Bob Feldman, co-writer of 1963 hit ‘My Boyfriend’s Back,’ dead at 83

Bob Feldman, a co-writer for The Angels’ 1963 chart-topping hit, “My Boyfriend’s Back,” died Aug. 23. He was 83.

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Feldman’s death was announced in a statement by Richard Gottehrer, his longtime friend, musical collaborator and business partner, Billboard reported. No cause of death was given.

“It’s with great sadness that I announce the passing of Bob Feldman, my friend and legendary songwriting partner, in Grand Canyon Music and FGG Productions -- Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and myself,” Gottehrer wrote. “As a team we go back to the 1960s and the Brill Building days where we wrote and/or produced classics like ‘My Boyfriend’s Back,’ ‘I Want Candy,’ ‘Hang on Sloopy’ and ‘Sorrow,’ which was eventually recorded and became an everlasting hit by David Bowie. We were even an ‘Australian’ band that called ourselves The Strangeloves.

“We were young and inexperienced but learned how to produce by making demos of our songs; this led each of us to ongoing active careers in music after we went our separate ways. We remained friends and to this day 60 years later are still partners in those same companies we started back then.”

Born June 14, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York, Feldman was once a member of the All-City Choir with Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, according to American Songwriter. He and Goldstein co-wrote a theme song for Alan Freed’s television show, “The Big Beat.”

The duo met Gotteher in 1962, according to the website. The trio formed FGG Productions and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks in 1963 with “My Boyfriend’s Back,” according to Billboard.

The three songwriters also wrote “My Sorrow” by The McCoys and also produced the group’s No. 1 hit, “Hang On Sloopy.”

Feldman and his partners formed The Strangeloves in 1964.

The group’s biggest hit was “I Want Candy” and was the title track of their 1965 album, according to Billboard. The song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a revival in 1982 when the British new wave group Bow Wow Wow covered the song, which reached No. 62 on the Hot 100.

The group also had top 40 hits with “Cara-Lin” (No. 39) and “Night Time” (No. 30).

Feldman and Goldstein worked together as Rome & Paris after setting up an office in California in 1966, Music Times reported. Feldman also became a record producer, collaborating with The Belmonts and Link Wray, according to the website.

In 2019, Feldman wrote a memoir that included verse and lyrics, titled “Simply Put! Thoughts and Feelings from the Heart.”

“The memories of the times we shared; the songs we wrote and the adventures that filled our lives remain,” Gottehrer concluded in his statement. “Sooner or later we’ll all pass, but the music will live on. Rest in peace, Bob. We’ll meet again.”

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