Baby's in Black

Template:Use British English Template:Template other "Baby's in Black" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, co-written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn It appears on the United Kingdom album Beatles for SaleTemplate:Sfn and on the United States album Beatles '65, both released in 1964.Template:Sfn

Composition

"Baby's in Black" has a Template:Time signature time signature.Template:Sfn and 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."Template:Sfn 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.

Recording

"Baby's in Black" was recorded on 11 August 1964, and was the first song recorded for Beatles for Sale.Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn

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.'"Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn 20 years later, it was included as a bonus track in 2016 expanded live album Live at the Hollywood Bowl.

Covers

• Canadian rock band Big Sugar recorded a cover of "Baby's in Black" during the sessions of their 1998 album, Heated. Though the cover did not make it onto the album, the cover was featured on the 25th anniversary deluxe edition of the band's 1996 album Hemi-Vision, which was released in 2020.
• American jazz pianist Brad Mehldau recorded a version in September 2020 at Philharmonie de Paris for his live solo album, Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles.

Personnel

• John LennonTemplate:Sndvocal, acoustic rhythm guitar
• Paul McCartneyTemplate:Sndvocal, bass guitar
• George HarrisonTemplate:Sndlead guitar
• Ringo StarrTemplate:Snddrums, tambourine

Personnel per Ian MacDonaldTemplate:Sfn