Gene Pitney - I'm Gonna Be Strong (Shindig 1964)

[ashaddo]

Excellent 'live' version by Gene Pitney - great song and great vocal.....

[Tonithenightowl]

I'm such a Pitney fan, when I hear this I get goosebumps. He ripped our souls with this song.

[husamla]

this song is very pretty song in 1964 its a grat song in the world its very gool song country music i love the song very mach

[dowopper51]

BRAVO a million times over!

5*****

[Littleforbigg]

I hate all the spam crap that I get but it's worth it to have found this video. On cd that final 'cry' gives me chills; here it brings me to tears.  R.I.P. Gene, Del and Roy-- the three dominant male singers from the 60's. Always found it ironic they all continued to have huge success in U.K. after Beatles emerged while here their careers faded somewhat. Check out his version of 'Just One Smile'

[goneatlast]

Pitney live: No one brings it like he does.

Thanks for this live clip,nyrainbow :)

[Tonithenightowl]

Someone just get me the big knife lol. This is my all time favorite song by my all time favorite artist of all time. THE ONE, THE ONLY, MR. GENE PITNEY. You are missed. RIP and know you are not forgotten. No one has your voice. NO ONE.

[MrJ20tower]

One person must be deaf.

[MrJ20tower]

Simply wonderful. Powerful. A great talent.

[crawldood]

Wow!

[Lloydhl]

Just awesome, simply awesome!

[werbeone]

I've always thought that Gene Pitney never really got the credit that he deserved as being one of the greatest singers ever! If there's ever a survey of great singers and Gene's not in the Top 10, then that survey is completely bogus!

[Tonithenightowl]

@werbeone Amen. That Polish boy had one hell of a set of pipes.

[werbeone]

Thanks so much, "nyrainbow5", for posting this video! This is the BEST video that I've seen for this Gene Pitney song which is my all-time favorite of his. I was a teenager in 1964 and actually watched this show on Shindig the day it aired. Brings back just great memories! Thanks! I still can't believe that he's gone. What a voice!

[mesie1ever]

Cual es la nota final que alcanza Gene, al termino ded canción.  Informar por favor.

[geneno164]

...gene has always been my favourite singer...always will be...he was only 24 years of age when he performed this...way ahead of everyone else...only opera singers consistently sing in such a powerful and emotional way as gene.

[DuPlomp]

his voice.... makes me cry

[689321546]

bravo gene

[47yesican]

This Song talks about my Life. I lost the only young man,

my High School boyfriend I ever loved, the day & yr.

this was popular.

Just recently found him. You can never go back!!

[MegaPoland123]

just amazing that was live and he hits that hi note you reconize that voice forever

[Tonithenightowl]

This is my all time favorite song of all time.

[mentalphysicalism]

@Tonithenightowl  Such feeling

[Tonithenightowl]

@mentalphysicalism Amen. For a guy who didn't move around much when singing, his voice and facial expressions said it all. A huge depth of emotion. Thanks for responding.:o)

[tropicalpancake56]

The young man with "THE VOICE"

[Tonithenightowl]

It just doesn't get any better.

[Tonithenightowl]

This was LIVE. It's not exactly like the recording. I love the lilt to the second verse ( and take it like a man) which is not in the original but dynamic in delivery. Pitney was one of a kind. There is no voice like his.

[arcanacoelestia]

@Tonithenightowl -- yes! He adds a nuance of difference in the melody of that line, which works beautifully. The purity and perfection of Gene's performance here is just mind-blowing; only one other singer matched his talent, and of course that was Roy Orbison. It's no coincidence that most of us Orbison fans are Pitney fans too, and vice versa. As many have said before, there's no doubt that Gene and Roy are now singing awesome duets in Heaven. Thanks for your insightful comment!

[Tonithenightowl]

@arcanacoelestia And thank you for yours, and you said it much better than me. They are my two favoirte tenors along with Jay Black and Johnny Contardo of Sha na na fame. Some ppl just have that gift and these men had it in spades. I still have a hard time believing Gene is gone. I never got to see him in concert and it's always been a regret for me. I have loved him since I was 13. His music lives on. Thanks for responding, always glad to hear from another Pitney fan. :o)

[arcanacoelestia]

@Tonithenightowl -- Lovely reply! Unfortunately, I never saw Gene or Roy perform live either. But for a unique glimpse into Gene's offstage personality, do a YouTube search for "Gene Pitney - 1997 Interview". It's a rare gem considering how few interviews he gave. You'll see Gene there as as a classy 56-year-old silver fox, still handsome, talented, and sweet as ever. It also reveals that contrary to his shy and brooding public image, he had genuine confidence, charm, and humor. Enjoy!

[Tonithenightowl]

@arcanacoelestia I have seen that interview many times. It was the first time I actually heard him speak more than just a few words. He was such a gentleman, never heard a bad thing said about him. I've talked to a girl that sang backup for him and she said he was terrific and very sweet. Knew all about how to take care of a voice. He was still handsome and classy up to the end, and yes was confident and a true pro. Sometimes I listen to that interview just to feel his energy. Thanks :o)

[Veggieman87]

Fantastic performance, strong voice, great song. I've tried singing this song, but I always lose it on the last "cry". How in the world does he do that?

[tbs4eva]

hated when gene passed, my grandad listened to him loads, and it was just like losing my grandad all over again! RIP both of you.

[Tonithenightowl]

There is none better. This was off the charts fabulous.

[txtootsie]

His voice was this strong right up to the end. He was truly amazing!

[MingnonDunn]

This is NOT lipsynced----amazing and wonderful! Gene was one of a kind.

[radney720]

I miss you, Gene.  You got me through my high school heartbreak years.

[kidkosh]

In my opinion this is his best.

[13loomisst]

Great. Thanks very much.

[allanscot1]

This went all the way to the no.2 position in the UK charts in 1964, at the height of Beatlemania, and is still a stunning performance. No lip synching here either! Huge talent, and greatly missed. R.I.P.

[dreamatization]

Happy 4th to everyone...miss you gene pitney!!!

[Reddirtgirl55Again]

Love you Rob......and I know you adore this song!! Thank God you and I are strong..no more ***p from the US OF aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Kisses always your Debxxxxxxxx

[rstp78]

WELL HE SAYS A LOT IN THIS SONG , WITH HIS AMAZING VOICE, HE HAD , ( WHAT A POP STAR HE WAS BACK IN HIS DAY !!!

[Tonithenightowl]

I'm remembering Gene on this Memorial Day. He was the best of the best. Still is.

[akibubba1]

wow!!- no matter how many times i hear this, it still brings chills.....they need to take American Idol off the air - those kareoke kids are starting to hurt my ears......

[Tonithenightowl]

24 years old, a voice most would die for, talk about a phenomenon.

[Tonithenightowl]

My first song by Gene, and my favorite song of all time.

[susiedavis100]

just plain power and perfection!!!!!...what a combination!..susie davis/chicago

[Tonithenightowl]

Does it really get better than this? I highly doubt it. Even the best opera tenors would have a hard time matching this depth of emotion. Gene owns this song. Always has.

[ironrick46]

wha an incredabile voice on hell of a singer

[detroitbob58]

There are very few singers that we instantly recognize. Among them are Gene, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Del Shannon, and Cat Stevens.

[genepitney100]

never seen this before,he looks great & sounds great ! what a voice!!.i love this man so much.!!! R I P GENE........

[Tommyfazz]

how is Gene these days?

[Tonithenightowl]

@Tommyfazz Gene died in 06.

[JackShiZu]

If you don't get chills on that last note, you ain' human lol He is awesome and left us too young @->--

[Tonithenightowl]

@JackShiZu Exactly. If one can't appreciate the majesty of this kind of voice then one is tone deaf. The man was off the charts excellent.

[Tonithenightowl]

@JackShiZu First time I heard that song and that ending I knew I was hearing something extraordinary. I was blown away. I'm still blown away 47 yrs later. I miss him. We lost a great talent but that rock and roll band in heaven should be just right by the time we get there. I have front row seats, I'll save you one. :)

[mully18]

I just listened to Laupers and Newtons cover of this song......sorry people..no one can touch Gene Pitney, especially on this song. Maybe its because Im a child of the 60s (and so glad I am!) and maybe its because I played this song over and over and over on my little record player, but I dont think so. This song is meant to be sung to hell and back and it needs empathy and depth. Those things are missing from the covers and are everywhere in this song when sung by Pitney.

[RobertJeffreyMiller]

Best song climax ever and Gene pulls it off live.

[dormi87]

What a cracking climax. Gene Pitney, what a loss, what a loss. RIP. xxx

[Tonithenightowl]

I can't even go there with how he does this song. At 13, when this was on the radio, on the hour, we girls melted. This voice was unique, powerful and controlled, and never mistaken for anyone else. No one ever said is that Gene Pitney singing? You didn't need to ask.

[speedy45rpm]

@Tonithenightowl As a lifelong Gene Pitney fan, I have to say that your statement -- "no one ever said is that Gene Pitney singing?" -- captures it completely. He put life into even lesser material, but given this Weil-Mann masterpiece he gave us one for the ages. I must have heard this song thousands of times by now, and every time it is a thrill.

[Tonithenightowl]

@speedy45rpm I never knew who wrote that song, and thanks to you, now I do. It's probably my favorite slow song of all time. I wonder if it was written specifically for him or did Gene hear it and say I want to record that? Only person I ever heard cover it was Cindy Lauper. She did ok, but Gene was totally safe with his version being the ONLY version. NO ONE could take his songs and do them better. However, he could cover their songs, put his spin on it, and make it great.

[speedy45rpm]

@Tonithenightowl Actually Frankie Laine did the first recording of it, the year before Gene, but it wasn't a hit. Yes, Cyndi Lauper did a nice version, and Juice Newton also recorded it, but Gene's is in a class by itself. I agree it is uniquely thrilling. Mann and Weil were of course a great song-writing team. For Pitney they also wrote "Looking Through The Eyes Of Love." I can't begin to name all their hits, there isn't enough space. Always nice to run into other Gene Pitney fans!!

[Tonithenightowl]

@speedy45rpm Well I just looked up Frankie's version and Newton's, very good versions. Also listened to someone called Eddie Mooney and the Dakotas and it was also very good, a terryh28 has a great version and someone called Glennis Grace did a fabulous job with it too. Cindy's version is growing on me the more I hear it, but Gene is still the king of this song. This Mann and Weil were fabulous song writers for romantic ballads, I will look up their work. Nice meeting another Pitney fan too.:)

[topcatroar61oliosc]

lets be thankful we got the chance to hear 1 of the best voices to ever sing a song

[Tonithenightowl]

@topcatroar61oliosc Amen. Gene was one of a kind. NO ONE sounded like him. He was over the top fantasitc.

[ninjabluewings]

@topcatroar61oliosc Yes I TOTALLY AGREE! I Had The Honour Of Seing Him In Concert In 2004 PURE MAGIC!

[Rohboats]

What a voice truly a shame his is not with us any more!

[chersch5]

He was 23 years old here, epic is the best word to describe this (iamanatullah). Thanks for the post

[iamanatullah]

Truly epic.

[TaxiRED]

I agree, one of his best..

[fannycraddock99]

One of his best. Thanks.