Original released on LP ATCO 33-102 (mono)
(US, September 1958)
Born Walden
Robert Cassotto in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Bobby Darin was reared by his
maternal grandmother, whom he thought was his mother. Darin's birth mother,
Vanina Juliette "Nina" Cassotto (born November 30, 1917), became
pregnant with him in the summer of 1935 when she was 18. Presumably because of
the scandalous nature of out-of-wedlock pregnancies in that era, Nina and her
mother hatched a plan to pass her baby off as Nina's younger brother. Years
later when Nina finally told Darin the truth about his upbringing she refused
to reveal the identity of his biological father, and she continued to keep that
secret even up until her own death in 1983. Darin's maternal grandfather,
Saverio Antonio "Big Sam Curly" Cassotto (born January 26, 1882), was
of Italian descent and a would-be mobster who died in prison from pneumonia a
year before Darin's birth. His maternal grandmother, Vivian Fern Walden (also
born in 1882), who called herself Polly, was of English ancestry and a
vaudeville singer. From his birth, Darin always believed Nina to be his older
sister and Polly his mother. But in 1968, when he was 32, Nina told Darin the
truth, reportedly devastating him. By the time he was a teenager, Darin could
play several instruments, including piano, drums, and guitar. He later added
harmonica and xylophone.
Darin moved
to the Bronx early in his life and graduated
from the prestigious Bronx High School of Science. In later years he attributed
his arrogance to his experiences at the high school, where he was surrounded by
brighter students who would tease him. He then enrolled at Hunter College and
soon gravitated to the drama department. After only two semesters, he dropped
out to pursue an acting career. Darin's career took off with a songwriting
partnership, formed in 1955 with Don Kirshner, who he met at a candy store in Washington Heights. They wrote jingles and songs,
beginning with "Bubblegum Pop." In 1956 his agent negotiated a
contract with Decca Records. The songs recorded at Decca had very little
success. A member of the Brill
Building gang of
struggling songwriters, Darin was introduced to singer Connie Francis, for whom
he helped write several songs. They developed a romantic interest of which her
father, who was not fond of Darin, did not approve, and the couple split up. At
one point, Darin wanted to elope immediately and Connie has said that not
marrying Darin was the biggest mistake of her life.
Darin left
Decca to sign with Atlantic Records' Atco subsidiary, where he wrote and
arranged music for himself and others. Songs he recorded, such as Harry
Warren's "I Found a Million Dollar Baby," were sung in an Elvis
style, which did not suit his personality. Guided by Atlantic's
star-maker Ahmet Ertegun, Darin's career finally took off in 1958 when he
recorded "Splish Splash." He co-wrote the song with radio D.J. Murray
Kaufman after a phone call from his mother, Jean, a frustrated songwriter. Her
latest song idea was: "Splish, Splash, Take a Bath." Both Kaufman and Darin felt the
title was lackluster, but Darin, with few options, said «I could write a
song with that title.» Within one hour, Darin had written "Splish
Splash". The single sold more than a million copies. His partnership with
Kirshner, who was not involved in the writing of that song, ended at that time.
He made another recording in 1958 for Brunswick Records with a band called
"The Ding Dongs," with the success of "Splish Splash" the
single was re-released by Atco Records as "Early In The Morning" with
the band renamed as "The Rinky Dinks". It managed to chart, and made
it to number 24 in the United
States.
Encouraged by the critical reception to the Carpenter album if not by its failure to make the Top 40, Darin returned to the recording studio in March 1967, to fashion a follow-up. The result was this "Inside Out", a similarly folk-inclined offering. One that, again, dipped into the Hardin and Sebastian songbooks but also included Randy Newman's reflective "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today", a subtle interpretation of the Stones' "Back Street Girl", and a trio of songs penned by Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon, formed members of New York group The Musicians, who'd become suppliers of hits to The Turtles. Additionally, Bobby had shaped a couple of originals that fitted snugly into the concept, "Hello Sunshine" sounding for all the world like something Lovin' Spoonful might have cooked up, I am proving to be a ringer for anything that might have appeared on a Best Of Tim Hardin album. Darin, not just vocally but also from a songwriting point of view, was always the chameleon (Fred Dellar)
