She's Not There

Rod Argent built the lyrics of "She's Not There" from a John Lee Hooker song, whose title – "No One Told Me" – became a part of the opening phrase of "She's Not There". Following an 29 April 1964 performance by the Zombies at St Albans Market Hall, Argent played the one verse he had written of the song for Ken Jones who was set to produce the band's first recording session. Jones encouraged Argent to write a second verse, intending the band to record it. Argent recalls: "I wrote the song for Colin's range" – referring to Zombies' vocalist Colin Blunstone – "I could hear him singing it in my mind". The song's genres and musical styles are described by authors and music journalists as jazz rock,{{cite book|author=Bob Mason|title=Magic Circles: Another Side of the Beatles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5AmAQAAIAAJ|year=2004|publisher=Duffy & Snellgrove|isbn=978-1-876631-87-1|page=100}} beat,{{cite book|author=Peter Buckley|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&pg=PT1222|year=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-84353-105-0|page=1222}} pop rock,{{cite book|author1=Martin Charles Strong|author2=Brendon Griffin|title=Lights, camera, sound tracks|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aSYKAQAAMAAJ|year=2008|publisher=Canongate|isbn=978-1-84767-003-8|page=243}} baroque pop,{{cite web|last= Bower-Kail|first= Matt|title= WTF is… baroque pop?|website= Tickmaster Discover|date= February 24, 2024|url= https://discover.ticketmaster.co.uk/music/wtf-is-baroque-pop-60675/|accessdate= November 15, 2024}} and R&B.{{cite book|first=Bob |last=Stanley|title=Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop|chapter= Needles And Pins: The Beat Boom|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9emZAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT7|date=13 September 2013|publisher=Faber & Faber|isbn=978-0-571-28198-5|page=139}}

"She's Not There" was the second of four songs recorded by the Zombies at a 22 June 1964 recording session at Decca's West Hampstead Studio 2. The backing tracks needed seven takes.{{cite book|first=Claes|last=Johansen|year=2001|title=The Zombies: hung up on a dream|publisher=SAF Publishing|location=London|pages=[https://archive.org/details/zombieshungupond00joha/page/74 74–75, 80–81]|isbn=978-0-946719-34-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/zombieshungupond00joha/page/74}} One of the song's most distinctive features is Argent's electric piano sound; the instrument used was a Hohner Pianet. The backing vocals are in a folk-influenced close-harmony style. To make the single sound stronger for single release, Ken Jones organised Hugh Grundy to record a strident drum line overdub which only appears on the original mono single mix.

This minor key, jazz-tinged single was first aired in the United States during the first week in August 1964, on New York City rock radio station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted it on his daily noontime "Hot Spot" segment, during which new songs were played. The tune began to catch on in early autumn and eventually reached {{abbr|No.|Number}} 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1964.{{cite web|title=The Zombies|publisher=Billboard Music Charts|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?configType=BBCOM_SIMPLEDEFAULT&pubList=Billboard&action=Submit&kw=&exposeNavigation=true&keyword=she%27s+not+there+zombies&submit.x=33&submit.y=10&submit=Submit&searchType=ARTICLE_SEARCH|access-date=12 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225185418/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?configType=BBCOM_SIMPLEDEFAULT&pubList=Billboard&action=Submit&kw=&exposeNavigation=true&keyword=she's+not+there+zombies&submit.x=33&submit.y=10&submit=Submit&searchType=ARTICLE_SEARCH |archive-date=25 December 2007}}

• Colin Blunstone – lead vocals and backing vocals
• Rod Argent – Hohner Pianet electric piano
• Paul Atkinson – electric guitar
• Chris White – backing vocals, bass
• Hugh Grundy – drums, additional overdubbed drums{{cite web |last1=Buskin |first1=Richard |title=Classic Tracks: The Zombies 'Time of the Season' |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-zombies-time-season |website=SoundOnSound |publisher=Sound On Sound |access-date=1 August 2023}}

The song was later included both on the Zombies' debut album Begin Here, released in the UK in December 1964, and the US album The Zombies issued January 1965. It was also included on the soundtrack to the 1979 feature film More American Graffiti and the 2021 feature film Titane.

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{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Zombies|title=She's Not There|award=Silver|type=single|relyear=2007|certyear=2025|accessdate=13 February 2025|id=20776-6018-1}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}

{{Infobox song

| name = She's Not There

| cover = She's_Not_There_-_Santana.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Santana

| album = Moonflower

| B-side = Zulu

| released = October 1977

| recorded =

| studio =

| genre = {{flatlist|

• Jazz rock
• Latin rock

}}

| length =

| label = Columbia

| writer = Rod Argent

| producer =

| prev_title = Let It Shine

| prev_year = 1976

| next_title = Stormy

| next_year = 1979

}}

"She's Not There" was a hit for Santana when it appeared on their 1977 album Moonflower. Their version peaked at {{abbr|No.|Number}} 11 in the UK.{{cite web|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/santana|title=The Official Charts Company – She's Not There|date=6 May 2013|publisher=The Official Charts Company}} It was also a hit in the US, spending 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at {{abbr|No.|Number}} 27,{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/santana/chart-history/hsi/|title=Santana|website=Billboard.com|access-date=8 June 2021}} as well as reaching {{abbr|No.|Number}} 20 on the Cash Box Top 100 chart. Their take on it features Greg Walker as the lead vocalist.

• In February 1965, Swedish pop group Ola & the Janglers released the song as their second single, backed by Manfred Mann's "Don't Ask Me What I Say".{{Cite web|title=Ola & the Janglers – She's Not There|url=https://www.svenskpophistoria.se/OLA%20AND%20THE%20JANGLERS/popup2_window.html|access-date=2021-02-27|website=www.svenskpophistoria.se}} It became their breakthrough hit, reaching {{abbr|No.|Number}} 10 on Tio i Topp for a week before being voted off.{{Cite book|last1=Hallberg|first1=Eric|title=Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 – 74|last2=Henningsson|first2=Ulf|publisher=Premium Publishing|year=1998|isbn=919727125X|location=|pages=}}
• Airing September 1965, the episode "Sting in the Tail," of the British TV series Danger Man, featured a French version of the song by Jeanne Roland with French version "Te Voilà" lyrics by Jacques Chaumelle.{{Cite web|title=IMDB – Secret Agent – Sting in the Tail – Soundtrack|website=IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0553837/soundtrack/}}
• Vanilla Fudge covered the song on their 1967 self-titled debut album.
• Colin Blunstone, under the pseudonym Neil McArthur, released a solo version in 1969, reaching {{abbr|No.|Number}} 34 in the UK.{{cite book|last=Roberts|first=David|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|year=2006|isbn=1-904994-10-5|edition=19th|location=London|page=336}}
• The Road reached No. 79 in Canada with their cover in February 1969.{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5904.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles – February 24, 1969}}
• Punk rock band UK Subs' 1979 cover reached No. 36 in UK.
• In 2011, the Fox TV series Glee released the song onto the soundtrack albums Glee: The Music, Volume 5 and Glee: The Music, The Complete Season Two after it was performed in season 2, episode 11.
• Version by Neko Case (duet with Nick Cave), used at the end of the 2011 "She's Not There" episode of True Blood.

{{Reflist}}

• {{YouTube|YmO3MtWIwi8|The Zombies – She's Not There}}
• {{YouTube|K4jdiJA2TtQ|Santana – She's Not There}}

{{The Zombies}}

{{Santana}}

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Category:1964 songs

Category:1964 debut singles

Category:1977 singles

Category:The Zombies songs

Category:Colin Blunstone songs

Category:Santana (band) songs

Category:Songs written by Rod Argent

Category:Parrot Records singles

Category:Decca Records singles

Category:Columbia Records singles

Category:Cashbox number-one singles

Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand