He's a Rebel by The Crystals

About

"He's a Rebel" is a song written by Gene Pitney and originally recorded in 1962 by two artists, first by singer Vikki Carr, followed by the more popular version credited to girl group the Crystals. The latter was produced by Phil Spector immediately after learning of the imminent release of Carr's version. He enlisted the Blossoms, with Darlene Love on lead and tenor Bobby Sheen added on harmony, and credited them as the Crystals, who were not consulted on his decision. Eight instrumentalists played on the recording, an unusually large number for a rock 'n' roll session at the time. Spector's version was issued in August and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1962, becoming his second number-one single after "To Know Him Is to Love Him" (1958). Once it had become a hit, the actual Crystals were obliged to sing it at their concerts. Carr's version, released in September, peaked at number 113 in the U.S. and number three in Australia. "He's a Rebel" marked the direct precursor to Spector's Wall of Sound production style, which he developed on subsequent recordings with the personnel he had assembled for the song, including arranger Jack Nitzsche, engineer Larry Levine, and musicians associated with the Wrecking Crew. In 2004, "He's a Rebel" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It has ranked number 263 on Rolling Stone's list of the all-time greatest songs and number 31 on Billboard's list of the all-time greatest girl group songs.