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.
Woman In Love
The Crystals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not the woman who points out how the strong woman stumbles,
Or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The credit belongs to the woman who is actually in the arena,
Where are you standing?
Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
Who strives valiantly; who errs,
Who comes short again and again,
But who actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms,
The great devotions;
Who spends herself in a worthy cause;
Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
And who at the worst, if she fails,
At least fails while daring greatly,
So that her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls
Who neither know victory nor defeat.
The lyrics to The Crystals' song "Woman In Love" are actually a spoken word introduction and not a part of the song itself. The spoken word piece is actually an excerpt from a speech made by President Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1910. He was speaking to the value of being in the arena, of taking risks and making mistakes, versus "the cold and timid souls" who never venture to try.
The speech is specifically about women in society and how they should be given more opportunities to be "in the arena," to strive for greatness, and to be judged by their own accomplishments rather than by how they fit into societal norms. The Crystals' use of this speech as an introduction to their song is a bold statement about female empowerment and the importance of women being allowed to take risks and fight for their dreams.
Overall, by including this excerpt from Roosevelt's speech, The Crystals are acknowledging and empowering all women who have struggled, erred, and persevered in the face of societal challenges and should be celebrated for continuing to dare greatly.
Line by Line Meaning
It is not the critic who counts;
The opinion of those who do not take part in action doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
It's not the woman who points out how the strong woman stumbles,
The woman who tries to bring down another woman for her mistakes is not the one who should be praised.
Or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
Criticism does not help the situation, as there will always be things that could have been done better.
The credit belongs to the woman who is actually in the arena,
The woman that deserves credit is the one who takes action and is not afraid of failure.
Where are you standing?
What are you doing to make a difference in the world?
Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
The woman who is truly working hard to achieve great things, has to put in effort and face challenges.
Who strives valiantly; who errs,
Even if a woman doesn't always succeed, she should be celebrated for trying.
Who comes short again and again,
Failure is a natural part of the journey and does not make the woman any less worthy of admiration.
Because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;
Every attempt or effort at doing something great comes along with mistakes and setbacks.
But who actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms,
What's important is trying, having passion and enthusiasm to pursue your goals and dreams.
The great devotions;
Making an effort to achieve something great requires dedication and commitment.
Who spends herself in a worthy cause;
A woman who works hard and dedicates herself to a meaningful cause is deserving of praise and recognition.
Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
The woman who is persistent in her efforts usually achieves her goals and experiences the joy of victory.
And who at the worst, if she fails,
Even if she fails, she should be proud of her efforts and learn from her mistakes.
At least fails while daring greatly,
Taking a risk and daring to do something great is commendable, even if it doesn't always work out.
So that her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls
A woman who takes initiative and is brave enough to take risks is not the same as someone who is fearful and hesitant to do anything.
Who neither know victory nor defeat.
Those who never take action or are too afraid to try anything, will never know what it means to truly win or lose.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Crystal Moise, Theodore Roosevelt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind