"Lost Girl" is a song by British rock band the Troggs, written by lead singer Reg Presley (credited under his birth name R. M. Ball). Released as the group's debut single in February 1966, backed by "The Yella in Me", it failed to chart in the UK but became a top-ten hit in Sweden in December of that year.
Background and release
Larry Page signed the Troggs in February1966,[1] and the band soon after moved to London.[2] In preparation for the group's debut single, Page booked time at Regent Sound Studios in London, where he had previously recorded demoes with the Kinks,[3] and the Troggs' lead singer Reg Presley prepared two songs, "Lost Girl" and "The Yella in Me". The former was a hard rock song which according to Ken Barnes largely revolves around Chris Britton's "wildest guitar work" along with a "psuedo-African" beat by drummer Ronnie Bond.[4] "The Yella in Me" was a novelty song, which Page described as, "[Presley] walking down the sidewalk with his girlfriend" before getting beaten up by a stranger on the street.[5]
The Troggs were initially signed to Page's label Page One Records, but for the release of "Lost Girl", he arranged for it to be distributed through CBS Records.[4] The single was released on 11 February 1966.[6] The single garnered little airplay upon release, and according to Presley, it was played "one time on Radio Luxembourg at 3 AM".[4] After the success of the Troggs' two following singles, "Wild Thing" and "With a Girl Like You", CBS reissued "Lost Girl" in September 1966 before the release of the Troggs' fourth single, "I Can't Control Myself".[7] "Lost Girl" again failed to chart in the UK, but it became a chart hit in Sweden, reaching number 16 on Kvällstoppen and entering the top-ten on Tio i Topp, peaking at number seven.[8][9]
Reception
Writing for New Musical Express, the critic Derek Johnson stated that the lyrics contrasted against the "fervent, frantic beat", noting that the song had an "explosive, underlying rumble". He ended by stating it to be "quite a raver".[10] Following its release, "Lost Girl" would remain in relative obscurity, partly because the Troggs re-used the melody and drum pattern for the song "From Home", which appeared as the B-side of "Wild Thing".[11] According to Britton, the band "liked the rhythm of 'Lost Girl'" to the point that they wanted to record a re-write of it.[11]
The single's lack of success led Reginal Ball to adapt his stage name to Reg Presley, while the Troggs and Larry Page decided to record material by outside songwriters for their following singles, instead letting songs written by Presley appear on B-sides and albums.[12]
