"Then He Kissed Me" | ||||
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Single by The Crystals | ||||
Released | July 12, 1963 | |||
Format | Vinyl | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:35 | |||
Label | London | |||
Writer(s) | Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry | |||
Producer(s) | Phil Spector | |||
The Crystals singles chronology | ||||
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"Then I Kissed Her" | ||||
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Single by The Beach Boys | ||||
from the album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) | ||||
B-side | "Mountain of Love" | |||
Released | May 1967 | |||
Format | 7" vinyl | |||
Recorded | May 5, 1965 | |||
Genre | Rock, pop | |||
Length | 2:15 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Writer(s) | Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry | |||
Producer(s) | Brian Wilson | |||
The Beach Boys singles chronology | ||||
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"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 in July 1963 by The Crystals. It is a narrative of a young woman's encounter, romance, and eventual marriage with a fellow youth.
In 2004, this song was #493 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.Pitchfork Media placed it at number 18 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".
The single is one of The Crystals' most remembered songs. The lead vocal was sung by Dolores "LaLa" Brooks. In the United States the single peaked at number six and in the United Kingdom the single peaked at number two. The single was The Crystals' third single to chart in the top ten in the United States and their second to reach the top ten in the United Kingdom. The song was also a major hit in the Republic of Ireland, reaching number three in the charts there.
The song was re-worded to the title "Then I Kissed Her" and released by The Beach Boys on their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) with Al Jardine on lead vocals and production by Brian Wilson. Beyond title and gender changes, new lyrics were written retelling the story of the Crystals' song from the boyfriend's point of view.
Two years after appearing on the album, in April 1967 the song was released as a single in the United Kingdom, appearing as a stop-gap release while work continued on the "Heroes and Villains" single. This was reportedly done against the band's wishes, Beach Boys band member Mike Love commented on May 7, 1967 "The record company didn't even have the decency to put out one of Brian’s own compositions. The reason for the hold up with a new single has simply been that we wanted to give our public the best and the best isn't ready yet."