music video: BE MY BABY - The Ronettes - live Lead singer: Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector) Backing vocals: Ronnie Spector-Bennett, Nedra Talley, Estelle Bennett, Ellie Greenwich, Nino Tempo, Bobby Sheen, Sonny Bono, Cher, Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Gracia Nitzsche Band: The Wrecking Crew with Hal Blaine on drums No less an authority than Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys has declared 'Be My Baby' the greatest pop record ever made. Wilson says it is his favorite record, stating in Q Magazine's 1001 Best songs Ever: "This is a special one for me. What a great sound, the Wall of Sound. Boy, first heard this on the car radio and I had to pull off the road, I couldn't believe it. The choruses blew me away; the strings are the melody of love. It has the promise to make the world better." The Ronettes recorded "Be My Baby" in July 1963 at the Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles and was released in August 1963 at Philles Records. By the fall of that year, it had become a top ten hit, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Top 100. "Our lives were turned upside down," Ronnie later recalled. "All the things I'd ever dreamed about were finally coming true "Be My Baby" turned out to be a huge record for the Ronettes; radio stations constantly played the song throughout the fall of 1963. "Be My Baby" inspired a legion of Ronettes fans, including Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, who wrote "Don't Worry Baby" as a tribute to the group. The song is also notable for being the first recording work done by Cher, who was one of the backing vocals on the song. Cher, the girlfriend of Sonny Bono at the time (who was then working for Phil Spector) was asked to join the back-up singers when one of them didn't show up for the recording that day. " 'Be My Baby' was the first record I ever sang on," Cher later wrote. "...I went out and stood in front of this big speaker and sang 'be my, be my baby' with the Ronettes and all these other singers."Ah huh huh", and "Be My Baby!," Cher became a permanent backup singer for songs recorded by the Ronettes, along with other songs Phil Spector produced for his label Philles Records.

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