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.
He Hit Me
The Crystals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it felt like a kiss
He hit me
But it didn't hurt me
He couldn't stand to hear me say
That I'd been with someone new,
And when I told him I had been untrue
He hit me
And it felt like a kiss
He hit me
And I knew he loved me
If he didn't care for me
I could have never made him mad
But he hit me,
And I was glad
Yes, he hit me
And it felt like a kiss
He hit me
And I knew I loved him
And then he took me in his arms
With all the tenderness there is,
And when he kissed me,
He made me his
The Crystals song "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" has an incredibly powerful and controversial message. The lead vocalist, Barbara Alston, sings about having an abusive relationship and how she rationalizes the abuse as a symbol of love. The lyrics are about a woman who has cheated on her partner and when she confesses to him, he hits her. Alston sings, "He hit me, and it felt like a kiss. He hit me, but it didn't hurt me". These lines show how the woman is equating being hit with emotional connection rather than physical pain. She believes that the man loves her because he cares enough to hit her.
This song was written by songwriting partners Gerry Goffin and Carole King, who were married at the time. Back in the 1960s, domestic violence wasn't talked about, so the song's message wasn't understood or accepted by everyone. In fact, the song was banned from many radio stations due to its controversial subject matter.
Despite the controversy, "He Hit Me" is a masterful example of songwriting that explores some of the darker corners of human nature. The song has since become a classic, covered by a range of artists, from Smog to Hole. It's a haunting and complex song that continues to this day to stimulate debate and discussion.
Line by Line Meaning
He hit me
The singer's partner physically assaulted them.
And it felt like a kiss
The singer was so in love with their partner that any interaction, even a violent one, felt romantic and desirable.
He hit me
The physical abuse continued.
But it didn't hurt me
Despite the violence, the artist felt no pain or harm from the assault, potentially due to their emotional attachment to their partner.
He couldn't stand to hear me say
That I'd been with someone new,
And when I told him I had been untrue
The artist's partner was jealous and possessive, to the point of reacting violently when the artist mentioned being with someone else.
He hit me
The physical abuse continued.
And it felt like a kiss
The singer continued to perceive the violence as a sign of their partner's love and affection.
He hit me
The physical abuse continued.
And I knew he loved me
The artist was convinced that their partner's violence was a display of love and caring, despite the harm it caused.
If he didn't care for me
I could have never made him mad
The artist believes that their partner's violent outbursts were a result of their intense feelings and attachment to the artist.
But he hit me,
And I was glad
Despite the harm caused by the violence, the singer was happy to receive any attention or affection from their partner, even if it was abusive.
Yes, he hit me
And it felt like a kiss
The artist reiterates the paradoxical and disturbing nature of their experience - that violence felt like love and affection.
He hit me
And I knew I loved him
And then he took me in his arms
With all the tenderness there is,
And when he kissed me,
He made me his
The song ends with the singer describing a scene of physical intimacy with their partner, which they believe validated and reaffirmed their belief that the violence was a manifestation of love.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CAROLE KING, GERRY GOFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thismayaswellhappen
I’m glad people are understanding that this isn’t promoting domestic abuse but is actually portraying the mindset of an abuse victim. But what’s interesting is that this song is also a portrayal of an unhealthy relationship on both sides. They’re both guilty of being bad partners. And this interpretation happens simply from the addition of the line “and when I told him I had been untrue” which basically says she admits to having cheated.
This is in no way excusing hitting your partner but suddenly his hit doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It can’t be assumed this is a usual thing. There’s a reason for it. He’s suddenly a bit more sympathetic because of course anyone would feel upset about that sort of thing like how a women is often portrayed slapping a cheating boyfriend.
Suddenly this isn’t a song simply about someone excusing their abusive partner, it’s a song about two people who clearly should not be in a relationship with one another. And yet they still are. It’s that dysfunctional couple that you wish would break up for good but stay together for whatever reason and this song feels more like it’s being sung from the female’s perspective clearly showing the reason she herself stays is because she loves him. Truly. Despite cheating. In a way, it makes it seem like she did it to gain his attention anyways.
This won’t be a popular interpretation as many sympathize with the concept of someone staying in an abusive relationship simply out of love for their horrible partner. Many victims in those sorts of relationships never participate in cheating after all and can be very faithful to their violent partner. That tends to be the type of domestic abuse victim you think of. But really if you’ve been intentionally physically harmed by your partner regardless of what may have triggered it—you are technically still a domestic abuse victim.
I bring this up because while the song may have been written to explore the mindset of someone in a bad relationship, because of the addition of that one particular line, it really adds another layer to this tune.
I go back to the girlfriend slapping an unfaithful boyfriend trope that is so so very common. It’s probably the most widely accepted and seen type of domestic abuse that some might not feel is abuse at all but well deserved. Yet no one here in the comments feels that way about the singer in this song. There are double standards involved, yes. But I feel—and what I hope—people understand from this song is that there is absolutely no real good reason to physically hurt your partner. (Unless of course you’re doing it out of self defense in the event they’re attacking you.) But if they cheated on you it doesn’t give you a free pass to harm them. No one should ever be a victim of domestic abuse. Theres seldom any excuse for it. And this song really captures that message. And that’s why I like it so much. You don’t need to be the idealized innocent victim for people to still be able to see that what’s happening to you isn’t right. In a way it’s one of the most inclusive songs about domestic abuse.
@slutberryshortcake1918
He hit me and it felt like a kiss
He hit me but it didn't hurt me
He couldn't stand to hear me say
That I'd been with someone new
And when I told him I had been untrue
He hit me and it felt like a kiss
He hit me and I knew he loved me
If he didn't care for me
I could have never made him mad
But he hit me and I was glad
Yes, he hit me and it felt like a kiss
He hit me and I knew I loved him
And then he took me in his arms
With all the tenderness there is
And when he kissed me, he made me his
@lovefromwonderland
if people actually knew the story behind the song, they would know this is NOT endorsing abusive relationships.
gerry goffin and carole king wrote this song when they found out that their babysitter, eva boyd, was being abused by her boyfriend. when they asked her why she put up with it, she said his actions were out of love.
this is a song about falling in love with the wrong person, being so blinded by your infatuation that you submit to their abuse. that’s why the song sounds so whimsical. it’s a fantasy, a dream by the victim, believing all this abuse comes from a place of love.
@sakhile9003
I misunderstood the song
@Amerie352
Problem is that this song is misleading. Who bothers to look into the back stories of any song? Some teenagers might easily be led into believing this is fine
@clairehnetinka8064
@@sakhile9003 - you didn't misunderstand at all. @lovefromwonderland is the one who's not getting it. This song was pulled from the air waves because of the harmful message.
@clairehnetinka8064
I don't buy this for a moment. He hit her cause she cheated and she appreciated it. That's what the song is saying. It is not the autionary tale you're making it out to be.
@lovefromwonderland
You don’t have to believe me, the story I’m telling is true. If you want to believe it’s not a cautionary tale, please go nuts.
@silversnail1413
One of the darkest and most quietly subversive pop songs ever.
@LiterallyStephenSondheim
This song is pretty genius, it's arranged and sung so cheerfully but the lyrics are devastating.
@jesseemullen
The vocals are fairly morose though. The vocal melody is practically Gregorian Chant. I like that it shows the contrast between the love she feels and the grim reality of the situation.
@comedycomedy6888
@@jesseemullenYes, the music is very grim, with the beats coming down like hammer blows.