BABY IT’S YOU
THE SHIRELLES
THE SHIRELLES
Written by: Bacharach/David/Williams
Recorded by: The Shirelles (1961)
Recorded by: The Shirelles (1961)
THE BEATLES INCORPORATED ‘BABY It’s
You’ into their live set as soon as they
heard The Shirelles’ hit version in
1961. By the time they recorded it for their first
album Please Please Me (1963) they had decided
to add a second Shirelles number as well: ‘Boys’,
the B-side of the girls’ classic 1960 Goffin/King
hit ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’. ‘Boys’ seems
a strange choice for a male group in an era when
genders in lyrics were often laboriously adjusted
to suit the sex of the singer. Choosing it despite
this clearly reflected The Beatles’ liking for one
of the first successful black female vocal groups of
the rock ’n’ roll era. Scepter Records whose modest
roster of artists was headed by The Shirelles at
the time, realised that it seemed to have a new
phenomenon on its hands and so wanted to make
the most of it. For ‘Baby It’s You’ they decided
to bring in Burt Bacharach, co-author of the
song, to produce the record. It sounds as if he
brought along his guide track as well since the
first clutch of sha-la-la-las on the single ends
with Bacharach’s own voice surging raggedly to
the fore. Despite this amateurish start ‘Baby It’s
You’ is a wonderful record that inspired several
cover versions and even lent its title to a 1983
John Sayles high school movie. The arrangement
of the song was slightly different on a subsequent
Shirelles album of the same name, but whichever
version impressed The Beatles more, ‘Baby It’s
You’ gave early notice of their fondness for black
pop acts like The Isley Brothers, The Miracles and
The Cookies as well as the white rock ’n’ rollers.
You’ into their live set as soon as they
heard The Shirelles’ hit version in
1961. By the time they recorded it for their first
album Please Please Me (1963) they had decided
to add a second Shirelles number as well: ‘Boys’,
the B-side of the girls’ classic 1960 Goffin/King
hit ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’. ‘Boys’ seems
a strange choice for a male group in an era when
genders in lyrics were often laboriously adjusted
to suit the sex of the singer. Choosing it despite
this clearly reflected The Beatles’ liking for one
of the first successful black female vocal groups of
the rock ’n’ roll era. Scepter Records whose modest
roster of artists was headed by The Shirelles at
the time, realised that it seemed to have a new
phenomenon on its hands and so wanted to make
the most of it. For ‘Baby It’s You’ they decided
to bring in Burt Bacharach, co-author of the
song, to produce the record. It sounds as if he
brought along his guide track as well since the
first clutch of sha-la-la-las on the single ends
with Bacharach’s own voice surging raggedly to
the fore. Despite this amateurish start ‘Baby It’s
You’ is a wonderful record that inspired several
cover versions and even lent its title to a 1983
John Sayles high school movie. The arrangement
of the song was slightly different on a subsequent
Shirelles album of the same name, but whichever
version impressed The Beatles more, ‘Baby It’s
You’ gave early notice of their fondness for black
pop acts like The Isley Brothers, The Miracles and
The Cookies as well as the white rock ’n’ rollers.
Now stand like this... four girls from NewJersey who pre-dated Motown’s crossover
appeal dutifully pose for the press shot.
For The Shirelles ‘Will You Love MeTomorrow’was a bigger hit but Burt
Bacharach’s ‘Baby It’s You’, with it’s sha-la-
las and very singable phrases, appealed more
to The Beatles.