Cherish

Despite the title, you don't want to play this song at your wedding. While the singer does cherish the girl, he knows that he can't possibly have her, and comes off a little desperate and obsessive. A far better choice is "Never My Love," which the group released a year later. That one finds our hero declaring his never-ending love.

This was the followup to The Association's first hit, "Along Comes Mary." The Association was popular in the Los Angeles area, but gained national fame when "Cherish" was released.

The Association's multi-instrumentalist, Terry Kirkman, wrote this in a half hour and incorporated it into their live act. Mike Whelan, who was in an earlier band with members of The Association, liked the song so much that he persuaded his new group, The New Christy Minstrels, to perform it as well. The Minstrels almost released it as a single before The Association.