Music Blog

Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for the April 27 edition
of Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday.
Here’s what I have to say. 

© Rolling Stone

This week for Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday, the theme is “A Recurring Opinion Survey” and our challenge is to pick a song from Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time from either the 2003, 2012, 2020, or 2023 list. The challenge is specific but that doesn’t mean it’s easy; there are so many incredible songs on those albums!

Ever since I can remember, music has been in my life …. playing it, listening to it, singing it, writing it, dancing to it and practicing countless songs in front of my bedroom mirror with a hairbrush as my microphone. And when I say “practice”, that’s exactly what I did …. every note, every word, every breathy pause, every hair flip, every arm wave, every body shimmy, every hippy-hippy shake, every little nuance. I knew them all and I did them perfectly. Why? Because I wanted to be just like my idols! I’d learn all the songs and sing them for my friends and family and I believed I could be just as famous as the girls on the records I listened to. And in those magical, mystical, quicksilver years from 1963-1965, I was part of The Crystals, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, The Shangri-Las, and The Ronettes.

My featured song this week is from the first Rolling Stone list in 2003. The album is Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes, featuring the hit song “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes.

© Rolling Stone

The year was 1959; the place was the Washington Heights/Spanish Harlem area of New York City. Sisters Veronica (Ronnie) and Estelle Bennett along with their cousin Nedra Talley first started harmonizing together as teenagers, inspired by doo wop groups like Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers and Little Anthony & the Imperials. They called themselves the Darling Sisters, worked on their dance moves and won the famed amateur talent contest at the Apollo Theater. Two years later and the girls were standing in line waiting to get into the legendary Peppermint Lounge when a manager mistook them for an act he’d booked. Taking full advantage of the opportunity, the girls took to the stage and performed to great response from the audience; they were quickly hired as regulars. Later that year they got a record deal with the Colpix label as Ronnie & the Relatives but none of their songs were anything more than regionally popular.

The girls caught their big break in 1963 when they met Phil Spector, who saw in them talent he could mold to his specifications; the group, now going by the name The Ronettes, was signed to Spector’s Philles label, where they were given a more defined image than most female artists of the time. They were still sweet and feminine, to be sure, but they had hints of attitude, photographed with beehive hairdos, heavy eyeliner, and tight skirts. Their songs dared to address the objects of their affection directly (“I love you” as opposed to “I love him“), even – on a subliminal level – seductively. They were everything I wanted to be and I related to them big time!

Phil Spector lavished all his attention on his new protégées, collaborating on material with some of the top songwriting teams from the Brill Building on Broadway …. the hub for songwriting and music publishing during the 1960s. Their first Philles single was “Be My Baby”, a tune Spector co-wrote with the songwriting team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, especially as a showcase for Ronnie Bennett. The song was produced at Gold Star Studios with Spector’s house band, later known as “The Wrecking Crew”. It marked the first time that Spector recorded with a full orchestra; the song is regarded as the quintessential example of his Wall of Sound recording technique. Right from the first few drum beats, “Be My Baby” declared itself a pop classic; Ronnie’s sexy-sweet vulnerability captured the hearts of enough teenage male listeners to send the song to the top of the charts.

At this time, Spector, who had been struggling with marital issues, developed a romantic fixation on Ronnie. Those on the inside reported that Spector intended “Be My Baby” as an explicit declaration of his growing feelings for Ronnie. Singer Darlene Love, who sang backup on Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes, said that “Be My Baby” was effectively a means for Spector to declare his love to Ronnie.

“Be My Baby” was released by Phillies Records in August 1963 and reached #2 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart by the end of the summer. It also topped the Canadian CHUM Chart during a four-week stay. In the UK, it was issued by London Recordings in October and peaked at #4 on Record Retailer. By the end of the year, the single had sold more than two million copies. “Be My Baby” was named Record of the Century and remains the Ronettes’ most successful and beloved song. It also became the all-time favorite record of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, who penned “Don’t Worry Baby” in tribute to the Ronettes. Phil Spector refused to record the Beach Boys’ song so they recorded it themselves and it became a hit.

In 2004, the Ronettes were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame; in 2007, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, introduced by Keith Richards. The Ronettes were the only girl group to tour with the Beatles.

The Ronettes with Phil Spector (seated) & George Harrison
© Rex Shutterstock

Ronnie and Phil Spector were married in 1968 but the marriage fell apart due to his abusive, controlling and erratic behavior. Ronnie was treated like a prisoner in the couple’s home; in 1973 she managed to escape with the help of her mother and filed for divorce.

On January 15, 2021, Phil Spector died at the age of 81 from natural causes at a hospital outside the California Health Care Facility men’s prison where he was serving a sentence for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson. Ronnie Spector passed away in 2022 at age 78 after a brief battle with cancer.

This is “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes from the album Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes

Here are the Ronettes in 1965 live on the TV show “Shindig”


LYRICS

The night we met I knew I needed you so
And if I had the chance I’d never let you go
So won’t you say you love me?
I’ll make you so proud of me
We’ll make ’em turn their heads every place we go

So won’t you, please (Be my, be my baby)
Be my little baby (My one and only baby)
Say you’ll be my darlin’ (Be my, be my baby)
Be my baby now (My one and only baby)
Oh, oh, oh, oh

I’ll make you happy, baby, just wait and see
For every kiss you give me, I’ll give you three
Oh, since the day I saw you
I have been waiting for you
You know I will adore you ’til eternity

So won’t you, please (Be my, be my baby)
Be my little baby (My one and only baby)
Say you’ll be my darlin’ (Be my, be my baby)
Be my baby now (My one and only baby)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

So come on and be (Be my, be my baby)
Be my little baby (My one and only baby)
Say you’ll be my darlin’ (Be my, be my baby)
Be my baby now (My one and only baby)
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Be my little baby (My one and only baby)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (Be my, be my baby)
Oh, oh, oh, oh (My one and only baby)
Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh (Be my, be my baby)
Oh, oh, oh (My one and only baby)
Oh, oh, oh, oh (Be my, be my baby)

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Ellie Greenwich/Jeff Barry/Philip Spector
Be My Baby lyrics © Malt Shoppe Music, Steeplechase Music, Gregmark Music Inc., Debbie Jo Music, Trio Music Co Inc, Universal Songs Of Polygram Int. Inc.

Just for fun, this is “Don’t Worry Baby”, the Beach Boys tribute song to the Ronettes


LYRICS

Well it’s been building up inside of me
For oh I don’t know how long
I don’t know why
But I keep thinking
Something’s bound to go wrong

But she looks in my eyes
And makes me realize
And she says “don’t worry, baby”
Don’t worry, baby
Don’t worry, baby
Everything will turn out alright

Don’t worry, baby
Don’t worry, baby
Don’t worry, baby

I guess I should’ve kept my mouth shut
When I started to brag about my car
But I can’t back down now because
I pushed the other guys too far

She makes me come alive
And makes me wanna drive
When she says “don’t worry, baby”
Don’t worry, baby
Don’t worry, baby
Everything will turn out alright

Don’t worry, baby
Don’t worry, baby
Don’t worry, baby

She told me “Baby, when you race today
Just take along my love with you
And if you knew how much I loved you
Baby, nothing could go wrong with you”

Oh what she does to me
When she makes love to me
And she says “don’t worry, baby”
Don’t worry, baby
Don’t worry, baby
Everything will turn out alright

Don’t worry, baby
Don’t worry, baby
Don’t worry, baby

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Brian Wilson/Henry Medress/Jay Siegel/Mitchell Margo/Philip Margo/
Roger Christian
Don’t Worry Baby lyrics © Royalty Network, Spirit Music Group, Universal Music Publishing Group

A Recurring Opinion Survey

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow the link and check out Jim’s site.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to some tunes.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy’s Notes 🖊️🎶, The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, The Rhythm Section, et al., and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

53 thoughts on “Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes”

    1. That’s a great word, Michele! The girls had the ability of making us wish we were part of their world, one of the inner circle. They were so exciting and intriguing for us …. we wanted to be them or to be with them. What a fabulous time the 60s were for us! Thanks very much, Michele. ☺️

      Liked by 2 people

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  4. I so love Ronnie Spector…Be My Baby is one of the best singles of the sixties. Just a great song.
    Don’t Worry Baby is my favorite song from The Beach Boys…great picks Nancy.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. How nice to know these are both favorite songs of yours, Max! Obviously they’re favorites of mine as well. The Ronettes were the epitome of cool for me; not only were they a great girl group, but they toured with the Beatles and got to hang with them, too. That would have been the ultimate dream for me. Knowing the Ronettes were living my dream made me love them even more. Thanks for a great comment, Max.

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  5. “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes – what a classic! These young ladies could sing. It was a time when you really needed to have vocal skills, not rely on auto-tune or other studio trickery.

    I also love “Don’t Worry Baby” by The Beach Boys, and it’s mostly because of their incredible harmony singing.

    Practicing with a hairbrush in front of a mirror reminded me of my six-year-older sister, who occasionally also “practiced” with a microphone she had made out of paper tissues. This goes back to the time when I was an 8-year-old growing up in Germany. That said, I don’t believe my dear sister was quite as passionate about singing as you evidently were! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. It was great to read your comments, Christian! You make an excellent point about needing real singing chops back then …. no relying on lip synching or any of that nonsense. The girl groups from the 60s really had it going on and you’re right …. I was passionate and would have loved being one of them! The closest I got was singing with a band in high school. When the principal found out we were rehearsing “White Rabbit”, he banned us from the talent show! LOL!

      Thanks so much, Christian!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  13. fabulous choice. I think so many people came in too late on this story, and their only tie in is Phil Spectors ex-wife. This was an unprecedented incident of raw talent coming straight up from the streets, and something we really don’t get a chance to see happen anymore.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. You’re right about that, Jodi! I’m very happy to know that the story about the start of the Ronettes may have enlightened some people. What an incredible time this was in music history; I have many wonderful memories of this era. Thanks so much!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. Just checking something Nancy…. I liked and commented from my email, really enjoyed your post and the song, wondered if you still want to pick up your hairbrush..?! But then looked at post on Jetpack and can’t see my like or comment – so wondering now if my comments don’t go through if I reply via my email… lost to the ether … but sorry if I have doubled up my response …
    💞Suzanne

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Suzanne, sorry your comment went to spam. I just fished you out! It’s such a great comment, too, and I appreciate everything you wrote. I’m so glad you called my attention to it. The music of the 60s girl groups, especially this one by the Ronettes, never fails to get me going; whether I’m in the car or the shower or the kitchen, when songs like this come on, I’m right there singing along. I’m so pleased to know you enjoyed my post about the Ronettes. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate it!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

        1. There was a time recently when that happened to me and I asked all my WP friends to check their spam boxes. WP is a bit like God; we don’t know why or how things happen, they just do, and we can bitch & moan about them but there’s not much more we can do to fix the problem except hope and pray it gets fixed for us. I hope this can get straightened out for you, Suzanne. I know how frustrating it can be.

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