“Don’t Worry Baby” is one of the Beach Boys’ best pre-Pet Sounds tracks, and it’s today’s classic song of the day. Released as a single in May of 1964, this melodic masterpiece made it all the way to #24 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Brian Wilson wrote “Don’t Worry Baby” in reaction to the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby,” which Brian considered “the greatest record I ever heard.” Legend has it that when Brian first heard “Be My Baby” on his car radio, he was so gob smacked he had to pull his car off the road to listen.
“Don’t Worry Baby” isn’t a formal response to “Be My Baby;” instead Brian’s song is about a guy bragging about his car just a little too much and being comforted by his girlfriend. As the lyrics tell it:
I guess I should’ve kept my mouth shut
When I started to brag about my car
But I can’t back down now because
I pushed the other guys too far
She makes me come alive
And makes me wanna driveWhen she says, “Don’t worry, baby”
Don’t worry, baby
Everything will turn out all right
Don’t worry, baby
Brian wrote “Don’t Worry Baby” with lyricist Roger Christian, who had also provided words for “Little Deuce Coupe,” “Shut Down,” and other car-forward Beach Boys tunes. Brian said he got the title idea from his then-girlfriend and future wife Marilyn Rovell, who used to calm him down by telling him, “don’t worry, baby.” In his own words:
“I started out with the verse idea and then wrote the chorus. It was a very simple and beautiful song. It’s a really heart and soul song, I really did feel that in my heart… I called [my] lyricist Roger Christian and told him I had an idea. He met me one afternoon at my parents’ house, where, in one of our last collaborations, we wrote a lush ballad whose title and chorus came directly from Marilyn’s comforting words, ‘don’t worry, baby.’ I knew the song was a smash before we finished writing it.”
Musically, “Don’t Worry Baby” is typical of Brian’s early compositions, with a little harmonic surprise thrown in for effect. The verses use a simple I – IV – V progression, but the choruses are modulated up a step (with a ii7 – V turnaround) from E to F#. The chorus progression (in F#) is I – ii – V (the same as “Be My Baby”), then things move down a step to the original key of E for the next verse.
“Don’t Worry Baby” is a pre-Wrecking Crew track. Both backing vocals and instruments are provided by the Beach Boys themselves: Brian on piano, Carl Wilson on rhythm guitar, Al Jardine on bass, and Dennis Wilson on drums. Brian sang lead and produced. (Oh, and Mike Love was on backing vocals, too.)
Over a decade later, in 1977, singer B.J. Thomas released a pretty successful cover of “Don’t Worry Baby.” Thomas’ single charted even higher than the original, hitting #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, #13 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #2 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
Legend has it that Brian initially intended to give “Don’t Worry Baby” to the Ronettes to record, but Phil Spector rejected the idea as he wouldn’t get a cut of the songwriting royalties. It’s interesting, then, that Ronnie Bennett actually got to record “Don’t Worry Baby” on her own in 1999; the song is well suited for her voice, as you can tell in today’s daily bonus track of the day.
