DESCRIPTION:
NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED - (Unreleased 1965 recording) Out of Los Angeles and never making it past the acetate disc stage, this tune is one of two written by Jack Nitzsche and Russ Titelman for teen idol Mike Clifford, who sang them in the cult classic teen 'B' movie, 'Village of the Giants'. While the other song, 'NOTHING CAN STAND IN MY WAY was left on the cutting room floor, 'MARIANNE' made it into the film but only less than a minute of screen time for Mike's performance of it. The shimmering, Spectoresque Jack Nitzsche arrangement is dripping with sweetness with it's rich strings, tinkling piano and harpsichord and an effective use of echo. The combination of Mike Clifford's dreamy good looks on display in the film along with his smooth crooning, it's a shame that this wasn't released as a single as it very well could have been a hit.

The birth of 'Marianne' and 'Nothing Can Stand In My Way'.....
During 1964 & 1965 Mike was very busy touring with The 'Dick Clark Caravan Of Stars'. It was in 1965 when his manager, Helen Noga began promoting him for acting roles that the film 'Village of The Giants' came about. Mike knew some of the people who were involved with the production of that film, and he was told that although the picture had already been cast, they would love to feature him in a guest star singing role. Some weeks later he learned that he would be singing two songs written for him for the film by Jack Nitzsche and Russ Titelman and that Nitzche would be overseeing the recording session. Then in March 1965, Mike went to the Noga home at 806 N. Elm Dr. in Beverly Hills to rehearse the songs on the piano with Russ Titelman which were entitled, 'MARIANNE' and 'NOTHING CAN STAND IN MY WAY'. They taped the rehearsal so that Mike could listen to it for a few days to familiarize himself with the tunes before the actual session. After the backing tracks for the two songs were finished Mike met Jack Nitzsche at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood for the session which was scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Mike recalled how stunned he was after hearing the backing tracks for the two songs and that the music and arrangements were beyond his expectations. He remembered that he went through 'MARIANNE' easily and had that finished in about an hour. It was 'NOTHING CAN STAND IN MY WAY' that was a challenge for him. Hitting the 'G' at the end of the phrase, "Girl, now I've got you you and nothing can stand in my way" was at the top of his vocal register. After each consecutive take, Jack would say, 'That's great Mike. Really. We've almost got it." Then another take and then another. Eventually they had food brought in and Jack had Mike drink a few beers to loosen up. He would tell him, "When you get to that part, just do it. Go for it. Don't worry about hitting the right note. Just sing it." It wasn't until almost 4:00a.m. that they were both satisfied with the recording. An acetate was made and given to Mike so that he could learn the tunes precisely for lip-synching them in the film.

A short time later, Mike went to Columbia Ranch Studio in Burbank for his part in the filming of 'Village Of The Giants'. When the final edit of the film was complete, 'NOTHING CAN STAND IN MY WAY' which was supposed to be in the opening credits, ended up on the cutting room floor while less than a minute of 'MARIANNE' would be included in the film.

These two recordings with Jack Nitzsche led to the two record deal with Cameo-Parkway Records. In 1965, Mike recorded Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil's 'BEFORE I LOVED HER' and 'SHIRL GIRL' written by Rudy Clark and Bobby Darin. Jack Nitzsche produced and arranged these tracks. 'BEFORE I LOVED HER' had been previously recorded by Johnny Maestro in 1962 and spoke of the joys of love. The version by Mike had the lyrics re-written to reflect the pain of love. 'SHIRL GIRL' had been recorded by Wayne Newton on Capitol in 1963.

The second Cameo Records disc by Mike Clifford was recorded in late 1965 and issued in early 1966. The songs were 'OUT IN THE COUNTRY' written by Perry Botkin Jr. & Johnny Cole and 'COUNTIN' written by Harry Nilsson. The session was arranged by Perry Botkin Jr., and recorded at Gold Star Studio in Hollywood.

Mike looks back fondly working with Jack Nitzsche on these recordings and is very proud of them and credits those records as the point in time when he began his transition from teen idol material to other styles of music.

A wealth of gratitude goes to MIKE CLIFFORD for allowing me to use a label scan and digital copy of his own acetate recording of 'Marianne'.
Anthony Reichardt