Baby Come Back (Player song)
"Baby Come Back" is a song by the American rock band Player. It was released in late 1977 as the lead single from their 1977 self-titled debut album, and was the breakthrough single for the band, gaining them mainstream success, hitting number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on the R&B charts in 1978. Their biggest hit single, the song was written and performed by Peter Beckett and J.C. Crowley, the founders of Player.
"Baby Come Back" | ||||
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Single by Player | ||||
from the album Player | ||||
B-side | "Love Is Where You Find It" | |||
Released | October 13, 1977 | |||
Recorded | 1977 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Player singles chronology | ||||
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Two versions of the song exist. The album version ends with a guitar solo fade out, while the single version has a shorter opening and ends with the chorus being repeated on a fade out.
Personnel
- Peter Beckett – lead and backing vocals, electric guitar
- J.C. Crowley – acoustic piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, backing vocals
- Ronn Moss – bass guitar, backing vocals
- John Friesen – drums, congas
- Wayne Cook – Fender Rhodes electric piano, Minimoog, ARP String Ensemble, clavinet, Hammond organ
Cover versions
In 1997, Lisa Stansfield released the song as a bonus track on the Japanese version of her self-titled album.
In 2007, alternative rock band Lazlo Bane covered the song for their 2007 cover album Guilty Pleasures.[1]
In 2018, Australian band Ocean Alley covered this song as part of the Australian radio show Triple J's 'Like a Version' segment. Their cover reached No. 16 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2018.
Uses in other media
In 2011, it was the source of a parody by Chicago artist, Magic 1, entitled "Cutty Come Back", which alludes to the Chicago Bears' woes without quarterback Jay Cutler.[2][3]
The song is also used in the Michael Bay blockbuster Transformers, when the Autobot Bumblebee communicates with its new owner Sam Witwicky through songs on the radio. In this case, after an incident with the girl he is attracted to, Mikaela, gets out of the car and Sam tries to persuade her to "come back". The lyrics of the song are expected to accomplish this desire, as laid out by the filmmakers, though it is unlikely given the context that she would actually come back anyway.
Actress/singer Vanessa Hudgens sampled the song in her debut single, "Come Back To Me" on her debut album, V in 2006.
In The Simpsons episode "Homer Alone," when Homer calls the "Department of Missing Babies" after losing Maggie, the hold music is a newly recorded version of the song, by Peter Beckett and J.C. Crowley.
This song was sung by Hank Hill and Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt in the Point After Lounge in the "Church Hopping" episode of King of the Hill.
The song was sung by Steve Smith (Scott Grimes) in the American Dad episode, "The Unbrave One".
On a May 2014 episode of General Hospital, precocious Spencer Cassadine attempted to woo back Emma Scorpio-Drake by hiring Player to perform the song at the Nurses Ball. Spencer's great-grandmother Lesley Webber was supposedly a groupie of the band in the 1970s.
In 2016, Peter Beckett performed a parody "Brady Come Back" on The Herd with Colin Cowherd about the return of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady from suspension.
On June 21, 2017, rapper Yung Gravy released a single named "Cheryl", which samples "Baby Come Back".[4]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
All-time charts
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References
- "Lazlo Bane's Guilty Pleasures". cdbaby.com. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
- Bowman, Eric (December 9, 2011). "Jay Cutler Injury Song: Listen to Epic Slow Jam "Cutty Come Back"". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- "'Cutty come back': Parody bemoans Cutler's absence". Chicago Tribune. 2011-12-08.
- Yung Gravy - Cheryl [prod. Jason Rich], retrieved 2019-08-11
- Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5533a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1978-01-14. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Player – Baby Come Back" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – Player" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- "Charts.nz – Player – Baby Come Back". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- "Springbok SA Top 20". Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- "Player: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- "Player Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- "Player Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- "Player Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- "Top 100 Hits of 1978/Top 100 Songs of 1978". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
Bibliography
- Joel Whitburn's Presents Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004, 2004, Record Research Inc., ISBN 978-0898201604