“JULIE, JULIE, DO YA love me?” Oh, how I wished it was, “Audrey, Audrey, do ya love me?” Such were my thoughts when Bobby Sherman sang that Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1970.
Sherman died this week at age 81, leaving behind a generation of Baby Boomers like me who were hopelessly, madly in love with the teen idol. He was charismatic, good-looking with his shaggy long hair, simply everything a smitten girl could want in a crush.
And that’s exactly what our relationship was—puppy love. Like generations of teen girls before and after me, I fell in love with handsome heart throb singers. Others fell for Elvis, Donny Osmond, Justin Bieber… Ditto for boy bands.
But back in my day, in the 1960s and 1970s, the likes, looks and lyrics of Bobby Sherman and David Cassidy captured my heart. Sherman even made a guest appearance on Cassidy’s “The Partridge Family” TV show. Both were actors and musicians. And both often sang about unrequited love, as in Sherman’s performance of “Julie, Do Ya Love Me” by songwriter Tom Bahler.
It’s interesting that, upon Sherman’s death, I could not think of a single song he sang. But when prompted with playbacks, I remembered. Mostly, though, I remember how my cousin Joyce and I paged through her copies of Tiger Beat magazine whenever my family visited hers. She would pull out her copies of this American teen fan publication and we would swoon over photos of our much-loved celebrities like Bobby Sherman. I don’t recall reading the stories, but we probably did. Photos, though, left a lasting impression. Sherman graced the cover of Tiger Beat and Sixteen magazines countless times. I can picture him still all feathered or shaggy hair, big smile and a choker around his neck.
Beyond Tiger Beat, my cousin also plastered her bedroom walls with teen idol posters. Joyce was much more tuned in to celebrity life than me. She had older sisters. I didn’t. Regardless, we shared a love of Bobby Sherman, who sang about Julie. Not about Audrey or Joyce, just two teenagers hanging out in a southwestern Minnesota farmhouse bedroom, dreaming of love while thumbing through Tiger Beat magazine.
TELL ME: Did you have a favorite heart throb singer or band? Maybe Bobby Sherman. Let’s hear. I also really like/liked Rod Stewart, Chicago, Bread, Lobo, The Carpenters, John Denver…
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Davey JOnes, of the Monkees. ❤
Oh, YES!
Bobby Sherman’s death certainly took me back to those days, and I really was more into the Monkees, (Mickey Dolenz), and David Cassidy!, but they all were so very popular and yes, Tiger Beat and the posters and you name it, we loved it all!
Thanks for sharing your favs. And, yes, we loved it all.
Mine were Glen Campbell and Mac Davis!
Those are good heart throb choices also. I have two of their albums.
I did have a crush, but it started even before I was a teenager, and it was on Little Joe Cartwright from Bonanza. 🥰 Michael Landon. I also loved music, but my heart belonged to Little Joe. 😹
Ah, yes, Little Joe. A lot of us loved him. Thanks for sharing your crush, Lori.
Sweet memories, Audrey. My first crush was before I was !0, on all four Beatles at once. A little later, I loved the more handsome Walker Brothers (especially dishy Scott), who seemed exotic because they were from the US. The only other American ‘love’ I recall was Pete Duel from Alias Smith and Jones. The first crushes are the purest kind of first love I think. I ruled out Davy Jones because I was already taller than him at age 13- shallow of me I know!
Judith, thanks for sharing your crushes. This was a fun list to read. 🙂