Don't You Worry My Little Pet

"Don't You Worry My Little Pet"
"Don't You Worry My Little Pet"
SinglebyThe Teddy Bears
A-side	"To Know Him Is to Love Him"
Released	September 1958
Recorded	1958
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	2:01
Label	Doré
Songwriter(s)	Phil Spector
The Teddy Bearssingles chronology

"Don't You Worry My Little Pet"is a song written byPhil Spectorfor the American pop quartetthe Teddy Bears,of which he was a member. It was released in September 1958 as the B-side of the group's "To Know Him Is to Love Him",which topped theBillboardHot 100.^[1]

Background and recording

Spector wrote the upbeatrock and rollsong based on his then-current favorite performers,Buddy Hollyandthe Everly Brothers.^[2]It was his first experience with studio recording; the production was achieved by taking a demo tape of the song and playing it back over the studio's speaker system in order to overdub another performance over it.^[3]The end product was a cacophony, with stacked harmony vocals that could not be heard clearly. He would develop these methods further, culminating in what would later be dubbed theWall of Sound.^[4]

On May 20, 1958,^[2]the song was recorded atGold Star Studios,Hollywood in a single two-hour session.^[5]According to biographerMick Brown:"Nobody apart from Spector was really convinced the song was any good. [Studio owner] Stan Ross would later dismiss it as 'a piece of crap', and evenAnette Kleinbart[sic] thought it was 'dreadful'. "^[2]

Personnel

The Teddy Bears

Carol Connors(formerly Annette Kleinbard) – vocals^[5]
Harvey Goldstein – vocals^[5]
Marshall Leib– vocals^[5]
Phil Spector– vocals^[5]

Art and Dotty Todd version

On November 17, 1958, another version recorded byArt and Dotty Toddwas given a four-star rating inBillboard,indicating "very strong sales potential". The publication referred to it a "swingy rocker... Side moves, and it could get some action."^[6]

References

^Ribowsky, Mark (2000).He's a Rebel: Phil Spector, Rock and Roll's Legendary Producer.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 303.ISBN 978-0-8154-1044-7.
^^a ^b ^cBrown, Mick(2012).Tearing Down The Wall of Sound: The Rise And Fall of Phil Spector.A&C Black. p. 36.ISBN 978-1-4088-1950-0.
^Smith, Carlton (2007).Reckless: Millionaire Record Producer Phil Spector and the Violent Death of Lana Clarkson.St. Martin's Press. p. 57.ISBN 978-1-4299-0890-0.
^Howard, David N. (2004).Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings.Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 5–7.ISBN 978-0-634-05560-7.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^eWarner, Jay (2006).American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today.Hal Leonard Corporation. p.304.ISBN 978-0-634-09978-6.
^"This Week's Singles".Billboard.Nielsen Business Media, Inc.November 17, 1958.ISSN 0006-2510.

[Ribowsky2000-1] Ribowsky, Mark (2000).He's a Rebel: Phil Spector, Rock and Roll's Legendary Producer.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 303.ISBN 978-0-8154-1044-7.

[Brown2012-2] Brown, Mick(2012).Tearing Down The Wall of Sound: The Rise And Fall of Phil Spector.A&C Black. p. 36.ISBN 978-1-4088-1950-0.

[3] Smith, Carlton (2007).Reckless: Millionaire Record Producer Phil Spector and the Violent Death of Lana Clarkson.St. Martin's Press. p. 57.ISBN 978-1-4299-0890-0.

[Howard-4] Howard, David N. (2004).Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings.Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 5–7.ISBN 978-0-634-05560-7.

[Warner2006-5] Warner, Jay (2006).American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today.Hal Leonard Corporation. p.304.ISBN 978-0-634-09978-6.

[6] "This Week's Singles".Billboard.Nielsen Business Media, Inc.November 17, 1958.ISSN 0006-2510.

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