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'He Hit Me And It Felt Like A Kiss': The saga of Rihanna & Chris
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The Crystals in 1962.Their song "He Hit Me" was banned from radio.
In 1962, record mogul and now accused murderer Phil Spector produced a song titled "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)." Recorded by the Crystals, it tells a story of domestic abuse from the victim's perspective:
He hit me and it felt like a kiss
He hit me and I knew he loved me
If he didn't care for me, I could have never made him mad
But he hit me, and I was glad.
Pretty racy lyrics for transistor radio, huh? Well, folks weren't having it. Quicker than you can say "bouffant," public protest prompted radio stations to ban the song. The record had been out only a short time when it was pushed into record collector heaven. Today, the record is valued in the thousands of dollars with few original copies known to still exist.
A new generation was introduced to "He Hit Me" when it was remade by the Motels and Courtney Love with her group Hole. Many music fans are now discovering the Crystals' original version thanks to both non-commercial radio stations and Youtube.
Fast forward. On the heels of their well-publicized violent altercation, it has been reported that Rihanna and Chris have recorded a duet. Record label sources say that this is a false rumor. Well, it's a rumor that has legs. Why shouldn't it? That Rihanna has turned herself into the textbook prototype of the abused woman who returns to and stands by her man certainly makes believing they recorded duet a reasonable assumption.
Chris Brown will be arraigned on felony assault charges in April. It has been reported that this is not the first time Rihanna has been beaten. She allegedly doesn't want to testify against him. Is Rihanna like the protagonist in "He Hit Me," believing that punches are like kisses? This is 2009, right? Well, their blow-up underscores the fact that denying the prevalence of domestic violence is just as pervasive now as it was in 1962.
Accused of glorifying domestic violence, the Crystals were simply messengers of an issue that too few people wanted to deal with at the time. But they were forgiven. They later went on to have several hit records that are now considered classics. Will the public and radio forgive Rihanna and Chris for their actions, especially when they show little public remorse for the incident? Chris' music has already been banned in Cleveland and Indianapolis. Even Oprah has chimed in, using the incident as a cautionary tale for young women everywhere. Hopefully, Chris and Rihanna know what any celebrity worth his salt knows... thou must seek forgiveness via the Oprah Winfrey show.
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