‘Crimson and Clover’ is a 1968 song by American rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. It was released in late 1968 as a rough mix after a radio station leaked it, spending 16 weeks on the U.S. charts, reaching number one in the United States (in February 1969) and four other countries. The single has sold 5 million copies, making it Tommy James and the Shondells' best-selling song. It has been covered by many artists including Joan Jett, Cher (as a duet with her son) and Prince. In 2006, Pitchfork Media named it the 57th best song of the 1960s.
Following the release of ‘Mony Mony’, Tommy James wanted to change direction of the group's sound, and began producing his own material. The title, ‘Crimson and Clover’, was decided before a song had been written for it. The combination of unknown meaning came to James as he was waking up, comprising his favorite color – crimson – and his favorite flower – clover. A song to fit the phrase was written by Tommy James and bassist Mike Vale, but was scrapped. His following collaboration with drummer Peter Lucia, Jr. was more successful.
‘Crimson and Clover’ was recorded in late 1968 in about five hours and is one of the earliest songs recorded on 16-track equipment. Tommy James played most of the instruments, while Mike Vale played bass and Peter Lucia, Jr. played drums. The song contains a tremolo effect on the guitar, set so that it vibrated in time with the song's rhythm. Near the end of the recording, the band had an idea of utilizing the tremolo effect with vocals. To achieve this, the voice microphone was plugged into an Ampeg guitar amplifier with tremolo turned on, and the output from the amplifier was recorded while James sang "Crimson and clover, over and over".
‘Crimson and Clover’ entered the U.S. charts on December 14, where it stayed for 16 weeks on Billboard Hot 100 and 15 weeks on Cash Box Top 100. Following a performance of the song on The Ed Sullivan Show on January 26, it became number one on February 1, 1969, a position held for one week on Cash Box Top 100 and two weeks on both Billboard Hot 100 and Record World 100 Top Pops. Internationally, the song reached number one in Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and Switzerland. It also charted in Austria, Brazil, France, Holland, Italy, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, and Puerto Rico. Despite this, the song did not chart in the United Kingdom.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts covered ‘Crimson and Clover’ on their debut LP in 1981. In 1982, they reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their rendition, their second-highest charting hit in the U.S. They also reached #4 in Canada and #6 in Australia, in addition to charting in parts of Europe.
Label – Roulette
Songwriters – Tommy James, Peter Lucia
Producer – Tommy James
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Ah, now I don't hardly know her
But I think I could love her
Crimson and clover
Ah, I wish she'd come walking over
Now I've been waiting to show her
Crimson and clover
Over and over
[Instrumental Interlude]
[Verse 2]
Yeah (Da-da, da-da, da-da)
My my, such a sweet thing (Da-da, da-da, da-da)
I wanna do everything (Da-da, da-da, da-da)
What a beautiful feeling (Da-da, da-da, da-da)
Crimson and clover (Da-da, da-da, da-da)
Over and over
[Instrumental Bridge]
[Outro]
Crimson and clover, over and over
Crimson and clover, over and over
Crimson and clover, over and over
Crimson and clover, over and over
Crimson and clover, over and over
Crimson and clover, over and over