Barbara Ann Alston is best remembered as the lead singer and co-founder of the Crystals, one of the most popular early doo-wop girl groups.
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When producer Phil Spector heard the group, he found what he had been seeking, and then pushed Alston to be the lead singer for his newly formed Philles Records. According to several sources, he had overheard them singing the Brill Building, a musical fulcrum in Manhattan. The group was soon an important niche in Spector’s “wall of sound” and established him as one of the nation’s top producers.
Most troubling about the tune were the lyrics, particularly a line from the verse that said “I could have never made him mad/But he hit me and I was glad.” Moreover, they sang “Yes, he hit me and it felt like a kiss.” The song was composed by the great team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King, who wrote the song after discovering that their babysitter and singer “Little Eva” Boyd was being regularly beaten by her boyfriend.
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