***Those Oldies But Goodies…Out In The Be-Bop ‘60s Song Night- The Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine”

From The Pen Of Peter Paul Markin

Enter Johnny O’Connor sitting sulking at a booth side at his corner boy hangout, Salducci’s Pizza Parlor:

That Frankie, Frankie Riley, really gets to me sometimes. Here he has the best girl around, Joanne Doyle, smart, cute, maybe more than cute but I don’t dare say it here just in case he has the joint cased (or maybe she will see it and be embarrassed since she turned me away for Frankie boy, turned me away without thinking twice about it, but that is the way frails are, the ones worth pursuing anyway), and he is catting around, catting around like crazy trying to make every twist (girl, young woman in our North Adamsville corner boy lingo) not tied to a big bruiser of a guy. Even then, if she is a boffo, he will take a run at her and hope his track shoes (and not those clunky but stylish Chuck Taylor’s that we have him caught before he hits the door) are fast enough, or faster than her boyfriend’s anyway.

And here I am all by myself, girl-less, Johnny O’Connor, Jumping Johnny O’Connor they call me but I don’t like it, don’t like it at all. See, back in sixth grade, back before Markin, Peter Paul Markin, came on the scene and took my place, my rightful place, as Frankie’s right-hand man we were at a “petting”party, a girl’s birthday party really, but you know how kids' stuff gets going, boy and girl kids' stuff, and this stick tried to kiss me hard, some sweet perfumed, freshly soaped stick (I can still smell her smell now, Ivory soap or Palmolive, something like that), when the lights went out and I jumped up and ran out of that birthday girl’s house. Now, and probably for eternity, I am Jumping Johnny O’Connor. But I still don’t like it. And funny that stick girl, I’ll just call her by her first name, Jenny, lately has turned out to be, well she turned out to be cute, maybe more than cute but I don’t dare say it just in case she has her spies around.

Now don’t get me wrong, Peter Paul’s a good guy, a funny guy really, and he has about twelve million facts that he seems to keep tied up in a bag and has ready for any occasion, any Frankie-needs-facts-occasion. So I can see where Frankie could use him as maybe second right hand guy, and I could be first. See, where Peter Paul has those facts I’ve got the beef, the well-muscled beef, that Frankie really needs if, and when, those track shoes aren’t fast enough when that boffo girl’s big bruiser boyfriend gets the word.

Some people call me a stup and a simp for hanging around with a weirdo like Frankie but that’s not right. I just don’t like to read a lot of books, and stuff like that. I like my sports, and getting some serious attention, some serious girl attention, except no dice from Joanne and ever since that party nothing but ice from that Jenny, for being good at them. But see, Frankie, and now Peter Paul, are into that new be-bop beat thing, and I have noticed that Joanne is playing right into it, even liking it when Peter Paul starts going on and on about this and that in the universe, poetry, politics, history, and not sports. But I am a sensitive guy about stuff like that jumping name, and no way would I do Peter Paul’s soap box tirade stuff or Frankie’s catting if ever I could find a true love girl.

Enter Jenny:

Oh there's John O’Connor across the street sitting in the window seat at Salducci’s Pizza Parlor alone. And there, as usual, walking over to him is Frankie Riley, the most esteemed high exalted leader of that pack of foolish beatniks who hang there after school and at night whenever he can escape the leash, the Joanne Doyle leash, and, of course, Peter Paul Markin, his slavish dribbling (oops) scribbling scribe who fancies himself a man of letters, whatever that is. Gee, I wish John would get away from that crowd. He doesn’t fit in. I know him and Frankie go way back, first grade at North Adamsville Elementary I think, but since Peter Paul and his eleven thousand useless facts made the scene a couple years ago John has been second fiddle. It’s a shame because John is so sexy and such a good athlete, football, basketball, baseball that he doesn’t need those flannel-shirt wearing, black chino-wearing, work-boot–wearing, sunglass-wearing, ah, men of some letters for any reason that I can think of.

Maybe you know the story about John and me in sixth grade already but let me just tell you my side. I’ve heard a lot of different stories about how he got the name, wrong stories, so let me set you straight. They call John Jumping John O’Connor because of me. See, I have had a crush on him since, well, since, so when Chrissie McNamara had her twelfth birthday and told me John was coming I was crazy to go too. I took a long bath, dressed up in my best dress, and wore some of my mother’s perfume (don’t tell her, alright). Okay, okay I wasn’t a beauty like Chrissie but I sure was prettier than that Joanne Doyle. And I didn’t have a shape, then. I was a stick like the boys called us among themselves (so they thought, like such terms could be kept secret, secret with sisters around) back them, shapes and sticks.

The party was going pretty good and John, for some reason, asked me to dance, we danced and that was that, for him anyway. But as will happen at twelfth birthday parties, and on other occasions as well, the party was really a cover for “petting.” You know what petting is right, and if you don’t look it up. I was thrilled, heart-beating thrilled, pulse-pulsating thrilled that John danced with me, and misread the meaning of it big time. So when the lights went out I drew a bee-line to John and gave him a big kiss right on the mouth as hard as I could. He pushed me away like I was one of his football opponents, jumped off the sofa he was on, and ran out the door. That’s the real story. Except for me, for my midnight alone sorrows. Since then he hasn’t spoken to me, or acknowledged my existence. Funny though, I have seen him in class lately looking over in my direction for a few seconds and then turning his head back when I have spotted him, at least I hope he is looking my way.

I admit it. I am miserable ever since that party a few years back. Sure I have gone out with other boys to parties, the movies, and for pizza. I even went out with Peter Paul once but he was so full of air, and of himself, that I put the geek (no go) sign on him. And, yes, Frankie, pure as the driven snow Frankie, just so you know, has made more passes at me than you can shake a stick at. And Joanne, Plain Jane Joanne Doyle, is clueless. But John is the only one who has my eyes since, well, since. Maybe one day, one day when I am just miserable enough, just miserable enough to say enough, I will walk into Salducci’s and just sit on his lap and dare, not double dare, John O’Connor to jump up. It’ll be harder to get me off of him than the whole opposing team on the football field on Saturday afternoon.

Reenter John:

Hey, there's Jenny at the bus stop. I wonder where she is going all by herself. I noticed that she noticed that I was looking at her, looking at her kind of long and easy, a couple of times in study class. I wonder if she is still sore at me for pushing her aside when she kissed me hard like that and I jumped out the door at Chrissie’s birthday party that time. I didn’t mean to do to it but I had never been kissed by a girl like that before. I wonder too if she knew when I asked her to dance then that I had had a crush on her since, well, since. Maybe someday, maybe someday when all the guys, all the guys with their be-bop wisdom wise-guy stuff, are not around, I’ll go over and apologize to her.

THE CHIFFONS

"He's So Fine"

(Do-lang, do-lang, do-lang)

(Do-lang, do-lang)

He's so fine

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

Wish he were mine

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

That handsome boy over there

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

The one with the wavy hair

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

I don't know how I'm gonna do it

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

But I'm gonna make him mine

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

He's the envy of all the girls

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

It's just a matter of time

(Do-lang-do-lang)

He's a soft [Spoken] guy

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

Also seems kinda shy

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

Makes me wonder if I

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

Should even give him a try

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

But then I know he can't shy

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

He can't shy away forever

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

And I'm gonna make him mine

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

If it takes me forever

(Do-lang-do-lang)

He's so fine

(Oh yeah)

Gotta be mine

(Oh yeah)

Sooner or later

(Oh yeah)

I hope it's not later

(Oh yeah)

We gotta get together

(Oh yeah)

The sooner the better

(Oh yeah)

I just can't wait, I just can't wait

To be held in his arms

If I were a queen

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

And he asked me to leave my throne

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

I'll do anything that he asked

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

Anything to make him my own

(Do-lang-do-lang-do-lang)

For he's so fine

(So fine) so fine

(So fine) he's so fine

(So fine) he's so fine

[Fades]

(So fine) oh yeah

(He's so fine) he's so fine

(So fine) uh-huh

(He's so fine)

He's so fine.....