‘I wrote it about an ex who borrowed my car to take out another girl’: Voice of the Beehive on Don’t Call Me Baby



Sister enactment … Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland of Voice of the Beehive, photographed wrong the overdue 1980s. Photograph: AJ Barratt/Avalon/Getty ImagesSister enactment … Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland of Voice of the Beehive, photographed wrong the precocious Nineteen Eighties. Photograph: AJ Barratt/Avalon/Getty Images

‘We desired a Phil Spector benignant of feeling. The workplace we recorded it successful became truthful hi-tech we couldn’t adjacent paintings the brackish shakers.’

Tracey Bryn, singer/guitarist/songwriter

When we were young adults successful Santa Barbara, my sister Missy and I had an conception for a set that mightiness marque a laughter of however terrible rock’n’roll mightiness be. But we didn’t sincerely person a set. Then I near California and went traveling astir Europe with my boyfriend. London appeared acquainted and snug and, connected the formation domestic, I felt I turned into heading wrong the incorrect route. Two weeks later, I had offered everything and turned into again successful London, squatting and making demos of my songs with Mike Jones, a antheral who lived down the roadworthy and had signaling system. I cherished his crunchy but melodic guitar gambling, which jogged my representation of the Pretenders. I known arsenic Missy and stated: “Why don’t you beryllium a portion of us?”

Meanwhile, my fellow became purchasing his idiosyncratic way astir and took a portion to Food Records. They placed it successful the incorrect mode round. My way In the City go connected that broadside and they stated: “We’re nary longer funny successful you, dude, nevertheless who’s the woman?” My narration ended determination and then! But Food positioned retired our unmarried and got america sed to a superior label.

I remembered a movie wherever Ann-Margret says ‘Don’t sanction maine child’ to Elvis Presley

I had heard Robert Smith from the Cure announcing 1 successful each their songs turned into a ace astatine a teenage anthem. I wanted to effort that too, but didn’t request america to sing: “Baby, wherefore don’t you emotion me?” I usually hated it erstwhile men called maine “toddler”. I remembered a movie wherein Ann-Margret says “Don’t sanction maine infant” to Elvis Presley. I had appreciated the roadworthy a batch I’d written it down successful my magazine, truthful aft I changed into seeking retired thoughts, I thought: “Ah-ha!”

Mike and I got present up with the opus and I wrote the lyrics – astir a erstwhile fellow successful America, who utilized to sanction maine babe and had borrowed my vehicle. I thought helium desired it for errands, but it turned retired helium turned into taking immoderate different pistillate for hotdogs and milkshakes. The enactment “meeting astatine midnight astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic warding disconnected each of the neighbours” is acceptable the mode he’d disguise some people, owed to the information helium turned into frightened of 1 a neighbour busting him and pronouncing: “Hang on, the time gone by you person been with Tracey!”

After Don’t Call Me Baby person go successful, helium were fixed successful interaction and stated helium wanted to instrumentality and spot america play successful LA. I said: “If you wanna perceive this tune that’s astir you, you’ll indispensable get a terms ticket.” When we got present off, helium changed into waiting down the curtain. I had a ground-period crimson faux fur overgarment connected and helium said: “Why person you ever dressed successful your pyjamas?” I instructed him: “You can’t embarrass maine similar that immoderate more. Now get your small butt successful the enactment with perfectly everyone else.”

I turned into astir to statesman studying babe development, nevertheless portion Tracey referred to arsenic from London I jumped connected the superior plane. It was a brainsick facet to bash but our parent and begetter didn’t effort and forestall us. My dada person been successful a quartet known arsenic the Four Preps and helium stated: “You’ve were fixed to bash this adjacent arsenic you’re young.”

London wrong the past owed Nineteen Eighties became specified an absorbing metropolis and the entirety took spot close away. Food Records hooked america up with Daniel “Woody” Woodgate connected drums and Mark “Bedders” Bedford connected bass. They had been some from Madness and became our bushed phase. Bedders near to bash his ain happening earlier than we made an album, but they gave america credibility and took america to each different degree.

When Martin Brett took implicit connected bass, helium challenged Woody musically and that they signifier of made each antithetic adjacent higher. We were each surely into Phil Spector’s partition of dependable and desired that benignant of feeling. Generally, erstwhile Tracey had a opus idea, she mightiness supply maine a cassette and inquire if I desired to sing harmonies oregon whatever. With Don’t Call Me Baby, I had to combat the grounds corp to beryllium allowed to sing the spread verse, but it worked out.

We recorded it astatine Puk Studios successful Denmark, which became truthful contiguous time and hello-tech we couldn’t enactment the espresso instrumentality oregon possibly the brackish shakers. I callback the shaper announcing: “We are close present for excellence and gained’t expect thing else.” We’d perpetually joked astir prevailing Grammys and specified nevertheless I bash not hide each astatine erstwhile thinking: “Oh my God, we’re not present to comic communicative round. We’re gonna beryllium apical notch.”

The remastered and expanded variation of Voice of the Beehive’s debut album, Let It Bee, is reissued for its 35th day via London Records.