So what if this Phil Spector compilation was released in 1991? I haven’t found anything musically interesting in the city this week to write about, so I figured why the hell not. So, do you know “Be my Baby” by the Ronettes? Don’t say no. Because chances are you do. How about Ben E. King’s “Spanish Harlem” or the controversial “He Hit me (It felt like a kiss),” recently covered by Grizzly Bear, originally by The Crystals? Bet the answer is yes whether you realize or not.
As others have commented, what we have at our disposal, here at the End of History, to borrow Francis Fukuyama ‘s infamous phrase, is the
opportunity to examine any 20th century moment or undertaking with the text firmly in hand. These seventy-three songs from 1958 to 1969 are not just examples music by girl-groups from a bygone era but also a document of the feelings and politics of a time not long after after “race music” (Blues, R & B, early rock and roll) on American radio had proliferated, mutated into 1960s popular culture as we would recognize it. These songs were everywhere, alongside the Twist and the Cold War. They were American culture. “Little Soldier Baby” by the Ronnettes was a pretty good conscription song, with its basic thesis: your baby’s gonna be there, little gunner boy, just serve your country. And “He
hit me” inspired national debate about radio censorship and domestic violence.
When identifying any or all of these songs, the erroneous classification of “Motown” must be avoided. While decades following their release have rendered them one and the same to uninspired or
ignorant ears, all seventy-three tracks were released on Phil Spector’s Philles Records, which he commandeered at the tender age of twenty-one.
And while Spector himself was a bit of a bastard, taking advantage of his wife’s (Ronnie Spector’s) extraordinary voice, essentially denying her a career over decades of repression, his genius as a producer gave rise to the Wall of Sound. All these songs have a bubble-gum flavour, obviously, but the production is extraordinary. I read once the Arcade Fire were heavily inspired by girl-groups from the 1960s and it makes sense to me now: the layered sounds, symphonic instrumentation, all the melodies and harmonies converging to create a single effect.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of stuff on the four discs that I don’t particularly like, songs I would never listen to more than once: a strong template guides them, especially percussively. But the songs
that are good are great. It’s “Be my Baby” that gets me every time. There’s something disarming about Ronnie Spector’s voice, a lilting sensitivity, a confidence which with the rising notes proclaims love with such strength that the sentiments overpower, overtake the pop song. It’s a tremendous performance.
Be My Baby by The Ronettes
He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss) by The Crystals
