Try To Remember

The Brothers Four: "Try To Remember" (1965)

The Brothers Four were one of the most commercially successful folk groups of the early 1960s, a quartet from the University of Washington whose smooth vocal harmonies and accessible approach to folk material placed them alongside the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary in the popular imagination of that period. Their recording of "Try To Remember" in 1965 connected them to one of the most beloved songs to emerge from the American musical theater of the postwar era, a composition that had already achieved considerable renown through its original production and through subsequent recordings before the Brothers Four brought it to the Billboard Hot 100.

The Song's Origins in Musical Theater

"Try To Remember" was composed by Harvey Schmidt with lyrics by Tom Jones for the off-Broadway musical "The Fantasticks," which opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village, New York, on May 3, 1960. The show would go on to become the longest-running musical in history, running for 42 years until its initial run closed in 2002, a record of sustained theatrical success that reflects the extraordinary quality of its material. "Try To Remember" is the opening number of the show, sung by the narrator character El Gallo, and it sets the melancholic, wistful tone that pervades the entire work.

The song functions as both a literal invitation to remember the past and a meditation on the relationship between memory, innocence, and emotional truth. Its imagery of September, a mellowing year, and the awakening of love creates a specific emotional atmosphere that has made it one of the most frequently performed songs in the American theater repertoire. By the time the Brothers Four recorded it in 1965, it had already been sung by Ed Ames and recorded by a variety of artists, but it remained strongly associated with its theatrical context.

The Brothers Four and Their Recording

The Brothers Four, consisting of Bob Flick, Mike Kirkland, Dick Foley, and John Paine, had formed at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1957 and signed with Columbia Records, where they scored their breakthrough hit with "Green Fields" in 1960. That song reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and established them as a commercially viable folk act in the wake of the Kingston Trio's success. Their approach to material was eclectic, drawing on folk, pop, and theatrical sources, which made a song like "Try To Remember" a natural fit for their catalog.

The 1965 recording appeared on Columbia Records and received the kind of polished, orchestral treatment that was standard for the label's pop-folk productions of the period. The arrangement complemented the song's wistful character, framing the Brothers Four's harmonies in a context that respected the theatrical origins of the material while making it accessible to a popular radio audience.

Billboard Hot 100 Performance

The Brothers Four's recording debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 6, 1965, entering at position 100. The chart run was brief, with the song moving to 94 on November 13 before achieving its peak position of 91 on November 20, 1965. The total chart duration was three weeks, a short but legitimate showing that reflected the competitive conditions of the mid-1960s chart. By late 1965, the Hot 100 was dominated by British Invasion artists and the emerging sounds of folk rock, soul, and early psychedelia, making it a challenging environment for a straightforward interpretation of a musical theater ballad.

The modest chart performance of the Brothers Four's recording should not be taken as a measure of the song's cultural importance, which by 1965 was already established independently of any particular recording. "Try To Remember" was a known quantity, a song audiences recognized from its theatrical context and from previous recordings, and the Brothers Four version served to extend its reach into the pop radio market.

The Fantasticks and Enduring Musical Legacy

"The Fantasticks" itself is one of the most extraordinary success stories in the history of American musical theater. The off-Broadway production ran for 42 years and 17,162 performances, a record of longevity that has never been approached by any other production. In that context, "Try To Remember" became one of the most enduring theater songs of the twentieth century, recorded by countless artists across multiple genres and maintained in the active repertoire through the show's continuous performance. The Brothers Four's 1965 recording is one document in an extensive catalog of interpretations that spans jazz, pop, folk, and classical music.