http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QB2Ck00YZ8
FIVE STAR SONGS #7 – “Don’t Worry Baby” by The Beach Boys.
Hello! Here we are with the latest of my series of songs that I gave five stars to on iTunes. If you’re curious, below are the first six:
“Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts” – Bob Dylan
“Silhouettes” – Herman’s Hermits
“Flowers in the Window” – Travis
“The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get” – Morrissey
I LOVE the Beach Boys. Love them. I have the near-indefensible position that as great as the Beatles were, I think the Beach Boys are better. And of so many Beach boys songs I love, one of my very favourites is Don’t Worry Baby. Besides having such a lovely, halting guitar part, I also fell in love with the narrative. Here’s how Pitchfork’s Mark Richardson puts it: “We’ve all been there. Shooting our mouths off about our cars until, finally, it’s time to put up or shut up. We hope that nothing goes wrong, but there’s so much that could. We’d be sunk, really, if it weren’t for the encouragement of that special girl. With her love riding shotgun, suddenly the makeshift drag strip at the abandoned drive-in theater doesn’t seem quite so forboding. OK, so maybe the appeal of this one has nothing to do with the specifics of the story, but surely we can all relate to the idea of support, how knowing that someone cares for you regardless of what happens gives you strength to do great things. And the music is such a perfect accompaniment to this theme, …cozy and warm, a tender respite from the stressful reality of the main narrative. It’s that night … before the big day, that night you wish could last forever.“
The backstory behind the song is also very interesting. Musically, Beach boys maestro Brian Wilson was trying to match the essence of his all-time favorite record, “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes, (who would later cover Don’t Worry Baby, completing the circle). I once heard a story that the idea of the gal comforting the racer came from Wilson’s own life, when, depressed over hearing that Ronettes song on the radio (and despairing that he might never write a song as good), Brian Wilson had an emotional reaction. His wife Marilyn then comforted him, holding his head and telling him “Don’t Worry Baby,” and inspiring the song.
And it’s influential musically, as the Byrds more or less admitted they stole the guitar part for their cover of “Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man”, and made another great song.
So it’s a real favourite of mine. And, I even have a nice sketch of genius Brian Wilson to share here, done as a gift for a friend of mine, and fellow Beach Boy fan.
Also, if you want to listen to a big chunk of my five star songs, I made a songza playlist where you can sample them. So plug in your headphones, and give it a listen.
Thanks for reading, more tomorrow. I love you.