Play it Again, Sam #40a - "Crimson and Clover"

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It's time for this morning's entry of Play it Again, Sam, a two part discussion, an original song followed by a cover of that song. We are at #40a, the "original:" "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells. After scoring a mega hit with "Mony Mony," Tommy James decided to change the group's sound. Given total creative control by his record label, Roulette Records, James wrote "Crimson and Clover" with drummer Peter Lucia. The story goes that James came up with the title, based upon his favorite color, crimson, and his favorite flower, clover, long before writing the song, which was completed in five hours. James produced the song and played the majority of the instruments, and recorded it on 16 Track, one of the first songs that utilized that equipment. You might be interested to know that the version that you grew up listening to on the radio was a leaked rough demo. James took the demo into WLS radio in Chicago for feedback, which he played on the air during an interview, unaware that WLS was recording it. The station then aired the recording as a World Exclusive. After favorable response, Roulette released the demo as was as a single. With over five million copies sold, it is the group's biggest selling single. "Crimson and Clover" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending a total of 16 weeks on the chart. It also hit #1 in Germany, New Zealand, Canada, and Switzerland, and #3 in Australia. Not too shabby for a demo! (Info verified by Wikipedia)