This article is about the song. For the film event, see It Felt Like a Kiss.
"He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King for girl groupthe Crystals under the guidance of Phil Spector in 1962. Goffin and King wrote the song after discovering that their babysitter and singer "Little Eva" Boyd was being regularly beaten by her boyfriend.[1] When they inquired why she tolerated such treatment, Eva replied, with complete sincerity, that her boyfriend's actions were motivated by his love for her.[1]
It was a brutal song, as any attempt to justify such violence must be, and Spector’s arrangement only amplified its savagery, framing Barbara Alston’s lone vocal amid a sea of caustic strings and funereal drums, while the backing vocals almost trilled their own belief that the boy had done nothing wrong. In more ironic hands (and a more understanding age), 'He Hit Me' might have passed at least as satire. But Spector showed no sign of appreciating that, nor did he feel any need to. No less than the song’s writers, he was not preaching, he was merely documenting.
Upon its initial release, "He Hit Me" received some airplay, but then there was a widespread protest of the song, with many concluding that the song was an endorsement of spousal abuse.[1] Soon, the song was played only rarely on the radio, as now.
The 1930 Frank Borzage film Liliom contains the line "He hit me and it felt like a kiss" in its final scene. The film was not a success and nothing suggests that Goffin or King had seen it. Liliom, originally a play by Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár, was the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical classic, Carousel. While King and Goffin may not have seen Liliom, it is possible that they were familiar with the successful 1956 film version of Carousel, which contains essentially the same line. However, King has stated that Little Eva, their babysitter who inspired the song, had used that exact phrase to them.[2]
Carole King, in that same radio interview, said that she was sorry she had ever had anything to do with the song. She was a survivor of repeated domestic abuse (but not from Goffin, who had been her husband from 1959 to 1969).[3]
The song was played in its entirety on the September 26, 2007, episode of The Tom Leykis Show titled 'The One They Won't Play'. The subject of the show's hour was in relation to Phil Spector's writing and production of the song, and the fact that he got married in the period between being accused of the murders and the end of his trial.
Amy Winehouse frequently mentioned the song as one of her all-time favourite tracks and biggest influences.
In 2008, Glasvegas released a Christmas EP titled A Snowflake Fell and It Felt Like a Kiss, the title track being an homage to The Crystals.
The Cardigans song "And Then You Kissed Me" rewrites and reinterprets "He Hit Me".
Amy Rigby's song "Dancing With Joey Ramone" lists "He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss)" as one of the songs they danced to in her dream.
Mad Men used the song as the closing credit bump on the April 8, 2012, episode titled "Mystery Date."
The Nation of Ulysses song "The Sound of Jazz to Come" reworks the song's title into "she hit me it felt like a kiss" after riffing on John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme."
Lana Del Rey uses the line "Hit me and it felt like a kiss" in her 2014 song "Ultraviolence" from the album of the same name. Prior to this, she used it in her unreleased song "Beautiful Player."
The first season finale of Sex Education on Netflix in 2019, plays The Grizzly Bear cover in underscoring the unexpected make-out session between bully Adam and the out Eric.
Hozier credits the song as being very similar in sentiment to his song, "Cherry Wine".[4]
1994 – Courtney Love's band, Hole, released a cover of the song as a B-side to their single "Softer, Softest". In 1995 the band played a cover of the song as part of their MTV Unplugged performance. Love introduced the song by saying, "This is a really sick song. It's one of those Spector songs and it was written by Carole King, which… you have to think." At the end of the song, Love commented "Nice feminist anthem."
2007 – Grizzly Bear, during the headlining tour for their album Yellow House. They also recorded the song during a Daytrotter session in February 2007, to be made available online for download.[8] A studio version of the song was released on the band's Friend EP[9] while a live take was released as the B-side to "While You Wait for the Others" on the Live on KCRW 7".
2012 – Kramer, The Brill Building (Tzadik Records) singing this song in a gender-reversed rendition swaying wildly between the heart-felt and the satirical.[10]
^Gross, Terry (host) (2011-04-11). "For Carole King, Songwriting Is A 'Natural' Talent". Fresh Air. Boston, Massachusetts. 36 minutes in. NPR. WHYY. Retrieved 2012-04-24. But Gerry wrote that lyric after hearing an African-American woman that we knew… just come right out and say that.
^"Carole King (I) - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
^"YouTube - Hozier - Album Track By Track - Cherry Wine". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
^"Amazon.com: All Four One: The Motels: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^"The Motels - All Four One". Discogs. 1982. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
^. Archived from the original on 2007-08-29. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^. Archived from the original on 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^"YouTube - Grizzly Bear - He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^"Kramer: The Brill Building > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
^Matt Silver. "Jazz Album of the Week: New Message, Same Spectacular Veronica Swift on 'This Bitter Earth'". WRTI.org. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
November 01, 2023
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This article is about the song For the film event see It Felt Like a Kiss He Hit Me And It Felt Like a Kiss is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King for girl group the Crystals under the guidance of Phil Spector in 1962 Goffin and King wrote the song after discovering that their babysitter and singer Little Eva Boyd was being regularly beaten by her boyfriend 1 When they inquired why she tolerated such treatment Eva replied with complete sincerity that her boyfriend s actions were motivated by his love for her 1 He Hit Me And It Felt Like a Kiss Single by The CrystalsB side No One Ever Tells You Released1962Recorded1962LabelPhillesSongwriter s Gerry Goffin Carole KingProducer s Phil SpectorThe Crystals singles chronology Uptown 1962 He Hit Me And It Felt Like a Kiss 1962 He s a Rebel 1962 Contents 1 Production 2 Release 3 In popular culture 3 1 Cover versions 4 ReferencesProduction editPhil Spector s arrangement was ominous and ambiguous 1 It was a brutal song as any attempt to justify such violence must be and Spector s arrangement only amplified its savagery framing Barbara Alston s lone vocal amid a sea of caustic strings and funereal drums while the backing vocals almost trilled their own belief that the boy had done nothing wrong In more ironic hands and a more understanding age He Hit Me might have passed at least as satire But Spector showed no sign of appreciating that nor did he feel any need to No less than the song s writers he was not preaching he was merely documenting Dave Thompson 1 Release editUpon its initial release He Hit Me received some airplay but then there was a widespread protest of the song with many concluding that the song was an endorsement of spousal abuse 1 Soon the song was played only rarely on the radio as now The 1930 Frank Borzage film Liliom contains the line He hit me and it felt like a kiss in its final scene The film was not a success and nothing suggests that Goffin or King had seen it Liliom originally a play by Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnar was the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical classic Carousel While King and Goffin may not have seen Liliom it is possible that they were familiar with the successful 1956 film version of Carousel which contains essentially the same line However King has stated that Little Eva their babysitter who inspired the song had used that exact phrase to them 2 Carole King in that same radio interview said that she was sorry she had ever had anything to do with the song She was a survivor of repeated domestic abuse but not from Goffin who had been her husband from 1959 to 1969 3 In popular culture editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Saint Etienne quote the song s title on their song She s the One from their 1991 album Foxbase Alpha In the 1993 The Batman Adventures Mad Love one shot comic book by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm the character Harley Quinn is asked by her therapist what it feels like to be in an abusive relationship with the Joker Harley Quinn answers It felt like a kiss In 2005 the English band Spiritualized recorded a song called She Kissed Me It Felt Like a Hit The My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult song Glamour Is a Rocky Road quotes the song s title The song was played in its entirety on the September 26 2007 episode of The Tom Leykis Show titled The One They Won t Play The subject of the show s hour was in relation to Phil Spector s writing and production of the song and the fact that he got married in the period between being accused of the murders and the end of his trial Amy Winehouse frequently mentioned the song as one of her all time favourite tracks and biggest influences In 2008 Glasvegas released a Christmas EP titled A Snowflake Fell and It Felt Like a Kiss the title track being an homage to The Crystals The Cardigans song And Then You Kissed Me rewrites and reinterprets He Hit Me Amy Rigby s song Dancing With Joey Ramone lists He Hit Me and It Felt Like a Kiss as one of the songs they danced to in her dream Mad Men used the song as the closing credit bump on the April 8 2012 episode titled Mystery Date The Nation of Ulysses song The Sound of Jazz to Come reworks the song s title into she hit me it felt like a kiss after riffing on John Coltrane s A Love Supreme Lana Del Rey uses the line Hit me and it felt like a kiss in her 2014 song Ultraviolence from the album of the same name Prior to this she used it in her unreleased song Beautiful Player The first season finale of Sex Education on Netflix in 2019 plays The Grizzly Bear cover in underscoring the unexpected make out session between bully Adam and the out Eric Hozier credits the song as being very similar in sentiment to his song Cherry Wine 4 Cover versions edit 1982 The Motels All Four One 5 6 1994 Courtney Love s band Hole released a cover of the song as a B side to their single Softer Softest In 1995 the band played a cover of the song as part of their MTV Unplugged performance Love introduced the song by saying This is a really sick song It s one of those Spector songs and it was written by Carole King which you have to think At the end of the song Love commented Nice feminist anthem 2007 The Blackeyed Susans Dedicated to the Ones We Love She Hit Me and It Felt Like a Kiss 7 2007 Grizzly Bear during the headlining tour for their album Yellow House They also recorded the song during a Daytrotter session in February 2007 to be made available online for download 8 A studio version of the song was released on the band s Friend EP 9 while a live take was released as the B side to While You Wait for the Others on the Live on KCRW 7 2008 Ruby and the Rednecks released a cover of the song live at CBGB s 2012 Kramer The Brill Building Tzadik Records singing this song in a gender reversed rendition swaying wildly between the heart felt and the satirical 10 2013 Anika Anika EP 2013 Nicole Dollanganger on the album Ode to Dawn Weiner Embarrassing Love Songs 2021 Veronica Swift This Bitter World Mack Avenue Records 11 References edit a b c d e allmusic Retrieved 2009 07 07 Gross Terry host 2011 04 11 For Carole King Songwriting Is A Natural Talent Fresh Air Boston Massachusetts 36 minutes in NPR WHYY Retrieved 2012 04 24 But Gerry wrote that lyric after hearing an African American woman that we knew just come right out and say that Carole King I Biography IMDb Retrieved 2013 07 06 YouTube Hozier Album Track By Track Cherry Wine YouTube Archived from the original on 2021 12 21 Retrieved 2019 10 10 Amazon com All Four One The Motels Music Amazon Retrieved 2009 07 07 The Motels All Four One Discogs 1982 Retrieved 2017 12 29 Dedicated To The Ones We Love Archived from the original on 2007 08 29 Retrieved 2009 07 07 Free Songs Grizzly Bear Archived from the original on 2009 03 08 Retrieved 2009 07 07 YouTube Grizzly Bear He Hit Me It Felt Like a Kiss YouTube Archived from the original on 2021 12 21 Retrieved 2009 07 07 Kramer The Brill Building gt Review Allmusic Retrieved July 17 2015 Matt Silver Jazz Album of the Week New Message Same Spectacular Veronica Swift on This Bitter Earth WRTI org Retrieved 2021 05 14 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title He Hit Me And It Felt Like a Kiss amp oldid 1182707481, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
