Ronettes ( The ) - Be My Baby

First performance: 04/11/1976


Coverinfo

Bruce performed the song 6 times:
 
Always together with Ronnie Spector:
 
 
1989-01-18 Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, NY
Springsteen attends the fourth Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremonies. The night's inductees are Dion, Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and Phil Spector, plus The Ink Spots, Bessie Smith, and The Soul Stirrers in the Early Influences category. As had been the case in January 1987 (when Bruce inducted Roy Orbison and performed) and January 1988 (when Bruce inducted Bob Dylan and performed) Springsteen took the stage, joining in the all-star jam on most of the songs and sings lead on "Crying", dedicated to Roy Orbison, who had passed away only a few weeks earlier. Bruce plays guitar on all songs, plus tambourine on "Uptight (Everything's Alright)". The all-star band includes, along with Bruce, most of The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Mick Taylor), most of The Temptations (Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, David Ruffin, and Otis Williams), Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Little Richard, Pete Townshend, Dion, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, Anita Baker, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Bobby Womack, Al Green, Ben E. King, Bobby McFerrin, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Foreigner's Mick Jones, and more. Bruce attended with Patti Scialfa and, according to some reports, former Castiles member George Theiss attended. Former E Streeter Band member Vini Lopez was definitely there and took part in the show. He later recalled "They had the whole induction ceremony and four hours later, Bill Graham is on stage and he's pulling people out of the audience. Bruce comes up to me and says, "You see that other drum set up there? " Next thing you know, I was up there. I played for an hour and a half with those guys. Paul Simon, Steve Wonder. It was cool. Mick Jagger was leaning on my shoulder, singing 'Honky Tonk Woman' with Tina Turner."

 
 

1977-05-13 Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ (Late)
1977-05-13 Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ (Early)
 
During both the early (first show) and Late (second show):
Two separate admission shows. Independent recollections from those present indicate that Springsteen was on stage for the entirety of both shows. The gigs were originally scheduled as a standard Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes gig. However Southside became ill and couldn't perform so Steven Van Zandt came to the rescue by organizing The Asbury Park All-Star Revue - a combination of The Asbury Jukes, The E Street Band, Ronnie Spector and Springsteen. Van Zandt was the lead vocalist (with Bruce on guitar/background vocals) on most of the tracks.
 
 
 
  
Thanks Daniel Dee for helping on this page
 

1977-05-12 Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ
Two concerts tonight were originally scheduled (along with the two shows the following night) as regular Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes gigs. However Southside became ill (suffering from a recurring throat ailment) and couldn't perform so Steven Van Zandt came to the rescue by organizing The Asbury Park All-Star Revue - a combination of The Asbury Jukes, The E Street Band, Ronnie Spector and Springsteen. Due to Southside's illness and a lack of time for Van Zandt to prepare to lead, tonight's two shows were rearranged into a single concert starting at midnight. Van Zandt was the lead vocalist (with Bruce on guitar/background vocals) on most of the tracks.
 
THIS TIME IT'S FOR REAL / GOT TO GET YOU OFF MY MIND / WITHOUT LOVE / SHE GOT ME WHERE SHE WANTS ME / LOVE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF TOWN / LITTLE BY LITTLE / IT AIN'T THE MEAT (IT'S THE MOTION) / WHEN YOU DANCE / BABY, I LOVE YOU (with Ronnie Spector) / WALKING IN THE RAIN (with Ronnie Spector) / SAY GOODBYE TO HOLLYWOOD ( with Ronnie Spector) / BE MY BABY (with Ronnie Spector) / THE FEVER / I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME / HAVING A PARTY / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME (with Ronnie Spector) / THUNDER ROAD / RENDEZVOUS / BACKSTREETS / BORN TO RUN
  
Photo Billy Smith  

1977-02-17 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
Magical show, with Ronnie Spector, along with Flo and Eddie, as unadvertised guests on four songs; three classics from her Ronettes period plus her about-to-be-released single "Say Goodbye To Hollywood", the studio version of which had been recorded with Bruce & The E Street Band just a few weeks earlier (with Miami Steve producing).
 
Final show of a six-night run in New York City. Carl D'Errico (co-writer of "It's My Life") is in the audience and Bruce delivers one of his finest-ever performances of the song. A stunning cover of The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" is also featured, and to top it all off Ronnie Spector guests on three of her most famous Ronettes-era hits, all given inspired arrangements by the E Street Band. A pre-show bomb hoax results in Bruce jokingly asking the audience to look under their seats.
 

Songinfo

"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 Ronettes and 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.
 
 
 

Other cover versions

Bruce on the artist

In January 1977, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band joined Ronnie Spector at CBS Studios in New York City, NY, for the recording of Billy Joel's Say goodbye to Hollywood and Steven Van Zandt's Baby please don't go. "Say Goodbye To Hollywood / Baby Please Don't Go" was Cleveland International Records' first single. Label's founder Steve Popovich had the idea that Ronnie Spector records the single with the E Street Band. "Lifelong best friend," Steven Van Zandt said about him in 2017. "I told him E St was in big trouble. Broke. He had the idea. Then overpaid us. Saved the band." The E Street Band received its first official recording credit on Say goodbye to Hollywood and Baby please don't go, and to date, it remains the band's only non-Springsteen credit. Both tracks were arranged and produced by Steven Van Zandt (credited as "Sugar Miami Steve"), who also wrote the B-side. The single's picture sleeve features an outdoor shot of Ronnie Spector, Bruce Springsteen, and the entire E Street Band, most probably taken during the January 1977 recording sessions in New York. Bruce Springsteen appeared only on Say goodbye to Hollywood, playing acoustic guitar. However, his involvement in the recording was not credited due to the lawsuit with Mike Appel that enjoined Springsteen from recording at the time. Both Steven Van Zandt and Ronnie Spector have later verified Springsteen's contribution on the recording of the track.
 
 
 
offical releases: see Springsteenlyrics
 
 
Bruce : " We got a special, a special... somebody really special with us tonight, somebody who, who I love and wanted to marry ever since I heard her first record, and I still do. And... I'm gonna her bring out to sing some songs with us. Miss Ronnie Spector...."
 

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
Wha 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
Wha oh oh oh oh
So come on and, 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
Wha oh oh oh
Be my, be my baby, be my little baby
My one and only baby, oh oh
Be my, be my baby, oh
My one and only baby, wha oh oh oh oh
Be my, be my baby, oh
My one and only baby, oh
Be my, be my baby, oh
Be my baby now