During the summer of 1963, Cher found herself in Hollywood’s Gold Star Studios contributing backing vocals to one of the most famous songs of all time: the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby.” The 17-year-old had been a familiar presence at the studio all year, owing to the fact her then-boyfriend Sonny Bono was working for producer Phil Spector. However, she hadn’t sung in a session until then, when she was called to fill in for Darlene Love, who had car trouble and wasn’t yet at the studio. By her own account, Cher was petrified, and decided to play it safe and sing along with Sonny for the recording.