Baby It's You



"Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams), and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles, and became hits for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby It's You" was by the band Smith, who took the song to number five on the US charts in 1969.

The Shirelles' original version
The song was produced by Luther Dixon. When released as a single in 1961, the song became very popular, becoming a Top 10 smash on the Pop and R&B Charts, reaching number three on the R&B chart and peaking at number eight on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. It later appeared on the album Baby It's You, named to capitalize upon the success of the single. The vocal arrangements on this version proved influential in subsequent versions, including that by the Beatles, who used the same one. One notable feature of the song is its minor-to-major key chord changes on the verses.

The Beatles version
English rock group the Beatles performed "Baby It's You" as part of their stage act from 1961 until 1963, and recorded it on February 11, 1963 for their first album, Please Please Me, along with "Boys", another song by the Shirelles. American label Vee-Jay Records included it on Introducing... The Beatles and Songs, Pictures and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles. Capitol included it on The Early Beatles. The Beatles' version differs to the Shirelles' by repeating the second verse instead of the first.

A live version was released on Live at the BBC in 1994. On this version, Lennon does not repeat part of the second verse after the solo (as he did on the studio version), but repeats part of the first verse, which is the way the Shirelles sang the song. The song was issued as a CD single and a vinyl single in 1995 in both the UK and the US, the Beatles' first in nearly a decade. Both versions have four tracks, making it an EP instead of a regular issue single. The three additional tracks, while from BBC recordings, did not appear on Live at the BBC. Tracks 2 and 4 were later included on On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2, but this recording of track 3 remains unique to this release. The single reached number seven in the UK and number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100.


 * 1995 release track listing
 * 1) "Baby It's You" (Bacharach/David/Williams) – 2:45
 * 2) "I'll Follow the Sun" (Lennon–McCartney) – 1:51
 * 3) "Devil in Her Heart" (Drapkin) – 2:23
 * 4) "Boys" (Dixon/Farrell) – 2:29

Music video
A live music video was released in 1994 to promote the single. It consisted of a combination of the Beatles dancing and still photographs, and was later included on a DVD or Blu-ray that comes with the 2015 release 1+.

Personnel

 * John Lennon – vocals, rhythm guitar
 * Paul McCartney – bass, backing vocals
 * George Harrison – lead guitar, backing vocals
 * Ringo Starr – drums
 * George Martin – celesta
 * Norman Smith – engineer

Smith version
Smith's version appeared on their debut album, A Group Called Smith. The single was released on Dunhill 4206 in 1969. It was their first and most successful release. This version alters the traditional vocal arrangement as performed by the Shirelles and the Beatles in favor of a more belted, soulful vocal. The single hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Smith version was used in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof.

The Carpenters version
The Carpenters recorded a version of "Baby It's You" in 1970 for their album Close to You. Although it wasn't released as a single, it was performed on their TV series, Make Your Own Kind of Music in 1971. It was also featured on the UK compilation, Reflections in 1998 with a special remix done by Richard Carpenter in 1991.

Other versions
A number of other well-known artists have recorded covers of the song, among them:


 * Bruce Channel, 1962
 * Sylvie Vartan (in French), 1962
 * Helen Shapiro, 1962
 * Dave Berry, 1964
 * Cilla Black, 1965
 * Cliff Richard, 1967 & 2002
 * Smith (band), 1969
 * The Masqueraders, 1975
 * The Sunset Bombers, 1978
 * Loleatta Holloway, 1979
 * Dolly Mixture, 1980
 * Emily Bindiger, 1981
 * Sonny Vincent and the Extreme, 1982
 * Grey-Star, 1983
 * Elvis Costello & Nick Lowe, 1984
 * Stacy Lattisaw & Johnny Gill, 1984
 * Mai Yamane, 1985
 * Ace Frehley, 1988
 * Johnny Thunders & Patti Palladin, 1988
 * Cherrelle, 1992
 * Petty Booka, 1995
 * Chrissie Hynde, 1998
 * Leigh Stephens, 2004
 * The Bonedrivers, 2006
 * Shakin' Stevens, 2007
 * Adele, 2008
 * Friendly Fires, 2009
 * Shakespears Sister, 2010
 * Haley Reinhart, 2011 & 2017
 * Anna Calvi, 2011
 * Kramer, 2012
 * Bette Midler, 2014
 * Mapei, 2014
 * The Last Internationale, 2014
 * Amber Riley, 2014. Covered the song on the sixth episode of the sixth season of Glee, "What the World Needs Now", a Burt Bacharach tribute episode