Ambrose (Part 5)

Linda Laurie was a 17-year-old high school student in 1958 when her first recording, "Ambrose (Part 5)", was released by Glory Records. It reached number 52 on the billboard charts.

It's a very odd record. For a start, why is it titled "part 5"? There were no parts 1,2,3, or 4.

Then there's the 'song' itself. Why is Ambrose walking her into a subway tunnel? Does he intend to kill her? We never find out. The song ends in mid-sentence. Incidentally, the voice of Ambrose ("Just keep walking") was done by Laurie herself.



Two years later, Laurie released a sequel, "Forever Ambrose," which showed a nicer side of Ambrose. Evidently he hadn't killed her in the tunnel. But this follow-up never made it onto the charts.



In 1962, Laurie released a final Ambrose song, "Return of Ambrose," which had Ambrose back in more menacing form ("keep digging"). Again, it didn't chart.



Laurie went on to have a fairly successful career as a songwriter. Her biggest hit was "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)," which reached #3 on the charts when it was covered by Helen Reddy.

More info: Wikipedia.