Baby's in Black

"Baby's in Black"
Song by The Beatles
from the album Beatles for Sale
Released 4 December 1964
Recorded 11 August 1964,
EMI Studios, London
Genre Folk rock[1]
Length 2:02
Label EMI, Parlophone, Capitol
Songwriter(s) Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s) George Martin

"Baby's in Black" is a song by the Beatles, co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.[2][3] The song appears on the United Kingdom album Beatles for Sale[4] and in North America on Beatles '65.[5]

Composition

"Baby's in Black" is performed at a 6/8 time signature[6] with a moderate tempo. AMG described the song as "a love lament for a grieving girl that was perhaps more morose than any previous Beatles' song."[1] Musicologist Alan W. Pollack notes that the song is relatively complex in format, with a refrain, bridge, and a guitar solo. He describes the song as having "mishmash" of stylistic elements—among them, "bluesy" chords and country music-inspired vocals.[7]

Recording

"Baby's in Black" was recorded by the Beatles on 11 August 1964, and was the first song recorded for Beatles for Sale.[8] Lennon and McCartney sang their vocal parts simultaneously through the same microphone. This was done at their own insistence in order to achieve a closer feel to the performance. McCartney was subsequently contacted by their music publisher in 1964 inquiring as to which melody line was the main tune (i.e. Paul's higher or John's lower melody). McCartney later said that he told the publisher they were both the main melody.[9]

Live performances

They performed "Baby's in Black" live during their appearances from late 1964 until their last tour in 1966. McCartney said they introduced the song by saying, "'And now for something different.' ... We used to put that in there, and think, 'Well, they won't know quite what to make of this, but it's cool.'"[3] In 1996, a live version of "Baby's in Black" was released as a B-side to "Real Love", the second single from their Anthology project.[10]

Personnel

Personnel per Ian MacDonald[11]

Cover versions

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Unterberger 2007.
  2. ↑ Sheff 2000, p. 205.
  3. 1 2 Miles 1997, p. 175.
  4. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 200.
  5. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 201.
  6. ↑ Hal Leonard 1993, p. 79.
  7. ↑ Alan W. Pollack (1992). "Notes on "Baby's In Black"". Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  8. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 47.
  9. ↑ Miles 1997.
  10. ↑ Cross 2005, pp. 484–485, 543.
  11. ↑ MacDonald 2005, pp. 122-123.

References

  • Cross, Craig (2005). The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, Inc. ISBN 0-595-34663-4.
  • The Beatles - Complete Scores. Milwaukee: Hal Leanord. 1993. ISBN 0-7935-1832-6.
  • Harry, Bill (2000). The Beatles Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated. London: Virgin Publishing. ISBN 0-7535-0481-2.
  • Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
  • Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
  • Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
  • Spitz, Bob (2005). The Beatles: The Biography. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-80352-9.
  • Unterberger, Richie (2007). "Review of "Baby's in Black"". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  • Pollack, Alan W. (31 December 1995). "Notes on "Baby's in Black"". "Notes on" Series.

Alan W. Pollack's Notes on "Baby's in Black"

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