#35: After School by Randy Starr

City: Hull, QC
Radio Station: CKCH
Peak Month: June 1957
Peak Position in Hull ~ #4
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #26
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #32
YouTube: “After School”
Lyrics: “After School”

Warren Nadel was born in 1930 in the Bronx, New York. He successfully completed his dental studies at Columbia College in 1954. Around the same time, he wrote songs that were recorded by Jackie Wilson, Connie Francis, the Kingston Trio, Red Foley, Martin Denny, Cliff Richard, The Browns, Chet Atkins, Santo & Johnny, Kay Starr, Nelson Riddle, and others. In 1957, going by the name Randy Starr, Nadel signed with the small Dale record label.

His first single release was “After School”.

“After School” was cowritten by Warren Nadel (aka Randy Starr) and Dick Wolf. He was a composer, arranger, conductor and producer. He was also the frontman for three obscure recording acts: Richard Wolf and His Orchestra, Dick Wolf and the Wolverines, and in the late 60s, The Richard Wolfe Children’s Chorus. His first single release was in 1957 with “Drive-In Movie” credited to Dick Wolf. Over several decades he wrote songs with Randy Starr. He also separately composed songs recorded by Bill Hayes, Kitty Kallen, Don Rondo, George Hamilton IV, Marty Wilde, Jerry Keller, Nat “King” Cole, Carmen McRae, Mel Torme, The Tokens, The Del-Vikings, Tommy Boyce, Mike Douglas, Brian Hyland, and others.

“After School” is one of a few songs where the lyrics open with the title of the song. In this case, the song title is repeated twice before the rest of the lyrics unfold. In the song we learn about a guy who is smitten with a gal. Every day he waits at “the corner candy store” for the girl from the school to hopefully show up. Initially, he goes to the corner candy store with “the gang.” But as “hours passed, the gang went home,” and he’s left “all alone” waiting for her to appear. In the past he had taken the place of being someone she was interested in. But now he wonders “if it could be true that you had found somebody new.” At last he wonders if he’s just being a fool to wait for her. So he walks home alone. The guy wonders who she will eventually choose to walk home with from school: Will it be him, or will it be some other guy who she thinks is the most?

“After School” peaked at #2 in Pittsburgh, #3 in Ottawa, Boston, and Toronto, #4 in Hull (QC), #5 in Albany (NY) and Troy (NY), and #9 in Buffalo.

At the end of July 1957, Randy Starr had a second single titled “A Dance, A Kiss, And A Promise” peak at #7 in Ottawa, and #16 in Boston. In the winter of ’57, Starr had a Top 20 hit in Toronto titled “The Prettiest Girl In School”. He performed the song on American Bandstand on December 11, 1957. Two more singles released in 1958 got little attention.

On July 19, 1958, George Hamilton IV sans a song on American Bandstand written by Randy Starr titled “I Know Where I’m Going”. In 1959, Randy Starr co-wrote “The Enchanted Sea” for his instrumental group The Islanders. The single peaked at #15 in the winter of the year.

In 1962, Randy Starr appeared on an episode of To Tell The Truth, on September 10th, where his song “Pink Lemonade”, was played for the panel of celebrities. This was a non-charting single he released in 1958. The host of the show, Bud Collyer, intoned at the opening of the episode, “the voice you are about to hear belongs to one of these three men. Listen!”

Between 1963 and 1968, Randy Starr recorded nearly three dozen demos that were offered to Elvis Presley for a number of his movies. Presley chose to record a dozen of these. The most successful of these was “Kissin’ Cousins”, a #12 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964, and #6 in Belgium. Randy Starr ended up with songs recorded on the soundtracks for the following Elvis Presley movies: Kissin’ Cousins, Viva Las Vegas, Roustabout, Frankie and Johnny, Paradise: Hawaiian Style, Spinout, Double Trouble, Clambake, Girl Happy, and Live a Little, Love a Little. Some of these were uncredited.

Randy Starr retired from dentistry, and at age 94 continues to live in New York City.

December 21, 2024
Ray McGinnis

References:
The Islanders, “The Enchanted Sea“, Mayflower Records, 1959.
Warren Nadel/Randy Starr, To Tell The Truth, CBS, September 10, 1962.
Milton, Esterow, “Unusual Amalgam of Music and Dentistry; Dr. Warren Nadel Is Also Randy Starr, Singer-Composer Disks of His Songs Sold 2,500,000–He Plans Musical,” New York Times, September 22, 1962.

CKCH 970-AM Hull (QC) Top Ten | June 15, 1957