PAUL & PAULA Go Together

Original released on LP Philips PHM 200-089

(US, 1963)

Even in a business as prone to lightning as the entertainmente business, the story of  Paul & Paula is extraordinary. They’ve simply made it that fast. The two kids came out of Texas in November, 1962, their vehicle was a Philips record titled “Hey Paula”. This record geared the wheels of more chart winners. “Paul & Paula Sing For Young Lovers” shortly after its release, became one of the Top 10 albums in the nation. Later their single recording of “Young Lovers” jumped on the charts of the leading trade magazines, and rapidly soared into the Top 10 of the singles. “Young Lovers” is still holding position in the magazines, as Paul & Paula are still holding the attention and adoration of teens throughout the nation. Yet, as it rarely happens (but just often enough so that kids everywhere can dream), here they are today, established personalities, thanks to the very first recording they ever made. How’d it happen? Well, for one thing, as the title of this album indicates, they ‘go together’. They blend. Their voices are complementary. They make sense as a team. Even more than that, in doing what they do, singing what they sing, being what they are, they make a powerful appeal. They’ve been called “America’s number one boy and girl”, and they might well be. They represent, in a very real sense, the kind of boy-girl combination that this country has always taken to heart, a 1963 version of the Janet Gaynor-Charles Farrell team of “Seventh Heaven”. In a growing sense, they also are the very people they sing about – “The Average Boy, The Average Girl” who go together like “two straws in a soda”. The subjects of their songs are the subjects other boys and girls find important and for good reason – “We Go Together”… “Pledging My Love”… “Flipped Over You”… “The Beginning Of Love”. They sing of a world that is brand new to them, where kids pair off, maybe forever. Sentimental? Sure. Naïve? Maybe. But so very real, especially when you’re young. And sometimes even when you’re not. Here’s Paul & Paula.

(Original notes by Lou Sidran)

PAUL & PAULA Sing For Young Lovers

Original released on LP Philips PHM 200-078 (mono)

(US, 1962)

Paul & Paula were Ray Hildebrand and Jill Jackson. Jackson had a good voice in the Connie Francis mold, perhaps not as powerful and with a bit more of a country tinge. Hildebrand was an effective singer also, and their contrasting voices made for a nice vocal blend. Their huge hit was “Hey Paula” which was released in 1962. It is a pretty song, and the moment when Paula enters, after Paul sings the first verse, is one of the most sublime moments in pop music. Her “Hey Hey Paul” is longing, sexy, and ultra-feminine. It is spine-tingling the first few times one hears it. If for no other reason, this song deserves its classic status. This LP was released to capitalize on the hit single and which isn’t bad. They picked some good songs to cover, and their versions of “Hey Baby”, “Young Lovers”, “Come Softly to Me” and “My Happiness” are quite pleasant. I just found this album, and based on a few listens, like it very much. At least, it well worth a listen from the early sixties fans. All the songs have been equalized, to sound like the original mono. And 4 bonus tracks were added - each of them originally released on 1963 singles.