Smith: "Baby It's You" (1969)

Here's a 1969 video of Smith (with lead singer Gayle McCormick) performing a great version of The Shirelles' 1961 hit "Baby It's You." (The Beatles did it in 1963). (via Save vs. Death)

[#1 posted by the spacebase , July 31, 2008 12:17 PM]

This is one of those songs that I've loved for a long time, but keeps sifting to the bottom of my iPod instead of floating constantly at the top.

That's entirely how I know I'm going to love it when it's another 40 years old.

[#2 posted by fogcity , July 31, 2008 12:20 PM]

The original LP this is from is awesome, too. Speaking of which, the band is just playing along to a recording. Watch the drummer toward the end...

[#3 posted by Lex10 , July 31, 2008 12:31 PM]

It's Deathproof!

[#4 posted by American Scot , July 31, 2008 12:37 PM]

I love this song! I forgot about it until I watched Deathproof, which has a pretty good soundtrack.

[#5 posted by David Carroll , July 31, 2008 12:47 PM]

Man I had forgotten how much 60's era analog plumbicon cameras sucked.

I can almost hear the station GM now: Hey we just spent a gazillion dollars converting our station to color. For all that money I want to see every color there is on every set!

[#6 posted by humbuzz , July 31, 2008 1:11 PM]

That's a recorded backing track, but her vocal is definitely sung live. The tonality of her voice is different, there are pitch differences and she strains at various points besides the classic growl near the end. It is interesting that the ending is a stinger instead of the record's fade out.

She sure looks good.

[#7 posted by revdoug , July 31, 2008 1:16 PM]

Is that like hippie music or sumpin?

[#8 posted by Antinous , July 31, 2008 1:30 PM]

TV shows of that era wanted performers to sound exactly like their hit records, so they were forced to lip-sync. On one of their innumerable Ed Sullivan appearances, The Mamas and The Papas were introduced by Ed, Cass says quite audibly, "cue the tape" and Michelle eats a banana through the entire song.

[#9 posted by Pyros , July 31, 2008 1:38 PM]

Stupendous. No one who watches the video can't help but wish it were still the 60's.

[#10 posted by EH , July 31, 2008 1:48 PM]

I'd dig that pony.

[#11 posted by btangonan , July 31, 2008 2:35 PM]

I don't know if it's the recording or just her voice, but she is way off-pitch. Very poor rendition of this song. The set design, however, is awesome.

[#12 posted by Red Leatherman , July 31, 2008 2:59 PM]

Yup, I bought that album about 39 years ago

[#13 posted by carsick , July 31, 2008 3:00 PM]

Elvis Costello did a great version (on key too) of that song on his album "Goodbye Cruel World".
Here he is doing it with Burt Bacharach and Chrissie Hynde. Pretty cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpoIsM61NP4

[#14 posted by jetsetsc , July 31, 2008 3:44 PM]

Is that Ron Jeremy on keys?

[#15 posted by jesushootscores , July 31, 2008 3:45 PM]

I do digs da fringe

[#16 posted by Jeff , July 31, 2008 4:47 PM]

#8? Banana? Not exactly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-ICpjq0Qbs

It's hard to tell but it's most likely just a backing tape.
If Michelle really had pulled a stunt like that banana trick America would never have known it because the director would never have let it be seen on camera. Then Ed Sullivan's goons would have had her whacked.

Seriously, it was standard procedure to have singers perform live to a backing track so it was "live" but still sounded like the record. (Remember that Ed let the Stones and the Doors sing live, much to his eventual chagrin.)

[#17 posted by David Carroll , July 31, 2008 6:47 PM]

Pyros: (#9)

No one who watches the video can't help but wish it were still the 60's.

Oh yea! Inter-city riots, assassinations, the draft, rampant racism/sexism, cars that were unsafe at any speed, no BoingBoing! Good times!

Good riddance...

[#18 posted by coolvoodoo , July 31, 2008 10:11 PM]

#17
As someone who was a teenager in the 60's (I turned 19 in 1969), I can tell you it was a wonderful era. Yes, there were problems, but it really felt like there was a real possibility we were going to work together and solve all those problems. There was also a lot less fear and anxiety in everyday life. The music (Beatles, Beach Boys, Doors, Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, etc. etc. etc.) was constantly new and evolving, the women were awesome, proud of their newly found "liberation", and everyone was trying in some way to find a serene sprituality. Sadly, the ideals of the 60' were not fully realized, but they were and still are wonderful ideals. And, oh yeah, we walked on the MOON!

[#19 posted by waugsqueke , August 1, 2008 7:47 AM]

Right on! Thanks for this, Mark. That set is fantastic.

[#20 posted by David Carroll , August 2, 2008 4:33 AM]

CoolVooDoo (#17)

Yea I know. I was twelve when Armstrong hopped off of Tranquility. I got my mom to buy me a bottle of champagne for the occasion.

I was just reacting to the rose colored perception of Pyros's post.

May I propose that it's not the 1960's that you are nostalgic for. Ask anybody what their favorite decade is. That decade will likely be the one where they were in their twenties. Same applies to opinions on the best music.

For my father is was the 1930's and Swing. While he did go with my brother to see 1957 Elvis, he thought he was about as talented as I think 50 Cent is.