The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriters of record (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector), no formal dispute over this song’s own rights. The Darlene Love credit backstory — her demand for proper credit before the song went to the official Crystals — is a documented negotiation, presented honestly.
Quick Facts
Released1963
GenrePop, Rock And Roll, Girl Group
LabelPhilles Records
ProducerPhil Spector
Recorded atGold Star Studios, Hollywood
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich & Phil Spector
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — Philles; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
A Wall-of-Sound standard; Shaun Cassidy’s 1977 cover reached #1. Connects to the Spector/Barry–Greenwich cluster (Be My Baby, Then He Kissed Me).
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriter(s) of record.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
Same group, same songwriting trio (this batch)
Same Spector/Barry–Greenwich songwriting trio (this batch)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich & Phil Spector
A documented rights/credit backstorySpector intended this as a follow-up to the Crystals’ “He’s a Rebel” — but that song’s uncredited lead vocalist, Darlene Love (brought in separately, not an official Crystal), demanded proper credit before singing on another. Spector wasn’t willing to grant it, so the song went to the official Crystals members instead. A documented negotiation and refusal, not litigation over this song.
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
A placeholder that stuck
The nonsense title phrase was originally a dummy line to separate verses until proper lyrics could be written — Spector liked the sound so much he kept it permanently. No lyrics reproduced.
Wikipedia · read it →
A young Cher among the background singers
Among the uncredited background singers was a young Cher, one of Spector’s favorite session vocalists at the time.
Songfacts · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
A Wall-of-Sound standard; a #1 cover (Shaun Cassidy, 1977)
Covers
—
First flip
Who to Contact
DR
Barry, Greenwich & Spector (Philles)
The confirmed songwriters of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 19/20)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass