Open Up Your Door

"Open Up Your Door"
Single by Richard and the Young Lions
B-side	"Once Upon Your Smile"
Released	July 1966
Format	7" single
Recorded	1966
Length	2:41
Label	Philips
Songwriter(s)	Larry Brown, Ray Bloodworth, Neville Nader
Producer(s)	Bob Crewe
Richard and the Young Lions singles chronology
"You Can Make It" (1966) "Open Up Your Door" (1966) "Nasty" (1967)
"You Can Make It" (1966) "Open Up Your Door" (1966) "Nasty" (1967)

"Open Up Your Door" is the first single by the American band, Richard and the Young Lions, composed by professional songwriters Larry Brown, aka L. Russell Brown, Ray Bloodworth, and Neville Nader, and released on July 1966 on Philips Records (see 1966 in music). It was the only nationally charting recording by the group, and it also reached the top five in multiple regional markets.

Brown and Bloodworth decided to record with the group in spring-1966, after they showed promise in an invitation to a jam session. The band was signed to Philip Records, partially completing the song, with the intention of finishing the whole process after touring and promoting in the Northeast. However, record executives were anxious to quickly release material, and brought in session musicians to work on the instrumentals. Richard and the Young Lions returned to provide lead vocals and backing vocals.^[1] Along with singer Howie "Richard" Tepp's gritty vocals, "Open Up Your Door" was also marked by the first recorded instance of African hair drum and fuzz-toned bass guitar.^[2]

"Open Up Your Door" was released as a single in July 1966, and it managed to reach number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100, until it dropped off in a week, as well as reaching number 91 on Record World Top 100 Pops and number 70 on Cash Box magazine Top 100. The song was much more successful on a regional level, where it charted in the top five in every market where it was released. The single peaked at #1 in Detroit, Cleveland, and Salt Lake City, and #2 in Seattle and Vancouver. The group felt disillusioned with their management for limiting their role in the recording studio and all the band members, except Tepp and guitarist vocalist Bob Freedman, departed the group. "Open Up Your Door" was later included in the 1998 reissue of the compilation album, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968.^[2][3]

References