“He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” — Served by The Crystals, Courtney Love and Grizzly Bear

If you threw a rock into the early 1960s music scene, you would hardly go a yard without hitting dozens of dreamy girl groups.

That was the heyday of Phil Spector-pioneered groups like the Blossoms and the Ronettes, in addition to groups like the wonderfully named Shangri-Las.

But among all the tracks that blend together with vocals and melody, one has had marvelous staying power, thanks to its simple lyrics of mad, heartbreaking love: “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” by the Crystals.

1. 1st Serving
   The Crystals“He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” · The original, 1962cringe and swoon▶ Play it

   Started in 1962, the Crystals were a Phil Spector-led group that released pop song after pop song.

   However, the captivating melody, coupled with lyrics about a girl going back to an abusive lover, is a tantalizing tale unlike many of the sugary sweet pop tracks of the ’60s. It has the mysterious power of making a feminist both cringe and swoon. It was also brought back to the forefront of everyone’s memories when it played as the closing track to a recent episode of the gin-soaked TV show Mad Men.

2. 2nd Serving
   Hole“He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” · MTV Unplugged, 1995raw, throaty, haunting▶ Play it

   Taking the song into her calloused hands was lead singer Courtney Love, for Hole’s MTV Unplugged performance in 1995.

   Giving it a raw new depth, the song feels even more haunting, thanks to Love’s throaty vocals and the band’s acoustic arrangement. And this time around, the abusive nature of the lyrics really grabs hold of you when Love sings things like “If he didn’t care for me/I could have never made him mad/But he hit me/And I was glad.”

3. 3rd Serving
   Grizzly Bear“He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” · Cover, 2007melodic and hollow▶ Play it

   Experimental indie rockers Grizzly Bear recorded a cover of the song in 2007, taking it back to that melodic, hollow place they’ve carved out so well. Lead singer Ed Droste’s pure, deep vocals simply pour out over ambient, folksy instrumentals.