The song that inspired Brian Wilson to produce records
In pop production, there are few names more revered than Brian Wilson. As part of The Beach Boys, his songwriting, harmonies, and production techniques spawned some of the greatest songs in music history, from the sunny ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ to the iconic ‘God Only Knows’. The latter even takes the title of Paul McCartney’s favourite song.
Between the monumental Pet Sounds, a beloved Christmas album, and 12 full-length solo endeavours, Wilson has continually demonstrated his prowess for production. But long before he amassed the acclaim and admiration he holds now, The Beach Boy was first inspired to try his hand at the craft by one song in particular – The Ronettes’ ‘Be My Baby’.
Released in 1963, it’s not difficult to see how the gorgeous track inspired Wilson’s own ventures into music. The track features exquisite layering of strings and playful percussion alongside romanticised lyrics and Beach Boys-esque harmonies. The song was a commercial success at the time, only garnering more acclaim in the six decades since its first release.
‘Be My Baby’ had a particularly powerful impact on Wilson, as he once recalled during a conversation with Rolling Stone. “This is the song that inspired me to produce records,” he said of the 1963 hit, “When I first heard it, it blew my mind.”
“The drum sound that Phil Spector got, the harmonies, the piano and guitar sounds,” he continued, “I thought it was the greatest record I ever heard.” It’s fitting that Wilson was particularly enthusiastic about those elements of the song, as harmonies and layered instrumentation characterised his own sonic ventures.
As Wilson’s production followed in the footsteps of ‘Be My Baby’, he even paid homage to the inspirational track just a year later with the masterfully crafted ‘Don’t Worry Baby’. After he penned the soothing song, he offered it to the Ronettes as a sonic sequel to their original track. The collaboration never came to fruition – Spector would only record songs he had written – but Ronnie Spector was flattered by Wilson’s offering and his love for ‘Be My Baby’.
“Brian Wilson played ‘Be My Baby’ a hundred times every single day – he’s told me that,” she once shared with Uncut before going on to discuss ‘Don’t Worry Baby’. “Brian wrote ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ for me,” she explained. “I thought that was the greatest follow-up to ‘Be My Baby’, but of course I couldn’t record it because other people wanted to write all my songs… so I didn’t get to do that. But I sing it in my show now.”
It certainly was the greatest follow-up to ‘Be My Baby’, an equally gorgeous sonic study of harmony and layering. Listen to ‘Be My Baby’ by the Ronettes, the song that inspired Brian Wilson to produce records, below.
