Uploaded December 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
"Walk Away Renée", by American band The Left Banke, was released as a single in 1966 reaching a top spot of #5 on the Billboard chart, and #2 on the Cash Box chart. Their "baroque rock" or "Bach-rock" style was coined in promotional material for the band because they often used harpsichords and violins in their arrangements. The band's vocal harmonies were borrowed from contemporaries such as The Beatles, The Zombies, and other British Invasion groups. Supposedly, the song is one of a series of love songs that band member Michael Brown wrote about his infatuation for the then-girlfriend of Left Banke's bassist. The song features a flute solo played during the instrumental bridge of the middle portion of the song that was inspired by the flute solo from The Mamas & the Papas song "California Dreamin'". Rolling Stone placed "Walk Away Renée" on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Walk Away Renée", by American band The Left Banke, was released as a single in 1966 reaching a top spot of #5 on the Billboard chart, and #2 on the Cash Box chart. Their "baroque rock" or "Bach-rock" style was coined in promotional material for the band because they often used harpsichords and violins in their arrangements. The band's vocal harmonies were borrowed from contemporaries such as The Beatles, The Zombies, and other British Invasion groups. Supposedly, the song is one of a series of love songs that band member Michael Brown wrote about his infatuation for the then-girlfriend of Left Banke's bassist. The song features a flute solo played during the instrumental bridge of the middle portion of the song that was inspired by the flute solo from The Mamas & the Papas song "California Dreamin'". Rolling Stone placed "Walk Away Renée" on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
