I'm not surprised that Be My Baby is reemerging in new
forms--apparently it's a favorite of some musicians who were born long,
long after it was a hit song for the Ronettes in 1964. At this point
it's not so much a song as an archetype; its first three beats are one
of the most recognizable openings in Rock history. When Brian Wilson of
the
Beach Boys first heard it, he was so overwhelmed that he had to pull
his car off the road. Here are three clips, contrasting the original and
a couple recent versions. First, there is the Ronettes at the Santa
Monica Civic Auditorium in 1964, the year the song came out. Note the
moment when Ronnie Spector's eyes drift heavenward, as she is seemingly
overcome with sheer joy. Next, one of my younger daughter's favorite
Indie groups, We Are
Scientists. (At their shows, they sell t-shirts that say "I Are
Scientist". Next time she sees them, I want her to buy me one.) Finally,
there is the Dum Dum Girls
a 'group' that is actually one woman, Kristin Gundred, stage name Dee
Dee, with ever-changing back-up musicians. She labels her retro sound
"blissed-out buzz saw" and I love it. Dee Dee's retro credentials are pretty
sound; her producer also produced Blondie --who once hung out next to me at the beginning of her career, between sets at the bar of a music club in Berkeley where we watched the main act, Muddy Waters, and I was too shy too say a peep--and the Go-Gos and wrote "My
Boyfriend's Back".
