Music
Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crystal Blue Persuasion" was inspired by the Bible. James said that listeners misinterpreted the song for a very specific reason.
Published on July 19, 2023
2 min readTL;DR:
- Tommy James and the Shondells’ “Crystal Blue Persuasion” is inspired by biblical imagery.
- James revealed he converted to Christianity.
- “Crystal Blue Persuasion” became one of Tommy James and the Shondells’ biggest hits.
Several classic rock songs are based on the Bible. For example, Tommy James and the Shondells’ “Crystal Blue Persuasion” was inspired by the Book of Revelation. James said that listeners misinterpreted the song for a very specific reason.
A Christian metaphor inspired Tommy James and the Shondells’ ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’
During a 2009 interview with Songfacts, James discussed the origin of “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” “Well, the imagery was right out of Chapter 19 of the Book of Revelation, about the Lake of Crystal, and what John sees,” he recalled. “The imagery was right there. ‘Crystal blue persuasion,’ although those words aren’t used together, it was kind of what the image meant to me.”
It appears that James was actually discussing Revelation 22. In that chapter, Saint John of Patmos sees a crystal river that contains the water of life. In Christianity, the water of life is used as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit.
Fans incorrectly thought Tommy James and the Shondells were singing about drugs
James was asked if the line “It’s a new vibration” was about his conversion to Christianity. “Yes, indeed,” he said. “And, of course, everybody thinks if they don’t understand what you’re talking about it must be about drugs. But it wasn’t.
“We were going through a real interesting time back then, and a very wonderful time,” he added. “Everybody in the band, by the way, became Christian. And we’re very proud of it. And ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’ was our way of saying that in a kind of pop record way.”
In addition, James discussed the composition of the song. “t had that light airy sound, which it needed to be right.” he said. “And it took us about six weeks to do all that. It really was a very intricate un-production, pulling all the things out. Actually, it was tougher than putting them in because you didn’t want to mess up the record, but you wanted to empty it out.”
How ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’ performed on the pop charts in the United States
“Crystal Blue Persuasion” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 15 weeks in total. Notably, Santana covered the track during a live performance. It was one of the band’s biggest tunes in the United States, though it feels like pop culture ignores it today.
The tune appeared on the album Crimson & Clover. That record reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 35 weeks. Crimson & Clover charted higher than any of Tommy James & the Shondells’ albums. However, it didn’t last as long on the chart as the compilation album The Best of Tommy James and the Shondells, which includes “Crystal Blue Persuasion.”
“Crystal Blue Persuasion” is a great song even if its connection to the Book of Revelation isn’t obvious.
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