Crimson & Clover was recorded in 1968 by Tommy James and the Shondells, of Niles, Michigan. Initially put down and mixed in only 5 hours, the song broke on Chicago’s WLS, when rascal DJ Larry Lujack played the rough cut they were given as a demo. This was the biggest rock station in the US at the time, so while it probably didn’t hurt the song’s success, it wasn’t the final mix Tommy wanted to be out in the world. It stayed on the charts for a few months before hitting number one, after their performance on Ed Sullivan.
It was one of the first songs recorded on 16-track equipment. It leans on panning in the mix for a sense of rotation, which is only amplified by the tremolo on the guitar and final chorus. It’s arguably one of the most influential songs in psychedelic rock history.
Tommy James swears crimson and clover are just two words he thought sounded good together. He was smart enough to know that if he never divulged a meaning, they could become anything that fits anyone’s personal relationship with love, sex or drugs. (And according to the Internet, possibly murder?)
What is the word for lyrics that are describing what the song sounds like, or the way it makes you feel? Some kind of melodic onomatopoeia? While “over and over” certainly hits at the endless loop it can carve in one's brain, there’s something more ethereal at play. Each wanting line is never resolved, creating this incredible sense of yearning—like what it feels like when it’s just dawning on you that you might be in love with someone you just met. Only in that initial “Ahhh” can you hear the careless relief of ecstatic reverie.
A few years ago, the opening line couldn’t stop tumbling around in my brain. I became obsessed with the song’s intention, and the way it seemed to work itself into so many other songs and sounds. The reach of influence it had is so deep, you can easily just skim the surface and hear the chorus or chord progression on countless tracks. And the amount of times it’s been covered over the last 50 years just adds to the reverberation. So I started pulling those things in to a playlist, and what’s here are some of the most egregious nods I’ve found, as well as the best renditions available on this stupid platform. Are there tracks I missed? Would love to know about it.
