Crimson and Clover

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“Crimson and Clover”
“Crimson and Clover” cover
Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells single cover
Single by Tommy James and the Shondells
from the album Crimson and Clover
B-side (I'm) Taken (promo copies only)
Some Kind of Love
Released November 1968
Format 7"
Recorded 1968
Genre Psychedelic Rock
Length 3:27 (single version)
5:25 (album version)
Label Roulette
Audio sample
Info (help·info)

"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.

"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 November 1968, some listeners thought he was saying "Christmas is over" instead of "crimson and clover."[1]

Contents

[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 Symphony"): is similar to the album version, but the guitar solos are a fraction higher in speed than on the LP version. This corrects the band's mistakes made in 1968, 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

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[edit] Whole interpretations

It is often mistaken that Velvet Underground has also done a cover, however it is only the original version by Tommy James and the Shondells improperly named.

[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 sings "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 - "Its over, all over. Just like in Crimson and Clover".
  • 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".
  • The track "Our Time" from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs debut EP samples the melody of "Crimson and Clover" when Karen O sings "It's the year to be hated / So glad that we made it."
  • On Hawk Nelson's album Letter to the President in the song First Time, "Crimson and Clover over and over" is mentioned.

[edit] Background music

  • It plays all through the "Renée" segment on the 2003 Jim Jarmusch film Coffee and Cigarettes.
  • 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.
  • The beginning of the song is used in The L Word in the episode 1.08 'Listen Up'.
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
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