Recording The Ronettes' song was a gamble for Joey, who was most excited to collaborate with Phil Spector, the legendary producer whose work he admired. It was a tribute to those girl groups and the minimalism they also practiced. Joey knew how to bring emotion to the simple love song, but no other Ramone should have been involved in the song...
Once again, Spector appropriated a name to showcase his talents, using the artist as a prop. The experience proved somewhat traumatic for the Ramones. During the recording of End of Century, the worlds of Ramone and Spector collided. The hysterical, paranoid, and schizophrenic producer was surviving at the time, barely eating or sleeping, only on what came up his nose. He threatened Dee Dee with a gun; Johnny sat for 12 hours playing the opening chord of "Rock and Roll Highschool" hundreds of times; " This Ain't Havana" 353 times. He nearly went insane and left the group. The tension was such that Spector brought bodyguards with him whenever he was there.
“ End of the Century was our biggest-selling record, but it nearly ruined our career because people would come to hear ‘Baby, I Love You ,’ and as soon as we started playing, they’d walk out. On the next tour, we only filled the venues halfway. I couldn’t believe it…” Johnny Ramone
"I was driving with the band on the way to the record company in New York and they played some song from End of the Century , I think it was I'm Affected . I couldn't believe how bad it sounded! It was horrible! And I didn't like our version of Baby, I Love You . Not at all." Johnny Ramone