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One of the most viral memes in popular culture came way before the invention of the internet. Ever since the iconic opening bars of the Ronettes’ hit “Be My Baby” first blasted from a hi-fi back in 1963, the same drum beat has been used in songs by everyone from The Beatles to Lady Gaga.

Join me for the inaugural episode of Sounds Familiar as I trace the beat, and its influences, through the decades, and find out what happens when a somewhat obsessive person like myself attempts to ask the most difficult question of all… why?

Promo: “#1: The Drums from ‘Be My Baby’ and the Life of a Meme”

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What is a meme? How do they work? Who keeps them going?

In 1963, the hit song “Be My Baby,” produced by the legendary Phil Spector for the Ronettes, began with a drum beat. Bum. ba-Bum, CH! It’s hard to imagine a time when that hadn’t been heard before, because the following decades would bring dozens of songs that imitated the beat.

Just when did the drum beat go viral? And why? Like with anything else, digging deeper reveals surprising patterns and motives for something that might just seem like part of the woodwork.

That’s why I chose this topic for the first episode of Sounds Familiar, which is a podcast devoted to finding those surprising patterns and motives. It’s a clear example of how, when we look closely enough, nothing is really mundane or boring— there’s a wealth of curious information just under the surface that helps us connect better to the world around us.

Sounds Familiar is engaging and informative. It’s a hypertextual adventure for your ears. So check it out.

-BC