Be My Baby is arguably the single most perfect pop song of all time. And surely Spector’s crowning achievement.

Say what you like about Phil Spector, and obviously he was a monstrous human being, not least towards his future wife Ronnie. But first he had to win her heart.

He could have given her a diamond ring to show his love for her. Instead he gave her this.

Opening with that iconic drum beat by Hal Blaine – copied too many times to mention over more than half a century – it’s the archetypal example of Spector’s Wall of Sound.

He built it to showcase the luminous beauty of Veronica Bennett and her voice.
Despite the video evidence to the contrary, Ronnie is reputedly the only Ronette to sing on the record.

When it was recorded in 1963 Spector had already produced classic hit singles including Da Doo Ron Ron and Then He Kissed Me for The Crystals, but this took his vision one step beyond.

A slow-burning pop symphony that builds momentum with each passing verse, the plaintive longing of its lyric is propelled by galloping castanets and muted piano figures until it achieves maximum density in a majestic convergence of vocals, strings, horns and thunderclap production.

You might argue that Ronnie’s vocals are not the most technically accomplished (and that’s true) and you might argue that he pushed her forward as the Ronettes lead singer only because he was so smitten by her physical perfection.

But as so often in pop, it’s her lack of polish that’s the key to the song’s success.

What she lacks in technique she oozes in raw sexuality. I don’t think she’s doing it deliberately; she’s probably unaware of it, helplessly being manipulated by Spector. Which, of course, makes her sexier.

She transforms the sweetly sappy sentiments of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich’s song into an irresistible siren call. And you’re never in doubt that the song’s message is reflected back on the listener – just as it was when Spector wrote it as his own declaration of love.