Baby Can I Hold You
Encyclopedia
"Baby Can I Hold You" is the third single from American
contemporary folk
artist Tracy Chapman
, released in late 1988. The song succeeded in reaching the top fifty in the United States, unlike its predecessor, "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution
", but it failed to become Chapman's second top forty hit, peaking at #48. It did, however, give her a second chart entry on the US Adult Contemporary charts, peaking at #19 in early 1989. (Her first adult contemporary hit was "Fast Car
", which reached #7 on the AC charts.) Given the commercial decline Chapman suffered following the release of her second album Crossroads, "Baby Can I Hold You" also became her last top fifty hit until 1996's "Give Me One Reason".
Neil Diamond
recorded the song for his 1989 album, The Best Years of Our Lives and became the first of many artists to cover the song.
Chapman subsequently re-recorded the song as a duet with Luciano Pavarotti
for the CD Pavarotti and Friends for Cambodia and Tibet. And it was re-released as a single in promotion of the hits package "Collection" which hit #3 in the UK in 2001.
released a cover of "Baby Can I Hold You" as a double A-side with the non-album track "Shooting Star". "Baby Can I Hold You" thus became their second single from their third studio album, Where We Belong
. The single, like "Picture of You" before it, peaked at #2 on the official UK singles chart and stayed in the top 75 for fourteen weeks. The song was the 26th best selling single of 1997 in the UK. The song was the 9th biggest selling boyband single of the 90's in the UK. The song has received a Gold sales status certification for sales of over 400,000 copies in the UK and has appeared on multiple compilations of Boyzone's work. The song reappeared on lead singer Ronan Keating
's greatest-hits compilation 10 Years of Hits
.
CD2 (In Limited Edition Digipak)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
contemporary folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
artist Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
, released in late 1988. The song succeeded in reaching the top fifty in the United States, unlike its predecessor, "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution
Talkin' 'bout a Revolution
"Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" is the second single from African American contemporary folk artist Tracy Chapman. The politically aware song failed to replicate the success of its predecessor, "Fast Car", and peaked at #75 in the United States...
", but it failed to become Chapman's second top forty hit, peaking at #48. It did, however, give her a second chart entry on the US Adult Contemporary charts, peaking at #19 in early 1989. (Her first adult contemporary hit was "Fast Car
Fast Car
"Fast Car" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was released as a single in April 1988 from her self-titled 1988 debut album Tracy Chapman...
", which reached #7 on the AC charts.) Given the commercial decline Chapman suffered following the release of her second album Crossroads, "Baby Can I Hold You" also became her last top fifty hit until 1996's "Give Me One Reason".
Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
recorded the song for his 1989 album, The Best Years of Our Lives and became the first of many artists to cover the song.
Chapman subsequently re-recorded the song as a duet with Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
for the CD Pavarotti and Friends for Cambodia and Tibet. And it was re-released as a single in promotion of the hits package "Collection" which hit #3 in the UK in 2001.
Charts
| Chart (1988/1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US 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... |
48 |
| US Adult Contemporary | 19 |
Boyzone Version
In 1997, Irish Boyband BoyzoneBoyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
released a cover of "Baby Can I Hold You" as a double A-side with the non-album track "Shooting Star". "Baby Can I Hold You" thus became their second single from their third studio album, Where We Belong
Where We Belong
"Where We Belong" is the second single from the album The Betrayed, the fourth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Lostprophets. It was released on 4 January 2010...
. The single, like "Picture of You" before it, peaked at #2 on the official UK singles chart and stayed in the top 75 for fourteen weeks. The song was the 26th best selling single of 1997 in the UK. The song was the 9th biggest selling boyband single of the 90's in the UK. The song has received a Gold sales status certification for sales of over 400,000 copies in the UK and has appeared on multiple compilations of Boyzone's work. The song reappeared on lead singer Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
's greatest-hits compilation 10 Years of Hits
10 Years of Hits
10 Years of Hits is the first compilation album released by Boyzone frontman, Ronan Keating. The album was released on October 11, 2004, and included thirteen singles , as well as two tracks in performance with Boyzone, and two new tracks...
.
Tracklisting
CD1- "Baby Can I Hold You" (7" Edit) - 3:16
- "Shooting Star" - 4:13
- "Mystical Experience" - 4:10
- "Mystical Experience" (Remix) - 4:36
CD2 (In Limited Edition Digipak)
- "Baby Can I Hold You" (7" Edit) - 3:16
- "Shooting Star" (Radio Edit) - 4:11
- "Words" (Spanglish Version) - 4:04
- "From Here To Eternity" - 3:54
Charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Danish Singles Chart | 2 |
| 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... |
2 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
2 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 15 |
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 11 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 12 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 17 |
| French Singles Chart | 26 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
31 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 39 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 43 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 56 |
| German Singles Chart | 80 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 26 |