I have always been amazed at how well that song held up over all these years. The production was great but Ronnie Spector made the song what it is. She had a voice for the ages.
Thanks for the article, Lucian. Well done and spot on as always.
That Wall of Sound was courtesy of her eventual husband, record producer Phil Spector. When they were married, Phil kept a coffin in the basement of their Beverly Hills mansion and told Ronnie he'd put her in it if she were ever unfaithful to him (although he was constantly unfaithful to her.) I knew Ronnie. She used to come to parties at my brother's home when he was an executive at Warner Bros Records. Phil would come, too, a tiny, skinny freak of a man in an elaborate suit, standing maybe five-four with lifts and accompanied by a bodyguard who looked lie an NFL center sewn into a suit with a bulge under his left armpit where the Glock nestled. When Phil arrived, Ronnie departed. She was afraid of him; she had good reason to be.
important to note that Spector's "wall of sound" was every bit as much the work of Jack Nitzsche, who was credited as the "arranger." the key was having alot of people playing instruments (especially guitars) in unison and taking advantage of the fact that every player obviously played a little bit differently. then of course a LOT of echo. at Jack's funeral in 2000, Spector amazed the gathering (Spector was both insane AND an egomaniac, with a tendency to handle his stress by firing one of his many guns at the ceiling) by announcing "No Nitzsche, no me." it was a tremendous thrill getting to know Jack a little bit when he produced my friend and songwriting partner's second album, which was great but remains unreleased because Clive Davis has no imagination. what's amazing about Ronnie is how she actually managed to walk out on Spector after many years of ongoing abuse and survive very nicely; in fact, to triumph. I've always maintained that one of the reasons people loved "Mean Streets" is that the beginning of the movie was the insanely, uniquely powerful drum beats that grab you by the throat at the beginning of "Be My Baby." the only other single I can think of that has anything like the same effect on me is the beginning (also a drum) of "Like a Rolling Stone." "Like a Rolling Stone" changed history at large. but "Be My Baby" had a pretty potent effect on MY history. and Lucian's. and a lot of us. I'd even wager it had a similarly potent effect on Bob Dylan.
Ah yes, I remember it well! Some girls actually came to school with their hair in huge curlers with a silk scarf over it, generally on Fridays so they would have the spectacular hair for their dates that night. There definitely were two types of girls, the perky Leslie Gore types and the fast or "dirtier" girls who ran with the "hoods". The Ronettes also represented "Race" whjch was a danger zone to enter in those days...but tempting. ( I graduated high school in 1964 on Long Island)
I'm also a '64 high school grad, but from Tampa. We had the same two social/stylistic groups. Nevertheless, I realized we were in something of a cultural cul de sac when I went shoe shopping that year. After trying on two pair that didn't feel right, the salesman came back with a box and said, "This is a new thing. The last I heard they had made it as far as Baltimore, so they should catch on here in another three months or so. You have a chance to be a trend setter" They were saddle oxfords, black on brown. I had only ever seen saddle oxfords, black on white, on girls. Nevertheless, they were comfortable, so I bought them. The salesman was right; they caught on in Florida several months later, after I'd taken some teasing. Three months behind Baltimore? Oy!
wow, yeah. yes to all of it. especially (at least for me) the "racial" aspect....long story there, which is not for here. it's funny...I graduated in Queens in '66, and things were ALMOST the same. the following year, when the entire world was smoking pot, was entirely different, and I remain sorta glad I was part of the "older" consciousness. every few years, I thumb through my yearbook and can practically smell the Aquanet. and I'm still something of a sucker for that raccoon eye look. has anyone else noticed that something similar seems to be the fashion now? I mean the eyes, not the hairspray.
Lucian, you painted such a clear picture that I could see and smell again my junior high school hallways and recall the longing you describe, particularly the junior high school "dance" evenings. Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" comes to mind in the same year as "Be My Baby." Thanks for a great look back and characterization of the attitude of the time.
She was everything, sweet, sexy the girl next door turned total outlaw. When she sang it shook the world around her. The last time i saw her was at Stephen Talkhouse maybe twenty years ago. For two hours i was still fourteen and she was still just out of reach.
Top-notch take on the bouffant landscape Lucian. We were lucky young men (14/15) to bask in such a cultural moment. I loved to watch my girlfriend rat her hair. She was 14 one moment, and a grown woman after the comb. All hail Ronnie Spector!
The girls tried to achieve The Look Du Jour, same as the guys who pushed the dress codes to look like Elvis or a beatnik or (eventually) a Beatle.... those were the days!
I loved this. I was a little past the bouffant, bit my older sister wasn’t 😁. I entered high school in the bell bottom years. But this article was perfect.Brings back so many memories.
Great tribute, Lucian, to those old days and to Be My Baby. I loved Ronnie and the girls singing that song so much that I posted an In Memoriam YouTube on Facebook after Ronnie died.
The song still sparks something in me.
But I never went bouffant. We didn't have such spectacular hair in the village of Sherburne, New York. We were eight miles from Colgate University but light years in other ways.
It seems for every "big city" custom, a horror story is told to discourage it in a small town.
"Did you hear about that girl in Utica with the big hair?" our home economics teacher said to a bunch of us. "She was so anxious to keep it full that she didn't wash it."
Sounded good.
"She had a special spray."
Now we were interested. "What was it? "
"Sugar water. To make the hair really stiff . To make it stay in place."
We were game.
She suddenly looked grim. Folded her arms. "Well, you want to know what happened to her?"
What? She made us wait.
Mrs. Home Ekky Ekky whispered. "Maggots." Then, "Maggots... She got maggots in her hair! "
One of us screamed. Then a shriek at this worst of the "don't you dare" stories.
After awhile, I was skeptical. "You know that girl in Utica?" .
"Well, what about her?" said Mrs. Home Eeek., anxious to move on now.
Some stuff from back then lasts the test to time though.
Aqua Net Super Hold is probably still the best over the counter propellant for potato guns.
You can shoot a big 2" diameter potato plug clear out of sight with that stuff. Shoot it at a wall nearby and it hits with such velocity that the potato basically vaporizes with no remnants.
I'm amazed there weren't big bathroom explosions as the air would be thick with it and the cigarettes and lighters were flaring.
Go to the still photo that first appears at 0:49 in the clip linked below. It's of a doo-wop group, the Royal Teens, who last performed together around 1960, and includes an especially exuberant example (love those alliterations!) of the bouffant style. It's possible the wearer is Diana Lee, who occasionally did vocals with the group. Their tinkling piano was by Bob Gaudio, later one of the Jersey Boys in the Four Seasons. Since the photo is probably from well before 1963-64, it's an indicator that New Jersey may have rivaled California as a style trend setter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAK04ktLzCk&t=2s
Who was it said "All is illusion" The hairspray bit reminds me of an episode of Fuller House, Angels Night Out, where the three girls think they are Charlies Angels. I am familiar with that episode as I was an extra in it and I get sprayed with hairspray. The girls go on a 70's cruise only to find out it is a cruise for 70 year olds. It is very funny with three old time guest stars, Lee Majors, Lindsay Wagner and Lainie Kazan. Here is a clip:
While Joey watches the boys at home, D.J. and the girls don flashy costumes for a 1970’s-themed cruise. But it's not quite the crowd they expected. They discover they’ve accidentally booked themselves on a senior citizens dinner cruise. Fernando Guerrero and Ramona spend the day together and the boys pull a prank on Joey.
Lucian, you really took me (us) down memory lane and If I hadn’t known your gender with your vivid descriptions, I’d swear you were a girl!
We wore false eyelashes too which Ronnie and the Supremes made popular along with the model, Twiggy. Mini-Skirts were brought onto the scene by the British designer, Mary Quant. I loved the entire style because I was skinny back then and could away wearing those clothes in my small NC Baptist town. Honestly, I could smell the choking scent of Aqua Net as you were talking about it.
Weren't we lucky in the 60’s, to have experienced the likes of Ronnie Spector and Motown music? Surely, music, the entertainer’s wardrobe, hairdos, and voices influenced us in so many ways.
I have always been amazed at how well that song held up over all these years. The production was great but Ronnie Spector made the song what it is. She had a voice for the ages.
Thanks for the article, Lucian. Well done and spot on as always.
That Wall of Sound was courtesy of her eventual husband, record producer Phil Spector. When they were married, Phil kept a coffin in the basement of their Beverly Hills mansion and told Ronnie he'd put her in it if she were ever unfaithful to him (although he was constantly unfaithful to her.) I knew Ronnie. She used to come to parties at my brother's home when he was an executive at Warner Bros Records. Phil would come, too, a tiny, skinny freak of a man in an elaborate suit, standing maybe five-four with lifts and accompanied by a bodyguard who looked lie an NFL center sewn into a suit with a bulge under his left armpit where the Glock nestled. When Phil arrived, Ronnie departed. She was afraid of him; she had good reason to be.
Oh, how sad.. So much for those liberating years.
important to note that Spector's "wall of sound" was every bit as much the work of Jack Nitzsche, who was credited as the "arranger." the key was having alot of people playing instruments (especially guitars) in unison and taking advantage of the fact that every player obviously played a little bit differently. then of course a LOT of echo. at Jack's funeral in 2000, Spector amazed the gathering (Spector was both insane AND an egomaniac, with a tendency to handle his stress by firing one of his many guns at the ceiling) by announcing "No Nitzsche, no me." it was a tremendous thrill getting to know Jack a little bit when he produced my friend and songwriting partner's second album, which was great but remains unreleased because Clive Davis has no imagination. what's amazing about Ronnie is how she actually managed to walk out on Spector after many years of ongoing abuse and survive very nicely; in fact, to triumph. I've always maintained that one of the reasons people loved "Mean Streets" is that the beginning of the movie was the insanely, uniquely powerful drum beats that grab you by the throat at the beginning of "Be My Baby." the only other single I can think of that has anything like the same effect on me is the beginning (also a drum) of "Like a Rolling Stone." "Like a Rolling Stone" changed history at large. but "Be My Baby" had a pretty potent effect on MY history. and Lucian's. and a lot of us. I'd even wager it had a similarly potent effect on Bob Dylan.
Dirty Dancing. Play the soundtrack several times a week. Dance in my kitchen. "Be My Baby." That drum beat.!
Lol! In those days, the restroom was a literal haze of hairspray. It's a wonder we didn't die of some lung disease.
And cigarette smoke!
That and Dippity Doo! 😁
Ah yes, I remember it well! Some girls actually came to school with their hair in huge curlers with a silk scarf over it, generally on Fridays so they would have the spectacular hair for their dates that night. There definitely were two types of girls, the perky Leslie Gore types and the fast or "dirtier" girls who ran with the "hoods". The Ronettes also represented "Race" whjch was a danger zone to enter in those days...but tempting. ( I graduated high school in 1964 on Long Island)
I'm also a '64 high school grad, but from Tampa. We had the same two social/stylistic groups. Nevertheless, I realized we were in something of a cultural cul de sac when I went shoe shopping that year. After trying on two pair that didn't feel right, the salesman came back with a box and said, "This is a new thing. The last I heard they had made it as far as Baltimore, so they should catch on here in another three months or so. You have a chance to be a trend setter" They were saddle oxfords, black on brown. I had only ever seen saddle oxfords, black on white, on girls. Nevertheless, they were comfortable, so I bought them. The salesman was right; they caught on in Florida several months later, after I'd taken some teasing. Three months behind Baltimore? Oy!
wow, yeah. yes to all of it. especially (at least for me) the "racial" aspect....long story there, which is not for here. it's funny...I graduated in Queens in '66, and things were ALMOST the same. the following year, when the entire world was smoking pot, was entirely different, and I remain sorta glad I was part of the "older" consciousness. every few years, I thumb through my yearbook and can practically smell the Aquanet. and I'm still something of a sucker for that raccoon eye look. has anyone else noticed that something similar seems to be the fashion now? I mean the eyes, not the hairspray.
Yes...180 degree turn in '66: Campus unrest, Beatles and pot-smoking and no more hair spray!
White lipstick.
Oh, now you've taken me back!!
… or Erase. 😂
Or erase.
Or green lipstick too!
Lucian, you painted such a clear picture that I could see and smell again my junior high school hallways and recall the longing you describe, particularly the junior high school "dance" evenings. Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" comes to mind in the same year as "Be My Baby." Thanks for a great look back and characterization of the attitude of the time.
She was everything, sweet, sexy the girl next door turned total outlaw. When she sang it shook the world around her. The last time i saw her was at Stephen Talkhouse maybe twenty years ago. For two hours i was still fourteen and she was still just out of reach.
Top-notch take on the bouffant landscape Lucian. We were lucky young men (14/15) to bask in such a cultural moment. I loved to watch my girlfriend rat her hair. She was 14 one moment, and a grown woman after the comb. All hail Ronnie Spector!
Excellent loving memory Lucian. You nailed it and sprayed it down with Aqua Net! ♥️
I love your comment. YOU nailed it!
Oh goodness, thank you so much. Sometimes I miss my teased hair….
My hair is so fine that all the teasing and hairspray lasted about 1/2 hour 😆😳 I bet yours held up well.
The girls tried to achieve The Look Du Jour, same as the guys who pushed the dress codes to look like Elvis or a beatnik or (eventually) a Beatle.... those were the days!
I loved this. I was a little past the bouffant, bit my older sister wasn’t 😁. I entered high school in the bell bottom years. But this article was perfect.Brings back so many memories.
Bell bottoms and disco.
Great tribute, Lucian, to those old days and to Be My Baby. I loved Ronnie and the girls singing that song so much that I posted an In Memoriam YouTube on Facebook after Ronnie died.
The song still sparks something in me.
But I never went bouffant. We didn't have such spectacular hair in the village of Sherburne, New York. We were eight miles from Colgate University but light years in other ways.
It seems for every "big city" custom, a horror story is told to discourage it in a small town.
"Did you hear about that girl in Utica with the big hair?" our home economics teacher said to a bunch of us. "She was so anxious to keep it full that she didn't wash it."
Sounded good.
"She had a special spray."
Now we were interested. "What was it? "
"Sugar water. To make the hair really stiff . To make it stay in place."
We were game.
She suddenly looked grim. Folded her arms. "Well, you want to know what happened to her?"
What? She made us wait.
Mrs. Home Ekky Ekky whispered. "Maggots." Then, "Maggots... She got maggots in her hair! "
One of us screamed. Then a shriek at this worst of the "don't you dare" stories.
After awhile, I was skeptical. "You know that girl in Utica?" .
"Well, what about her?" said Mrs. Home Eeek., anxious to move on now.
"What was her name?" I said.
.
Some stuff from back then lasts the test to time though.
Aqua Net Super Hold is probably still the best over the counter propellant for potato guns.
You can shoot a big 2" diameter potato plug clear out of sight with that stuff. Shoot it at a wall nearby and it hits with such velocity that the potato basically vaporizes with no remnants.
I'm amazed there weren't big bathroom explosions as the air would be thick with it and the cigarettes and lighters were flaring.
Go to the still photo that first appears at 0:49 in the clip linked below. It's of a doo-wop group, the Royal Teens, who last performed together around 1960, and includes an especially exuberant example (love those alliterations!) of the bouffant style. It's possible the wearer is Diana Lee, who occasionally did vocals with the group. Their tinkling piano was by Bob Gaudio, later one of the Jersey Boys in the Four Seasons. Since the photo is probably from well before 1963-64, it's an indicator that New Jersey may have rivaled California as a style trend setter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAK04ktLzCk&t=2s
Who was it said "All is illusion" The hairspray bit reminds me of an episode of Fuller House, Angels Night Out, where the three girls think they are Charlies Angels. I am familiar with that episode as I was an extra in it and I get sprayed with hairspray. The girls go on a 70's cruise only to find out it is a cruise for 70 year olds. It is very funny with three old time guest stars, Lee Majors, Lindsay Wagner and Lainie Kazan. Here is a clip:
https://vimeo.com/358413773
While Joey watches the boys at home, D.J. and the girls don flashy costumes for a 1970’s-themed cruise. But it's not quite the crowd they expected. They discover they’ve accidentally booked themselves on a senior citizens dinner cruise. Fernando Guerrero and Ramona spend the day together and the boys pull a prank on Joey.
Lucian, you really took me (us) down memory lane and If I hadn’t known your gender with your vivid descriptions, I’d swear you were a girl!
We wore false eyelashes too which Ronnie and the Supremes made popular along with the model, Twiggy. Mini-Skirts were brought onto the scene by the British designer, Mary Quant. I loved the entire style because I was skinny back then and could away wearing those clothes in my small NC Baptist town. Honestly, I could smell the choking scent of Aqua Net as you were talking about it.
Weren't we lucky in the 60’s, to have experienced the likes of Ronnie Spector and Motown music? Surely, music, the entertainer’s wardrobe, hairdos, and voices influenced us in so many ways.
Thanks so much for the memories!