"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). In 2004, "He's a Rebel" was ranked No. 263 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Billboard named the song No. 31 on its list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. Also in 2004, the 1962 release of "He's a Rebel" on Philles Records by The Crystals was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

History

The song is about a girl in love with a young man who spurns society's conventions. Despite his being misunderstood by others, the singer claims he is sweet and faithful and vows to be the same towards him. Steve Douglas performs a saxophone solo during the song's bridge. The piano riff at the beginning was contributed by Al DeLory. Pitney wrote "He's a Rebel" for the Shirelles, but they declined. Spector learned Vikki Carr was to record it for Liberty Records as her debut, and wanted his own version on sale first. The Crystals were touring on the east coast of the US at the time, so Spector had the Blossoms, a Los Angeles group, record the track with the agreement that the record would still be credited to the Crystals. Mary Thomas of the Crystals recalled that "our mouths fell open" when she and her groupmates heard a disc jockey announce "the new Crystals song." The quintet was then obliged to add "He's a Rebel" to their live repertoire, even though lead singer Barbara Alston could not mimic Blossoms lead singer Darlene Love. For that reason, 15-year-old Dolores "LaLa" Brooks became the lead singer the following year with the follow-up "Then He Kissed Me". "He's a Rebel" was released in late August 1962, with the B-side "I Love You Eddie." On November 3, "He's a Rebel" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The number two song was Pitney's "Only Love Can Break a Heart", giving him (as a songwriter or performer) the two top-selling singles in the U.S. In the United Kingdom, "He's a Rebel" peaked at No. 19. The song and its recording was featured in a fictionalized recreation in the 2018 movie Bad Times at the El Royale. The character of Darleen Sweet was based on singer Darlene Love and the character Buddy Sunday was meant to represent producer Phil Spector.

Personnel

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts