The one song Meghan Remy wishes she had written
U.S. Girls, the brainchild of leftfield singer-songwriter Meghan Remy, rose to prominence shortly after signing to 4AD records in 2015, releasing her first album on the label, Half-Free, to huge critical acclaim. Boasting impossibly elastic vocals, inventive arrangments and bucketloads of whimsy, the album lay the foundation for 2018’s In A Poem Unlimited and 2020’s Heavy Light. Here, Remy selects the one song she wishes she had written.
By the time Remy released Half-Free, she’d already made several records under different aliases, cultivating a wayward style that drew frequent comparisons to Kate Bush. Speaking to ITW back in 2016, the musician discussed her appreciation for the British singer: “I have so much respect for her, especially because she put a foot down.”
Remy continued: “She didn’t want to play live, and she just didn’t. There’s all this pressure to perform live because the label wants you to because you sell more records that way or whatever. I think she’s had an incredible career, there’s not really anything she can be embarrassed about, which is pretty hard to say for someone like David Bowie.”
But it wasn’t a Kate Bush track that Remy selected when asked to name the one song she wished she’d written. “Oh, ‘Be my Baby’ by The Ronettes,” she replied confidently. “I mean, they didn’t write that song, but they performed it. Definitely that song.”
Written by husband and wife Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, ‘Be My Baby’s’ greatest strength is its simplicity. Written, rather unusually, from the girl’s perspective, it follows her attempts to persuade her crush that they are perfect for one another. “The night we met I knew I needed you so,” The Ronnettes sing in that soaring opening verse. “And if I had the chance I’d never let you go / So won’t you say you love me?”
The lack of metaphor and imagery in her argument gives ‘Be My Baby’ a sort of no-nonsense brilliance. The girl seems to be saying: either love me or be on your way. Of course, a huge part of what makes ‘Be My Baby’ such a classic is the wealth of talented session musicians Phil Spector hired to record the track. We’re talking about the best that LA had to offer: Tommy Tedesco on guitar, Ray Pohlman on bass, Al de Lory on keys, Frank Capp and Hal Blaine on drums and Don Randi on piano. Blimey, with that kind of crew backing one of the best girl groups of the day, it’s no wonder it was a hit.
