Written by: David-Williams-Bacharach
Recorded: 11 February 1963
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 22 March 1963 (UK), 10 January 1964 (US)
Available on:
Please Please Me
Live At The BBC
Personnel
John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass
George Harrison: backing vocals, lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
George Martin: celesta
‘Baby It’s You’ was the 10th song recorded during The Beatles’ marathon 11 February 1963 session, in which they recorded the bulk of their debut album Please Please Me.
It was originally recorded by The Shirelles, whose song ‘Boys’ was also covered by The Beatles on their first album. The music was written by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams, who also produced the original) and Mack David.
‘Baby It’s You’ was part of The Beatles’ live set from 1961 to 1963. They used The Shirelles’ vocal arrangement for their version, which was recorded in just three takes with John Lennon taking lead.
On the studio recording, the strain in Lennon’s voice is evident as he reaches for the high notes on the line “Don’t want nobody, nobody”. Thankfully there was just one more song to record that night – the album’s thrilling closer ‘Twist And Shout’.
A version of ‘Baby It’s You’ was recorded for the radio programme Pop Go The Beatles on 1 June 1963. It was released on the Live At The BBC album in 1994, and as a single on 20 March 1995.
Two of the single’s b-sides – versions of ‘I’ll Follow The Sun’ and ‘Boys’ – were included on 2013’s On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2. The other b-side, ‘Devil In Her Heart’, is unavailable on any other Beatles compact disc.
Lyrics
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la la la
It’s not the way you smile that touched my heart (sha la la la la)
It’s not the way you kiss that tears me apart
Uh-oh
Many, many, many nights go by
I sit alone at home and I cry over you
What can I do?
I can’t help myself, ’cause baby it’s you
Baby, it’s you
You should hear what they say about you: cheat, cheat
They say, they say you never never never ever been true (cheat, cheat)
Uh-oh
It doesn’t matter what they say
I know I’m gonna love you any old way
What can I do? And it’s true
Don’t want nobody, nobody, ’cause baby it’s you
Baby it’s you
Uh-oh
It doesn’t matter what they say
I know I’m gonna love you any old way
What can I do, when it’s true?
Don’t want nobody, nobody, ’cause baby it’s you
Baby it’s you
Don’t leave me all alone
Come on home…
I’ve never really liked the Beatles’ version of Baby It’s You — I find the “sha-la-la”s to be incredibly grating.
I’ve long sensed that The Beatles were uncomfortable with background singing; as if pointless and silly; lame — perhaps because so often both obligatory and uninventive. As result, as they grew creatively, they played with it; so in some songs (on “Sgt. Pepper’s,” as example) they changed the background singing verse-to-verse. (And then there’s the “tit-tit-tit-tit” in “Girl”; and the “Bop-Shoo-Wop”s in one of their video versions of “Revolution” — which is counter to the seriousness of the message.)
I’ve long sensed the Beatles took great pride, and a lot of work, into the backing vocals on their songs. Singing “tit tit tit” instead of “dit dit dit” hardly makes a case that they felt otherwise – they had fun with them. Why else did they use them so much and why did they put them in places that you wouldn’t expect (like the aforementioned “Revolution”)?
Your conclusion epsecially makes no sense when you realize the Beatles did things the way THEY wanted – pre-fame and beyond.
This was awesome Vintage Early Beatles at it’s finest. They were hardly known of even in England. There instrument playing was very young and just starting to form on these old classics.
Oh my. They went for it in three-part background harmony. That was, I would say “required” by English audiences in the early ’60’s. That developed into side 2 of Abbey Road, not to mention plenty of others (“Don’t Let Me Down” – not thought of a 3 -part harmony – but is this just “the way we do it”?)
I agree; this is a great cover. It’s also interesting to hear John’s upward “uh-uh” at the ends of phrases which preview what he will do on “Imagine” a decade or so later!
Absolutely. I can’t believe someone claiming to be a Beatles fan can say they didn’t like doing backing vocals and so couldn’t be bothered sometimes and other times just used them as a joke. Have you not heard the quality of some of their backing vocals? Abbey Road backing vocals are astonishing. They are known for their amazing backing vocals. It’s a key feature
I find your comments about a great cover incredibly grating. Their version is better than the Shirelles.
I’m a big fan of the Beatles they have done a lot for music. I cannot think of a single song that I have not liked. Yes I’m from england. Let’s face facts the music back then is alot better than the rubbish they call music now. But back to the point. Very upset I don’t think I’ve heard a better cover of baby its you
Taste of Honey?
The original of this song was very drippy. It’s not my favorite Beatles cover, but it improves the song slightly and shows off their three-part harmony skills. Nothing compares, however, with Herb Alpert and the TJB’s uptempo rewrite.
My comments were in reference to “A Taste of Honey”, not “Baby It’s You.” Not sure why it got posted here!
i actually really like the sha la la’s, very classic
I agree with Matt’s comment, above. It’s hard to admit that even the Carpenters version is better than this, and the Smith version is downright rockin’.
The cover songs that the group decided to record for their first album are an interesting lot…they tend to be more “pop” than rock & roll (with the obvious exception of the last-minute idea to do “Twist and Shout.”). It wasn’t till later albums that they seemed to discover that their real strengths lied in the harder tunes of Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins.
Of course the Beatles’ main strength was in performing their original songs. Even on their very first album, when their songwriting was in the embryonic stage, their own songs are superior to the covers they chose.
John and Paul were very much focused on the craft of songwriting. After hitting it big, and before they came to the US, John, in an interview, said that Paul and he wanted to be “the Goffin-King of England”.
The songs they chose to cover were songs they liked, and responsive to audience demands. In the era during which they grew up, the emphasis of “rock and roll” was speed. Folks looked askance at “rock and rollers” who did ballads; it was all (see Little Richard, as example) to be fast and loud.
It’s also the fact that USians don’t tend to have the extraordinary objective and eclectic range in tastes. John said that he liked the repetition of “please please” in a Bing Crosby song, which lead to his “Please Please Me” (which I believe was written for Roy Orbison — he wrote it during that tour). Bing Crosby is not a singer to whom a True Believer “rock and roller” would listen.
The Carpenters?
-?-
Yeah ….
It’s an emotional eargasm, that’s what it is. Lennons vocals are superb.
Lovesongs should be sung like this! The screams, the screams…
The shalalalalalalalala – (tongue-in-cheek) – tells us, it’s the same old story again: – ‘love sucks, we know, shalala’, it replies througout the song to Lennons “I’ve just lost my lover and don’t want nobody”-screems-from-the-shocked-and-lonely-bottom-of-the-soul….
One of my favourites. (Even though it’s a cover.) Note the production on the albumversion: the icy echo.
An A+… Pop musicians all around the world: check this one!
The Carpenters performed Baby’s It’s You better than the Beatles?
Give me a break.
The Smiths had the better part of a decade plus other covers of this particular song to compare with before they recorded their one and only big hit.
Sha-la-la-la-la.
That’s the LA band Smith who recorded it in 1969, of course, not the Manchester indie band The Smiths from the 1980s… who didn’t!
Yeah, I can’t really picture Morrissey singing this…
Yeh its got more than 3 notes in the melody for a start.
Actually, this is false. The rock band Smith was unfamiliar with the song when they recorded it. Dell Shannon (of “Runaway” fame) had heard Smith perform live, & thought they would sound great doing a cover version of it. However, he DIDN’T want to intimidate them, or even influence them, by playing the Shirelles or Beatles versions — so he didn’t. Shannon simply gave them the lyrics & taught them the chords. Shannon’s plan was to produce the record but he didn’t end up getting to. His gut impulse was proven correct, however.
Joseph, You are correct. the Beatles cover of this song is the best I have ever heard, and I have heard dozens.
The voice of Lennon in this song is hard to recognize. I am told he and Paul were hoarse.
Nevertheless, this is one of my favorite tracks from the album. The Beatles used to cover these songs and would basically do the same arrangement as the record. Nevertheless, the song would sound a 1000% better because of the strength and energy of the vocals.
This was the last song recorded for Please Please Me apart from Twist And Shout. That’s why Lennon’s voice sounds so harsh – he was reaching his limit after a hard day’s recording.
The harsh voice is nice.
Same with Paul doing I Saw Her Standing There.
Even George sounds hoarse in his songs in this album.
You had to wait all these years for a reply from a musician who loves the boys but think this did not outshine the Shirelles original. During this early phase the guys did not have their “voices” fully evolved. On several songs it is hard to tell who is singing lead. On covers they seemed to use affectations that they felt were consistent with the original releases. On their own songs they showed a tendency to try to sing like each other. George would mimic a John vocal sound or Paul would sound like George. It would not take long for Lennon to unleash his beast of a R&B throat. Likewise Paul found his pop melifluence. George seemed to get worse as he moved his vocals up in register but failed to eliminate the nasality that often goes with that. I would hate to think how earth shattering their sound would have been if not for these little issues. I hope this makes it through!
I don’t think the song itself is the issue I have with “Baby It’s You”, it’s oddly the singer. With John’s voice going, it seems he’d be third in line for this one. It already seems more like a Paul number & even George couldve probably delivered a credible version. It’s not a bad song, it’s just not everything it could have been, even for a cover.
The song is perfection to compare its perfection to anything else out there is pointless, this is the Beatles, being the Beatles, the most pure state of Beatleness! Johns vocal is fresh and compelling the other are tightly backing him and in it your heart breaks open when he sings ” I sit at home and I wonder why,or Im gonna love you any old way”, he’s hooked and we’re hooked and that my man is the way love was for all of us,and is when we groove on this groove of grooves,miss you Johnny!
You people are insane. This may be one of John’s best vocal performances ever. It’s incredibly compelling. I pity your inability to feel it.
The Carpenters? Really? Oh my god.
This one is a jewel. A lovely, dry, tight performance that just oozes emotion. Few are the performers who ever hit this level.
I do love John’s Buddy Holly-esque vocals on this, but the rest of it makes me grind my teeth. The drum sound it awful–rare for a Beatles track–and it sounds like Ringo just *hated* this song by how he plods along. The rhythm guitar is too tinny and splashy. George’s low register solo is what guitar would sound like if it farted, and the celesta doubling it is irritatingly metallic and doesn’t blend well. Then, of course, the backing vocals are utterly unmusical and half-hearted. Pity because I agree it’s a great vocal performance for John–just not a good recording for the Beatles.
It is absolutely one of John’s best vocal performances ever. It’s stunning, really. I can’t believe how many people out there have such leaden eats that they can’t recognize it.
A good song is a good song, whether it’s done by The Shirelles, The Beatles or Smith… All 3 versions have something to offer.
There are a couple of horrors on this album and this is one of them. The second verse is guilty of grade two primary school lyrics.
It was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Not my favorite writers (Jackie DeShannon’s “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” is better than their “What the World Needs Now is Love”). But John’s singing is committed and powerful; he was doing “blues”/R & B.
I agree with your comments, warm gun person, although I don’t even like the lead vocal. For me this is one of the 4 or 5 weak songs on PPM. But I’m glad to see that others on the site really like this one. I myself am quite fond of a number of Beatles songs that the conventional wisdom says are weak (e.g. Blue Jay Way, Only a Northern Song, and Wild Honey Pie, although even I can’t take Mr. Moonlight).
Did George Martin play with them live?
On this song, no. That was a later overdub (recorded on 20 February 1963).
Great cover. John had a bad cold and it was near the end of a full day’s recording session, so his voice is almost unrecognisable. He actually sounds a lot like George until the ‘can’t help myself’ bit where it is 100% John. Song takes on a deeper meaning when you consider that it evidently had personal meaning for John. The lyrics equally sum up his own feelings for his deceased mother Julia. I also like the ‘sha-la-las’. The song wouldn’t be as good without them.
Tremendous song. Lots of power. Must have been a live favorite. Lennon hangs it out. Who can say this isn’t a classic early Beatles’s song?
This rocks…even if slightly corny,its meant to be…
nice cover, but I prefer Anna
The double solo of George’s guitar and George Martin’s celesta actually gives a very nice effect, as they blend together very well.
Great vocal from John.
I got back into vinyl records after the change to CDs and steaming. My first album back was Abbey Road (of course!!) followed by Rubber Soul. My wife bought me an album for Christmas – Please Please Me. And I have to say, this has been on the turntable more than any other record. Each track is a gem, and it’s magical listening to the superb arrangements of Abbey Road, then taking a trip back – of only seven years – to listen to their first. While their own songs are great, this song is one of my favourites. I haven’t heard the Shiralees’ version so I can’t comment on which is better, but the harmonies from Paul and George and the lead from John really hits the emotional high bar. The playing is subdued; however, the middle eight with George’s solo and the crisp drumming of Ringo lifts the sadness and provides a period of pure joy.
Great song!!! First song of the Beatles I learned to sing and play on a great Japanese knock off my dad bought for me on my 13th birthday (my second guitar) and an old Fender tube amp, a 33 rpm turntable, a 4-channel Radio Shack mixer, a tape recorder, and a great time! I was very young. Could only play when my mom wasn’t home. One day she came home and heard me singing and playing. She said it was sounding much better. That made me feel so good. I still have the tape! Not bad. Thank you Beatles for such a great memory!!!