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.
Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers
The Crystals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And everything is quiet for the night
When suddenly the clock strikes twelve, the fun's begun
The dolls are in their best arrayed
There's going to be a wonderful parade
Hark to the drum, "oh here they come" cries everyone
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
Bayonets flashing, music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
Sabers a-clinking, soldiers a-winking at each pretty little maid
Here they come, here they come
Here they come, here they come
Wooden soldiers on parade
The toy shop door is locked up tight
And everything is quiet for the night
When suddenly the clock strikes twelve, the fun's begun
The dolls are in their best arrayed
There's going to be a wonderful parade
Hark to the drum, oh here they come cries everyone
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
Bayonets flashing, music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
Bayonets flashing, music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
The Crystals’ song “Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers” is a charming and playful tune that describes a magical moment in a toy shop. The lyrics take the listener on a journey as the clock strikes twelve and the toy shop transforms into an enchanting world of dancing dolls and wooden soldiers. The song emphasizes the festive feeling of the moment and adds a lighthearted touch to the magic of Christmas. The chorus, “wooden soldiers on parade”, emphasizes the spectacle of the scene, capturing the essence of the magical moment.
The song’s lyrics beautifully describe the scene, as the dolls are dressed in their finest attire and the wooden soldiers march in perfect synchrony. The song’s instrumentation, with its marching drum and crashing cymbals, evokes the image of a grand parade. The soldiers are depicted as being stiff and rigid, in a humorous way, which creates a playful and enjoyable atmosphere throughout the song.
Overall, “Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers” is a delightful Christmas song that captures the enchantment of the festive season. It is a cheerful reminder of the simple joys that can bring a smile to one’s face during the holidays.
Line by Line Meaning
The toy shop door is locked up tight
The entrance to the toy shop is completely closed and secured
And everything is quiet for the night
No noise or activity can be heard throughout the night
When suddenly the clock strikes twelve, the fun's begun
As soon as the clock strikes midnight, all the excitement and entertainment starts
The dolls are in their best arrayed
The dolls are dressed in their finest and most impressive outfits
There's going to be a wonderful parade
A magnificent procession is about to take place
Hark to the drum, "oh here they come" cries everyone
Everyone starts shouting and signalling as soon as they hear the sound of the drum, announcing the arrival of the parade
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
Everyone cheers louder as the parade gets closer
There's the captain stiff as starch
The leader of the parade, the captain, is standing straight and unmoving
Bayonets flashing, music is crashing
The sharp weapons of the parade are being exposed, and the music is getting louder and more intense
As the wooden soldiers march
The wooden soldiers are walking in a set formation
Sabers a-clinking, soldiers a-winking at each pretty little maid
The swords are making a clinking sound and the soldiers are winking at the attractive women watching the parade
Here they come, here they come
The parade is arriving and approaching
Here they come, here they come
The parade is arriving and approaching
Wooden soldiers on parade
The wooden soldiers are marching through the parade
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BALLARD MACDONALD, LEON JESSEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stephencoomer5692
The toy shop door is locked up tight
And everything is quiet for the night
When suddenly
The clock strikes twelve
The fun's begun
The dolls are in their best arrayed
There's going to be a wonderful parade
Hark to the drum
Oh, here they come
Cries everyone
Hear them all cheering
Now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
Bayonet's flashing
Music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
Sabres a-clinking
Soldiers a-winking
At each pretty little maid
Here they come, here they come
Here they come, here they come
Wooden soldiers on parade
The toy shop door is locked up tight
And everything is quiet for the night
When suddenly
The clock strikes twelve
The fun's begun
The dolls are in their best arrayed
There's going to be a wonderful parade
Hark to the drum
Oh, here they come
Cries everyone
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
Bayonet's flashing, music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
Bayonet's flashing, music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
@harrietholmes797
The toy shop door is locked up tight
And everything is quiet for the night
When suddenly
The clock strikes twelve
The funs begun
The dolls are in their best arrayed
Theres going to be a wonderfu parad
Hark to the drum
Oh here they come
Cries everyone
Hear them all cheering
Now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
Bayonets flashing
Music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
Sabres a clinking
Soldiers a winking
At each pretty little maid
Here they come here they come
Here they come here they come
Wooden soldiers on parade
🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎷🎷🎼🎼🎵🪕
The toy shop door is locked up tight
And everything is quiet for the night
When suddenly
The clock strikes twelve
The funs begun
The dolls are in their best arrayed
Theres going to be a wonderfu parad
Hark to the drum
Oh here they come
Cries everyone
Hear them all cheering
Now they are nearing
Theres the captain stiff as starch
Bayonets flashing Music is crashing As the wooden soldiers march
Here them all cheering
Now they are nearing
Theres the captain stiff as starch
Bayonets flashing
Music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
@lisasmith9536
Heard this on the radio we have at work, hadn't heard it before
@Bangus
The percussion on this track is insane
@Kgio-2112
You are right!
@marcbyrnes293
As a drummer of a number of years, Im in complete agreement
@chanslorvalorum6905
@@marcbyrnes293
Right on
@donpierson
The drummer is the late Hal Blaine :)
@jamescarrington6504
I love those trumpets 🎺 very unique for a Christmas song
@robinwilson1433
I had not known the track before. You hardly need to listen to it to know you are going to like it & that it is the real stuff!
@zachsmith3
Song really kicks ass
It's combining a sort of innocent vibe with a driving beat
perfection
@ryanm7249
Finally got the Phil Spector album for Christmas last year and it is awesome! This is my favorite song from the album and one of my favorite unheard Christmas songs. The Crystals are an awesome group!