Keith Locke & The Quests (Singapore) - Be My Girl [*Audio*]

Singapore 60s Pop Music.
KEITH LOCKE & The QUESTS - "Be My Girl" (1965).
This was KEITH LOCKE's debut song with The QUESTS. The original SP became a double-sided hit record, with the flipside, "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)," eventually becoming the signature song of the group. [The image you see here is the compilation EP that was released later.]
But it was "Be My Girl," penned by Keith himself, that introduced Keith Locke to the Quests fans and got the initial airplay.
KEITH LOCKE only recorded 10 songs with The QUESTS, but he is forever a part of their history because their collaboration was very successful and Keith Locke helped to solidify the appeal of the band in the early days.
The QUESTS on this record:
REGGIE VERGHESE, lead guitarist
JAP CHONG, rhythm guitarist
HENRY CHUA, bass guitarist
LIM WEE GUAN, drummer
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(Comments from my archives):
I still remember very vividly how much I was awestruck by the voice of Keith Locke when he and The Quests came out with their very first song in 1965, "Be My Girl." Within a short time, of course, the popularity of this song would be greatly overshadowed by the flipside of that same SP, "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)," but for a while, "Be My Girl" was the explosive introduction of Mr. Dynamite to many of us young impressionable Quests fans at that time.
In hindsight, looking back 43 years now, "Be My Girl" was really a simple song, very easy to sing to, but its simplicity only greatly accentuated the raw talent and animal sex appeal of Keith Locke, which is why to this day I am still a devotee of the Keith Locke cult.
Yes, we now see "Don't Play That Song" as a much more sophisticated musical creation than "Be My Girl," but it was the faster and more upbeat tempo of "Be My Girl" that carried the day for Keith Locke and Questsmania in 1965. And I know those were The Quests boys singing all the "yeah, yeah's."
Keith only recorded 10 songs with The Quests in their two years of collaboration, and then he was called back to England. Only 10 songs, but what an amazing legacy he left behind.
Although he was technically not a member of The Quests, he will forever be an integral part of the legend of The Quests only because he made such great records with the band that we all still love and listen to today.
As much as I like Keith's songs like "Don't Play That Song," "I'm On Top Of The World," and "That You Are Mine," it will always be "Be My Girl" that always makes me think of Rediffusion in 1965.
So easy to sing to... Crank up the bass, everybody!!
BE MY GIRL
Come on and dance (yeah, yeah)
Come on and dance (yeah, yeah)
Come on and hold me tight
Each and every night
Come on and Be My Girl
Come on and walk with me (yeah, yeah)
We want the world to see (yeah, yeah)
Come on and hold me tight
Each and every night
Come on and Be My Girl
Nobody knows, nobody cares
I look at you, you look at me
I see you smile and I want you
To Be My Girl
Come on and say you're mine (yeah, yeah)
Until the end of time (yeah, yeah)
We're gonna dance all night
I'm gonna hold you tight
Come on and Be My Girl
July 19, 2008