Be My Baby | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| N.C | N.C | E | E |
Verse 1
| E | E | F#m | B7 |
The night we met I knew I, needed you so.
| E | E | F#m | B7 |
And if I had the chance I’d, never let you go.
Bridge 1
| G#7 | G#7 | C#7 | C#7 |
So won’t you say you love me, I’ll make you so proud of me.
| F#7 | F#7 | B7 | B7 |
We’ll make ’em turn their heads, every place we go.
Chorus 1
| E | E |
So won’t you please (be my, be my baby).
| C#m | C#m |
Be my little baby (my one and only baby).
| A | A |
Say you’ll be my darlin’ (be my, be my baby).
| B7 | B7 |
Be my baby now (my one and only baby). Wha-oh-oh-oh.
Verse 2
| E | E | F#m | B7 |
I’ll make you happy baby, just wait and see.
| E | E | F#m | B7 |
For every kiss you give me, I’ll give you three.
Bridge 2
| G#7 | G#7 | C#7 | C#7 |
Oh, since the day I saw you, I have been waiting for you.
| F#7 | F#7 | B7 | B7 |
You know I will adore you ’til eternity.
Chorus 2
| E | E |
So won’t you please (be my, be my baby).
| C#m | C#m |
Be my little baby (my one and only baby).
| A | A |
Say you’ll be my darlin’ (be my, be my baby).
| B7 | B7 |
Be my baby now (my one and only baby). Wha-oh-oh-oh.
Solo
| E | E | F#m | B7 |
| E | E | F#m | B7 |
Chorus 3
| E | E |
So come on and be (be my, be my baby).
| C#m | C#m |
Be my little baby (my one and only baby).
| A | A |
Say you’ll be my darlin’ (be my, be my baby).
| B7 | B7 |
Be my baby now (my one and only baby). Wha-oh-oh-oh.
Breakdown
| N.C | N.C |
Chorus 4
| E | E |
(Be my, be my baby) Be my little baby.
| C#m | C#m |
(My one and only baby) Ooh-oh-oooh.
| A | A |
(Be my, be my baby) Ooh-oh-oooh.
| B7 | B7 |
(My one and only baby) Wha-oh-oh-oh.
Chorus 5
| E | E |
(Be my, be my baby) Ooh-oh-oooh.
| C#m | C#m |
(My one and only baby) Ooh-oh-oooh.
| A | A |
(Be my, be my baby) Be my baby now.
| B7 | B7 |
(My one and only baby).
You can learn how to play Be My Baby by The Ronettes!
Be My Baby is a song by The Ronettes. Released as a single in 1963, it was to become Phil Spector’s first big hit as a writer and producer, showcasing his “wall of sound” recording technique.
For most Motown & Soul songs, I would recommend using small chord shapes and choppy rhythms but not so when it comes to Be My Baby.
To get anywhere near the huge-sounding soundscape of the original Phil Spector recording, you need big barre chord shapes and long, sweeping rhythms.
For effects, I used a delay, tremolo, and reverb. Experimentation is the mother of all inventions so do experiment with your effect pedals. As the band is playing relatively sparsely, there’s lots of room for your guitar.
Since there is no real guitar part to copy from the original, first copy what I do, then develop it to make it your own. When it comes to the solo, simply play the melody, adding some pentatonic licks.
Be My Baby’s verse chords, progression, and TAB
Be My Baby’s verse chords are:
| E | E | F#m | B7 |.
In the key of E, this means, I – II – V on repeat. Not the first time that progression has been heard on the radio!
Example 1 uses big, open-position chords and long sweeping rhythms in order to sound as big as possible.
The E chord is played with a very slow rake, so slow I wrote it as a rhythm of two 16ths, followed by six beats of just holding the chord.
The F#m is a big Em-shaped chord, using the same rhythm as the E, it just ends a bar earlier.
For the B7, play just the root, followed by what the bass player does.
The second line starts in the same way, then arpeggiates the chord shapes. The B7 is a C shape using an open string.
Example 2 is more compact than what you just worked on. The shapes are almost the same, the B7 is now an A shape. The lick at the end uses only chord notes.
On the second line, we start climbing. The E is a C shape, the F#m is a Cm shape and the B is a G shape.
The last lick use notes from the B Major Pentatonic, just like the chord, this is played in a G shape.
Finally, in example 3 we’re further up the neck, still playing long, sweeping arpeggiated chord shapes.
The first bar starts in an A shape, sliding up to a G shape. The F#m is a Cm shape, and the lick over B is an E-shaped Major Pentatonic.
On the second line, we start in the same way but then add some E Major Pentatonic notes.
Lastly, the F#m is an Am shape, and the B7 a D shape.
Be My Baby’s 8 guitar lessons in the course
All sections of Be My Baby are relatively easy, as long as you practice with the loops supplied in the course.
The challenge lies within playing the verse, bridge, chorus, and solo without getting stuck and making it all sound natural when you play with the band in step 8.
In total, there are 8 step-by-step lessons for Be My Baby available. Here are links to each lesson in the course (members only):
- Step 1 – Bars & Beats
- Step 2 – Verse
- Step 3 – Bridge
- Step 4 – Chorus
- Step 5 – Verse, bridge, and chorus
- Step 6 – Solo
- Step 7 – The complete song with TAB
- Step 8 – Backing track
Be My Baby chords | Related pages
Five similar tunes
The Ronettes
The Ronettes are the 60s vocal group behind one of Phil Spector’s biggest wall of sound hits, Be My Baby.
The lead singer, Veronica Bennett, later known as Ronnie Spector, eventually married the eccentric producer who locked her up in his mansion.
The Ronettes on the web
Phil Spector
Phil Spector is a guitarist, record producer, and songwriter who found fame working with The Crystals, The Ronettes, Tina Turner, and The Beatles.
His biggest hits include River Deep, Mountain High, Unchained Melody, Be My Baby, The Long And Winding Road, My Sweet Lord, Let It Be, and Imagine.
Phil Spector on the web
Motown & Soul
Learn all these Motown/Soul songs and you will have gained yourself a repertoire so you can jam or even join a working band.
Study these songs in-depth and you will map out the fretboard, master the CAGED system, and learn how to design a rhythm guitar part that works in a band.
