I'm reading Sheila Weller's "Girls Like Us" and it got me thinking of Little Eva, whom I discovered used to be Carole King and Gerry Goffin's babysitter before being given the chance to sing. Although she is best remembered for the No. 1 smash "The Loco-Motion," she also had six other singles that charted, including this gem. (I actually first heard of the song via Kirsty MacColl's equally wonderful version.) In addition to learning the sad news that Eva died of cervical cancer at just 59, I was always heartbroken to find out that Goffin and King wrote their infamous "He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss)" after finding out that Eva was being beaten by her boyfriend. When they asked why she put up with it, she reportedly replied -- without batting an eyelid -- that her boyfriend's actions were motivated by his love for her. (Ouch.)
Little Eva's was a hit in 1962.
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