"Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)" | ||||
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Single by the Crystals | ||||
B-side | "Git' It" | |||
Released | April 1963 | |||
Recorded | March 1963 | |||
Genre | R&B, pop, rock and roll | |||
Length | 2:18 | |||
Label | Philles | |||
Songwriter(s) | Phil Spector Jeff Barry Ellie Greenwich | |||
Producer(s) | Phil Spector | |||
The Crystals singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"Da Doo Ron Ron" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Da Doo Ron Ron" |
"Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)" is a song written by Jeff Barry,Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. It first became a popular top five hit single for the American girl group the Crystals in 1963. American teen idol Shaun Cassidy recorded the song in 1977 and his version hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. There have also been many other cover versions of this song,including one by the songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich themselves,performing as the Raindrops.
The song is the first collaboration in songwriting by Jeff Barry,Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. The song was composed over two days in Spector's office in New York. The title "Da Doo Ron Ron" was initially just nonsense syllables used as dummy line to separate each stanza and chorus until proper lyrics could be written,but Spector liked it so much that he kept it. [1] Phil Spector did not want lyrics that were too cerebral and would interfere with a simple boy-meets-girl story line. [2] The rhymes of the opening lines,"I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still ... Somebody told me that his name was Bill" was inspired by Bill Walsh,a friend of Spector who happened to visit Spector while the three were writing the song. [1]
The Crystals recorded "Da Doo Ron Ron" in March 1963 at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles. It was produced by Phil Spector in his Wall of Sound style. Jack Nitzsche was the arranger and Larry Levine the engineer. The drummer was Hal Blaine. [3] Dolores "LaLa" Brooks was the lead vocalist. Brooks told the syndicated radio program Solid Gold Weekend that Cher was one of the singers backing her lead vocals. [4]
On June 8,1963,it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, [5] and on June 22,1963,number four on the Cash Box chart. [6] It also reached number five in the UK. [7]
That's gold. That's solid gold coming out of that speaker.
Cash Box said that the song "relates the joy of a gal who has found THE guy, and it's done with appropriate good rock feeling," calling it a "solid follow-up to" the Crystals' previous hit "He's Sure the Boy I Love." [9]
In 2004, the Crystals' song was ranked number 114 on Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [10] It was, however, removed from the same list in the 2010 update, being the highest-ranked of the 26 songs that were removed. But it was reinstated at No. 366 in the 2021 update. It was listed at number 528 by Q Magazine in their list of The 1001 Best Songs Ever, published in 2003. Berlin Media listed the song at number 43 on their list of The 100 Best Singles of All Time list published in 1998. It was also recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock". Billboard named the song #55 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. [11]
Chart (1963) | Peak position |
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Canada (CHUM Hit Parade) [12] | 3 |
Ireland (IRMA) | 3 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 5 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
U.S. Cash Box | 4 |
West Germany (Official German Charts) [13] | 22 |
"Da Doo Ron Ron" | ||||
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Single by Shaun Cassidy | ||||
from the album Shaun Cassidy | ||||
B-side | "Holiday" | |||
Released | March 1977 | |||
Recorded | 1976 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:50 | |||
Label | Warner/Curb | |||
Songwriter(s) | Phil Spector Jeff Barry Ellie Greenwich | |||
Producer(s) | Michael Lloyd | |||
Shaun Cassidy singles chronology | ||||
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"Da Doo Ron Ron" was covered in 1977 by teen idol Shaun Cassidy on his first solo LP, Shaun Cassidy , launching his career. His version was produced by Michael Lloyd and issued on Warner. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. [14] (The words were changed slightly to make it a boy-girl song, after The Searchers' cover version.) The song was his first of three consecutive Top 10 U.S. hits. Cassidy's cover of "Da Doo Ron Ron" spent 22 weeks on the chart. It became a gold record, as did all of Cassidy's first three single releases. [15]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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"Da dou ron ron" | ||||
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Single by Johnny Hallyday | ||||
from the album Le Pénitencier | ||||
B-side | "Comme une ombre sur moi" | |||
Released | June 29, 1963 (France) | |||
Length | 2:18 | |||
Label | Philips | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector | |||
Producer(s) | Lee Hallyday | |||
Johnny Hallyday singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan "Da dou ron ron" (official live, 1975) on YouTube |
The song was covered in French by Johnny Hallyday. His version (titled "Da dou ron ron") was released in June 1963 and spent 12 weeks at no. 1 on the singles sales chart in France (from July 7 to September 13 and from September 21 to October 11). [27] In Wallonia (French speaking Belgium) his single spent 24 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 2. [28]
Chart (1963) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [29] | 2 |
France (singles sales) [27] | 1 |
West Germany (Official German Charts) [30] | 29 |
Chart (2000) | Peak position |
France (SNEP) [31] | 37 |
The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including "There's No Other ", "Uptown", "He's Sure the Boy I Love", "He's a Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me"– featured three different female lead singers and were all produced by Phil Spector. The latter three songs were originally ranked number 263, number 114, and number 493, respectively, on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. However, two songs were omitted from the magazine's 2010 update, leaving only "He's a Rebel" at number 267. In the 2021 update, "Da Doo Ron Ron" was added back to the list at number 366.
"Promised Land" is a song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball", an American folk song. The song was first recorded in this version by Berry in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. Released in December 1964, it was Berry's fourth single issued following his prison term for a Mann Act conviction. The record peaked at #41 in the Billboard charts on January 16, 1965.
"Do You Believe in Magic" is a song by American rock band the Lovin' Spoonful, written by John Sebastian in 1965. The single peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1978, Shaun Cassidy reached the Top 40 with his cover version.
"River Deep – Mountain High" is a song by Ike & Tina Turner released on Philles Records as the title track to their 1966 studio album. Produced by Phil Spector and written by Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Rolling Stone ranked "River Deep – Mountain High" No. 33 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. NME ranked it No. 37 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame added it to the list of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
"I Write the Songs" is a popular song written by Bruce Johnston in 1975 and released on his album Going Public in 1977. Barry Manilow's version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1976 after spending two weeks atop the Billboard adult contemporary chart in December 1975. It won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year and was nominated for Record of the Year in 1977. Billboard ranked it as the No. 13 song of 1976.
"Be My Baby" is a song by American girl group the Ronettes that was released as a single on Philles Records in August 1963. Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, the song was the Ronettes' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in the U.S. and number 4 in the UK. It is often ranked as among the best songs of the 1960s, and it is regarded by some as one of the greatest songs of all time.
"Baby, I Love You" is a song originally recorded by the Ronettes in 1963 and released on their debut album Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes (1964). The song was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, and produced by Spector.
"It's My Party" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lesley Gore from her debut studio album I'll Cry If I Want To (1963). It was released as the lead single from the album on April 5, 1963, by Mercury Records. The song was collectively written by Herb Wiener, John Gluck Jr., and Wally Gold, while production was helmed by Quincy Jones.
"If I Were a Carpenter" is a folk song written by Tim Hardin in the 1960s, and re-recorded with commercial success by various artists including Bobby Darin, The Four Tops and Johnny Cash. Hardin's own recording of the piece appeared on his 1967 album Tim Hardin 2. It was one of two songs from that release performed by Hardin at Woodstock in 1969. The song, believed by some to be about male romantic insecurity, is rumored to have been inspired by his love for actress Susan Morss, as well as the construction of Hardin's recording studio.
"Break It to Me Gently" is a pop song written by blues musician Joe Seneca with lyrics by Diane Lampert. Both Brenda Lee and Juice Newton were met with considerable success with their versions of the song.
"To Know Him Is to Love Him" is a song written by Phil Spector, inspired by words on his father's tombstone, "To Know Him Was to Love Him." It was first recorded by the only vocal group of which he was a member, the Teddy Bears. Their recording spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, while reaching No. 2 on the UK's New Musical Express chart. Peter & Gordon and Bobby Vinton later had hits with the song, with its title and lyrics changed to "To Know You Is to Love You". In 1987, the song was resurrected by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris, whose Trio recording topped the U.S. country singles chart.
"Then He Kissed Me" is a song written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry. The song, produced by Spector, was initially released as a single on Philles Records (#115) in July 1963 by The Crystals. The lyrics are a narrative of a young woman's encounter, romance, and eventual engagement with a young man.
"He's a Rebel" is a song written by Gene Pitney that was originally recorded by Vikki Carr and by the girl group the Blossoms. Produced by Phil Spector, the Blossoms' version was issued as a single credited to the Crystals, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1962. It was Spector's second chart-topper after "To Know Him Is to Love Him" (1958).
"Never My Love" is a pop standard written by American siblings Don and Dick Addrisi, and best known from a hit 1967 recording by the Association. The Addrisi Brothers had two Top 40 hits as recording artists, but their biggest success as songwriters was "Never My Love". Recorded by dozens of notable artists in the decades since, in 1999 the music publishing rights organization Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) announced it was the second most-played song on radio and television of the 20th century in the U.S.
Shaun Cassidy is the debut solo album by American singer Shaun Cassidy. The eponymous album was first released in 1976 in Europe and Australia, where he had top-ten hits with "Morning Girl" and "That's Rock 'n' Roll". It was not until the release of a cover version of The Crystals' song, "Da Doo Ron Ron", that Cassidy's international success carried over into the United States. The single became a number-one Billboard hit for Cassidy and launched his career as a pop musician and teen idol in the U.S.
To capture the sensation of teen-idol Shaun Cassidy, Warner Bros. Records released a live album of his 1979 concert tour named That's Rock 'N' Roll Live. The album featured songs from his four studio albums. The album also featured a cover of The Righteous Brothers' hit song, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'".
"That's Rock 'n' Roll" is a song written and originally recorded by Eric Carmen in 1976. It became a popular Billboard top 10 hit in 1977 for teen idol Shaun Cassidy.
"Morning Girl" is a 1969 song by The Neon Philharmonic. It was a hit in Canada and the United States. The recording featured a chamber-sized orchestra of Nashville Symphony Orchestra musicians, and the project was headed by composer Tupper Saussy and vocalist Don Gant.
"He Understands Me" is a song released in 1963 by Teresa Brewer. The song was a hit single for Johnny Tillotson in 1964, retitled "She Understands Me", and Bobby Vinton in 1966, retitled "Dum-De-Da".
This is the discography of American singer Shaun Cassidy.