Baby's in Black

"Baby's in Black" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.[2][3] It appears on the United Kingdom album Beatles for Sale[4] and on the United States album Beatles '65, both released in 1964.[5]

"Baby's in Black"
Sheet music cover
Song by the Beatles
from the album Beatles for Sale
Released4 December 1964 (1964-12-04)
Recorded11 August 1964
StudioEMI, London
GenreFolk rock[1]
Length2:02
LabelEMI, Parlophone, Capitol
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s)George Martin

Composition

"Baby's in Black" is performed at a 6/8 time signature[6] with a moderate tempo. An AllMusic critic 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 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

The Beatles performed "Baby's in Black" live during their appearances from late 1964 until 1966 on their final tour. 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]

Notes
  1. Unterberger 2007.
  2. Sheff 2000, p. 205.
  3. 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.
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References

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

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