Somebody's Baby
{{Infobox song
| name = Somebody's Baby
| cover = Somebody's Baby.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Jackson Browne
| album = Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Music from the Motion Picture
| B-side = The Crow on the Cradle
| released = July 1982
| recorded = 1982
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Rock
| length = 4:05 (album/single version)
4:22 (extended version)
| label = Asylum
| writer = Jackson Browne, Danny Kortchmar
| producer = Jackson Browne
| prev_title = Hold On Hold Out
| prev_year = 1981
| next_title = Lawyers In Love
| next_year = 1983
}}
"Somebody's Baby" is a song written by Jackson Browne and Danny Kortchmar{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/somebodys-baby-mt0008032440|title=Somebody's Baby - Jackson Browne | Song Info|website=AllMusic|accessdate=2019-08-09}} and recorded by Browne for the 1982 Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie soundtrack. Reaching No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 after debuting at No. 73 on July 31, 1982, the track would be Browne's last top ten hit, as well as the highest-charting single of his career, spending a total of nineteen weeks on the chart.
The song reached No. 14 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, as well.[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=jackson browne|chart=all}} Billboard.com Jackson Browne Chart History.] Accessed July 11, 2012.Whitburn, Joel. Billboard Hot 100 Charts - The Eighties. Wisconsin: Record Research, 1991. In Canada, "Somebody's Baby" peaked at #16.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6942&URLjpg=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.6942.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6942|title=Image : RPM Weekly|first=Library and Archives|last=Canada|date=2013-07-17|website=www.bac-lac.gc.ca|accessdate=2019-08-09}} The single was also released in Italy, Spain and Japan.[http://www.jrp-graphics.com/jb/discography.html Paris, Russ. The Jackson Browne Fan Page, COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225162102/http://www.jrp-graphics.com/jb/discography.html |date=2012-02-25 }} Accessed July 11, 2012.
Cash Box said that "Browne has come up with a most appealing first single from the soundtrack to Fast Times At Ridgemont High."{{cite magazine|title=Reviews|magazine=Cash Box|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1982/CB-1982-07-31.pdf|date=July 31, 1982|accessdate=2022-07-07|page=8}} Billboard called it a "midtempo rocker" which was not one of Browne's "most arresting compositions" but would still "appeal to pop and AOR formats."{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|title=Top Single Picks|date=July 31, 1982|page=51|accessdate=2023-01-27|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lSQEAAAAMBAJ}}
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it as Browne's 3rd greatest song, calling it "one of his most unlikely songs, a sweet, and surprisingly despair-free, love song."{{cite web|title=Top 10 Jackson Browne songs|author=Gallucci, Michael|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|accessdate=2023-12-28|date=October 9, 2012|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/jackson-browne-songs/}} Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it as Browne's 5th greatest song, saying that "There is no better soundtrack song in the genre of teen movies than Jackson Browne’s 'Somebody’s Baby'" and that although it's "the most pop-oriented hit of his career...it was pop music perfection that was all substance."{{cite web|title=Top 10 Jackson Browne Songs|publisher=Classic Rock History|author=Kachejian, Brian|date=6 July 2022 |accessdate=2023-12-28|url=https://www.classicrockhistory.com/top-10-jackson-browne-songs/}}
It has since been released on several of Browne's greatest hits albums, including The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne and The Very Best of Jackson Browne. An unplugged acoustic version appears on Browne's album entitled Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2 (2008).
Personnel
- Jackson Browne – lead vocals
- Craig Doerge – electric piano, synthesizers, clavinet
- Doug Haywood – Hammond organ, harmony vocals
- Danny Kortchmar – guitar (right channel)
- Rick Vito – guitar (left channel)
- Bob Glaub – bass
- Russ Kunkel – drums
Charts
=Weekly charts=
class="wikitable sortable" |
Chart (1982)
!Peak |
---|
Australia KMR{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W |year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|title-link=Kent Music Report}}
| style="text-align:center;"|26 |
Canada RPM Top Singles
| style="text-align:center;"|16 |
US Billboard Hot 100Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}
| style="text-align:center;"|7 |
US Billboard Mainstream Rock
| style="text-align:center;"|4 |
US Billboard Adult Contemporary{{cite book|first= Joel |last= Whitburn |author-link= Joel Whitburn |year= 1993 |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 |publisher= Record Research |page=35}}
| style="text-align:center;"|14 |
US Cash Box Top 100{{Cite web|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19821030.html|title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 30, 1982}}
|align="center"|5 |
=Year-end charts=
class="wikitable sortable" |
Chart (1982)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank |
---|
US Billboard Hot 100{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1982.htm|title=Top 100 Hits of 1982/Top 100 Songs of 1982|website=www.musicoutfitters.com|accessdate=2019-08-09}}
| style="text-align:center;"|68 |
US Cash Box {{Cite web|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1982YESP.html|title=Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1982|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331053901/https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1982YESP.html|archive-date=2019-03-31|accessdate=2019-08-09}}
| style="text-align:center;"|33 |
Other versions
- Artist Sidney Gish released a cover of the song in 2019 as a part of Cavetown's Animal Kingdom series.{{Cite web |last=Rettig |first=James |date=March 28, 2019 |title=Sidney Gish Covers Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby" |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2037584/sidney-gish-somebodys-baby-jackson-browne-cover/music/ |access-date=August 30, 2023 |website=Stereogum}}
- American rock band Yo La Tengo released a version on the 1988 compilation album entitled Human Music (HMS100) (Homestead Records).{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
- It was covered by Andru Donalds for the soundtrack for Good Will Hunting (1997).{{Cite news |last=Harrington |first=Richard |date=April 5, 1998 |title='TITANIC,' MUSICALLY HUGE |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1998/04/05/titanic-musically-huge/04bad698-077e-4012-ab8f-e6e199d47e2c/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827021533/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1998/04/05/titanic-musically-huge/04bad698-077e-4012-ab8f-e6e199d47e2c/ |archive-date=August 27, 2017}}
- Phantom Planet covered the song for the soundtrack for Not Another Teen Movie (2001).{{Cite magazine |date=December 22, 2001 |title=Not Another Teen Movie |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/not-another-teen-movie-77422/ |access-date=August 30, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}}
- Country music singer-songwriter Eric Heatherly covered the song on his album 2 High 2 Cry (2009).{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
- Spoken word poet and rapper B. Dolan featured the song on his concept album The Failure (2008).{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
- Free Energy covered the song in 2013.{{Cite web |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=September 13, 2023 |title=Free Energy – "Somebody's Baby" (Jackson Browne Cover) |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1474582/free-energy-somebodys-baby-jackson-browne-cover/news/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015223947/https://www.stereogum.com/1474582/free-energy-somebodys-baby-jackson-browne-cover/news/ |archive-date=October 15, 2021 |access-date=August 30, 2023 |website=Stereogum}}
- Have Mercy covered the song for their portion of the 2015 split EP with Somos.{{Cite web |last=Sacher |first=Andrew |date=February 23, 2015 |title=stream Have Mercy and Somos' new split EP |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/stream-have-mer/ |access-date=August 30, 2023 |website=BrooklynVegan}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Jackson Browne}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Jackson Browne
Category:Songs written by Danny Kortchmar
Category:Songs written for films