Just like Ronnie sang...

For awhile now I have wanted to use Eddie Money's Take Me Home Tonight for a subject, and point out part of the background to the 1986 hit. Today's inclusion into the Library of Congress of the Ronette's Be My Baby provides an appropriate excuse reason to do so.

The Ronettes were a girl group of the 1960s, and are best known for Baby--and the lack of royalties the group got from the song that instead went to the song's producer, Phil Spector (semi-similar to what happened to Willie Nelson with Crazy). The song is one of the best known and best pop songs in history (even before it was on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack), which is why the Library of Congress chose it for inclusion in its audio archives for preservation (also included this year: the Rolling Stones (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction and FDR's Infamy Speech--"...December 7^th, 1941--a date which will live in infamy", made to Congress the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor asking for a Declaration of War against Japan). The Ronettes are also being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.

Anyways, so the cool thing about Eddie Money's Take Me Home Tonight is that "Ron" from the Ronettes, Ronnie Spector (yes, she was married to him also), sings back-up in the chorus, right after Money references her (all that "just like Ronnie sang" stuff...). By doing so, Ronnie, I believe, got some of the royalties from Tonight, and if so probably got more money from that song than the original (and more famous/popular) song it references. Somewhat of a vindication... and Ronnie's even in the video. :)

Take me home tonight
I don't want to let you go till you see the light
Take me home tonight
Listen honey, just like Ronnie sang
"Be my little baby"