationed in the Coast Guard in Monterey Ca, I was 17. 1966, I ran down to the record store and listened to it 10 times in a listening room. Best 79 cents I ever spent.
That was probably Abinantes Music on Alvarado. Lovely place Monterey was and is though its changed a lot.
I was 7 yrs old in grammer school living in Marina! You probably heard it on the AM radio station KNBY on Cannerey Row!!!! When Ft. Ord was BOOMING...now its just low cost housing and shopping!
Thank you for your service. I was 12. Still a favorite song.
Ted cox Too wonderful... thank you for the memory
Just walk away Renee. But I suppose I'm bisaed! Lol! One of my favorite songs of all time. Great song, Great band and Great vocals. Classic!
Can you imagine being in high school and writing a song of this caliber?
It's a kid capturing eternity in the melody of a two-minute pop song.
Kids were better educated back then. Not stifled by capitalism commercialism or yet by far right conservatives
@@johngrauman4208 Or more realistically, not yet brainwashed by leftist "progressive" socialism. They could express themselves more honestly, and not be forced to conform to phony woke narratives.
takfam07 republicans have been stifling arts programs and civics. The mortar and bricks of creative thinking being banned by radicalized conservative zealots
@@johngrauman4208 In fact, the exact opposite is true. In the last thirty years we've seen the progressive socialist takeover of society. Moreover, there is a direct correlation between this fascist neo-Marxist takeover and the erosion of the quality of music. Again, that's due to Leftist cancel culture censorship stifling individual expression and creativity--via fear. Same thing has happened to comedy, movies, and other previously flourishing creative arenas.
takfam07 that is about the dumbest load of crap 😆. Conservatives have been eliminating arts programs in schools for decades. Few musicians support republicans because of it. Fascists and marxists are different theologies 🖕🖕🖕the attack on public education is a republican sponsored agenda
My husband remembers this song like it was just yesterday. He says 50's thru 90's best music ever. He's very partial to the 60's thru 80's music.
Man, this group hit it out of the park with that song! As a child of 6-7 I was heartbroken long before I even knew the meaning from listening to this one.
Franklin NJ I didn't know that Scott Baio (Chachi from Happy Days) was a singer. LOL !!
Franklin NJ
SERIOUSLY!!! This is the ultimate "Wonder Years" song and it encapsulates my entire Junior High School life.
+ExclusiveLM looks a lot like Paul McCartney
+ExclusiveLM looks a lot like Paul McCartney
I know what you mean... I first heard this song when I was 16 and was hooked on 'romance' not just sex with a girl ... It is so heartwarming and genuine and full of 'heat brake'.. I listened to this song at many 'make-out' Parties in the sixties when back then kissing and hugging was heaven on earth..Today it seems nothing is far enough or satisfying.
Definitely one of my 60's favorites. I was born in 60 but old enough to appreciate them. I miss music with meaning.
It's difficult knowing the people who brought such great music are passing on. Seeing all my friends and family grow old and pass is the the toughest part of growing old One thing I am glad of is all the fantastic music Ive experienced since the 1950s
I agree--the toughest part of growing old.
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said---"Your not getting too old, the music just sucks!"
The 60's and 70's were great creatively in so many ways. The cars, the music, the art, architecture, the clothes. I could go on, but, I've said my piece.
God we were so blessed with music in the sixties.
1966 11 years old this song stopped me in my tracks.
Still does.
pigurine I was 11 then too and it stopped me dead in my tracks this morning...a must listen
Right there with ya!
This song captured me when I was a kid back in ‘66 and to this day I am still under its spell. What an awesome song.
I was twelve. Still has the same effect on me today as it did 53 yrs ago
11 as well. What great music we had then.
That string arrangement is amazing.
Classic "Baroque Rock."
They don’t make em now days like they did back then!.... greatest time for these precious gems! ❤️🇺🇸👍🔥🎶☮️
@@donegalgael8416 absolutely!👍
certainly one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs ever written and recorded. How many of us had "walk away Renee" experiences in our lives? How deeply this song touched that chord in my soul. Thanks for posting this.
Sane here!
following susan lang back home, before that vivian kinney,...put me down for the walk away renee experience....I knew renee in prep school, but she followed me back home.
Another awesomely beautiful song is (Lamour est Blu) love is blue by Paul Meraiut(cant spell last name sorry) & sung by Claudette Longett. Yes its in french but that makes it even more beautiful. Have a listen i think all will agree. Peace!
How many times
Growing up in the 60s with the name Renee, this was and will always be one of my favorites.
I don't think I've ever met someone named Renee who is younger than 25. That's a shame because it's a lovely name!
Sixties music was so real. No technology. Just heart felt, authentic songs. I feel lucky I was there to experience it. There are just a wealth our great songs.
They used the technology that was available to them at the time to maximize their sound, just like everyone else.
THANKS to everyone who has commented. I enjoy reading the thoughts folks have on this song I co-wrote.with Mike and Bob
Tony nice to read your comment. Can you please tell more about the collaboration? I know you were involved, but Michael tends to get most of the credit. He had a crush on Renee and she was the GF of which band member?
Good job, Anthony! It has stood the test of time!
Amazing !!!
Wish we could have gotten the whole song in the clip...
Great song, it brings me back to a time when it was worth listening to the radio
This is one of the most powerful songs capturing the emotions experienced by many while growing up.
One of the most beautiful chord progressions in popular music.
Such an iconic song of the 60s. So sad that all of the original members have passed. They left us with a jewel.
Yes they sure did!....☮️❤️
Perfect arrangement,the instruments, that beautiful haunting voice . A masterpiece . Rip, to those gifted to share the most powerful, and beautiful music the world has known.
This still is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Wonderful!
Such a great song. This is one that gets stuck in my head every time I hear it.
Same here
Wow ! I've not heard this song in so long... Brings back so many memories of my youth,,, now in my late 60's .. still love it !
I adore this song. It has held up completely for the 41 years I have listened to it!
One of the greatest songs written by such a young man. Timeless classic.
OMG!!! Still one of the best. 15 then and thought I knew it all. Little did I know. LOL
My brother would sing along each time this played on the radio. He was 14 and I was 8. Such a wonderful time.
When this song came out, it was an instant anthem for my romantic adolescent heart, and it still works its magic today. Back then, old farts invariably complained (Leonard Bernstein was a notable exception) that long-haired rock musicians like these didn't know a thing about music and couldn't hold a candle to the classic crooners and songwriters of their youth. Clearly, nothing has changed!
This song came out when I was 9 years old and I still love it today! I am now 63 and when I listen to this song it is still hauntingly beautiful but there's a feeling of loneliness that accompanies it...❤
Yes feel ya on this reply
2021 almost 65 and still love this song. The angst, longing for love, it still rings true in this day and age of Covid-19, as it always has!
Hello Pat, How are you doing?
I always loved this song! Gee, the lead singer looked so young! Such a cutie! Boy, that one guy really bobs his head! LOL!
An interesting piece of trivia regarding the lead singer. His name is Steve Martin but he eventually added his family surname, "Caro" to avoid any confusion with the comedian/actor of the same name. If you use your imagination he looks a little like Paul McCartney.
Cedarcity1 I knew the song but had never seen the band members until watching the videos on TH-cam. Never realized the lead singer was such a hottie! Love his voice, too. After the band broke up did Steve ever do anymore singing do you know? I don't recall hearing anything. And yes, he does look like a very young Paul McCartney! Thanks for the info.
L Broderick I haven't heard one mention of Steve Martin since the band broke up amid turmoil in 1969. Some of the original members reunited a few years ago but Steve wasn't among them. Walk Away Renee is a great song but what puts it over the top, in my opinion, is the fact that it was written by a 16-year-old member of the group and it proclaims his deep infatuation with the girlfriend of one of his band mates. He simply could not function in her presence! Shortly after the song was released, Renee moved with her family to Boston, and no one associated with the band ever saw her again.
Cedarcity1 That's too bad about Steve because he really had a unique voice. Actually, the sound of the whole band was very unique. What a shame they could not work out their problems and stay together!. Very interesting story about the girl, Renee. Thanks for all the info.!
Yeah, he looks so cute bobbing his head in time to the beat. I can't say I've seen anyone else do that.
This song by the Left Banke will haunt all of us forever.
This incredibly moving classic pop song will live on as long as there are people searching for beautiful music. Thank you, TH-cam!
Yet another excellent recommendation Mr. Lynch!
Great tune ! Pretty Ballerina's another gem too !!
I feel bad for generations who grew up after us because they never got to experience the joy of the music in the 60's and 70's. We can always relive the music, the times and the memories anytime we want but what do they have? Clown rappers, Justin Bieber, and Lady GagGag? WOO HOO!
Agree, although I'm 57 and I do have a fav Lady GaGa song!! Hahah, but yes, these 70's songs were what I grew up with.
MrBusholiday me too. I'm 59 and LOVE sixties music. Growing up with a 15 years-younger sister who frequently mocked my good taste, grr!😥
The illegal downloading has killed all development and investment in the music like they had- now they are all shooting for one hit wonders. The public created this mess...by not supporting songs with their 99 cents on itunes.
Yes!
Don't feel sorry for them, they think their music is the best, the same as we did & our parents before us with the big band sound. We loved our music because it was what we grew up with, and I do like a lot of the music of today
Such a perfect voice for this deep and beautiful song. This tune has got to be one of the most emotionally stirring I have ever heard. What a genius the young man who wrote this must have been!
Primarily written by an older friend of the group, Tony Sansone, with a minor assist by the keyboard player/composer of the group Michael Brown.
@@boborrahood really ?..nawww..i thought Michael wrote it.
@@TheBlueCream That is what Wikipedia says, but proof that they can also have misinformation on rare occasions, like this one. Michael Brown never once claimed to have written the song. He never even said a word about it after it came out for the 50 years he was still alive. He was “assumed” to be the principle writer because a female journalist heard that the bassist’s girlfriend Renee was in the studio when Michael Brown was recording the harpsichord part of the song and said his hands were shaking when Renee was nearby. The journalist thought Oh, this girl named Renee must be the muse for “his” song, and he’s in love!. Misunderstandings can become the accepted truth in a band, that became splintered from drug usage and a fast breakup. Michael Brown’s older friend Tony Sansone, is the only one with the background on how he was the principle writer and the song references he used were from his Bronx neighborhood ("And when I see the sign that points One Way. The block we used to pass by every day"). And how he wanted a French sounding name like Renee since he was inspired by the French lyrics in the Beatles song Michelle. Sansone's interview is in the Catholic Register. He's the oldest and only surviving connection to the Left Banke.
So much feeling in this music it's hard to describe. The vocals and instruments are so incredibly beautiful.
A very heart felt song. I know what it's like to have someone walk away for no reason. This is a very beautiful emotional song that should be preserved forever.
I was 14 yrs. old when this song played on the radio, haunting then and haunting now...love it!!!
yep I was also 14 when this song came out... was listening to it on my transistor
radio!
I was fortunate to grow up during the 60's AND be a musician. Man, what a time for us all and songs like this were on radio rotation like ever 45 minutes. Talk about competition! The Beatles. The Byrds. The Stones. I just can't name them all but they were all so fine.
Powerful vocals, after all these years still delivers that kick in the gut. Walking away
I was 8 years old when this came out, and it still sounds great after all these years. Great Classic !! 👍
First off, Steve Martin is not only adorable, but such a beautiful, haunting voice. I have watched this video several times in the last week. Thanks for posting! It brings back many memories!
Back when music had meaning and soul.
They are the words my parents told me about the 30's and 40's.
music still has meaning and soul
Yeah the meaning was the keyboardist wanted to bang the bassist's girlfriend.
Better times no? If you want to really have fun watch The Wrecking Crew. It’s a documentary about the session musicians who backed up these groups.
@@ardaduck735 uh huh....LOL
wow ... I have not thought about this in so long .... the Left Banke only had two hits and then they faded,but before they broke up they played for my high school prom ....we thought we were so hot hiring a real name band, but it was a waste of money, they could not play anything else and spent most of the night scribbling on the chalk board in my english classroom .....boy, that takes me back .......
They were very young. Sometimes fame comes too quickly.
It's hard to imagine that almost 50 years ago, when this was made, people experienced this amazing performance in clear, spotless audio and visual quality.
I was 7 when this came out and I can be transported back to 1966 when I hear this...so long ago but seems like only yesterday. I'm gonna cry.
Not often you get two brilliant versions of the same song, but these boys and the four tops prove you can.
*1970 high school graduate and San Francisco native ... and Hippie.*
*Great time to be young !!!!*
I was born in 1973 but I'm infatuated with music from the 60s🌻 you guys had it all when it came to the music, style,cars,homes...... what an awesome to have been alive✌
So true!
Stefanie, I was only 7 or 8 in 1966 when this came out, so I came of age in the 70s, but I will always consider the 60s music as being my music, also.
This is one of the best written songs ever. So many have covered this and all versions are excellent.
One of the best 60s hits. The melody the vocal the flute solo. The singer has great hair.
I was 20 years old and sang along in my test car 1 of 5 in CANADA yes later in the year became 442 on the side rear fender so thanks for the song & MEMORY
1964 model
Very good song, sung by a good group. I always liked the sound of the singer's voice.
Same here! Passed on the whole band! But memories of them &!this song will never die!
Steve Martin Caro. Passed away a few years ago. All of the original band members are RIP now.
I perform a lot of 60’s and 70’s music mostly for hi-school class reunions. Singing this song still elicits emotion in me. Well written with lyrics that can haunt one’s soul from remembrance of failed relationships
Always loved this song since it came out in the 60's,..now it hurts to listen to it,..loved his beautiful voice!. Sleep with the Angels Steve Martin-Caro,...you will be forever loved & missed!
thank you very much for those days with your music, and today for the lovely memories...
I was lucky to see the Left Banke several times. I love them. They did what I felt was rock with a classical/baroque twist. I wanted them to be there for the rest of my life. I have their three albums but, damn it, the law suits ruined it all. I will still insist this was one one the greatest groups of all time. They regrouped a few years ago.Please do it again. You're awesome.
This is such a beautiful song and it still speaks to my heart. Thank you for posting and taking us back to better times.
Omgoodness I was 11 yrs old when I heard this song..and I would actually Sing Along and did through out the years..I know all the songs from the 60s and 70s...decades have come and gone and I still love this song..absolutely great memories...those WERE the days weren't they???
11 years old in 1966 - this song rocked my world. Lucky me. 65 years old in 2020 - this song stills rocks my world. Lucky me.
Rest in peace, Steven Martin! I'll be playing this song until it's my time, too. Godspeed.
Steve Martin a poet &!epic genius at 17. Speaks volumes to say the least
I was born in 1970. When I was about 4 years old, my mother played this on our new turntable console. I sang along to it and knew every word. It was a family day, her birthday, and when I noticed everyone watching me, I ran into my room in the back of the house and hid. I thought I was in trouble.
Before she left when I was nine, she told me her childhood friend had been a huge fan of the song. It was, in fact, his 45 she had played for the gathered relatives. They all were quiet because, I later found out, I sounded just like him, in harmony, and I had never sung before (I had been silent and essentially deaf for a year from a horrible infection between 2 and 3yo). She showed me his picture and I did not then, but do now, look a lot like him.
This song always resonates, and I feel a lump in my throat rise when hear it, each time. Its musical DNA is woven into a dozen genres that have risen since, and it and the other Baroque pop groups of the era all played a role in everything from New Wave to modern day hip hop and its string interludes. Thanks, Left Banke.
Adorable
Truly mesmerizing... wow. I could never grow tired of this tune... !
Me too. Takes me back when times were much better not like how our sic 🇺🇸 country is now days.....
This is a good example of why I am so thankful that while human civilization was real bad for quite some time at preserving high quality video, that we have been consistently solid at preserving high quality through the ages!