| "Somebody's Baby" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jackson Browne | ||||
| from the album Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||
| B-side | "The Crow on the Cradle" | |||
| Released | July 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:05 (album/single version) 4:22 (extended version) | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jackson Browne, Danny Kortchmar | |||
| Producer(s) | Jackson Browne | |||
| Jackson Browne singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Somebody's Baby" is a song written by Jackson Browne and Danny Kortchmar[1] 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.[2][3] In Canada, "Somebody's Baby" peaked at #16.[4] The single was also released in Italy, Spain and Japan.[5]
Cash Box said that "Browne has come up with a most appealing first single from the soundtrack to Fast Times At Ridgemont High."[6] 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."[7]
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
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia KMR[8] | 26 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[4] | 16 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 7 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock | 4 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[10] | 14 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[11] | 5 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1982) | Rank |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 68 |
| US Cash Box [13] | 33 |
Other versions
- Artist Sidney Gish released a cover of the song in 2019 as a part of Cavetown's Animal Kingdom series.[14]
- American rock band Yo La Tengo released a version on the 1988 compilation album entitled Human Music (HMS100) (Homestead Records).
- It was covered by Andru Donalds for the soundtrack for Good Will Hunting (1997).[15]
- Phantom Planet covered the song for the soundtrack for Not Another Teen Movie (2001).[16]
- Country music singer-songwriter Eric Heatherly covered the song on his album 2 High 2 Cry (2009).
- Spoken word poet and rapper B. Dolan featured the song on his concept album The Failure (2008).
- Free Energy covered the song in 2013.[17]
- Have Mercy covered the song for their portion of the 2015 split EP with Somos.[18]
References
- ↑ "Somebody's Baby - Jackson Browne | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
- ↑ Billboard.com Jackson Browne Chart History. Accessed July 11, 2012.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel. Billboard Hot 100 Charts - The Eighties. Wisconsin: Record Research, 1991.
- 1 2 Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
- ↑ Paris, Russ. The Jackson Browne Fan Page, COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY. Archived 2012-02-25 at the Wayback Machine Accessed July 11, 2012.
- ↑ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 31, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
- ↑ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. July 31, 1982. p. 51. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 35.
- ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 30, 1982".
- ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1982/Top 100 Songs of 1982". www.musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
- ↑ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1982". Archived from the original on 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
- ↑ Rettig, James (March 28, 2019). "Sidney Gish Covers Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby"". Stereogum. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ↑ Harrington, Richard (April 5, 1998). "'TITANIC,' MUSICALLY HUGE". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ↑ "Not Another Teen Movie". Billboard. December 22, 2001. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ↑ Breihan, Tom (September 13, 2023). "Free Energy – "Somebody's Baby" (Jackson Browne Cover)". Stereogum. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ↑ Sacher, Andrew (February 23, 2015). "stream Have Mercy and Somos' new split EP". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
