| "He's a Rebel" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bythe Crystals | ||||
| from the albumHe's a Rebel | ||||
| B-side | "I Love You Eddie" | |||
| Released | August 1962 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 2:31 | |||
| Label | Philles 106 | |||
| Songwriter | Gene Pitney | |||
| Producer | Phil Spector | |||
| The Crystals singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
He's a Rebel | ||||
"He's a Rebel" is a song written byGene Pitney that was originally recorded byVikki Carr and by thegirl groupthe Blossoms. Produced byPhil Spector, the Blossoms' version was issued as a single credited tothe Crystals, which topped theBillboard Hot 100 chart in November 1962. It was Spector's second chart-topper after "To Know Him Is to Love Him" (1958).
In 2004, "He's a Rebel" was ranked No. 263 onRolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[2]Billboard named the song No. 31 on its list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[3]
Also in 2004, the 1962 release of "He's a Rebel" onPhilles Records bythe Crystals was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[4]
The song is about a girl in love with a young man who spurns society's conventions. Despite his being misunderstood by others, the singer claims he is sweet and faithful and vows to be the same towards him.Steve Douglas performs a saxophone solo during the song's bridge. The piano riff at the beginning was contributed byAl DeLory.
Pitney wrote "He's a Rebel" forthe Shirelles, but they declined. Spector learnedVikki Carr was to record it forLiberty Records as her debut, and wanted his own version on sale first.[5] The Crystals were touring on the east coast of the US at the time, so Spector hadthe Blossoms, a Los Angeles group, record the track with the agreement that the record would still be credited to the Crystals.[6] Mary Thomas of the Crystals recalled that "our mouths fell open" when she and her groupmates heard a disc jockey announce "the new Crystals song."[7] The quintet was then obliged to add "He's a Rebel" to their live repertoire, even though lead singer Barbara Alston could not mimic Blossoms lead singerDarlene Love. For that reason, 15-year-oldDolores "LaLa" Brooks became the lead singer the following year with the follow-up "Then He Kissed Me".
"He's a Rebel" was released in late August 1962, with the B-side "I Love You Eddie." On November 3, "He's a Rebel" reached No. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[8] The number two song was Pitney's "Only Love Can Break a Heart", giving him (as a songwriter or performer) the two top-selling singles in the U.S.[8] In theUnited Kingdom, "He's a Rebel" peaked at No. 19.[9]
The song and its recording was featured in a fictionalized recreation in the 2018 movieBad Times at the El Royale. The character of Darleen Sweet was based on singer Darlene Love and the character Buddy Sunday was meant to represent producer Phil Spector.
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It's a minor pop-music miracle, and so many more would follow.
