The 'In' Crowd (song)

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“The 'In' Crowd”
Single by Dobie Gray
from the album Dobie Gray Sings for 'In' Crowders That 'Go Go
Released 1965
Writer(s) Billy Page

"The ‘In’ Crowd" is a 1965 song, written by Billy Page, arranged by his brother Gene and originally performed by Dobie Gray on his album Dobie Gray Sings for 'In' Crowders That 'Go Go. His Motown-like version reached #13 in the US Billboard charts. Despite the Mods' admiration of the song, and the fact that they took its lyrics as depiction of their own livestyles, it was not only Gray's rendition that made the song an 'evergreen'. The Ramsey Lewis Trio recorded an instrumental version of the tune later that same year at the suggestion of a coffee shop waitress. Their jazzy take reached number #5 in the U.S. and was used for many years as background music of Jimmy Savile's Savile's Travels and Jimmy Savile's Old Record Club on BBC Radio 1.

The First Gear also recorded the song in 1965 (using Jimmy Page as a session guitarist), and numerous artists have covered the song since. These include The Ventures, The Fourmost, Young-Holt Unlimited, The Mamas & the Papas, Joe Jackson, Bryan Ferry (who in 1974 finally made it a hit in the UK), Julee Cruise, Petula Clark , Maurice Williams, Quincy Jones, James Last, and Todd Londagin.

The band The In Crowd took their name from this song.