Girl groups are some of the most empowering musical groups around. They are the musicians who helped transform the traditional societal roles females had in the early 1960s. Girl groups did this by using their music as a medium. They challenged the traditional roles females were expected to conform to in early '60s society within their songs. The influence of their lyrical verses gave a voice to many young women. It planted the seeds for them to begin their quest for promoting a change from the traditional feminine ways of their mothers to embracing the new roles of feminine modernity for themselves. This musical flare has been felt within the majority of girl group music produced in the decades which have since followed. Although there are several influential girl groups in the early 1960s who began this transformation, the girl group song I want to talk about is “Be My Baby” (1963) by The Ronettes.
While listening to “Be My Baby” (1963) by The Ronettes, I heard several standout areas of music within the song. The first standout area I picked up on was the use of the drums. The drums lead the other instruments and also set the tempo for the beat of the other instruments to follow along in a harmonic manner. The second standout area I saw was the use of violins in the transition between the last chorus. This made the song sound different from the previous verses and chorus lines. This added element was my favorite because it made the melody of the song sound more somber like the vocalist was pleading for this guy to be her baby. In addition, there were several other musical effects which impacted me as a listener. For example, there was a use of a divider called the “Wall of Sound” that was used inside the same recording studio where The Ronettes were also singing. This created the blend of vocals and instrumental sound which further was emphasized by the "oohs" and "ahhs" of the background singers. This technique was an example of layering because there were many types of instruments played together at the same time to help create the mystic musical vibe of the song.
The meaning of the lyrics in “Be My Baby” (1963) can be interpreted as a plea by the vocalist to say to the guy she’s interested in to please be her baby. She pleads to him in the song to be her baby by giving him several examples of how she would treat him if he was her baby. Hence this is why the song is titled “Be My Baby.” For example, a lyric says, “I'll make you happy, baby, just wait and see. For every kiss you give me I'll give you three.” This quoted lyric expresses her desires of having him be her baby and also getting physical with him. To girls listening and singing to these lyrics they could identify with this situation the vocalist is going through in the song. Most likely the majority of the females listening to “Be My Baby” have all have had a crush on a guy they liked at one time or another. However, unlike the vocalist in the song, they maybe did not tell him how they felt. Therefore with this song, it beckons to the females to express their feelings to the guy they have an interest in. In addition, it shows that females can plead with a guy to choose her to love, whereas before it would be seen as a desperate move and not an action a “proper traditional female” would do.
“Be My Baby” shows the value of girl group music. This is because it has empowering lyrics that challenge the traditional roles females had at the time when it came to expressing their interests of pursuing a guy. The song made females know it was okay to be verbal and to tell a guy they were interested in them. Before exploring it in depth, I was familiar with this song, but having the opportunity to analyze it made me appreciate the song more and how it is an iconic girls group song from the early '60s.
