“Then He Kissed Me” by The Crystals is one of the greatest musical achievements ever!

PS the sound also builds as the song plays. It’s incredible

You better hadn’t dare!

[quote]"Then He Kissed Me" is a song written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry. The song, produced by Spector, was initially released as a single on Philles Records (#115) in July 1963 by The Crystals. The lyrics are a narrative of a young woman's encounter, romance, and eventual engagement with a fellow youth. In 2004, this song was #493 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1] Pitchfork placed it at number 18 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".[2] Billboard named the song #8 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.

MARY!!!

That opening has been imitated/copied by so many other groups out there, including The Jesus and Mary Chain in Just Like Honey.

Also, let's not forget one of the most NOT pc songs of all time by The Crystals--He Hit Me and it Felt like a Kiss.

Lmaoooo at these one hit wonders

Hot take: Enya ripped off Phil Spector's Wall of Sound.

I'm sorry but I don't hear any magic in it. It's competent and boppy, but it's not special.

I love this, and I love the Ronettes' "Baby I Love You. "

I love baby carrots!

Elisabeth Shue agrees with you OP

Huh, Phil Spector is eligible for parole in 2024.

There are two films that pop into my head when I hear this, Adventures in Babysitting and Goodfellas

And then he fucked me

Adventures in Babysitting was my introduction to this great song.

The Datalounge Anthem:

"And Then He Hissed Me."

No, it would be "And Then He Pissed on Me"

You're all wrong. "And Then He Punched & Deleted Me".

R14 I thought the same thing!

I’ll grant you this one, OP. It is a great song.

"Not only is it catchy bubblegum pop sweetness..."

*

Aw, fuck that shit, OP...

One of the first singles I ever bought.

For me it evokes the famous Goodfellas steadicam shot as Henry and Karen walk through the Copacabana. There’s probably three generations of people now who heard it for the first time while watching this movie.

Knowing this forum, I am surprised that a bunch of anti-Phil Spector bullshit has not come up in this thread,

similar to the constant anti-Michael Jackson bullshit, that is ongoing in at least 3 threads at any given time on

this forum. The thing is that Phil Spector was found guilty in a court of law, and Michael Jackson was never

found guilty. But Phil Spector is white and Michael Jackson is black. So maybe the anti-Michael Jackson

bullshit that abounds here is really just rooted in racism and/or ignorance. Regardless of Phil Spector's

legal problems, the song is fantastic, always was, and always will be. On a side note I find it strange that

60 million dollars has disappeared from Spector's net-worth since he was imprisoned.

DEAR OP: NO ARGUMENT HERE, GIRL.

What a weird take, R24. Michael Jackson fanatics are so odd. Anyway, one can be capable of appreciating the genius of Phil Spector and the undeniable talent of Michael Jackson without endorsing their private lives and their crimes. But, yeah, great job bringing up Michael out of nowhere.

I can listen to this all the time

Imagine if Phil Spector had produced Thriller instead of Quincy Jones!

Tell him, OP.

[quote]That opening has been imitated/copied by so many other groups out there, including The Jesus and Mary Chain in Just Like Honey.

That's "Be My Baby" whose opening they stole.

The Shangri-las were real...

r29 I bought that 45, too!

This is the first 45 record I bought, r32. Well, that my mother bought. She said my brother and I could each pick out one. I chose this...

Check out the 90's album "Back To Mono" by Phil Spector.

It includes 4 albums," Back To Mono" l, ll, and lll, plus "A Christmas Gift For You".

It is loaded with music from various artists that Spector produced back in the day including lots like The Crystals.

It's expensive to buy, but can be streamed and downloaded.

Definitely 5 stars if your are into this, or grew up back then.

OP, you dumb millennial, there was no "bubblegum" music in 1963. It didn't exist as a genre yet.

Speaking of 1963...

Spector is a genius, there’s no doubt about it.

They were great

[quote]Check out the 90's album "Back To Mono" by Phil Spector.

[quote]It includes 4 albums," Back To Mono" l, ll, and lll, plus "A Christmas Gift For You".

[quote]It is loaded with music from various artists that Spector produced back in the day including lots like The Crystals.

[quote]It's expensive to buy, but can be streamed and downloaded.

[quote]Definitely 5 stars if your are into this, or grew up back then.

If you'd like to buy my copy for $50+, send contact info to dah.dah.dah.daddah.dah at gmail dot com

R6 mentioned it, but to elaborate, their song "He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)" is a strange, strange song. Musically, it's swell. Carole King wrote it after Little "Locomotion" Eva told her that when Eva's boyfriend hit her, he "was showing how much he loved her." Even in the sixties people were like, OH HELL NO, and it received little airplay.

Peaking at #6, "Then He Kissed Me" wasn't even The Crystals biggest hit, but today it's probably their best known song. Sadly, it was their last hit.

I frequently list "Then He Kissed Me" as my favorite song of all time, OP. I used to think it was "Be My Baby," but realized I was probably being influenced by Brian Wilson's frequent citing of the Ronettes' tune as his favorite. I liked the Beach Boys as much as the girl groups, but the girl groups were looking for dick, so...

"Then He Kissed Me" was one of the first 45s I bought when I started collecting records (my first was the prophetic "I Will Follow Him"). I was so young, I believed in the Ellie Greenwich lyrics, "then he asked me to be his bride, and always be right by his side, I felt so happy I almost cried, and then he kissed me." It was such a nicer thing to believe in than the eventuality of "I Will Follow Him" or the nasty-ass bitch life projected by the Angels in "My Boyfriend's Back."

I wasn't thinking these things at the time, of course. I just loved the totality of the music. All of it came to me years later, as I sought out the He who would Kiss Me and make me feel so happy I'd almost cry. Sadly, I ended up more of a Little Peggy March than a LaLa Brooks.

I loved all of these songs. And the Beach Boys. I've often wondered how long Phil Spector might have gone on making these really great records had the British Invasion not happened.

Oh, and the bubblegum thing didn't start until 1968 with the 1910 Fruitgum Company and the Ohio Express. That's a whole five years later.

The Fleetwoods...

R12 Elisabeth Shue dances like a man