"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 |
"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 |
South Africa (RiSA) [13] | 2 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 5 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
U.S. Cash Box | 4 |
West Germany (Official German Charts) [14] | 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 | Bubblegum pop [15] | |||
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. [16] (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. [17]
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 | |||
Genre | R&B, pop, rock and roll | |||
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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Audio | ||||
"Da dou ron ron" 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). [29] In Wallonia (French speaking Belgium) his single spent 24 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 2. [30]
Chart (1963) | Peak position |
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Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [31] | 2 |
France (singles sales) [29] | 1 |
West Germany (Official German Charts) [32] | 29 |
Chart (2000) | Peak position |
France (SNEP) [33] | 37 |
"Da dou ron ron" | ||||
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Single by Sylvie Vartan | ||||
from the album Shang shang a lang | ||||
B-side | "Rock'n'roll man" | |||
Released | November 1974 | |||
Recorded | Fall 1974 | |||
Genre | Country rock | |||
Length | 2:47 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector | |||
Producer(s) | Jean Renard | |||
Sylvie Vartan singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Da dou ron ron" on YouTube |
The French adaptation was covered 11 years later by Sylvie Vartan (Hallyday's then wife) for her 1974 studio album "Shang shang a lang", featuring two covers of her then-husband's songs, produced by Veteran French producer Jean Renard. The B-Side to Vartan's version is an English-language cover of Hallyday's song, "Rock'n'roll man", also featured on the aforementioned album, of whom Hallyday's version was released around the same time, being featured on Hallyday's 1974 studio album "Rock 'n' Slow", also produced by Renard. Vartan's version peaked at number 48 on the Wallonia Charts on December 28, 1974. [34] Vartan and Hallyday also performed the song together on French TV on June 21, 1975. [35]
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
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Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [36] | 48 |
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.
"Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns. It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers in 1962. The song has been covered by several artists, including the Beatles, Salt-N-Pepa, The Astronauts and Chaka Demus & Pliers, who experienced chart success with their versions.
"Do You Believe in Magic" is a song by the American folk-rock band the Lovin' Spoonful. Written by John Sebastian, it was issued as the band's debut single in July 1965. The single peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. It later served as the title track of the band's debut album, issued that November. In 1978, Shaun Cassidy reached the Top 40 with his cover version.
"Chains" is a rhythm and blues song written by husband-and-wife songwriting team Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was a hit for the American girl group the Cookies in 1962 and for the English rock band the Beatles, who recorded the song for their debut album in 1963. King recorded a solo version of "Chains" for her 1980 album Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King.
"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 has been regarded by some publications as one of the greatest songs of all time.
"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" is a song recorded by Neil Sedaka, co-written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Sedaka recorded this song twice, in 1962 and 1975, in two significantly different arrangements, and it is considered to be his signature song. Between 1970 and 1975, it was a top-40 hit three separate times for three separate artists: Lenny Welch, The Partridge Family and Sedaka's second version. The song was also adapted into multiple languages, most notably in Italian and French.
"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.
David Hallyday is a French singer, songwriter, actor and amateur sports car racer.
"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.
"Rhythm of the Rain" is a song performed by The Cascades, released in November 1962 in the US and on January 25, 1963 in the UK. It was written by Cascades band member John Claude Gummoe. On March 9, 1963, it rose to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and spent two weeks at number 1 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. Billboard ranked the record as the number 4 song of 1963.
"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.
"The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" is a song, written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander, and recorded by the British rhythm and blues musician Georgie Fame. Released as a single, the song reached number one in the UK Singles Chart for one week from 24 January 1968. The song reached number seven in the US Billboard Chart later the same year.
"The Game of Love" is a 1964 song by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, first released as a single from the band's titular album in January 1965 in the United Kingdom, followed by the United States one month later as "Game of Love". The song reached Number 2 on the UK Singles chart and Number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 that year. The song also spawned multiple successful cover versions, including a version by Ian "Tex Pistol" Morris that was a Number 1 hit in New Zealand in 1987. The song was also adapted into French by Frank Gérald as "Quand tu es là" and was recorded by French pop singer Sylvie Vartan, first in July 1965 as the second single off of her 1966 studio album "Il y a deux filles en moi" that was a hit in French-speaking Belgium, followed by a re-recording in 1990, released as a non-album single, that was a minor hit in France.
"Isn't It Time" is a song that was performed by the English group The Babys in 1977 and was released on their album Broken Heart.
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.
"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.
"Tender Years" is a song written by American country music artist George Jones and Darrell Edwards, recorded and released in 1961. It became Jones' second #1 country hit. The song also spawned two successful foreign language versions two years later in 1963, First in French by Johnny Hallyday, and in Dutch by singer and actress Willeke Alberti, being adapted from the former French version. Both versions have been covered by many others since.
"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.