"Baby's in Black"

Song: “Baby’s in Black”

Album: Beatles for Sale (1964)

“Baby’s in Black” was co-written by Lennon and McCartney and was released on Beatles for Sale in 1964 (Beatles ’65 in North America). It was the first song recorded for Beatles for Sale on August 11, 1964, and is about the grieving Astrid Kirchherr, a friend of the Beatles, following the death of her fiancée Stuart Sutcliffe.

Lennon and McCartney insisted on recording the vocal for the tune together, into the same microphone, at the same time.  They sang separate, simultaneous melodies, which Paul has continued to say they were both the primarily melody.  The result is one of my favorite Beatles’ harmonies.

The Beatles performed the song in concerts between 1964 and 1966, and, as you can see in this performance from Munich, John and Paul sang into the same microphone for the tune during live performances as well.