Baby Blue (Badfinger song)

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"Baby Blue"
Single by Badfinger
from the album Straight Up
B-side"Flying"
Released6 March 1972 (1972-03-06) (US)[1]
Recorded25 & 27 September, 6 October 1971[2]
StudioAIR (London)[2]
Genre
Length3:37
LabelApple
Songwriter(s)Pete Ham
Producer(s)Todd Rundgren
Badfinger singles chronology
"Day After Day"
(1971) 		"Baby Blue"
(1972) 		"Apple of My Eye"
(1973)
Music video
"Baby Blue" on YouTube
Clip
"Breaking Bad Final Scene" on YouTube

"Baby Blue" is a song by Welsh rock band Badfinger from their fourth studio album, Straight Up (1971). The song was written by Pete Ham, produced by Todd Rundgren, and released on Apple Records. As a single in the US in 1972, it went to #14. In 2013, the song was prominently featured in the series finale of the television show Breaking Bad. As a result, the song charted in the UK for the first time, reaching #73.

Writing and recording[edit]

Ham wrote the song about a woman named Dixie Armstrong, whom he had dated during Badfinger's last US tour.[6][7] Guitarist Joey Molland recalled, "She came to one of the shows, they got talking and Pete really liked her. I don’t know whether they fell in love straight away, but he invited her on the road with us and she came along."[8] Ham ultimately ended the relationship, partially as a result of Armstrong's lack of interest in Badfinger's recording and touring activities. Ham composed the song on acoustic guitar and Molland claims to have helped streamline the song's linking parts.[9]

The song was recorded during sporadic sessions that started on 25 September 1971.[2] It was further worked upon on 27 September before finally being completed on 6 October 1971, the final recording session for the album Straight Up.[2][10] All sessions were held at George Martin's AIR Studios together with producer Todd Rundgren.[2]

Release[edit]

"Baby Blue" was released as a single in the US on 6 March 1972, in a blue-tinted picture sleeve and featuring a new mix.[1] Because Al Steckler, the head of Apple US, felt that it needed a stronger hook in the opening, he remixed the track with engineer Eddie Kramer in February 1972, applying heavy reverb to the snare during the first verse and middle eight.[1] It was the group's last Top 20 single, peaking at #14 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.[11] It also reached #18 in South Africa.[12]

However, the chaos that was enveloping the Apple UK operation at the time was strongly evident with regard to this song. While Apple US gave the song a picture sleeve and a remix to ensure that it was a hit, Apple UK remained unaware of its commercial potential. Although the single was assigned a release number for the UK (Apple 42), and had a scheduled release date of 10 March 1972, "Baby Blue" was never actually released as a single in the UK.[1][13]

Reception[edit]

Upon the single release, Record World predicted that "this one should go all the way."[14] Evening Post critic Pete Butterfield said that that at the beginning of the song it "has a sort of Tamla Motown feel but it develops into a Beatleish stroller."[15]

Allmusic critic Stewart Mason said that it may be better than the previous single from Straight Up, "Day After Day," even though it did not chart as well.[13] Mason said that "As on 'Day After Day,' an undeniable melancholy suffuses this lost love song...This time, however, the sadness is couched in one of Ham's sweetest and catchiest melodies, giving 'Baby Blue' a smiling-through-the-tears quality, particularly in the way the tune modulates upward at the chorus."[13]

Classic Rock critic Rob Hughes rated it Badfinger's 2nd greatest song, calling it "Pete Ham’s passionate ode to Dixie Armstrong."[7] Classic Rock History critic Janey Roberts also rated it as Badfinger's 3rd best song, calling it "beautiful."[16] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it as Badfinger's 5th best song.[17]

Resurgence of popularity[edit]

The song experienced a resurgence of popularity in 2013 when it was featured in the television program Breaking Bad during the closing scene of the series finale.[18][7] Online streams increased in popularity immediately following the broadcast. According to Nielsen Soundscan, 5,300 downloads were purchased the night of the broadcast,[19] and the song appeared on the Billboard Digital Songs chart at #32 the week ending October 19, 2013.[20] Joey Molland, the last surviving member of the classic line-up of Badfinger, took to Twitter to express his excitement at the song's use in the finale[21] and subsequently began to retweet news articles about the song's usage in the finale. It became a top-selling song on iTunes following the broadcast. As a result, the song charted in the UK for the first time, reaching #73. It also charted at #35 in Ireland.[22]

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1972) Peak

position

Australia (Kent Music Report)[23] 16
Canada (RPM)[24] 7
Malaysia (Rediffusion Malasysia)[25] 3
New Zealand (Listener)[26] 9
South Africa (Springbok)[27] 18
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[28] 14
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 14
US Cashbox Top 100[30] 9
US Record World Top 100[31] 12
West Germany (Media Control)[32] 30
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[33] 35
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[34] 73

Cover versions and other uses[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Matovina 2000, p. 165.
  2. ^ a b c d e Matovina 2000, p. 432.
  3. ^ "Badfinger - Straight Up". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  4. ^ Hanson, William (1998). "Badfinger/Joey Molland". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 65.
  5. ^ Joe, Bosso (21 November 2010). "Badfinger's Joey Molland on The Beatles, Apple Records reissues and tragedy". MusicRadar. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  6. ^ Matovina 2000, p. 152.
  7. ^ a b c Hughes, Rob (26 June 2016). "The top 10 best Badfinger songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  8. ^ November 2018, Rob Hughes28 (28 November 2018). "The Story Behind The Song: Baby Blue By Badfinger". Classic Rock Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Matovina 2000, p. 153.
  10. ^ Liner notes by Andy Davis (1993). Straight Up (CD). Badfinger. Capitol/Apple Records. CDP 0777 7 81403 2 0.
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 42.
  12. ^ "Springbok SA Top 20". Archived from the original on 8 November 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  13. ^ a b c Mason, Stewart. "Baby Blue". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 18 March 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  15. ^ Butterfield, Pete (2 February 1972). "Good Badfinger..." Evening Post. p. 10. Retrieved 8 April 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Roberts, Janey (6 September 2019). "Top 10 Badfinger songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  17. ^ Gallucci, Michael (26 April 2013). "Top 10 Badfinger Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  18. ^ Knopper, Steve (1 October 2013). "Why 'Breaking Bad' Chose Badfinger's 'Baby Blue'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  19. ^ Kafka, Peter (3 October 2013). "How to Sell Songs on iTunes If You're Not Miley Cyrus or Katy Perry". Allthingsd. All Things Digital. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  20. ^ Caulfield, Keith (30 September 2013). "'Breaking Bad' Finale's Last Song Surges With 3,000% Sales Gain". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  21. ^ Molland, Joey (29 September 2013). "Thank you #BreakingBad for choosing Badfinger's original recording of BABY BLUE for the final song. First, the Departed film ... now THIS!". Twitter. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  22. ^ Suddath, Claire (4 October 2013). "Breaking Badfinger: Who's Getting the Baby Blue Money?". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  23. ^ Kent, David (2009). Australian Chart Book: Australian Chart Chronicles (1940–2008). Turramurra: Australian Chart Book. p. 24. ISBN 9780646512037.
  24. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles" (PDF). RPM. 13 May 1972. p. 15.
  25. ^ "Billboard Hits Of The World" (PDF). Billboard. No. 22 July 1972. p. 48.
  26. ^ "Badfinger". Flavour of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  27. ^ "Springbok SA Top 20". Archived from the original on 8 November 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  28. ^ Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P3: Sveriges Radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor. Drift Musik. ISBN 9163021404.
  29. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 42.
  30. ^ "Cashbox Top 100" (PDF). Cashbox. 6 May 1972. p. 4.
  31. ^ "The Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World. 13 May 1972. p. 17.
  32. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de.
  33. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Baby Blue". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  34. ^ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  35. ^ "www.discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  36. ^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved 5 July 2023.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

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