#57: Baby's In Black

Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney

Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: John, Paul & George

Harmony exercises were usually kept to B-Sides for the Beatles, but for the final part of John's opening trilogy, they chose to use probably their best three-part harmony as the closer. It's probably one of the most melancholy songs in the Beatles' catalog (aside from the song that proceeds it), but it certainly is a thing of beauty. Aside from the vocals on the track, put your ear's attention to George's clunky, sorrowful guitar, especially during the solo. It definitely optimizes the sadness that John's lyrics show. My favorite part is the bridge sequence. Sure, Paul sounds like he's straining his voice when they sing "Oh, how long will it take?", but the fact is that it shows the Beatles at the height of their harmonic powers.

The Beatles' harmonies in their early period is one of the reasons why I prefer to this time period to the latter years. The Beatles' three-part harmonies would get just two more great showcases, so I can't write an obituary for it just yet.

Where else can you find "Baby's In Black"? Well, as one of the best Beatles songs, it's surprising to know that the only release of the song, aside from it's appearance on Beatles For Sale, was on Capitol's Beatles '65. A live take was issued on the "Real Love" CD single, but that's it. Oh well...I don't need alternate versions to prove that this is one of the Beatles' best songs.