Rockin' Remnants
Date: October 6, 2012
Host: John Simon
Feature: "Baby Love" (songs about babies or with "baby" in the title or lyrics, in honor of JS's new grandchild!)
Trivia Contest
Clue 1:
This iconic NYC singer appeared on only six Top 40 records between the 60s and the 80s but has come to represent at least one entire genre of popular music.
(incorrect guesses: Steve Forbert, Dick Dale)
Clue 2:
Charting covers of her original recordings were more successful for acts including Jay and the Americans, the Beach Boys, and Andy Kim.
Clue 3 (wasn't needed since someone correctly guessed after Clue 2):
In the 70s, she left her famously abusive husband. Billy Joel wrote a song about her, and she recorded with artists including George Harrison, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.
Scroll down to find the answer below the playlist....
Playlist (** = FB suggestion; * = telephone request)
6-7 p.m.
Rock 'n' Roll Lullabye - BJ Thomas - mono 45 edit - with Duane Eddy, the Blossoms and Ron Hicklin (filling in for The Beach Boys, who never showed up to do their part) providing in-studio assistance. This should have been a bigger hit, but the record label folded soon after the song was released.
Dry Your Eyes - Brenda & the Tabulations - 1967
Isn't She Lovely - Stevie Wonder** - He started writing it when she was "...less than one minute old". This is from the album Songs in the Key of Life, 1976, and it wasn't released as a single but it got played as though it was.
B-A-B-Y - Carla Thomas
Baby Blue - The Echoes ["B-B-a-b-y, B-B-l-u-e..."]
Baby Work Out - Jackie Wilson
You Can't Sit Down - Dovells
Baby Come Back - Player* - one of several songs with this same title, this one was released in late 1977 and reached #1 in Jan 1978
45 Corner: Gypsy Lights - Quicksilver Messenger Service (non-charting single from 11/75; "come back baby, come back")
Baby the Rain Must Fall - Glenn Yarbrough [after the weather] - 1965 - this song was featured in a movie by the same name
You Baby - The Turtles - also recorded by the Mamas and the Papas, written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri
Too Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby - Marvin Gaye** (first recorded by The Temptations in 1966, jumbo hit for Gaye in the spring of 1969 - #4 on pop chart, but six weeks at #1 on the R&B chart)
Baby Love - Supremes* - from the fall of 1964
Ooo Baby Baby - Miracles** - This was one of a number of charting versions of this song. Linda Rondstadt did it, and the Five Stairsteps had a great version of it in 1967.
Cry Baby - Janis Joplin*
7-8 p.m. (no Birthday Calendar this week but yes to Trivia)
Since I Met You Baby - Ivory Joe Hunter - 1956
Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby) - Aretha Franklin** - 1968
Baby Baby, I Still Love You - Cinderellas (The Cookies, really. Only got to #134 in May of '64)
Baby Be Mine - Jelly Beans - 1964, peaked at #51
I'm Gonna Make You Mine - Lou Christie - 1969
I Got the Feelin' - James Brown** ["baby, baby, baby!"]
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
My Baby Loves Lovin' - White Plains** - 1970
Ready Or Not - Jackson Browne** not released as a single (from the album For Every Man) but lots of FM play from '73
Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song) - Buckinghams - From Chicago, on Columbia Records (they had left local label USA Records by that point).
Things I'd Like to Say - New Colony Six*
Baby I Need Your Lovin' - Four Tops (their charting debut on Motown Records)
Baby I Love You - Ronettes**
The Letter - The Arbors (2 years after the Box Tops took it to #1 and one year before Joe Cocker would take it to #7. In between, the Arbors reached #20 with this psychedelic version from 3/69)
Poor Baby - Cowsills - 1968 - on MGM, it reached #44, and we're hearing this on a beat-up 45-rpm record
You Got What it Takes - Dave Clark Five - 1967
Younger Generation - John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful - Most of America didn't hear this until the Woodstock movie came out, long after The Lovin' Spoonful recorded it.
Baby It's You - Smith - This was the highest-charting version of this song; it hit #5 in 1969. The song was a Bacharach and David composition, and Gayle McCormick sang the lead vocals on Smith's version.
You Really Got a Hold on Me - Beatles* - This is a cover of a Smokey Robinson song, and it was on the second album by the Beatles (With The Beatles, 1963).
8-9 p.m. - Mostly '70s
Oh Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith (studio engineer on all of the Beatles pre-1966 recordings!)
Baby What a Big Surprise - Chicago - from fall of 1977
Can't Get Over Losing You - Donnie Elbert (only reached #98 in late 1970 - a lost Soul classic!)
Superstar - Carpenters - Karen Carpenter and her brother Richard were joined by studio musicians The Wrecking Crew. The song was written by Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett.
Danny's Song - Loggins & Messina** - This was the b-side of a single, and it was on the album Sittin' In. It was also sung in the pilot episode of the tv show Raising Hope.
Your Daddy Loves You - Gil Scott-Heron - from the album Winter in America
Who Loves You - Four Seasons - big comeback record for them in the 70s
The 45 Corner: Yes, Yes, Yes - Bill Cosby - [this original 45 is scratchy and slightly off center] Capitol released this as a 45 single, which made it to #46 on the pop charts and #11 on the R&B charts. This song was also on the 1976 musical comedy album "Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days".
Baby I'm A-want You - Bread**
Sweet Baby James - James Taylor**
Daddy's Home - Jermaine Jackson
Love To Love You Baby (live version) - Donna Summer* - the full-length studio version takes up one entire side of the same-named album from 1975
(Baby You Can) Drive My Car - Beatles* [cab driver request]
Answer to the trivia question:
RONNIE SPECTOR
(Regarding Clue 2... Jay and the Americans had a bigger hit with "Walking in the Rain" than the Ronettes did. The Beach Boys had a much bigger hit with "I Can Hear Music" than the Ronettes did, and Andy Kim had a bigger hit with "Baby I Love You" than the Ronettes did.)
Thanks for listening! Tune in again next week for more Rockin' Remnants...
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