Them - Gloria

Them was a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964,(breakup in 1972 and reunion in 1979) most prominently known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching singer Van Morrison's musical career. The group was marketed in the United States as part of the British Invasion. Their first manager was Dick Rowe with Decca Records. He was notoriously known for previously having turned down signing The Beatles after listening to a badly recorded demo.

Van Morrison went on to great success and fame as a solo artist, but Them's combination of garage rock and blues proved a major influence on the next generations of rock musicians, and the group's best-known singles have become staples of rock and roll.

Gloria is a rock song classic written by Van Morrison in 1964 and has became a garage rock staple and a part of many rock bands' repertoires. It is particularly memorable for its "G–L–O–R–I–A" chorus. The song continues to be played by thousands of bands from famous recording artists to unknown garage bands. Humourist Dave Barry joked that "If you drop a guitar down a flight of stairs, it'll play 'Gloria' on its way to the bottom." The song is considered to be one of the few rock songs that's actually as raunchy as its reputation and one of the most perfect rock anthems known to humankind. It was played a number of times in the 1983 film The Outsiders. The song was listed at #208 on the 2004 Rolling Stone magazine's feature, The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.