Tommy James & The Shondells Crimson & Clover Reaction
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
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Really happy to see this !
“Crystal Blue Persuasion” is good too and I’ll tell you why . We believed every word of the song .
Keep in mind this country at that time was going through a great deal of turmoil .
So many movements going on simultaneously re: human rights , civil rights Equal rights movement (still don’t have that amendment btw), Watergate, anti-establishmentarianism, Black Panthers, Caesar Chavez, anti war , etc. *my profile pic is vintage Vietnam era poster . My husband was a vet. It’s still on my wall .
I recall you stating you’re in mind of events etc re: music . Our songs are literally historical content of the mindset of the nation .
We just KNEW the “dream” , the “age of Aquarius “ was right there for the having ,
We could love and befriend anyone freely . For a minute we lived it in its totality. We had hopes for true peace, acceptance, inclusion and celebration on a level that was epic . Mentally , emotionally. and spiritually we celebrated each other.
When you do songs from this era I think it critical to see the bigger picture. I’m quite disappointed in many who “forgot “. I’m also grateful for those who didn’t .
We find ourselves in a very similar situation currently and as it begins to ramp up its chaotic. It’s called “labor pains”. All birth is painful.
What gets us through it ? Music . It seems to begin there .
The idea creates the music that inspires action that lead outcome. Change. Music is truly of the soul and a universal language.
Hippies were awesome . Ok -I was awesome 😎. WE were awesome and now? The music is once again called forth giving birth to the “idea “ that hope provides sanity and strength for actions which become change .
It was that intense. This era and my generation is unique historically as we were as I call it “cuspers”. We saw the end of society as we knew it and the beginning of a new one. Closing of one door and the opening of another and it was beautiful.
It was also tumultuous. College kids were killed at Kent State . But despite the gravity of the time it was a most beautiful chaos and we dared to dream .
These are our anthems . Our hopes and dreams forever recorded. Our legacy .
You’ll find that in all genres and lyrics from this era. From ghettos , love , play , loss and life to ecology and Spirit. It’s how we saw things . It’s how we lived . You’ll find music that contrasted our ideals too.
“Dissing” didn’t originate in “rap”. Off top of my head I’d say Neil Young with “Southern Man” and Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama “. The issue ? Racism and Watergate mentioned to boot .
Like Kenny Gamble says “Message in the music “ series he does weekly from Philly. He’s in the song writers hall of fame with Leon Huff. I’m certain you’ve heard his songs .
But there’s a wedge of historical content and context in a small window that tack down where we were, where we were going and what we had hoped to achieve.
It really matters .Our souls are in these recordings. Some songs will tear you apart .
Tommy James was feel good look for the light in each other kinda music .
SSShadow Wolf Ball of Fire & Draggin the line
Ssshadow Wolf you said it all. Exactly Right. I remember the place, person and time, post Woodstock. End of Summer, the Happiest of Times
It goes by so fast.
Grace Cheri I think when we can share the mindset it takes him or other reactors to a new place of understanding.
It was great to be young then . My parents said “ for you maybe but scary for parents!”
Rhonda Ross oh yeah! Mony Mony too!
Grace Cheri Thank you Grace . It was a most unique time .
Tommy James is also a Christian. The song Sweet Cherry Wine is about the blood of Jesus. Another song Crystal Blue Persuasion is another song about humanity. Also listen to his other songs: Mony Mony and She, I Think we're Alone Now.
Tommy James woke up one morning and looked out his window from his bed. In the window, Tommy's favorite plant, Clover, was resting their as the sun rose. The clover was ringed with a brightening sunrise, which he described as crimson. The song, once understood, is that feeling of waking in the morning and feeling so good that the day is new.
Jason Psilopoulos....Right!.... all the "acid rockers" in high school loved this song! They said Tommy James' liked the color red and clover was his favorite flower.
You got ripped off, my friend. This is the short version. The long version will blow your mind. Crimson and Clover was called the first "vibrating song" and for a good reason.
Yep, ripped off
Yes the long version has lots of cool guitar parts in the middle of it.
I agree 100%
Listen to long version. Please!
Must do the long version
Tiffany with "I Think We're Alone Now", Billy Idol with "Mony Mony", and Joan Jett with "Crimson and Clover" all had hits with covers of Tommy James songs. In fact, Tommy James is the only artist in Rock history to have a cover of one of his songs at number one to be replaced by another cover of his songs. 110 million plus sold and still not in the Rock Hall of Fame for some odd reason.
The remake from Joan Jett was killer!
Unfortunately they were in a very rich time for music, abundant amount of talent , until people of today started listening to yesteryears music has there even been a chance for all of the greats that aren’t in.
Peace love and joy to you and yours
EDIT:
Please keep up your quest in exploring the music of yesteryear’s!!!!!
This was typical of the sound of the psychedelic era. I was friends with the head of the AV dept at one job and he told me a story about Tommy James being a professional. They were doing an outdoor concert and they were to go on and no Tommy. The band was into the intro when my friend and crew went looking for him. They found him amongst the equipment trailers staring at the stars obviously high. He kept saying how beautiful the stars were. They guided him back to the stage, shoved the mic in his hand and pushed him on stage. As soon as he hit the spotlight a switch flipped and he was stone sober and launched into the song. He's still out there singing and does a show on satellite radio.
Use to roller skate to this song. Those were the good O days.
Lots of great songs from Tommy James: Ball of Fire, Makin’ Good Time, I Think We’re Alone Now, Mony Mony, Draggin’ The Line...
Sweet Cherry Wine and Crystal Blue Persuasion is a couple more of their hits.
Tommy James was the King of the Feel Good song. The lyrics didn't always make sense, but that was all right. We were too high to care much back then.
I wasn't old enough to get high. I just liked the music.
Music and acid. Watching the colored music swirl out of the speakers. It was a good time but then I had to be a grown up person. I'd like to see the music again just one more time.
You can't really get the gist of this song without hearing the long version of this song, the long version is much better.
MRM, this is a great song, listened to it many times in 1971 and 72 when on a date with my best girl. Brings back so many good memories for us old hippies.
They had a hit every few months back in the late 60's,
I have LOVED this song for as long as I remember. My mom loved this song. I got my love of music from her. In fact I love this song so much (along with my high school best friend) that Crimson was my nick name and Clover was her's.
We use to have parties at my house because our family had a jukebox. Alot of dancing with all the neighborhood girls. Ahhhhhh the good ol days.🥳🥳😎😎🕺💃👍
This song, *"Crimson and Clover",* is one of the earliest songs I remember liking as a child.
I still have vivid memories of being about 4 years old, about 1968, and seeing this in a box of my older siblings' 45 RPM records that also included a couple others I liked: *The Box Tops* song *"The Letter"* and another one called *"Batman's Grandmother",* which was a weird medley of parts of songs that were strung together to go along with a humorous story about the kidnapping of "Batman's Grandmother" and apprehension of the kidnapper.
I'm unable to like your comment for some reason.its "greyed"out.
A Tommy James concert is 2 hrs of one-hit-song-after-another!
Funny you mention kids listening ro this. Back in the 70's my sister's and I snagged a few records from mom and dad's collection that we'r always played on our record player. Tommy James and the Shondells was probably our favorite. Songs like this, Hanky Panky, I Think We're Alone Now, and Crystal Blue Persuasion just brought us a certain joy.
Another good song by this band was Hanky Panky
The ultimate "Make out" song with your girlfriend! Tommy James and The Shondelles had many hit songs in the late 60s and into the early 70s. "
I LOVE THIS SONG and I'm certainly glad you're reacting to this classic from 1968..
When I saw Tommy James in 2016 both be and his guitarist were singing that final chorus with that tremolo effect, the music building into a huge throbbing swell. Then the band stopped on a dime and Tommy sang the opening line to his first hit: "My baby does the Hanky Panky. " The crowd went nuts.
This song brings back memories of being in Jr. High.
Ed Sullivan appearance.
It's a beautiful song sit back and enjoy.
I'm actually starting a clover lawn and crimson clover is beautiful.
Great memories of us singing it back in the day.
I have no idea what it means, we would just sit back and enjoy the tune.
We used to drive around and listen to the radio and sing and meet up with friends and this would be on the radio and we'd all sing.
It was a happy time
YAY! 😁 Can't wait to see your reaction to this song 😁 I love it!!!!
1970 This took me back to the roller rink! In my memory, I always liked the song and never knew the meaning of the lyrics but one of the members of your listening audience explained it!
Tommy James co-wrote the song with the drummer Peter Lucia. Peter was a close friend of my parents and like a uncle to me and my sister. The story I was told and later confirmed by Peter is that he was trippin' on acid while watching his home town high school football team, Morristown Town High (who wore Crimson red uniforms) play Hopatcong High (who wore Green uniforms) and came up with the line "Crimson and Clover over and over" which sparked the birth of the song. I'm sad to say that Peter died way to young and my family will always miss him. You could never have met a kinder human being. Oh, buy the way Morristown is in northern New Jersey.
In 1982 I was 14 and my best friend's older sister was throwing away all her vinyl--she was in her mid 20's. She had all her older siblings records so we swooped in & snagged a big stack. This was one of them. We recorded all our favorites from turntable to a portable cassette player...took forfreakingever😄 Worth it!
50sbaby 🙋🏽♀️my cousin and I used to roller skate to this lol , they had strobe lights was awesome 👏🏽😎
slightly stylized, Psychedelic Garage-Rock...!!
good stuff!!
I remember a longer version of this too..
This was a cover. Original was by Tommy Roe. BTW, Tommy James wrote Mony Mony (Mutual of New York) sitting in his hotel room. He had a very short time to write a song. Billy Idol covered it in the later 1980s.
To my understanding Tommy James just came up with the two words; crimson and clover and thought it sounded "really profound." There's no real meaning to it.
Great reaction to one of my old favorite songs! Ayy and you are on the road to 100k!
Tommy did an interview about the words crimson and clover...
If I'm not mistaken he simply liked the sound of the words together and wrote the song...
They're definitely rockin' the "British invasion" look with the lacy, puffy shirts...the hair too...lol.
I first heard this song as a little kid and loved it when my mom would turn up the volume on the radio because she loved it too.
Loving what you do from the burbs of Detroit MRM.
Have you ever given a listen to Willie Nelson's "Angels Flying too Close the Ground"?
Don't know why, but I just sang the lyrics in my head and thought yeah....mention that one.
😊 Blessed to have such a positive voice on RUclips. Thank you MRM.
I was in third grade when it came out and only heard it because I had a 14 year old brother playing the radio all the time. I liked it - had no idea of any meaning, just the cool sound it had.
Late 60s, British group, did a lot of cool songs, had a very innovative sound for the times. Started listening to them when I was 9, 10...somewhere in there.
Actually they are American; Tommy was from I believe it was the upper midwest, possibly Detroit.
My mom used to date Tommy James. He came to my grandmothers house when I was a kid. If you look in his book there is a pic of him really young at a record store, my mom is standing with him. He lived in niles Michigan...were in from.
That's funny you said that about playing it for a baby. My father made an 8-track tape of music that he liked and my brothers and I used to listen to it as we went to sleep. This is when I was about 6 and 7 years old. It had a lot of different songs, from Dionne Warwick to the Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, the Cowsills, the 5th Dimension, and this song by Tommy James and the Shondells, and many more. My father liked a lot of different styles of music.
Tommy James is really a great singer! Peter Lucia is an amazing drummer!
I always liked the song, but never figured out what a "shondell" was.
On another note, speaking of playing pop songs for babies, my mother told me that I would not go to sleep unless she played Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel. That's not exactly a lullaby, which explains much about what happened next.
This song is a metaphor for life. Thank you for the reaction.
Whenever this song comes on I gotta sing along. Great groove.
This song takes me right back to the early 90s when I had a cd of old songs, I played this one over and over, one of my all time favorites.
They have a ton of great songs, but this will always be my favorite.
Also Joan Jett does a pretty damn good cover of it too.
Oops! Forgot . People used to drop acid back then 🤣 thus the sound effects .Psychedelic sound . Crystal Blue Persuasion . Already shared what was going on with Crimson and Clover .
Do you have red clover where your at ?
My father broke his alarm clock over this song... every morning at 6 a.m. when the alarm went off it was playing this song... it was on the only station they could get in the trailer they lived when my parents first got married.. and he said that's exactly what that damn song is Crimson and Clover Over and Over and I do mean OVER and Over.! Lol...I like it though..🤣
They played this at middle school dances even in the 80s at least they did at my school.
Listened to a CBN interview with Tommy James. He was a believer. Sweet cherry Wine was about communion and the blood of Jesus. Crystal Blue persuasion was about in Revelation the Chrystal waters. Not sure about this song. Will have to listen again. I was a little girl on roller skates with hand held radio when I heard this song. Thanks! Be made Blissfull! 😎
Tommy James had a time in his life when he did drugs etc. to the point of self destruction. He turned his life around after accepting Jesus as his personal savior. This song was written after this experience and has Christian symbolism. I saw a PBS special several years ago that explained this.
That's fine.... but, once an artist, any artist; puts out a work; we the public, have the right to see it however we see fit. X-tian symbolism, or otherwise. IOW's, no one is beholden; to [the artists'] his or her, personal vision or impetus.
My favorite song by Tommy James and The Shondells !
I love, love, LOVE this song and Tommy James and the Shondells. Great choice! This song brings back the memory of my new step father-in-law dancing with me at my wedding in the year 2000. I'll never forget that day. RIP to my step father-in-law Ed.
(Draggin the line )was their best.
eugene julson
Draggin the Line was another good song from Tommy James and the Shondells
Great song, with R.E.M doing a pretty good cover of it.
Timothy Bessemer
Cool. I didn’t know that.
I still listen to this!
Great song. I do however love Joan Jett's cover of this the best.
bandit77 yeah. I’m not even a big JJ fan but she done it Good
I saw JJ open for Heart a couple of weeks ago and saw her solo a couple of years ago. Crimson And Clover is a staple of her live show.
Oh my gosh! What memories. :)
I was a preteen when this song came out. I loved it but had no idea what it was about! I’m much older now and I still have no idea!!!
Heard this Saturday, thought about you MRM! Glad to see this is up here, but you need the loooong version. This song is HUGE, and as stated below, "Crystal Blue Persuasion" is hot.
This was the first album I bought for myself as a teen. It was the ultimate slow dance song when it came out.
Tommy James got his 'Shondells' in Pittsburgh. . .it was still a major city at the time, before the demise of the steel industry. . .there was quite a music scene in the 'steel city'. . .Pork the torque Chedwick. . .
Tommy always a great ear for good pop grooves (still does), this being from psychedelic 1968. The lyrics don't really mean anything much. Tommy says he just liked the phrase so wrote a song around it. He is a total class act as well. After a concert about 30 years ago, he came out to sit in the audience, watch the rest of the acts and converse with fans. A really down-to-Earth guy.
Even kids too young for drugs tripped on this song, I sure did! The art on the 45 (record)had an orange and yellow spiral that sucked you into the turntable while it played! Great time for music, thanks for dragging this one out and reacting!
Creative song and video for late 60s. He's still alive and dj some oldies shows on radio
According to an interview I saw with Tommy James, Crimson and Clover has no deep hidden meaning or drug association. They were simply two of his favorite things that he thought sounded cool together and the first song he wrote with one of his band members didn't come together quite right so he wrote another song of the same name with his drummer and that is the song you just reacted to. I grew up loving all of their songs, they were prolific writers and just great storytellers.
I just read TJ's autobiography "The Mob, the Music and Me". Roulette Records was run by the mafia. Very interesting read. "Crimson and Clover" has such an unpolished sound because the company was so eager to get it out Tommy never got to finish it the way he wanted. Turned out okay though.
Tommy was also a Christian. Check out "Sweet Cherry Wine" which is a reference to the blood of Jesus Christ. "Crystal Blue Persuasion" was based on a poem that a young man wrote out the book of Revelation. One of the lines mentioned "crystal blue persuasion".
This was one of my favorite songs as a pre-teen and teen in the late 60s early 70s! It is still on one of my playlists along with a lot more of their songs.
I love this song so much. Crystal Blue Persuasion is good too.
awesome sis!
Tommy James was reborn Christian during his musical success Crystal Blue Persuasion it's about that night and the first that he read in revelations the clear wall/sea of glass that was people and sweet cherry wine was about the salvation in the blood of Christpeople assumed and ask him if it was about drugs or Vietnam or the war and he was like "no the songs about Jesus listen to them"has a really great testimony is on RUclips.
This song takes me back to my childhood living in Phoenix,AZ 😁 wonderful memories
I think this is what was called Psychedelic rock. It was popular in the 60s.
Such a great 60s song.
I listen to this all the time. And Joan Jett's version
Crystal Blue Persuasion is another great song. Tommy James was inspired by what he read in the Bible.
In my top ten tunes of all time.
It's a live performance of this song, I love it. Its actually better than that video version you just listened to.
"Hanky Panky" is a good one of theirs
When I was a pre teen to 13 yrs old in1970 I loved loved loved Tommy James and the Shondells
1968 1970
Wow!!!
They were a very good band with a ton of hits. One of their better ones was "Draggin' the Line", which I think you'll like. It's somewhat similar to this, although this one was WAY more "psychedelic"--i.e., doper--music. This was the kind of song you listed to after, shall we say, inhaling certain controlled substances (you didn't HAVE to, but it helped).
Although I know that song quite well, this is the first time I've ever seen the video; I'm assuming it's from some TV variety show, or "American Bandstand", or something similar, and frankly I didn't care for it all that much (and My God, who did his hair? It's laughable).
A really good song, though.
Draggin' the Line is a great song!!!!!
I remember the first time I ever heard this song, riding in the car. We were going home from the grocery store. I was 6. I thought this song was so unusual, and I definitely loved it and remembered it. This was a time before hair blow driers and peoples' hair dried naturally, unlike today, giving people some strange hair styles.
Could you react to "Hair" by the Cowsills? It's from this same era. Another song I always remembered because it was so different.
Very good reaction- very hippieish- some of the bands were experimenting with different sounds and ways of amplified vocals after the Beatles blazed the trail with their studio work. It works well here. “Dragging the Line” is very good, also.
@He already reacted to Dragging the Line.
So far, to my knowledge, NO ONE has posted a reaction to the Tommy James And The Shondells 1963 song (rereleased in 1966), "Hanky Panky". It is a great "Garage Rock" song, with a nice guitar solo by James. I've seen the song listed here on RUclips under the name "The Shondells". If you can find the time, I would like to see you react to the song, "Hanky Panky", here on RUclips.
How long has it been since I heard this song? Have no idea. Blast from the past.
Can someone please explain to me what this song is about?
Tommy James said he imagined music with colors. Sweet Cherry Wine, Crystal Blue Persuasion. There is no conscious meaning to the colors. Just images in his head.
Topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1969
I really like this song. I Remember it because I was so young then.
Real oldies 😎
I’ve got a new Miranda Lambert song for you lol.. Fooled around and fell in love..
I can't believe no one has mentioned Draggin the Line - excellant song
He already reacted to Dragging the Line
I love this one and the Joan Jett version.
Please listen to Scarborough Fair with Simon and Garfunkel and Andy William's,it is the three of them sitting down with Paul Simon playing the guitar,three voices and guitar it's a WowWow!!!
I was a teeny bopper. Ahhhhhh!!!
There best song.Joan Jett does a cover of this which is just as good
Crystal YES the song not the drug
Tommy James was ahead of his time.
This song reminds me of the summer of 1967.
This is what we used to call "acid rock." Can you guess why?
Hey Ty, Tommy is also a Christian and his testimony is pretty amazing. His label was owned by the mob and he basically had to wait until the entire mob passed away to start getting paid for his music. He wrote a book called "The Mob and the Music". All the best to you and your channel.
Beautiful Microphone.🤗
Tommy James said the song means nothing he just took his two favorite words and put them together
I can practically smell the leather fringe jackets, weed, patchouli and incense. Flower power, groovy man! Peace!
still have my vinyl, love it, how do I ask for you to check out a song? Thx
Mony Mony.....such energy