1) The Crystals were one of the most… Read Full Bio ↴Two artists exist by this name:
1) The Crystals were one of the most successful girl groups of the early 60s, Known for their association with producer Phil Spector, they had several well-remembered hit singles such as "He's A Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron", and "Then He Kissed Me". They were also trailblazers for many later African-American pop artists.
2) The Crystals was also the name of an obscure doo-wop group organised by the enigmatic Sun Ra in the mid-50s. Little is known about them. However, their tune "Honey In The Bee Box" was featured in the compilation album 'Interplanetary Melodies' on Norton Records, an album which has received critical acclaim.
3). If you are here for the Italian progressive rock band Crystals, they are not "The Crystals". Refer to the Crystals band page for more information and please fix your tags.
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In the late 50s, Barbara Alston, Mary Thomas, Delores "Dee Dee" Kennibrew, Merna Girard and Patricia "Patsy" Wright formed a singing project called "The Crystals" in high school. Under the leadership of Alston's uncle, Benny Wells, they wanted to aim for the big time. Soon, the quintet signed with Phil Spector's label Philles Records. Spector then chose Alston to be the group's lead singer, which made her very uncomfortable since she had a fear of singing in front of audiences.
Their first hit was 1961's "There's No Other Like My Baby". This song's B-side "Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby" (featuring Wright on lead) and the following single "Uptown" were topical and socially-aware pieces about growing up in the ghetto. After the success of "Uptown", a pregnant Girard was replaced by Dolores "LaLa" Brooks. The next single was 1962's "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)", still widely remembered though only rarely played on the radio due to the touchy subject matter of spousal abuse. Sales were sluggish.
Soon after "He Hit Me" flopped, Phil Spector began recording singer Darlene Love and her backing group The Blossoms under the name "The Crystals". Legend has it that the real Crystals were not able to travel from New York to Los Angeles fast enough to suit the LA-based Spector, who wanted to quickly record and release "He's a Rebel" (written by Gene Pitney) before anyone else had a chance to cover it and have a hit with it. The Crystals were unavailable, but Love and the Blossoms were also based in LA, so Spector recorded them and put the record out under The Crystals' banner.
"He's A Rebel" is perhaps the Crystals' most well-remembered and beloved songs, and one of the most enduring of the girl group genre. It was also their only US #1 hit. The follow-up Crystals single, "He's Sure the Boy I Love", in actuality also featured Love and The Blossoms.
The next single credited to The Crystals is one of the rarest -- and also possibly the strangest -- in rock music history. Reports vary as to the actual motivation behind the recording, but most agree that Phil Spector was looking for a way to annoy former business partner Lester Sill. What he came up with was a nearly six-minute song called "Let's Dance The Screw - Part I", which would be unplayable on 1963 radio. The record featured simple instrumentation (very much unlike Spector's famous Wall of Sound production style), repetitive lyrics, and Spector himself intoning the lyric "Dance The Screw" numerous times in a deadpan monotone. (The B-side, Part II, was more of the same.) The Crystals sang the song's repetitive verses, though it is unclear if these singers were the 'real' Crystals or The Blossoms.
The single was never commercially released, and only a few copies are known to exist (all marked D.J. COPY - NOT FOR SALE). The record was apparently only created to be a bizarre sort of joke at Sill's expense, as a single copy was specially delivered to him in early 1963.
Though it's unclear as to the level of their participation in "Let's Dance The Screw", the 'real' Crystals definitely began recording again under their own name in 1963. However, Thomas had departed to get married which reduced them to a quartet, and Alston stepped down from the lead spot giving it to Brooks.
After "Let's Dance The Screw", the group's next release was the classic "Da Doo Ron Ron." According to Darlene Love, the track was originally recorded by The Blossoms, with Love on lead vocal. Prior to release, Spector erased Love's lead vocal and replaced it with a vocal by LaLa Brooks, although he kept the Blossoms' backing vocals in place. The song was a top 10 hit in both the US and the UK, as was the follow-up single "Then He Kissed Me" — the first Crystals single since "He Hit Me" to feature all members of the Crystals as a definite group.
Both "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me" were penned by Spector with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.
Despite the steady flow of hit singles, tensions between Spector and the Crystals mounted. Already unhappy with having been replaced by Love and company on two singles, The Crystals were even more upset when in 1964, Spector began focusing much of his time on rival girl group The Ronettes. Two failed Crystals singles followed, before the band left Spector's Philles Records for Imperial Records later in 1964. 1964 also saw the departure of Wright who was replaced by Frances Collins; toward the end of that year Alston departed leaving the group a trio. They disbanded in 1966. They reunited in 1971 and toured widely in varying incarnations on the oldies circuit; they still occasionally perform today. Kennibrew is the only original Crystal who remained active throughout their touring from the seventies to the present.
Lead singer Barbara Alston (September 28, 1943 – February 16, 2018) died at a Charlotte hospital in 2018.
Chapel of Love
The Crystals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Going to the chapel and we're gonna to get married
Gee, I really love you and we're gonna to get married
Going to the chapel of love
Spring is here
the sky is blue
Whoa! the birds all sing as if they knew
and we'll never be lonely anymore
Because we're going to the chapel and we're gonna get married
Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married
Gee, I really love you and we're gonna get married
Going to the chapel of love
Bells will ring
The sun will shine
Whoa, I'll be his and he'll be mine
We'll love until the end of time
And we'll never be lonely anymore
Because we're going to the chapel and we're gonna get married
Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married
Gee, I really love you and we're gonna get married
Going to the chapel of love
(yeah yeah yeah yeah)
Going to the chapel of love
(yeah yeah yeah yeah)
Going to the chapel of love (fade out)
The lyrics of The Crystals' hit "Chapel of Love" are a celebration of love and marriage. The song depicts a couple in love, who are about to tie the knot and start their life together. The repeated refrain "going to the chapel and we're gonna get married" conveys their excitement and anticipation for the big day. The song also acknowledges the arrival of spring, with its blue skies and chirping birds, adding to the feeling of joy and new beginnings.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of never being lonely anymore, implying that the couple is ready to face the world together as partners. The use of the phrase "going to the chapel of love" conveys a sense of tradition and nostalgia, with the idea of getting married in a chapel being a long-held tradition in many cultures. The final lines of the song, "going to the chapel of love" repeated several times, effectively end the song with a sense of anticipation and excitement for the couple's big day.
Line by Line Meaning
Going to the chapel and we're gonna to get married
We are on our way to the chapel, where we plan to get married.
Going to the chapel and we're gonna to get married
We are on our way to the chapel, where we plan to get married.
Gee, I really love you and we're gonna to get married
I love you so much and we are getting married.
Going to the chapel of love
We are heading towards a place where we will commit to a life of love.
Spring is here
The season of spring has arrived.
the sky is blue
The sky has a beautiful blue color.
Whoa! the birds all sing as if they knew
The birds are chirping joyously as if they are aware of our marriage.
Today's the day, we'll say, "I do"
This is the day we've been waiting for, the day we will exchange our vows.
and we'll never be lonely anymore
From this day forward, we will never feel alone.
Because we're going to the chapel and we're gonna get married
Our impending marriage is the reason we are on our way to the chapel.
Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married
Our impending marriage is the reason we are on our way to the chapel.
Gee, I really love you and we're gonna get married
I am expressing my love for you and reiterating that we are getting married.
Going to the chapel of love
The chapel we're headed to is a place dedicated to love.
Bells will ring
There will be the sound of wedding bells.
The sun will shine
The sun will be shining brightly.
Whoa, I'll be his and he'll be mine
We will belong to each other.
We'll love until the end of time
We will love each other forever.
And we'll never be lonely anymore
We will always have each other, so we won't be lonely anymore.
Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married
Our soon-to-be marriage is the reason we are heading to the chapel.
Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married
Our soon-to-be marriage is the reason we are heading to the chapel.
Gee, I really love you and we're gonna get married
I am expressing my love for you and confirming that we are getting married.
Going to the chapel of love
We are heading to a chapel that symbolizes love.
(yeah yeah yeah yeah)
An exclamation of excitement.
Going to the chapel of love (fade out)
We are going to a place where our love will be celebrated and honored.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: JEFF BARRY, ELLIE GREENWICH, PHILLIP SPECTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
K G
Goin' to the chapel
And we're gonna get married
Goin' to the chapel
And we're gonna get married
Gee, I really love you
And we're gonna get married
Goin' to the chapel of love
Spring is here, the sky is blue, whoa
Birds all sing as if they knew
Today's the day we'll say "I do"
And we'll never be lonely anymore
Because we're goin' to the chapel
And we're gonna get married
Goin' to the chapel
And we're gonna get married
Gee, I really love you
And we're gonna get married
Goin' to the chapel of love
Bells will ring, the sun will shine, whoa
I'll be his and he'll be mine
We'll love until the end of time
And we'll never be lonely anymore
Because we're goin' to the chapel
And we're gonna get married
Goin' to the chapel
And we're gonna get married
Gee, I really love you
And we're gonna get married
Goin' to the chapel of love
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Goin' to the chapel of love
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
James Crawley
My parents had another wedding to renew their vows. Dad had this song play while mom came down the aisle. This is their song. It was playing on the jukebox when they met. 50 years they're still together.
Marsiela Alvarez
Thank you everyone 😊
Julie Reminiec
I dedicated this song to my niece & nephew in law when they got married
Cookie Michelle
That is sooo sweet 😍😭
Delores Spencer
Mu older sisters used to sing this to us younger sisters 🙏🏽❤️ good memories
Cookie Michelle
@Delores Spencer 🙂
Nicole Dingle
Getting married today and this song gives me all the feels!!!❤
Josh
Oh my goodness, so happy you found this song right before your wedding. Hope you too have enjoyed your first two months together!!
Hoyt Bullock
Getting married today!!! Found this song, and it absolutely express's my feelings on this wonderful day. Love you Honey!!!!!
sarah gale
Hope you had a wonderful day xx