Da Doo Ron Ron

"Da Doo Ron Ron" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. It first became a popular top five hit single for the American girl group the Crystals in 1963. American teen idol Shaun Cassidy recorded the song in 1977 and his version hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. There have also been many other cover versions of this song, including one by the songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich themselves, performing as the Raindrops.

"Da Doo Ron Ron"
One of side-A labels of the US single
Single by the Crystals
B-side"Git' It"
ReleasedApril 1963
RecordedMarch 1963
GenreR&B, pop, rock and roll
Length2:18
Label Philles
Songwriter(s)Phil Spector
Jeff Barry
Ellie Greenwich
Producer(s)Phil Spector
The Crystals singles chronology
"He's Sure the Boy I Love"
(1962)		 "Da Doo Ron Ron"
(1963)		 "Then He Kissed Me"
(1963)
Official audio
"Da Doo Ron Ron" on YouTube
Audio sample
"Da Doo Ron Ron"
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Composition

The song is the first collaboration in songwriting by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. The song was composed over two days in Spector's office in New York. The title "Da Doo Ron Ron" was initially just nonsense syllables used as dummy line to separate each stanza and chorus until proper lyrics could be written, but Spector liked it so much that he kept it.[1] Phil Spector did not want lyrics that were too cerebral and would interfere with a simple boy-meets-girl story line.[2] The rhymes of the opening lines, "I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still ... Somebody told me that his name was Bill" was inspired by Bill Walsh, a friend of Spector who happened to visit Spector while the three were writing the song.[1]

The Crystals original version

Background

The Crystals recorded "Da Doo Ron Ron" in March 1963 at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles. It was produced by Phil Spector in his Wall of Sound style. Jack Nitzsche was the arranger and Larry Levine the engineer. The drummer was Hal Blaine.[3] Dolores "LaLa" Brooks was the lead vocalist. Brooks told the syndicated radio program Solid Gold Weekend that Cher was one of the singers backing her lead vocals.[4]

On June 8, 1963, it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100,[5] and on June 22, 1963, number four on the Cash Box chart.[6] It also reached number five in the UK.[7]

That's gold. That's solid gold coming out of that speaker.

— Spector to Sonny Bono, after listening to the final playback of "Da Doo Ron Ron".[8]

Cash Box said that the song "relates the joy of a gal who has found THE guy, and it's done with appropriate good rock feeling," calling it a "solid follow-up to" the Crystals' previous hit "He's Sure the Boy I Love."[9]

In 2004, the Crystals' song was ranked number 114 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[10] It was, however, removed from the same list in the 2010 update, being the highest-ranked of the 26 songs that were removed. But it was reinstated at No. 366 in the 2021 update. It was listed at number 528 by Q Magazine in their list of The 1001 Best Songs Ever, published in 2003. Berlin Media listed the song at number 43 on their list of The 100 Best Singles of All Time list published in 1998. It was also recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock". Billboard named the song #55 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[11]

Chart performance
Chart (1963) Peak
position
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[12] 3
Ireland (IRMA) 3
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 3
U.S. Cash Box 4
West Germany (Official German Charts)[13] 22

Shaun Cassidy version
"Da Doo Ron Ron"
cover art
US single picture sleeve
Single by Shaun Cassidy
from the album Shaun Cassidy
B-side"Holiday"
ReleasedMarch 1977
Recorded1976
GenrePop
Length2:50
LabelWarner/Curb
Songwriter(s)Phil Spector
Jeff Barry
Ellie Greenwich
Producer(s)Michael Lloyd
Shaun Cassidy singles chronology
"Be My Baby"
(1977)		 "Da Doo Ron Ron"
(1977)		 "That's Rock 'n' Roll"
(1977)

Background

"Da Doo Ron Ron" was covered in 1977 by teen idol Shaun Cassidy on his first solo LP, Shaun Cassidy, launching his career. His version was produced by Michael Lloyd and issued on Warner. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[14] (The words were changed slightly to make it a boy-girl song, after The Searchers' cover version.) The song was his first of three consecutive Top 10 U.S. hits. Cassidy's cover of "Da Doo Ron Ron" spent 22 weeks on the chart. It became a gold record, as did all of Cassidy's first three single releases.[15]

Chart performance

Johnny Hallyday version (in French)
"Da dou ron ron"
Single by Johnny Hallyday
from the album Le Pénitencier
B-side"Comme une ombre sur moi"
ReleasedJune 29, 1963 (1963-06-29) (France)
Length2:18
LabelPhilips
Songwriter(s)Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector
Producer(s)Lee Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday singles chronology
"Les Bras en croix" / "Quitte-moi doucement" / "Quand un air vous possède" / "Quitte-moi doucement" / "Quand un air vous possède" / "Dis-moi oui"
(1963)		 "Da dou ron ron"
(1963)		 "Ma guitare"
(1963)
Music video
Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan "Da dou ron ron" (official live, 1975) on YouTube

The song was covered in French by Johnny Hallyday. His version (titled "Da dou ron ron") was released in June 1963 and spent 12 weeks at no. 1 on the singles sales chart in France (from July 7 to September 13 and from September 21 to October 11).[27] In Wallonia (French speaking Belgium) his single spent 24 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 2.[28]

Charts
Chart (1963) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[29] 2
France (singles sales)[27] 1
West Germany (Official German Charts)[30] 29
Chart (2000) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[31] 37

Other versions

See also

References
  1. Brown, Mick (April 7, 2008). Tearing Down The Wall of Sound: The Rise And Fall of Phil Spector. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 978-0747572473.
  2. "Da Doo Ron Ron by The Crystals". Song Facts.
  3. Weinberg, Max, The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's great drummers, Billboard Books, NY 1991, c1988 p.85
  4. SoundCloud interview
  5. Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books, NY 1992 p. 121
  6. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles". Cash Box. June 22, 1963. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007.
  7. Phil Spector: Back to MONO (1958-1969) ABKCO Records, 1991, liner notes
  8. Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
  9. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 13, 1963. p. 8. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  10. "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  11. "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  12. CHUM Hit Parade, June 17, 1963
  13. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Crystals – Da Doo Ron Ron" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 2, 2020. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON The Crystals"
  14. "Shaun Cassidy lyrics". Top40db.net. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  15. "1977 Singles - Month By Month". Superseventies.com. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  16. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3682a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  17. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 58. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  18. Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  19. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. August 14, 1977. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  20. "Shaun Cassidy Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 45.
  22. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles". July 9, 1977.
  23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Shaun Cassidy – Da Doo Ron Ron" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  24. "Top 200 singles of 1977". RPM. July 17, 2013.
  25. "Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  26. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1977". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  27. "Da Dou Ron Ron - Johnny Hallyday - Hit-Parade.net". Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  28. "ultratop.be - Johnny Hallyday - Da dou ron ron". Ultratop. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  29. "Johnny Hallyday – Da dou ron ron" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  30. "Offiziellecharts.de – Johnny Hallyday – Da dou ron ron" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 2, 2020. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Johnny Hallyday"
  31. "Johnny Hallyday – Da dou ron ron" (in French). Les classement single.
  32. Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (2012). Tio i Topp - med de utslagna "på försök" 1961–74 (in Swedish). Premium. p. 117. ISBN 978-91-89136-89-2.
  33. Billboard vol # (29 Jan 1972) p.70
  34. "Ian Matthews". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  35. "RPM Top 100 Singles - March 25, 1972" (PDF).
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