Two great songs. I’ve heard both described several times as
The Greatest Pop Song Ever.
Both were written by the same three people, Ellie Greenwich,
Jeff Barry and Phil Spector. Both were produced by Spector and arranged by Jack
Nitzsche. One is by The Ronettes (lead vocal Ronnie Spector), the other Ike and
Tina Turner (lead vocal Tina Turner, forget Ike).
They are probably the most renowned, definitive Spector
productions, the greatest testaments to his talent. They are only three years
apart, but feel like more, as so many “early 60s/late 60s” things do.
Ronnie Spector and Tina Turner are both phenomenal singers,
unique in their abilities, amongst the most iconic in the history of
rock’n’roll. Both had their careers wrecked by abusive, controlling husbands
(Turner less than Spector, who was literally not allowed to sing or perform for
many years). How many more great Roni Spector vocals there could have been!
I prefer ‘Be My Baby’ now, though I have veered both ways
down the years. It is just … more
perfect.
When I listen to ‘River Deep’, I can’t help thinking it is
both a bit messier and not quite as overpowering as Spector would have hoped. I
think you can hear that he’d lost a bit of control. Sometimes it seems a little
bitty and disconnected. I kind of feel it’s almost one of the greatest songs
ever but doesn’t quite get there.
Perhaps working with an absolute powerhouse like Tina Turner
didn’t work for Spector. Perhaps he felt he had to outmatch her with the music
– there is sometimes too much going on with ‘River Deep’ … or maybe it was the
other way round … stories abound about the producer making the singer do take
after take … maybe he asked for too big a performance from her …
Ronnie Spector was a different kind of vocalist … more
girl-like but also streetwise – Phil Spector worked with a lot of somewhat
similar vocalists (eg on the Christmas album) – clear, poppy vocalists rather
than guttural rock/soul singers like Tina Turner.
‘Be My Baby’ was a song I grew up with – in the opening
sequence of two films I’ve watched a lot (in, let’s say, different stages of my
growth) – ‘Dirty Dancing’ and ‘Mean Streets’ – that it fits so perfectly in two
such different films is testament to its power. Of course, the opening drum
sound (played by Hal Blaine) is just about the most iconic thing in the history
of popular music, constantly borrowed, and if you’d left the song there, that
would be enough.
Lyrically, it is slight, of course, but tries to do no more
than encapsulate the rapture of a night’s romance. Ronnie Spector’s voice is
incredible – particularly for how modern it sounds. In fact, the whole record
sounds modern, it fills the ears, while ‘River Deep’ can sound a bit dated.
I guess it’s obvious which one I’m going for. 63 vs 66, I’m
going for 63, though I think ‘River Deep’ had the potential to be the greater.
I just think the producer had had too much cocaine by that point or something.
There is more to be said. More about precision and innocence,
about the Beach Boys and Vietnam and Motown and mistreatment of women. I can’t
get there, can’t get anywhere near it, but that’s probably for the best.
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