Crystals ( The ) - He's a rebel

First performance: 14/03/2011

Coverinfo

Bruce performed the song only once:
 
2011-03-14 Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, NY
 
The song was performed during the 26th Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony. Springsteen joins inductee Darlene Love on stage for three songs (Sessions Band member Curtis King sings backing vocals). Bette Midler is also on stage for "He's A Rebel". Additionally, Bruce sings a line from the crowd during Neil Diamond's set on "Sweet Caroline". Darlene Love was an inductee of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2011.
 
 
 
 

Songinfo

"He's a Rebel" is a song written by Gene Pitney that was originally recorded by the girl group the Blossoms. Produced by Phil Spector, their version was issued as a single credited to the Crystals. 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. Pitney wrote "He's a Rebel" for The Shirelles, but they declined. The Crystals were touring on the east coast of the USA at the time, so Spector had The Blossoms, a Los Angeles group, record the track. He credited The Crystals on the record; Mary Thomas 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 this reason, 15-year-old Dolores "LaLa" Brooks became the lead singer the following year with the follow-up "Then He Kissed Me".
 
 
 

Other cover versions

Bruce on the artist

Bruce had 4 performances together with Darlene Love:

2016-12-14 Carnegie Hall, New York City
2012-10-16 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City
2011-03-14 Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City
 
Bruce and the E Street Band headline the first night of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concerts. Bruce inducted her with a lot of admiration and as : "the voice of Phil Spector’s greatest creations".
 
In 2015 Bruce wrote 2 songs for her album "Introducing Darlene Love".  
 
Bruce also appeared in her video of "forbidden nights"
 
Bruce on Phil Spector’s "wall of sound" in his 2012 SXSW Keynote speech  
 
"Then Spector and the Wall of Sound. Phil's entire body of work could be described by the title of one of his lesser–known productions, "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)." Phil's records felt like near chaos, violence covered in sugar and candy, sung by the girls who were sending Roy–o running straight for the anti–depressants. If Roy was opera, Phil was symphonies, little three–minute orgasms, followed by oblivion. And Phil's greatest lesson was sound. Sound is its own language. I mean, the first thing you would think of with Phil Spector is (soundbite of mimicking a drum beat). That was all you needed."
 

Lyrics

See the way he walks down the street
Watch the way he shuffles his feet
My, he holds his head up high
When he goes walking by
He's my guy

When he holds my hand, I'm so proud
'Cause he's not just one of the crowd
Why is he always the one
To try the things they've never done?
Just because of that, they say:

"He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good
He's a rebel 'cause he never ever ever does what he should"
But just because he doesn't do what everybody else does
That's no reason why I can't give him all my love
He's always good to me
Always treats me tenderly
'Cause he's not a rebel, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, no, no, no, to me

If they don't like him that way
They won't like me, I'm sure, today
I'll be standing right by his side
When they say:

"He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good
He's a rebel 'cause he never ever ever does what he should"
But just because he doesn't do what everybody else does
That's no reason why we can't share love
He's always good to me
Good to him, I'll try to be
'Cause he's not a rebel, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, no, no, no, to me

Oh he's not a rebel, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, no, no, no