Baby Baby
Encyclopedia
"Baby Baby" is an inspirational song by American recording artist Amy Grant
. It was the theme song to the Heart in Motion
concept album
, and was the first single derived from that album. The song was written by Keith Thomas
and Grant. It was released on January 18, 1991 through A&M Records
and topped the Billboard Hot 100
chart for two consecutive weeks in April, 1991, becoming the first from a string of hits from Heart in Motion.
. Grant always knew the song would be a smash hit, and was begging Thomas to sing the song. He agreed with the only condition that the song's title must be "Baby Baby". Grant had a hard time writing the lyrics, because her early attempts to write a romantic-sounding lyric to a song with such title came off sounding like "some overgrown football jock with no vocabulary trying desperately to be romantic". But one day after having seen her six-week old daughter Millie, she said to herself: "Oh, baby baby". As a result, the lyrics were written in about ten minutes in her kitchen. In the Heart in Motion
booklet there are words: This song is dedicated to Millie, whose six-week-old face was my inspiration. Millie would also appear on stage during Grant's performance at the 34th Grammy Awards.
of F-sharp major, set in the time signature
of 4/4 common time
with a moderate tempo
. In the middle of the song, the key is changed to G-sharp major, then for a short amount of time goes back to F-sharp major and ends with G-sharp major after all. Grant's vocal range spans from F2♯ to D4♯. The song consists of three different verses that are interrupted by a bridge
stop for a minute! baby i'm so glad you're mine. Lyrically, the song praises that special someone and expresses love that started since the day her heart was "put in motion". The chorus
is the source of the album's title: and ever since the day you put my heart in motion, baby i realized that there's just no getting over you. It fades out
with the words:
don't stop giving love
don't stop, no
(baby i'm so glad)
glad that you're mine
baby i'm glad
, "The Next Time I Fall
." In the United States, "Baby Baby" became Grant's second number-one hit on the pop charts and her first as a solo artist, topping the Billboard Hot 100
(replacing Wilson Phillips
' "You're in Love
" from the top spot) and Adult Contemporary
charts for two and three weeks, respectively. It also made Grant the first Christian pop singer to have a number-one single in the US. The single reached the Top Ten in ten countries, in addition to reaching #11 in Switzerland
. In Britain
, "Baby Baby" was the singer's first (and only) Top Five hit in that country, reaching #2. In the end, "Baby Baby" proved to be Grant's biggest hit and one of the most successful singles of 1991.
was directed by D.J. Webster. Grant has admitted many times that her idea of the video was having a lot of kids in diapers in it, with her wearing a mermaid costume. After having shared the idea to her 14-year old nephew, he stated this was "the stupidest thing he's ever heard". He suggested doing a romantic video.
"). At some point Stein is seen singing along with Grant and at the end lip-syncing to the words "Baby I'm so glad". The rest of the video is all about the couple having fun together.
didn't air it until it was too popular not to. A music critic J.D. Considine praised the video, writing that "the Baby Baby clip defines the way most of us imagine her. It was hardly typical video fare, with no special effects or exotic locales; all it offered was Grant and a good-looking guy cavorting and acting cute as she lip-synced to the song. Yet there was something genuinely appealing about the image it conveyed, something that made viewers want to see the thing again". It received a nomination for Best Female Video
at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards
, but lost to Janet Jackson
's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)
".
It's available on the 1992 VHS
The Heart In Motion Video Collection and 2004 DVD
Greatest Videos 1986-2004. A live performance is available on the 2006 DVD Time Again… Amy Grant Live.
US promotional CD single
UK retail CD single
Credits adapted from Heart in Motion
booklet.
in a promotional music video for "Baby Baby" that featured new lyrics custom-made for the night's game. "Baby Baby" was covered by The Swirling Eddies
on the 1996 album Sacred Cows
. It was covered by Alana D on the Mr. & Mrs. Smith
soundtrack. It is also featured in the 2004 film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
. It was also briefly referenced in the 30 Rock
episode "Queen of Jordan
" where it was derided as "white nonsense". The song is referenced in Grant's 1997 Got Milk?
ad.
"Baby Baby" received three Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
, Record of the Year
, and Song of the Year
, but lost in all three categories to Bonnie Raitt
's "Something to Talk About" and Natalie Cole
's "Unforgettable
", respectively.
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
. It was the theme song to the Heart in Motion
Heart in Motion
- Personnel :* Amy Grant: Vocals.* Tom Hemby: Guitars .* Dann Huff: Guitars .* Gordon Kennedy: Guitars .* Jerry McPherson Guitars .* Donald Kirkpatrick: Guitars ....
concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, and was the first single derived from that album. The song was written by Keith Thomas
Keith Thomas (producer)
Keith Thomas, born and raised in the Atlanta suburb of Conyers, Georgia, is a Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter with 40 #1 Billboard hits...
and Grant. It was released on January 18, 1991 through A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
and topped the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart for two consecutive weeks in April, 1991, becoming the first from a string of hits from Heart in Motion.
Background
The music was written by Keith ThomasKeith Thomas (producer)
Keith Thomas, born and raised in the Atlanta suburb of Conyers, Georgia, is a Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter with 40 #1 Billboard hits...
. Grant always knew the song would be a smash hit, and was begging Thomas to sing the song. He agreed with the only condition that the song's title must be "Baby Baby". Grant had a hard time writing the lyrics, because her early attempts to write a romantic-sounding lyric to a song with such title came off sounding like "some overgrown football jock with no vocabulary trying desperately to be romantic". But one day after having seen her six-week old daughter Millie, she said to herself: "Oh, baby baby". As a result, the lyrics were written in about ten minutes in her kitchen. In the Heart in Motion
Heart in Motion
- Personnel :* Amy Grant: Vocals.* Tom Hemby: Guitars .* Dann Huff: Guitars .* Gordon Kennedy: Guitars .* Jerry McPherson Guitars .* Donald Kirkpatrick: Guitars ....
booklet there are words: This song is dedicated to Millie, whose six-week-old face was my inspiration. Millie would also appear on stage during Grant's performance at the 34th Grammy Awards.
Composition
The song is almost four minutes length and is composed in the keyKey (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of F-sharp major, set in the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of 4/4 common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
with a moderate tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
. In the middle of the song, the key is changed to G-sharp major, then for a short amount of time goes back to F-sharp major and ends with G-sharp major after all. Grant's vocal range spans from F2♯ to D4♯. The song consists of three different verses that are interrupted by a bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
stop for a minute! baby i'm so glad you're mine. Lyrically, the song praises that special someone and expresses love that started since the day her heart was "put in motion". The chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
is the source of the album's title: and ever since the day you put my heart in motion, baby i realized that there's just no getting over you. It fades out
Fade (audio engineering)
In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theater lighting, in much the same way ....
with the words:
don't stop giving love
don't stop, no
(baby i'm so glad)
glad that you're mine
baby i'm glad
Chart performance
"Baby Baby" was Amy Grant's biggest hit since her 1986 duet with Peter CeteraPeter Cetera
Peter Paul Cetera is an American singer, songwriter, bassist and producer best known for being an original member of the rock band Chicago, before launching a successful solo career...
, "The Next Time I Fall
The Next Time I Fall
"The Next Time I Fall" is a 1986 Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit song written by Bobby Caldwell and Paul Gordon, recorded as a duet by Peter Cetera and Amy Grant for Cetera's 1986 album Solitude/Solitaire, and as a solo by Caldwell himself for his 1988 album Heart of Mine. The single reached number one on...
." In the United States, "Baby Baby" became Grant's second number-one hit on the pop charts and her first as a solo artist, topping the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
(replacing Wilson Phillips
Wilson Phillips
-Studio albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Other charted songs:-Awards and nominations:...
' "You're in Love
You're in Love (Wilson Phillips song)
"You're in Love" was a single released by Wilson Phillips, their fourth single from their debut album Wilson Phillips. The subject matter of the song is compersion.-Chart performance:...
" from the top spot) and Adult Contemporary
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
charts for two and three weeks, respectively. It also made Grant the first Christian pop singer to have a number-one single in the US. The single reached the Top Ten in ten countries, in addition to reaching #11 in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, "Baby Baby" was the singer's first (and only) Top Five hit in that country, reaching #2. In the end, "Baby Baby" proved to be Grant's biggest hit and one of the most successful singles of 1991.
Development and release
A music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by D.J. Webster. Grant has admitted many times that her idea of the video was having a lot of kids in diapers in it, with her wearing a mermaid costume. After having shared the idea to her 14-year old nephew, he stated this was "the stupidest thing he's ever heard". He suggested doing a romantic video.
Synopsis
According to the director Webster, the video's main idea was to create a picture of the relationship that everybody wants. Grant added, "I think when you get film where there is a good sense of humor and mutual respect and people are just having a good time, everybody wants a piece of that". Its beginning features Grant receiving attention from other men, and her staying loyal to her lover, portrayed by fellow model Jme Stein (who also appeared in her other video from that album "Good for MeGood For Me
"Good For Me" is a 1992 single by Christian music singer Amy Grant. It was released as the sixth single from the Heart In Motion album, but only the fourth song from the album released as a pop radio single...
"). At some point Stein is seen singing along with Grant and at the end lip-syncing to the words "Baby I'm so glad". The rest of the video is all about the couple having fun together.
Release and reception
The video first aired in March 1991, although MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
didn't air it until it was too popular not to. A music critic J.D. Considine praised the video, writing that "the Baby Baby clip defines the way most of us imagine her. It was hardly typical video fare, with no special effects or exotic locales; all it offered was Grant and a good-looking guy cavorting and acting cute as she lip-synced to the song. Yet there was something genuinely appealing about the image it conveyed, something that made viewers want to see the thing again". It received a nomination for Best Female Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Year, and it awarded the artist's whole body of work...
at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards
1991 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1991 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 5, 1991, honoring the best music videos from June 2, 1990, to June 15, 1991. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles....
, but lost to Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)
Love Will Never Do (Without You)
"Love Will Never Do " is the seventh single from American R&B and pop singer Janet Jackson's fourth studio album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814...
".
It's available on the 1992 VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
The Heart In Motion Video Collection and 2004 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
Greatest Videos 1986-2004. A live performance is available on the 2006 DVD Time Again… Amy Grant Live.
Track listings
US retail CD single- "Baby Baby" (7" Heart in Motion mix) – 3:50
- "Baby Baby" (12" Heart in Motion mix) – 6:02
- "Lead Me On" (LP version) – 5:36
US promotional CD single
- "Baby Baby" (LP version) – 3:56
- "Baby Baby" (7" No Getting over You mix) – 4:01
- "Baby Baby" (7" Heart in Motion mix) – 3:50
- "Baby Baby" (12" No Getting over You mix) – 5:57
- "Baby Baby" (12" Heart in Motion mix) – 6:02
UK retail CD single
- "Baby Baby" (No Getting over You mix) – 4:01
- "Baby Baby" (Heart in Motion mix) – 6:01
- "Lead Me On" – 5:36
Credits and personnel
- Amy GrantAmy GrantAmy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
– vocals - Bill WhittingtonBill WhittingtonBill Whittington is an American racing driver from Lubbock, Texas who won the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans together with his brother Don Whittington and Klaus Ludwig in a Porsche 935. The German professional Klaus Ludwig, multiple winner at Le Mans and elsewhere, did most of the driving in the heavy...
– recording engineer - Todd Culross – assistant engineer
- Kelly Pribble – assistant engineer
- Todd Moore – assistant engineer
- Brian Malouf – mixing
- Pat MacDougall – assistant engineer
- Todd Moore – production assistant
- Keith ThomasKeith Thomas (producer)Keith Thomas, born and raised in the Atlanta suburb of Conyers, Georgia, is a Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter with 40 #1 Billboard hits...
– synthesizers, bass, and drum programming - Jerry McPherson – guitars
- Donna McElro – background vocals
- Vicky Hampton – background vocals
- Ron Hemby – background vocals
- Brian Tankersley – additional synth programming
Credits adapted from Heart in Motion
Heart in Motion
- Personnel :* Amy Grant: Vocals.* Tom Hemby: Guitars .* Dann Huff: Guitars .* Gordon Kennedy: Guitars .* Jerry McPherson Guitars .* Donald Kirkpatrick: Guitars ....
booklet.
Peak positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Adult Contemporary (RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
1 |
| Canadian Dance/Urban (RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
1 |
| Canadian Top Singles (RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
2 |
| Ireland (Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... ) |
7 |
Year-end charts
| End of year chart (1991) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 31 |
| Canada | 15 |
| United States | 10 |
Legacy
Grant appeared on Monday Night FootballMonday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
in a promotional music video for "Baby Baby" that featured new lyrics custom-made for the night's game. "Baby Baby" was covered by The Swirling Eddies
The Swirling Eddies
The Swirling Eddies are a band that began as an anonymous spinoff from the band Daniel Amos, along with new drummer David Raven.-Career:For each Swirling Eddies release, band members adopted pseudonyms for the liner notes; "Camarillo Eddy" , "Berger Roy Al" , "Gene Pool" , "Arthur Fhardy" , "Spot"...
on the 1996 album Sacred Cows
Sacred Cows
Sacred Cows, subtitled "The Songs That Helped Us," is the title of an album featuring the rock band The Swirling Eddies, performing their own less-than-serious versions of popular CCM hits, released in 1996 on StarSong....
. It was covered by Alana D on the Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005 film)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a 2005 American romantic comedy action film directed by Doug Liman and written by Simon Kinberg. The original music score was composed by John Powell...
soundtrack. It is also featured in the 2004 film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle is a 2004 American stoner film and the first installment in the Harold & Kumar series...
. It was also briefly referenced in the 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
episode "Queen of Jordan
Queen of Jordan (30 Rock)
"Queen of Jordan" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 97th overall episode of the series. It was "written" by Tracey Wigfield and directed by Ken Whittingham. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company ...
" where it was derided as "white nonsense". The song is referenced in Grant's 1997 Got Milk?
Got Milk?
Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of cow's milk, which was created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. It has been running...
ad.
"Baby Baby" received three Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
, Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
, and Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
, but lost in all three categories to Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
's "Something to Talk About" and Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
's "Unforgettable
Unforgettable (song)
"Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable". The music publishing company asked Irving to change it to "Unforgettable". The song was published in 1951....
", respectively.