The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me
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Enter Phil Spector, gnomic production genius and songwriter, notoriously egocentric and difficult recluse (he once, famously, scared the Ramones by locking them in the studio and threatening to shoot them) and accused wife/girlfriend murderer. Despite all of this, his contribution to music is staggering - the Wall of Sound, girl groups, The Beatles' Let It Be, The Ramones' End of the Century (a somewhat dubious honour) and the song that received the most airplay in the 20th century (and ever) The Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling.
Spector pioneered the girl group with group likes the Ronettes and the Crystals, working with Lieber and Stoller and songwriters from the Brill Building, creating his signature sound by putting together large groups of musicians playing orchestrated parts, often with more that one of the same instrument playing in unison, resulting in a Wall of Sound that was fatter and louder than his contempories' efforts.
This is evident in Then He Kissed Me, with it's galloping percussion, soaring strings, slightly distorted guitars, hurrumphing sax and the ubiquitous harmonised vocals. The result is the iconic 1963 song - a huge global hit and used to brilliant effect in movies like Scorsese's Goodfellas.
Like good Motown music, this is a timeless song - the fact that it sounds like it was recorded on a dirty tape player in someone's garage doesn't detract from what is, at it's essence, a beautiful love song sung with emotion and, in further keeping with the Motown essence, energy. The song seems to bounce along, propelled by the percussion and vocals. It never sounds particularly sweet or at all twee, something that a song like this would be pilloried for if it was released now. Basically, it's awesome, but not awesome enough to take the Best Song Yet award from Smokey Robinson.
Verdict: Classic
Tomorrow: Jackson Browne - Running on Empty
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