He's A Rebel

Album: He's A Rebel (1962)
Charted: 19 1
Play Video
  • See the way he walks down the street
    Watch the way he shuffles his feet
    My, he holds his head up high
    When he goes walking by, he's my guy

    When he holds my hand, I'm so proud
    'Cause he's not just one of the crowd
    My baby's always the one to try the things they've never done
    Just because of that, they say

    He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good
    He's a rebel 'cause he never ever does what he should
    Just because he doesn't do what everybody else does
    That's no reason why I can't give him all my love

    He's always good to me, always treats me tenderly
    'Cause he's not a rebel, no, no, no
    He's not a rebel, no, no, no, to me

    If they don't like him that way
    They won't like me after today
    I'll be standing right by his side when they say

    He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good
    He's a rebel 'cause he never ever does what he should
    Just because he doesn't do what everybody else does
    That's no reason why we can't share a love

    He's always good to me, good to him, I try to be
    'Cause he's not a rebel, no, no, no
    He's not a rebel, no, no, no, to me

    He's not a rebel, no, no, no (no, no, no)
    He's not a rebel, no, no, no (no, no, no)
    He's not a rebel, no, no, no (no, no, no)
    He's not a rebel, no, no, no (no, no, no)

    He's not a rebel, no, no, no
    He's not a rebel, no, no, no
    He's not a rebel, no, no, no Writer/s: Gene Pitney
    Publisher: Kanjian Music, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 14

  • Moanin' Lisa from Chillicothe Mo.I never knew the real history behind this #1 hit for The Crystals until the 90s. I followed Darlene Love's career thru the years, especially her annual Christmas TV appearances on the Letterman show. Just a few months ago, I saw The Crystals on CBS's The Late Show & was surprised that they had a great 60s group on, since CBS seems to only have contemporary alt. rock groups on. I loved it. They sang with an orchestra, their hit "Then He Kissed Me." I think they did a great job singing it like the record and the orchestra was great in reproducing The Wall of Sound in reality. The great booming drums & other percussion were almost an overload for my TV's sound system.
  • Jack from OhioSpector made more than one copy of The Screw...reputedly about a dozen At Most ...using a handful of light blue promo labels and one stock light blue label that were available at the time..did give one to Sill and the rest?? I had three of the promos which I sold in the last 10 years and have the only known stock copy framed on my wall...Fakes are easy to spot as they have none of the correct stampers/writing in the trail-offs and the color/printing are both off....there are test pressings out there of unreleased songs as well as the legendary unreleased on Philles river Deep Mountain High lp out there...who knows what else exists?
  • Rotunda from Tulsa, OkOne of the best rock & roll hits of the Sixties. Quite an odd background history with Spector replacing The Crystals with Darlene Love & The Blossoms. Phil was even unscrupulous in shorting-out Darlene Love's career, but she went on to have one anyway. So did The Crystals. Both are held in high regard by other great rock artists. And as for Phil....well, look where he is now! Prison. This hit was penned by the late great Gene Pitney. I was a fan of Gene's from his start. Yep, "He's A Rebel" has quite a glamorous background and is quite a bit of rock & roll history.
  • Bill from Bushkill, PaThe sax player was Steve Douglas.
  • Andew from Atlanta, GaSome songs just make everything right. He's a Rebel, as sung by Darlene Love, is, for this guy, one of those songs.
  • John P. Tamburro from Maywood, NjWhy does this play "Loveletters in the Sand" when you press play on the widget? Put the original "He's a Rebel" back please.
  • Marissa from Akron, OhThis describes pretty much every guy I've ever had a crush on... lol
  • Farrah from Elon, NcThese ladies sure did Gene Pitney proud. May he rest in peace
  • Teresa from Mechelen, BelgiumGene Pitney died yesterday(april 5th) and I feel very sad; I love this song and I consider him also a talented singer with a specific voice that made the songs so beautiful. Thank you Gene Pitney, I already miss you.
  • Steve from Fenton, MoDarlene Love does such a GREAT job singing this song.
  • Joshua from Twin Cities, MnThe Snopes.com urban legends site has an article on the "Screw" recording. The urban legend Snopes was investigating was that "The Screw" was meant to fulfill the letter of Spector's remaining contractual obligations to Sill, but in such a way that would deprive Sill of any royalties from it - hence the title. But the author concluded that this was probably not the case, that "The Screw" amounted to a cruel practical joke by Spector at Sill's expense and nothing more. The article notes that the record wasn't even intended for release at all; indeed, its serial number was soon re-used for a different single. As one might expect, the article also suggests that any copy of "The Screw" still in existence is probably worth a small fortune as a collectible.
  • Stan from Red Oak, TxWho is the sax player on He's A Rebel?
  • Teresa from Mechelen, BelgiumYou hear the first notes of it and you recognize the song, a very nice "Wall of Sound", Phil Spector perfect like always, he's just great!
  • Roman Garza from San Clemente, CaI Love this song. I never get tired if hearing it. So there none of my faverote bands
see more comments

Editor's Picks

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80s

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80sSongwriter Interviews

'80s music ambassadors Wang Chung pick their top tracks of the decade, explaining what makes each one so special.

Motley Crue

Motley CrueFact or Fiction

Was Dr. Feelgood a dentist? Did the "Crüecifixion" really happen?

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.