"Baby's in Black" is a song by The Beatles, co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney^[1][2] and released in the United Kingdom on Beatles for Sale^[3] and in North America on Beatles '65.^[4]

Composition[link]

AMG described the song as "a love lament for a grieving girl that was perhaps more morose than any previous Beatles' song."^[5] The lyrics are about Astrid Kirchherr,^[6] a friend and photographer The Beatles met during their first trip to Hamburg.^[7][8] She was Stuart Sutcliffe's fiancée,^[9] and was distraught over his death.

The song has a 6/8 time signature^[10] with a moderate tempo that makes it sound like 3/4 (waltz-time).

Recording[link]

The Beatles recorded "Baby's in Black" on 11 August 1964. It is the first song recorded for Beatles for Sale.^[11]

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.^[12]

Live performances[link]

The Beatles performed "Baby's in Black" live during their appearances from late 1964 until their last tour in 1966 and usually as the third song in their set after "Rock and Roll Music" and "She's a Woman". 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.'"^[2]. 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.^[13]

Personnel[link]

• John Lennon – vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar
• Paul McCartney – vocal, bass guitar
• George Harrison – lead guitar
• Ringo Starr – drums

Personnel per Ian MacDonald^[14]

Cover versions[link]

• In 1965, the Charles River Valley Boys covered "Baby's in Black" on their album of Beatle covers, Beatle Country.^[5]
• The song was recorded by The Applejacks in 1965 and released on a Decca sampler called The Lord's Taverners Charity Album.
• Rubén Blades covered the song (in English) on his 1992 Grammy-nominated album Amor Y Control.
• Country band Flynnville Train covered the song on their 2007 debut album.
• Natascha Corrigan inserts refrains from the song into her cover of another Beatles tune, "Yes It Is".

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

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