Written by: David-Williams-Bacharach
Recorded: 11 February 1963
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 22 March 1963 (UK), 10 January 1964 (US)
John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass
George Harrison: backing vocals, lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
George Martin: celesta
Available on:
Please Please Me
Live At The BBC
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.
The song was originally recorded by The Shirelles, whose Boys was also covered for the 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.
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 the following year.
Two of the single's b-sides – versions of I'll Follow The Sun and Boys – were included on On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2. The other b-side, Devil In Her Heart, is unavailable on any other Beatles CD.
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 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
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.
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.
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).