 Although the songwriting credits are given to local singer Lanny Duncan and his brother Robert Duncan, Lanny Duncan had previously recorded the original demo of the song in 1961 as a member of the Starlighters, featuring Tony Valentino on guitar and Jody Rich on bass.The demo was recorded in Glendale with engineer Eddie Brackett.Valentino and Rich would go on to form the Standells in 1962.