Reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 just a few months after its release in August 1986, Eddie Money’s single “Take Me Home Tonight” also hit number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart and was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards.
When Money was first introduced to the song by record producer Richie Zito, he heard a piece of the classic 1963 song “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes included in the lyrics. The lead vocalist of the Motels, Martha Davis, was originally recruited to sing those lines, but eventually, Money was able to convince Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes to revive her singing career and join him in performing the duet together. Spector and the Ronettes were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
The music video for this popular ’80s song was filmed at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, NV. In the music video, Money is performing the song on stage alone while Spector dances her way through the hallways of the venue until she finally reaches him.
Watch the music video below or click here to view the official music video (without subtitles) on Vevo:
Due to some cash disputes, Spector almost didn’t appear in the music video. Nick Morris, the director of the music video, put his own wife Fiona (also his producer) in the dress that Spector was going to wear and began doing camera tests in front of Spector and her manager. Spector’s manager believed that they were bluffing while Spector worried that she wouldn’t be in the video. In the end, Spector decided to be in the video, and it was later revealed that paying her extra money would have “crashed” the budget.
Bonus Video:
The Ronettes performing “Be My Baby” on American Bandstand in 1963, with a short interview by Dick Clark at the end of the performance.
