"
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 Ronettesand 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.
[1][2][3] 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."
[4][5] In 1999, it was inducted in the
Grammy Hall of Fame, and 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".
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