Crimson and Clover

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Crimson and Clover is a song by Tommy James and the Shondells. It was one of the biggest hits of the 1960s and reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. The 1968 album of the same name was also a hit, having reached #8 on the pop albums chart.

"Crimson and Clover" was completely written and recorded by the duo of Tommy James and Peter Lucia Jr., the Shondells drummer. Lucia played drums and delivered backing vocals, while James played all other instruments and sang the lead vocals.

The song is famous for a unique "wobbly" vocal effect near the end of the song. To produce this effect, Tommy James plugged his microphone into a guitar amplifier, flipped the tremolo switch, and repeatedly sang the line "crimson and clover, over and over". When it was released in December 1968, many listeners thought he was saying "Christmas is over" instead of "crimson and clover."^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Various releases 2 Cover versions 2.1 Whole interpretations 2.2 Samples and mentions 2.3 Background music

[edit] Various releases

There are three releases of Crimson and Clover.

• Album version: contains extended guitar solos and runs well over five minutes
• Single version: cuts the album version's guitar solos and runs just under three and a half minutes
• CD version (1991's Crimson and Clover/Cellophane Symphany): is similar to the album version, but a man in the beginning says: "I'm just gonna fool around man, like, just do a thing, you know, whatever, and I'll just, you know..." This is probably a reference the band's brainstorming while coming up with ideas. However, it is still unknown whose voice it is: the same voice can also be heard right before the song Sugar on Sunday saying, "Don't worry about it guys, it's all in the mix". Also, the guitar solos are a fraction higher in volume than on the LP version. This corrects the band's mistakes made in 1969, when they added new sections with different tape speeds to the existing single. The CD booklet states that Crimson and Clover is now as it is "meant to be heard," and that Tommy James is "very satisfied" with the reissue of the original LP master tapes to CD form.

[edit] Cover versions

[edit] Whole interpretations

• The '70s Chilean band Aguaturbia did a part English/part Spanish cover entitled Carmesí y Trébol.
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts did a rendition of the song in 1981 that appears on the album I Love Rock N' Roll. Jett did another rendition of the song in 1995 as the lead singer of Evil Stig (Jett's collaboration with punk band The Gits) on the live album Evil Stig.
• Simon and Garfunkel also did a cover of the song.
• Chicago art rocker Bobby Conn also did an interpretation of the song on a rare 7" LP with Never Get Ahead as well as Who's the Paul?.
• The band 2Young did a hip-hop remix of the song in the mid-90s.
• Cher and her son Elijah Blue Allman performed the song as a duet for the soundtrack to A Walk On The Moon (1999).
• Kelly Clarkson performed the song live a number of times towards the end of her 2005 Hazel Eyes Tour.
• Sielun Veljet, a Finnish rock group covered the song on their album "Musta laatikko".

[edit] Samples and mentions

• Jarvis Cocker's Black Magic is built around a sample of the song.
• The band Jimmy Eat World references this song in A Praise Chorus on their album Bleed American. Though more likely based on the meaning of the song and the band's influences, they are referring to the Joan Jett cover. Near the end of the song, they repeat the words "crimson and clover, over and over" several times.
• The band Kings of Leon also mention this song in California Waiting (from their debut album Youth and Young Manhood), saying "crimson and clover pullin' overtime".
• Elliott Smith sing "the radio was playing Crimson and Clover" in the song Baby Britain on his album XO.
• The band American Hi-Fi mentions "crimson and clover" in the song The Breakup Song on their album The Art of Losing.
• Metric mentions "crimson and clover" in the song Siamese Cities off the Static Anonymity EP.
• Renee Renee mentions "crimson and clover" in his song Driving.
• Liz Phair sings, "crimson and clover--soon he's taken over all my senses now" in the song Johnny Feelgood.

[edit] Background music

• It is used as background music to a makeout scene between John Cusack's character 'Rob' and his high school girlfriend 'Penny' in the movie High Fidelity.
• It was used multiple times in the 2003 film Monster.
• It is used as background music in Veronica Mars when Logan waits in his yacht for Veronica, who never shows up.
• It is used as background music in an A&W commercial where a middle-aged couple go to an A&W restaurant to relive memories.
• Also used as background music in Sports Night at the end of the "Sally" episode.
• A small part is used in the movie Frequency as the radio signal is traveling to the sun and back through time.

Preceded by "I Heard It through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye

Billboard Hot 100 number one single February 1, 1969

Succeeded by "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone