The Ronettes - Be My Baby

"Be My Baby" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector. It was recorded on July 5, 1963 at Gold Star Studios Hollywood by American girl group the Ronettes and released as a single in August 1963 and later placed on their 1964 debut LP Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring Veronica. Ronnie Spector is the only Ronette to appear on the single; her future husband Phil produced their elaborately layered recording in what is now considered a quintessential example of his Wall of Sound production formula. It is considered one of the best songs of the 1960s by NME, Time, and Pitchfork staff members. In 1999, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, the song was ranked 22 by Rolling Stone in its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and described as a "Rosetta stone for studio pioneers such as the Beatles and Brian Wilson," a notion supported by AllMusic who writes, "No less an authority than Brian Wilson has declared 'Be My Baby' the greatest pop record ever made - no arguments here." In 2006, the Library of Congress honored the Ronettes' version by adding it to the United States National Recording Registry. In 2017, Billboard named the song number 1 on their list of the "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time". "Be My Baby" was the Ronettes' first song produced by Phil Spector, released on his label, Philles Records. The group had already recorded a track by Greenwich and Barry called "Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love", but this was held back in favor of "Be My Baby". The song reached number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Singles Chart (kept from the top spot by The Fireballs' "Sugar Shack") and number 4 on the UK's Record Retailer. It also peaked at number four on the R&B chart. The single sold more than two million copies in 1963. In her autobiography, lead vocalist Ronnie Spector relates that she was on tour with Joey Dee and the Starlighters when "Be My Baby" was introduced by Dick Clark on American Bandstand as the "Record of the Century." The drums were played by Hal Blaine, who introduced a drum beat that later became widely imitated. Guitars on the session were played by Tommy Tedesco and Bill Pitman, after whom the instrumental "Tedesco and Pitman" on the B-side of the single was named.