A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

IT WOULD HAVE MORE FITTING HAD SHE DIED IN A MOTORCYCLE CRASH: With yesterday's prominent deaths grabbing the headlines, I didn't want to let the passing of Ellie Greenwich go by without notice. Who? You might not know Greenwich by name, but surely you know her by lyric--"I met him at the candy store," "The night we met I knew I needed you so," "I met him on a Monday and my my heart stood still," "When I was a little girl I had a rag doll/The only doll I've ever owned," and "There she was just a walkin' down the street." Greenwich, who died yesterday at the age of 68, penned some of the most memorable pop songs of all time. Working alongside with her then husband, Jeff Barry, Greenwich is also credited for discovering Neil Diamond and shaping the sound of his early hits like "Cherry, Cherry" and "Kentucky Woman." Following her divorce from Barry and the fading of the Brill Building sound, Greenwich worked as an anonymous member of the Archies, a jingle singer and writer ("Oo, la, la, Sasoon"), and backup singer and arranger on records ranging from Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" to Blondie's "Dreaming." She released work under he own name, as well, and starred "Leader of the Pack," a 1984 Boadway musical based on her career.