Two artists exist by this name:

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.

Rudolph the Red‐Nosed Reindeer
The Crystals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph

Join in any reindeer games

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

You'll go down in history
You'll go down in history

Overall Meaning

The song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer tells the story of Rudolph, a reindeer who is different from the rest because of his shiny, red nose. The other reindeer used to laugh and call him names, and he was never allowed to play their games. However, one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa needed a guide to help him deliver presents in the dark, snowy weather. He chose Rudolph and asked him to lead the way with his bright nose. The other reindeer were amazed and impressed by Rudolph's unique talent, and they finally accepted him as one of their own. The song ends with the line, "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, you'll go down in history."

The lyrics of this classic Christmas song speak to the values of acceptance and tolerance for those who are different. Rudolph is initially rejected and ostracized by his peers because he is not like them. However, when his unusual trait proves to be useful and beneficial, the other reindeer change their attitudes and embrace him. This message of inclusivity has made the song a beloved holiday classic for generations.

Line by Line Meaning

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
There was a reindeer named Rudolph, who had a red and shiny nose.

Had a very shiny nose
Rudolph's nose was incredibly shiny.

And if you ever saw it
If you ever saw Rudolph's nose,

You would even say it glows
You would probably think it's glowing.

All of the other reindeer
Every other reindeer,

Used to laugh and call him names
Used to make fun of Rudolph by calling him names.

They never let poor Rudolph
They never allowed Rudolph,

Join in any reindeer games
To play any reindeer games with them.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Then on one Christmas Eve when there was a lot of fog,

Santa came to say
Santa arrived and said,

"Rudolph with your nose so bright,
"Rudolph, with your brightly shining nose,

Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Can you lead my sleigh tonight?"

Then how the reindeer loved him
The other reindeer admired and appreciated Rudolph,

As they shouted out with glee
And they shouted with happiness and excitement,

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Rudolph, with his red and shiny nose,

You'll go down in history
Will be remembered forever as a legend.

Lyrics © ST. NICHOLAS MUSIC INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Johnny Marks

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Stephen Reed

4y↑8

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history
You'll go down in history

All comments from YouTube:

Charles Wagner

8y↑28

There is nothing like the Phil Spector Christmas Album and all its hit performances. This is the album by which all Christmas albums past and present should be measured by.