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The Beatles Albums- Baby’s In Black

 

Baby’s In Black (Shea Stadium)(HQ)

 

The Beatles – Baby’s In Black (Original Stereo version)

 

Lyrics

Baby’s In Black

 

Oh dear, what can I do?
Baby’s in black and I’m feeling blue
Tell me, oh what can I do?

She thinks of him
And so she dresses in black
And though he’ll never come back
She’s dressed in black

Oh dear, what can I do?
Baby’s in black and I’m feeling blue
Tell me, oh what can I do?

I think of her
But she only thinks of him
And though it’s only a whim
She thinks of him

Oh how long will it take
Till she sees the mistake she has made?
Dear, what can I do?
Baby’s in black and I’m feeling blue
Tell me, oh what can I do?

Oh how long it will take
Till she sees the mistake she has made?
Dear, what can I do?
Baby’s in black and I’m feeling blue
Tell me, oh what can I do?

She thinks of him
And so she dresses in black
And though he’ll never come back
She’s dressed in black

Oh dear, what can I do?
Baby’s in black and I’m feeling blue
Tell me, oh what can I do?

Songwriters
LENNON, JOHN / MCCARTNEY, PAUL

Published by
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Song History and Facts

There is speculation that the song was written about mourning the loss of Stuart Sutcliffe after he died of a sudden brain hemorrhage. The song was a 50/50 effort by both Lennon and McCartney, but started by Lennon as a response to his own mourning process (which he never really got over). The “baby in black” would be photographer Astrid Kircherr, who dated Sutcliffe before he died.

John and Paul decided that this newer approach, finishing off a near-completed idea from the other partner, was a more feasible way to keep the songwriting team intact.  While they did stray into writing songs completely by themselves at times, they kept up the ‘finishing off’ formula throughout The Beatles career.

However, they did manage to sit “nose to nose,” as Lennon would refer to it, from time to time.  This format bore great rewards, such as with “From Me To You” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand.”  For the last time, John and Paul got together at Lennon’s Kenwood home sometime in July of 1964 to write what became their last song written together from scratch.  The result was “Baby’s In Black.”

After a hectic world tour of June 1964, The Beatles had a relatively relaxed July, making local British TV appearances and concert dates, ending in a brief Swedish tour.  Even though their third British album “A Hard Day’s Night” was released on this month, John and Paul took advantage of this relaxed month to start writing songs for their next album.

The two of them would almost always meet up at John’s newly acquired Kenwood home for songwriting, since the music room at the Asher’s House where Paul stayed wasn’t always available and also because John didn’t drive.  “It was always nice to have an excuse to drive out into the country,” McCartney explains, “so that generally meant that I got out to John’s house.”

“Baby’s In Black” was “written in the same room,” as John commented in 1980.  “It was very much co-written,” Paul concurs.  They got together on this day with the intention of writing something different from their usual.  “We got more and more free to get into ourselves,” McCartney remembers.  “Our student selves rather than ‘we must please the girls and make money,’ which is all that ‘From Me To You,’ ‘Thank You Girl,’ P.S. I Love You‘ is about…We wanted to write something a little bit darker, bluesy, the title’s dark anyway…more grown up rather than just straight pop.  It was more ‘baby’s in black’ as in mourning.  Our favorite color was black, as well.” beatlesebooks

 

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