Poster promoting hiking by Shari Weisberg for the WPA, 1939
On two different occasions, I have taken time to praise the "Be My Baby" drum beat on this blog. By discussing the reuse of this drum beat by various artists, I think I may have implied that I endorse this practice. And it's true that I have posted songs I like that use the drum intro in an interesting way, but I want to be clear that I never intended to issue an across-the-board endorsement of using the "Be My Baby" drum intro.
Let's look at some cautionary examples. I find that using the "Be My Baby" drum intro wrongly is judged on a very subjective basis - it doesn't work when it makes you groan and/or roll your eyes (inwardly or outwardly). For me, this occurs most often when the use of the intro is too "on the nose", as the kids say. A couple of this year's best releases have included songs with "Be My Baby" drum intros ("Lewis Takes Action" by Owen Pallett and "Save My Love" from Springsteen's The Promise spring to mind), but that's because they put the intro to use in an interesting context. It rubs me the wrong way primarily when its use just screams, "Check it out! We're influenced by the Ronettes!"
Camera Obscura is good example of a band that doesn't need to scream, "We're influenced by the Ronettes!" so it bugs me a little to hear the "Be My Baby" intro at the beginning of "Eighties Fan" on their debut album, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi. The same is true of the drum beat showing up at the beginning of "Tension", from the second album by Brooklyn's Vivian Girls. I already know you like the Ronettes? How do I know? Because I have heard more than sixty seconds of your music! And, for some reason, I find the same to be true of '80s retro-pop band the Three O'Clock. The classic '60s pop sound was such a basic part of their appeal that using the "Be My Baby" beat just seems like too much.
Having said that, though, I like all three of these songs. "Follow Him Around" has a nice vocal break and guitar solo in the middle, making it one of the stronger tracks on 1986's underwhelming Ever After. "Tension" is also a highlight on an underwhelming album, with charming/almost-grating off-key vocals and a rumbling momentum provided by that beat. And "Eighties Fan" was one of the most promising songs on Camera Obscura's debut, showcasing Tracyanne Campbell's darkly whimsical lyrics and lilting, uncertain soprano. Three nice songs that would have been just as nice without referencing "Be My Baby" in such an obnoxiously obvious way.
"Eighties Fan" by Camera Obscura
"Follow Him Around" by the Three O'Clock
"Tension" by Vivian Girls
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