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.

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What a Nice Way to Turn 17
The Crystals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My birthday candles
Have all gone out

The party's through
And I'm alone with you
Woah (what a nice way to turn seventeen)

I feel your sweet lips
Against my cheek
The lights are off
Your shoulder feels so soft
(What a nice way to turn seventeen)

My friends all bought me
So many gifts
But yours is the one I'm proudest of
A golden heart
Inscribed to me
("Happy birthday with all my love")

It feels like heaven
Here in your arms
Don't let me go
'Cause gee, I love, oh, I love you so
(What a nice way to turn seventeen)
I'm seventeen

Overall Meaning

The Crystals's song "What A Nice Way To Turn 17" is a beautiful song that tells the story of a girl experiencing her seventeenth birthday. The song opens with the melancholic observation that her birthday candles have all gone out and the party is over, but she's not alone; she's with the person she loves. This person appears to hold a special place in her heart and she relishes the moment with him. As the song progresses, she explains that she received several gifts from friends, but the one she's proudest of is from the person she loves: a golden heart with "happy birthday and all my love" inscribed on it. She is in heaven in his arms and doesn't want to let go.

The song speaks to the beauty of young love's innocence, in which the smallest things can make the heart feel full. It is a coming-of-age song that captures the essence of what it is like to be young, carefree, and in love. The lyrics are simple yet profound, with a universal message that resonates regardless of age or race.

Line by Line Meaning

My birthday candles
The candles on my birthday cake

Have all gone out
Are no longer lit

The party's through
The celebration has ended

And I'm alone with you
I am with you in solitude

Woah (what a nice way to turn seventeen)
Expressing excitement for turning seventeen

I feel your sweet lips
I am sensing the touch of your lips

Against my cheek
On my facial area

The lights are off
There is no light in the room

Your shoulder feels so soft
I am touching your soft shoulder

(What a nice way to turn seventeen)
Expressing excitement for turning seventeen

My friends all bought me
My friends have all given me

So many gifts
Numerous presents

But yours is the one I'm proudest of
Yours is the one that gives me the most pride

A golden heart
A heart-shaped object made of gold

Inscribed to me
With words engraved on it specifically for me

("Happy birthday with all my love")
A message of love wishing me a happy birthday

It feels like heaven
This experience is extremely pleasurable

Here in your arms
Being held by you

Don't let me go
Please continue to hold me

'Cause gee, I love, oh, I love you so
Expressing strong affection towards you

(What a nice way to turn seventeen)
Expressing excitement for turning seventeen

I'm seventeen
I have turned seventeen years old

Contributed by Gabriella P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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lyrics

My birthday candles
Have all gone out

The party's through
And I'm alone with you
Woah, what a nice way to turn seventeen

I feel your sweet lips
Against my cheek
The lights are off
Your shoulder feels so soft
What a nice way to turn seventeen

My friends all bought me
So many gifts
But yours is the one I'm proudest of
A golden heart
Inscribed to me
"Happy birthday with all my love"

It feels like heaven
Here in your arms
Don't let me go
'Cause gee, I love, oh, I love you so
What a nice way to turn seventeen

I’m seventeen