The Crystals, “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” | Controversial Tunes

On the 35^th edition of Controversial Tunes (2021), we explore the controversy behind the song, “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” by The Crystals.   

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ring on the controversy, won’t you? Controversial Tunes is a column that provides background information and insight into songs that raised eyebrows and totally stirred the pot.  The records that grace Controversial Tunes are old and new alike, with all genres of music welcome.  On the 35^th edition of Controversial Tunes (2021), we explore the controversy behind the song, “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” by The Crystals.

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Theme & Lyrics  

“He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” is a problematic song title – no way around it.  Perhaps had The Crystals’ 1962 classic ended up being metaphorical lyrically (say, the kiss had gargantuan impact like a knockout punch), we’d let the song title slide.  The problem is, “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” is literal, hence, understandable why it raised eyebrows and caused an uproar upon release. Oh, the controversy when abuse conflated with love comes into play! Amazingly, this record came from two of music’s most elite songwriters, once husband/wife team Carole King and Gerry Goffin.

“He hit me and it felt like a kiss / He hit me but it didn’t hurt me.” Well, he should’ve never put his hands on you, Barbara Alston! Sadly, Alston and The Crystals add, “He couldn’t stand to hear me say / That I’d been with someone new / And when I told him I had been untrue…” Well, we know that he hit her.  While the infidelity is a bad look, the hitting part remains problematic.  Furthermore, the victims (The Crystals) think it’s okay, blaming themselves for being hit – “He hit me and I knew he loved me.” I’m sorry, but that’s some total BS!

As troubling as “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” is to listen to, it’s based on a real-life experience.  As the story goes, King/Goffin’s babysitter, singer Little Eva, was honest to them about being hit by her boyfriend and rationalizing it as his love for her.  Yikes!

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Final Thoughts  

To this day, I’m not sure what the intent of “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” was.  It didn’t fly in the 60s, and certainly doesn’t fly in the age of purported ‘cancel culture.’ Hopefully, we avoid records that rationalize abuse in the future.  Just not a good idea.

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The Crystals • Da Doo Ron Ron: The Very Best of The Crystals • Phil Spector • 2011
The Crystals, “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)”: Controversial Tunes No. 35 [: Aidan Feddersen on Unsplash, Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, Phil Spector]

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