Ronnie’s Essential Songs

The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” 1963

With Ronnie’s roller-coaster vocals over Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, “Be My Baby” was an instant classic. “It was like having your mind revamped,” Brian Wilson said of the track.

The Ronettes, “Baby I Love You” 1963

The follow-up to “Be My Baby” featured more of Ronnie Spector’s signature vocal dives. “Oh, tell me that you feel the same,” she pleads, overcome with emotion.

“Try Some, Buy Some” 1971

Spector’s voice fits in perfectly as she sings about opening her eyes and falling in love (with God this time, since her buddy George Harrison wrote it).

Eddie Money, “Take Me Home Tonight” 1986

Money demoed this track with Martha Davis of the Motels, interpolating lyrics from “Be My Baby.” Later, Spector stepped in and helped turn the tune into a smash.

“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” 2016

“I went in the ladies’ room and cried my eyes out,” Spector said of this sparse, gorgeous Bee Gees cover from her final album. “Because that song is about my life, you know?”