Yeah, the Beach Boys lived on their Americana silky, syrupy (to the point of cheesy at times) harmonies. But that was the era they worked in, and in the cultural milieu of the day, they even pushed the envelope of racy a wee bit.
So I stumbled across the '96 studio version the band handed the vocals to the incomparable Lorrie Morgan (I've always thought she was sensational on all counts). The pairing of Lori's sultry, potent vocals from the country scene with this Beach Boys Cali sound and their harmonies was pure genius to my ears. As a musician, I simply love the chord progressions.
Who knew this song Brian Wilson wrote with lyrics by Roger Christian was built on a dude writing too damn big a check with his mouth about a drag race. Wilson's lead vocal on the track is considered one of his defining performances, and he later referred to Don't Worry Baby as perhaps the Beach Boys' finest record. It was issued in May 1964 as the B-side of "I Get Around", and charted separately at number 24.
Deriving from Wilson's obsession with the Ronettes' 1963 hit "Be My Baby", "Don't Worry Baby" has a similar musical structure, but different subject matter and production approach. The lyrics portray a braggadocian man who agrees to a drag race, much to his regret, and is subsequently consoled by his girlfriend with the song's title phrase. The song was originally offered to the Ronettes, but was rejected by their producer, Phil Spector, leaving Wilson to produce it for his own band. On the recording, all of the Beach Boys played their own instruments.
"Don't Worry Baby" has appeared in several critics' rankings lists, including Spin's "100 Greatest Singles of All Time", Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and Pitchfork's "200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s". Cover versions have been recorded by many acts, including the Bay City Rollers, B.J. Thomas, and Ronnie Spector. Thomas' version outperformed the sales of the original record, reaching number 17 in the U.S. and number 1 in Canada. The Beach Boys rerecorded the song with Lorrie Morgan for their 1996 album Stars and Stripes Vol. 1.
In his 1991 memoir, Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story, it is stated that Wilson adopted the song title phrase from his then-girlfriend Marilyn Rovell shortly after hearing "Be My Baby" for the first time. In a 2009 interview, he said that he composed "Don't Worry Baby" over the course of two days. "I started out with the verse idea and then wrote the chorus. It was a very simple and beautiful song. It’s a really heart and soul song, I really did feel that in my heart."
In a 1970 interview, Wilson opined, "Probably the best record we've done was Don't Worry Baby. It has about the best proportion of our voices and ranges." Wilson has since called his vocal on the song the best he has done for the band, commenting, "I think I sang it sweetly enough that you could feel the love in my voice."
Don't Worry Baby was featured in the 2006 film Déjà Vu starring Denzel Washington.
At any rate, keep a few purely "sweet" songs in your playlist. It's good for the soul.
Don't Worry Baby
Well it's been building up inside of me
For oh I don't know how long
I don't know why
But I keep thinking
Something's bound to go wrong
But she looks in my eyes
And makes me realize
And she says "don't worry, baby"
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Everything will turn out alright
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
I guess I should've kept my mouth shut
When I started to brag about my car
But I can't back down now because
I pushed the other guys too far
She makes me come alive
And makes me wanna drive
When she says "don't worry, baby"
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Everything will turn out alright
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
She told me "Baby, when you race today
Just take along my love with you
And if you knew how much I loved you
Baby, nothing could go wrong with you"
Oh what she does to me
When she makes love to me
And she says "don't worry, baby"
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Everything will turn out alright
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Songwriters: Brian Wilson / Henry Medress / Jay Siegel / Mitchell Margo / Philip Margo / Roger Christian
Don’t Worry Baby lyrics © Spirit Music Group, Universal Music Publishing Group
So I stumbled across the '96 studio version the band handed the vocals to the incomparable Lorrie Morgan (I've always thought she was sensational on all counts). The pairing of Lori's sultry, potent vocals from the country scene with this Beach Boys Cali sound and their harmonies was pure genius to my ears. As a musician, I simply love the chord progressions.
Who knew this song Brian Wilson wrote with lyrics by Roger Christian was built on a dude writing too damn big a check with his mouth about a drag race. Wilson's lead vocal on the track is considered one of his defining performances, and he later referred to Don't Worry Baby as perhaps the Beach Boys' finest record. It was issued in May 1964 as the B-side of "I Get Around", and charted separately at number 24.
Deriving from Wilson's obsession with the Ronettes' 1963 hit "Be My Baby", "Don't Worry Baby" has a similar musical structure, but different subject matter and production approach. The lyrics portray a braggadocian man who agrees to a drag race, much to his regret, and is subsequently consoled by his girlfriend with the song's title phrase. The song was originally offered to the Ronettes, but was rejected by their producer, Phil Spector, leaving Wilson to produce it for his own band. On the recording, all of the Beach Boys played their own instruments.
"Don't Worry Baby" has appeared in several critics' rankings lists, including Spin's "100 Greatest Singles of All Time", Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and Pitchfork's "200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s". Cover versions have been recorded by many acts, including the Bay City Rollers, B.J. Thomas, and Ronnie Spector. Thomas' version outperformed the sales of the original record, reaching number 17 in the U.S. and number 1 in Canada. The Beach Boys rerecorded the song with Lorrie Morgan for their 1996 album Stars and Stripes Vol. 1.
In his 1991 memoir, Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story, it is stated that Wilson adopted the song title phrase from his then-girlfriend Marilyn Rovell shortly after hearing "Be My Baby" for the first time. In a 2009 interview, he said that he composed "Don't Worry Baby" over the course of two days. "I started out with the verse idea and then wrote the chorus. It was a very simple and beautiful song. It’s a really heart and soul song, I really did feel that in my heart."
In a 1970 interview, Wilson opined, "Probably the best record we've done was Don't Worry Baby. It has about the best proportion of our voices and ranges." Wilson has since called his vocal on the song the best he has done for the band, commenting, "I think I sang it sweetly enough that you could feel the love in my voice."
Don't Worry Baby was featured in the 2006 film Déjà Vu starring Denzel Washington.
At any rate, keep a few purely "sweet" songs in your playlist. It's good for the soul.
Don't Worry Baby
Well it's been building up inside of me
For oh I don't know how long
I don't know why
But I keep thinking
Something's bound to go wrong
But she looks in my eyes
And makes me realize
And she says "don't worry, baby"
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Everything will turn out alright
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
I guess I should've kept my mouth shut
When I started to brag about my car
But I can't back down now because
I pushed the other guys too far
She makes me come alive
And makes me wanna drive
When she says "don't worry, baby"
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Everything will turn out alright
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
She told me "Baby, when you race today
Just take along my love with you
And if you knew how much I loved you
Baby, nothing could go wrong with you"
Oh what she does to me
When she makes love to me
And she says "don't worry, baby"
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Everything will turn out alright
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Don't worry, baby
Songwriters: Brian Wilson / Henry Medress / Jay Siegel / Mitchell Margo / Philip Margo / Roger Christian
Don’t Worry Baby lyrics © Spirit Music Group, Universal Music Publishing Group
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