Boom! Boom boom, cha! (“Be My Baby” Drum Intro) Mix
February 15, 2010
The “Be My Baby” intro is possibly the most iconic drum beat in pop music. The Phil Spector-penned “boom, boom boom, cha!” is instantly recognizable and the beat has been been both duplicated and used in a number of variations by artists time and time again. The Jesus and Mary Chain liked the beat enough to use it four times on their debut album, Psychocandy (most notably in “Just Like Honey”) and since then it seems to have become a staple in indie pop music.
The beat has endured from The Ronettes‘ original use in 1963 throughout every decade and has even found it’s way into 2010 with Owen Pallett’s “Lewis Takes Action”. There’s enough examples of songs using the drum beat to fill a dozen mix CD’s (many of them listed in this ongoing ilxor thread), but I’ve selected twenty of the my favorites that you can fit on one. Let me know in the comments if there’s any more you can add!
Download “Boom! Boom boom, cha! Mix” (94.46 MB – 1.1 hours)
MP3 The Ronettes – Be My Baby
MP3 Jesus and Mary Chain – Just Like Honey*
MP3 Camera Obscura – Eighties Fan
MP3 The Shangri-Las – Leader of the Pack
MP3 Pains of Being Pure At Heart – Gentle Sons
MP3 Johnny Boy – You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve
MP3 The Magnetic Fields – Candy
MP3 Bat for Lashes – What’s A Girl To Do
MP3 Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Hand In Hand
MP3 Deerhunter – Vox Humana
MP3 The Mary Onettes – Explosions
MP3 The Pipettes – Sex
MP3 Depeche Mode – A Question of Lust
MP3 Empire of the Sun – Without You
MP3 Jay Reatard – An Ugly Death
MP3 Girls – Ghost Mouth
MP3 Editors – The Weight of the World
MP3 Asia – Heat of the Moment
MP3 Jens Lekman – A Higher Power
MP3 Owen Pallett – Lewis Takes Action
*also see “Sowing Seeds”, “Cut Dead”, “Something’s Wrong”
***
Download Part 2 of this mix “Boom! Boom boom, cha! Redux”.
Download Part 3 of this mix “Boom! Boom boom, cha! (v3.0)”
Tags: Asia, Bat for Lashes, Camera Obscura, Deerhunter, Editors, Elvis Costello, Girls, Jay Reatard, Jens Lekman, Jesus and Mary Chain, Johnny Boy, Owen Pallett, Phil Spector, The Magnetic Fields, The Mary Onettes, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Ronettes, The Shangri-Las
Posted by 
content rss
February 16th, 2010 at 11:41 am
Seriously, best post ever!
February 16th, 2010 at 11:57 am
All the ones I knew are on here… And then some! “Boom boom pow” has nothing on “Boom! Boom boom, cha!”
February 16th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Actually, on second thought, Noisettes “Never Forget You” has a faint little guitar bit that resembles the “Be My Baby” beat. Or maybe that’s just me trying to place what the heck that song reminds me of.
February 16th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Perfection as a Hipster by God Help The Girl ?
February 17th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
good call! can’t believe I missed that one…
February 17th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Viva Stereo ‘Knee High Boots’..obscure but a goodie…Language of Flowers too…
February 17th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
You forgot Joel’s Say Goodbye to Hollywood.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
You always have the best mixes.
A personal favorite is “Who Can Say” by The Horrors, where around the two minute mark, a Shangri-Las song suddenly takes over.
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Love this mix! Can’t believe I didn’t think of it right away, but my addition would be “Forever” by The Explorers Club – a longtime favorite.
February 28th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Brendan Benson’s “The Pledge”…great song off of The Alternative To Love
February 28th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Good call Chris. That is a great song.
March 7th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
I know you posted this a while back but “Guiding Light” by Muse would be a great edition to this list.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
I have seriously always wondered about all the songs that started like that. Nice job indeed!
May 1st, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Also, since you mentioned Deerhunter, “Rain Down” by Lotus Plaza!
May 12th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
yeah yeah yeahs – our time
manic street preachers – everything must go
candi staton – i’m just a prisoner
poison – cry tough
hot hot heat – good day to die
concrete blonde – joey
a camp – here are many wild animals
rowland s. howard – she cried
the explorer’s club – forever
October 21st, 2010 at 1:32 pm
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
thanks for the tunes, dude.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
When I tried to unzip the folder, it asked for the password. What is the password? Thanks.
November 12th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
It’s not password protected. Not sure why it’s asking you for one…
If you can’t get it, the individual MP3s are still up.
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Great post. When will I get the additional information?
Bella Simpson
escort warsaw
August 15th, 2011 at 6:56 am
Hunx and His Punx- Lover’s Lane, Do the Make-up, You Better Tell That Girl
September 7th, 2011 at 9:20 am
Clinic: I.P.C. Subeditors Dictate Our Youth (for about 4 seconds…)
November 21st, 2011 at 1:03 pm
man, how could you forget “Take My Breath Away” by the Berlins?