#the ronnettes
EARLY WORKS FOR ME
(First Steps, Starting Points, and Juvenilia)
Bonnie Jo Mason - “Ringo, I Love You”
You probably don’t recognize the name “Bonnie Jo Mason.” And that’s because it’s a fake name, chosen because Phil Spector didn’t think that “Cherilyn La Piere” was American enough.
Later, the singer chose to go by a different nom de guerre.
Cher.
You probably recognize that one.
But before she was the only artist in history to top the Billboard singles chart in six consecutive decades, she a teenager working odd jobs and scrounging for a career. Through her future husband and collaborator Sonny Bono, she wound up in the studio with legendary producer / legendary psychopath Phil Spector.1 The first song she ever recorded is the Spector-penned track above: a fan girl torch song for Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.
The track itself is a sloppy little ‘60s garage rock number, the sort of song that would wind up on a bargain bin singles compilation if it weren’t for Cher’s subsequent career. It’s a novelty song through and through, aiming for an of-the-moment spike rather than any sort of enduring impact. That’s not to say that it’s an unpleasant listen: it’s just the definition of inessential.
But the fascinating silver lining of the track, comes down to the possible reason that it never wound up being a hit. Cher and others have speculated that because of her low voice, disc jockeys mistook her for a man, thus making the song a homosexual ode to Ringo, which isn’t the sort of thing that got radio play then (or, let’s be honest, now).
So, although this song seems like a odd place to begin Cher’s recording career, it also makes a little bit of sense. The woman was born to be a queer icon, and that was clear right from the start.
- TWG
1. She actually sang back up on The Ronnettes’ “Be My Baby” and The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”
Ronnie Spector at Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Monument at Riverside Park in New York City, 1973.
Photos by Kevin Dilworth
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“Oh, since the day I saw you
I have been waiting for you
You know I will adore you ‘til eternity”
- “Be My Baby” by The Ronnettes
Rest in Love Ronnie Spector <3
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