Sometimes, knowing only a few details about a song can prove more mysterious and intriguing than knowing absolutely no details whatsoever about its history.

Karen Verros hailed from Somerset, Massachusetts. In high school, she participated in the drama club, glee club, and junior Red Cross (and apparently worked in the cafeteria during her sophomore year) before graduating in 1964. She then moved to Los Angeles and a little more than a year later released her first single on the Dot label.

How she managed to sign with Dot Records as the new kid in town fresh out of high school remains unknown. Also unknown is how Verros — herself an unknown — managed to work on her first single with heavyweights Dave Hassinger (in the middle of recording with The Stones and soon to work with The Electric Prunes) and Jack Nitzsche (also busy working with The Stones as well as years with Phil Spector).

Another mystery involves how she came to record “You Just Gotta Know My Mind” as her first single, a song written by Donovan but never recorded or released. Donovan was, himself, a relatively underground name in America, a folkie still trying to catch the wind, having just released his debut album Stateside to moderate sales and no radio play. But Hassinger and Nitzsche had UK connections and they could dig the hipness so maybe they scored the tune that way.

The two recording guys crafted an unusual arrangement for Verros, especially for a solo female singer at the time (most of whom were expected to sound like Petula Clark or Judy Collins). The driving guitar and reverb-laden vocals predate the psych-rock sound by about a year, and the backing also rocks harder than anything until Janis and Grace Slick come along. Unfortunately, “You Just Gotta Know My Mind” was too far out (and far ahead) for anyone to get to know Verros in 1965.

Verros made a few TV appearances on Los Angeles music shows alongside some big names, but after joining with a couple of obscure vocal groups it looks like she got out of the game in the early 70s. But she played the game hard while she was in it.