Written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich, the pop sensation “Be My Baby” was noted at the time for being a “bold” piece of music. Unlike other pieces at the time, “Be My Baby” focused on a woman wanting the attention from a sweet man, rather than the opposite.
Spector had originally auditioned a girl group comprised of sisters Veronica (Ronnie) and Estelle as well as their cousin, Nedra, in 1963. The group, known as the Ronettes, vocally impressed Spector, particularly Ronnie. However, he felt they needed more time to develop as artists and develop their act.
On July 29th, 1963, Spector recorded the track “Be My Baby” with a full orchestra, “determined to make his most towering production yet” according to sources. Ronnie—the only member of the girl group to actually appear on the recording—overdubbed her lead vocal just a day later onto the track. Ronnie said of recording the song that “the band went nuts. I was 18 years old, 3,000 miles from home, and had all these guys saying I was the next Billie Holiday.”
“Be My Baby” was released the following month in August of 1963. By the end of the summer the song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart. “Be My Baby” would become the biggest hit for the Ronettes during their tenure as a girl group.
The “Be My Baby” chorus is noted for the climatic build towards it and how much it hits once the song arrives there. Author and musician Virgil Moorefield said, “The words are sung against the backdrop of a sonic landscape suggestive of fantasy and desire as the song builds toward the climactic chorus.” This has rung true over the years and on a recent list for Spotify, NME listed the song as number one on their list of tracks with the “Most Explosive Choruses” in music.
Many consider “Be My Baby” to be one of the best songs in all of musical history. Cited as a major influence on the likes of The Beatles and The Beach Boys, the track was included on a compilation of some of the greatest additions to pop music. Notably, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song as number 22 of its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
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