How a Writer’s Strike Against a Label Connected to the Mob Helped Create This 1968 Smash Hit

Whether you’ve heard the original version by Tommy James and the Shondells or one of countless cover versions by Joan Jett, Prince, Cher, or Larkin Poe, you’ve likely heard the song “Crimson And Clover” before. Dare we say, you’ve probably heard it “over and over.”

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While the melody and descending guitar riff are common knowledge, fewer know about why James wrote the song in the first place. As the frontman of The Shondells, songwriting wasn’t normally his job. The band often outsourced their songwriting duties to Bo Gentry, who worked with the group on several songs they released through Roulette Records.

But in the late 1960s, Gentry was on strike, which meant The Shondells wouldn’t be calling on him for any lyrical guidance. So, James sat down with his drummer, Peter Lucia Jr., and tried writing themselves. That first attempt at co-writing would top the charts and sell over five million copies.

“Crimson And Clover” Was Born Out of Necessity

As the old adage goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and that was certainly true for Tommy James and the Shondells’ No. 1 hit, “Crimson And Clover”. According to Kenny Laguna, who sang background vocals and played keys for The Shondells, Bo Gentry was the “genius” and “driving force” behind The Shondells’ big hits. But there was a major problem.

“Bo wasn’t getting paid from Roulette Records, so he went on strike and refused to make any more Tommy James records,” Laguna recalled, per SongFacts. “We went to Tommy and said, ‘Look, Tommy. If you don’t get someone to write the songs for you, you’re going to be dead meat. You can’t go trying to do it yourself. You don’t know how to write hit songs.’ So, he went off with the drummer and created this song. I’ll never forget it.”

Laguna said he first heard “Crimson And Clover” in Allegra Studios. James invited Laguna to the basement studio to listen to his new song. “[I] said, ‘Oh, my God,’” Laguna said. “Everybody kind of deserted Tommy, and he went off and just did this incredible song. He wrote it, produced it, and played all the instruments with the drummer.”

Tommy James and the Shondells Might’ve Avoided Grief From the Mob

The fact that Tommy James (and Peter Lucia Jr.) were able to create such an enduring, decade-defining hit—despite no one in the band thinking they could do it—is undeniably impressive. It also might’ve saved James’ hide from being on the bad side of the mob.

In an interview with SongFacts, James alluded to the fact that Roulette Records was closely tied to the Genovese crime family in New York. “They used Roulette as a place to dump illegal funds, launder money, like a social club almost,” James said.

Had James failed to meet the label’s expectations as an artist, it stands to reason that he could have had beef with an organized crime family. Fortunately for James, “Crimson And Clover” brought in plenty of money to Roulette Records and kept the metaphorical boat steady and un-rocked.

As for the meaning behind the classic track? “They were just two of my favorite words that came together,” James said.

Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images