on 8/4/2026, 10:53 pm, in reply to "Question about "This is for Shirley" in "It Takes a Worried Man""
So I'm going to venture a guess.
Possibly, "Shirley" was a punchline designed to mock the song's opening lyrics:
>>> "It Takes A Worried Man To Sing A Worried Song" <<<
My guess is that "Shirley" came from the spoken banter between Dave Guard and Bob Shane:
Dave Guard: "This song is for Shirley."
Bob Shane: "Shirley who?"
Dave Guard: "Shirley. Surely it takes a worried man to sing a worried song..."
Dave Guard was playing on the phonetic similarity between the female name "Shirley" and the word "Surely".
A wild guess on my part ~ but who knows?
😉
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Near the beginning of the Kingston Trio recording of It Takes a Worried Man, someone says, "This is for Shirley."
I've wondered about this for years. I have a vague recollection of once reading that Shirley may have been a songwriter, arranger, or someone associated with the recording session, but I can no longer find that reference and may be remembering it incorrectly.
Does anyone know who Shirley was, or have a source (liner notes, interview, session notes, etc.) that explains the dedication?
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