Crimson and Clover

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This is one of my favorite songs, but there are many conflicting theories as to the meaning of the title of the song. Tommy James and the Shondells, the group that recorded the song, said that crimson was the lead singer's favorite color and clover was his favorite flower. I also hear that crimson is relevant because it symbolizes passion. Also, what do you think they mean by the lyrics "crimson and clover, over and over"?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ-P8Fgfhvk&feature=fvw[/youtube]

the link below has lots of theories as to "crimson and clover, over and over"-
crimson and clover songfacts
my personal favorite theory is the one analagous to the "making love in the green grass" interpretation- the love object is "crimson" atop the grass/clover, "over and over" until it's "over" [sexual climax]. tommy james hinted at as much in the interviews he has done concerning this song.

"Now I don't hardly know her
But I think I could love her
Crimson and clover

Ah
Well if she come walkin' over
Now I been waitin' to show her
Crimson and clover
Over and over

Yeah
My mind's such a sweet thing
I wanna do everything
What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover
Over and over

Crimson and clover, over and over "

i'd be interested in other interpretations, but on the face of it this song is a salacious male fantasy.

Well, in my earlier youth (I'm not old, I'm 37) I would have said it makes no sense, it's rock and roll and they were all on drugs. Well, that explanation covered a lot of musical questions, honestly.

I also tended to assume that not every song was about sex because the adults when I was a teen assumed everything was about sex. I think they took it a bit too far, but these days, I'd say the dirty male fantasy interpretation sounds pretty likely. I've unfortunately come across too many songs as I matured that I liked and accepted as innocuous until that moment then everything suddenly went ping! and I realized, "Holy crap, the frog he wants her to kiss is not in fact a frog!" I know a lot of people have no problem with that but I think it's too private a thing to be describing in songs in as much detail as some of them, or as blatantly as others... The song "Sexual Healing" springs to mind as the most unromantic song ever written with the idea of being sexy, often played in grocery stores, what's that all about? I mean, a little subtlety would be nice, at least buy us dinner first... Sorry, got ranting there. It just ticks me off to think of that crappy song, the musical equivalent of walking up to someone and rubbing your privates on them while they're washing the dishes or something...

Yeah, I'll go along with your take on it, auntblabby. Crimson and Clover does at least have some subtlety (though not much when I read your interpretation!) but I wonder if it's ever going to sound the same after this...

gee, i thought i was using very circumspect language. i coulda been much cruder, just like my real self. anyways, i know you would find the old chuck berry song "reelin' and rockin'" [london sessions live version] to be even worse-

"we boogied in the kitchen,
we boogied in the hall-
i got some on my finger,
so i wiped it on the wall!
Wooo-ee! reelin' and rockin'-
we was reelin' and rockin,
rollin' 'till the break of dawn."

IMHO, tommy james was esthetically psychedelic compared to chuck berry, so it is much easier to hear "clean" when one wants to hear "clean" with his music, as long as one doesn't listen too closely to the lyrics.

I didn't meant you were explicit, but that the song seems to get very much to the point when you spell it out. And yeah, it is seeming like my folks were right about a lot of songs (although a lot of other stuff was just hype on the part of the musicians). But the funny thing was that even the trashy stuff went right over my head!

Chuck Berry, too, huh? Why am I not surprised? Makes me laugh, but does not surprise me. My husband apparently has a client who plays in Chuck Berry's band when he's in the area (he's still alive?). We live in Southern California, so he gets out this way I guess. This dude says that Berry is very nice to the guys in the band and a jerk to the venue people. He's just a character, I guess.

Anyhow, the song I mentioned was worse, "Kiss That Frog" by Peter Gabriel. I honestly thought, years ago, that it was a humorous musical take on a fairy tale. Then I listened to it some 15 years later. Hoo, boy. And I was gonna play this for my kids...

It's all the years of cluelessness that really get you down... wondering what stupid things you might have said about the song before you understood... I've got a whole history there. That alone would make me rather resentful of trashy song lyrics!