For 16 golden months, from September 1963 through December 1964, the Ronettes placed five singles in the Top 40. These included the enduring girl-group classics "Be My Baby" (Number Two), "Baby I Love You" (Number 24) and "Walking in the Rain" (Number 23).
One of the Ronettes' biggest fans was Beach Boy Brian Wilson, who listened obsessively and repeatedly to "Be My Baby," which he called "my all-time favorite song. . . . . It blew my mind." Not far behind it, in terms of employing innovative production to heighten emotional depth, was "Baby I Love You," which utilized a rousing chorus of overdubbed voices—including those of Cher and Darlene Love—to back up Ronnie's captivating, siren-like lead vocal. These two singles made the Ronettes stars as 1963 dissolved into 1964, and, in England, the group toured with the Rolling Stones and befriended the Beatles. More singles followed, but the Ronettes' popularity tailed off after the charmed year of 1964. The trio's final Spector-produced single—"Is This What I Get"/"Oh, I Love You"—missed the Top 40, and their last release for Philles, the Jeff Barry-produced "I Can Hear Music," fared no better. The Ronettes broke up in 1966, but Ronnie herself remained romantically tied to Spector. The couple married in 1968 and divorced six years later.
sblake, I have always been a fan of girl groups like The Ronettes. I remember high school dances in the gym when these songs would play. I can still see the dimly lit gym, the nuns keeping an eye and us dancing along and mouthing the words to the songs we all knew so well.
Big Ronettes fan here, too. and this one is one of my faves. And in 1997 Ronnie Spector did an EP with her cover of Don't Worry Baby, so it kind of all came around full circle (in a lop-sided kind of way).
This has always been a fave. I would have loved to have been at this recording session. Imagine the shivers running up and down the spine with all of that sound!
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For 16 golden months, from September 1963 through December 1964, the Ronettes placed five singles in the Top 40. These included the enduring girl-group classics "Be My Baby" (Number Two), "Baby I Love You" (Number 24) and "Walking in the Rain" (Number 23).
One of the Ronettes' biggest fans was Beach Boy Brian Wilson, who listened obsessively and repeatedly to "Be My Baby," which he called "my all-time favorite song. . . . . It blew my mind." Not far behind it, in terms of employing innovative production to heighten emotional depth, was "Baby I Love You," which utilized a rousing chorus of overdubbed voices—including those of Cher and Darlene Love—to back up Ronnie's captivating, siren-like lead vocal. These two singles made the Ronettes stars as 1963 dissolved into 1964, and, in England, the group toured with the Rolling Stones and befriended the Beatles. More singles followed, but the Ronettes' popularity tailed off after the charmed year of 1964. The trio's final Spector-produced single—"Is This What I Get"/"Oh, I Love You"—missed the Top 40, and their last release for Philles, the Jeff Barry-produced "I Can Hear Music," fared no better. The Ronettes broke up in 1966, but Ronnie herself remained romantically tied to Spector. The couple married in 1968 and divorced six years later.
sblake,
I have always been a fan of girl groups like The Ronettes. I remember high school dances in the gym when these songs would play. I can still see the dimly lit gym, the nuns keeping an eye and us dancing along and mouthing the words to the songs we all knew so well.
Big Ronettes fan here, too. and this one is one of my faves. And in 1997 Ronnie Spector did an EP with her cover of Don't Worry Baby, so it kind of all came around full circle (in a lop-sided kind of way).
Deb,
Yup. lopsided is a perfect description. I've always been partial to this song.
This has always been a fave. I would have loved to have been at this recording session. Imagine the shivers running up and down the spine with all of that sound!
Dan,
It's that rain. I would have been right there with you if I could.
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