I Got You Babe
Encyclopedia
"I Got You Babe" is a 1965 #1 single by American
pop music
duo Sonny & Cher
.
, a songwriter
and record producer
for Phil Spector
, wrote the lyrics to and composed the music of the song for himself and his then-wife, Cher
, late at night in their basement. Session drummer Hal Blaine
performed the drums for the song. Bono was inspired to write the song to capitalize on the popularity of the term "babe," as heard in Bob Dylan
's "It Ain't Me Babe
" which was a hit for The Turtles
.
Upon recording and releasing the song, "I Got You Babe" became the duo's biggest single, their signature song
, and a defining recording of the early hippie
countercultural movement. In August 1965, the single spent three weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100
and #19 on the R&B charts in the United States
. The duo's single also hit #1 in the United Kingdom
and was subsequently included on their debut album, Look at Us
.
The song placed at #444 on Rolling Stone
s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of all time.
's Late Night with David Letterman
on Nov. 13, 1987. Cher performed the song with R.E.M.
on February 14, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre
in Los Angeles
. It was her first performance of the song without Sonny.
covered (with Chrissie Hynde
) from the album Baggariddim
(also appearing on The Pretenders
' 1987 album The Singles
). It reached #1 on the UK charts in August 1985 (#28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100), for its 20th anniversary.
12”-single
and featured in film
and television
, including Sonny and Cher's own The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. "I Got You Babe" made a bit of a comeback when it was heavily featured as Phil Connor's alarm clock wake up music in the 1993 movie Groundhog Day
. Upon re-release, the single re-charted in the UK, reaching #66. The song was later covered by Cher in a music video that featured Beavis and Butthead as a rapt audience to Cher's performance. In the video, the idiot pair refer to her former husband Bono as a dork and a wuss, to which Cher agrees.
Released covers1968 Etta James
on the album Tell Mama
1968 Tiny Tim
on the album God Bless Tiny Tim
1973 David Bowie
with Marianne Faithfull
on The Midnight Special
, released on the bootleg Dollars In Drag: The 1980 Floor Show1975 The Dictators
on their album The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!
1982 The Ramones' Joey Ramone and Holly and the Italians
' Holly Beth Vincent performed the duet.
1991 The Cynics
' cover from their tribute to Bono, Bonograph, was a Get Hip
single, backed with "Bang Bang
"; a music video includes photos of Sonny and Cher.1993 Cher
(with Beavis & Butt-Head) on the album The Beavis & Butt-Head Experience
1998 Merril Bainbridge
feat. Shaggy
for the soundtrack album to the Johnathon Schaech
film Welcome to Woop Woop
and the Bainbridge album Between the Days
2004 Avid Merrion, along with Patsy Kensit
and Davina McCall
, released a Christmas single which reached number 5 in the UK charts.
2005 Capitol Steps
' parody "Sunni and Cher", on the album Four More Years in the Bush Leagues, is based on the song
2006 Bradley Joseph
, an instrumental arrangement on the album Piano Love Songs
Movies and Television
Games
Other Covers
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
duo Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....
.
Background and composition
Sonny BonoSonny Bono
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American recording artist, record producer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.-Early life:...
, a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
for Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
, wrote the lyrics to and composed the music of the song for himself and his then-wife, Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, late at night in their basement. Session drummer Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
performed the drums for the song. Bono was inspired to write the song to capitalize on the popularity of the term "babe," as heard in Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's "It Ain't Me Babe
It Ain't Me Babe
"It Ain't Me Babe" is the title of a 1964 song by Bob Dylan, first included on his album Another Side of Bob Dylan. The song's opening line is allegedly influenced by musicologist/folk-singer John Jacob Niles' composition "Go 'Way From My Window." Niles is referred to by Dylan as an early...
" which was a hit for The Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
.
Upon recording and releasing the song, "I Got You Babe" became the duo's biggest single, their signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
, and a defining recording of the early hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
countercultural movement. In August 1965, the single spent three weeks at the #1 spot on 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...
and #19 on the R&B charts in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The duo's single also hit #1 in the United Kingdom
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...
and was subsequently included on their debut album, Look at Us
Look At Us
Look at Us is the debut studio album by American rock duo Sonny & Cher, released in 1965 by Atco Records.-Album information:Sonny and Cher released this album in late 1965 after their single "I Got You Babe" had reached number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic. This album spent 8 weeks at #1 in the...
.
The song placed at #444 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of all time.
Live performances
Sonny and Cher last performed the song together during an impromptu reunion on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
on Nov. 13, 1987. Cher performed the song with R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
on February 14, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre
Kodak Theatre
The Kodak Theatre is a live theatre in the Hollywood and Highland shopping mall and entertainment complex on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. It was her first performance of the song without Sonny.
Chart positions
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Singles Chart | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 1 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
UB40 feat. Chrissie Hynde version
In 1985 UB40UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
covered (with Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
) from the album Baggariddim
Baggariddim
Baggariddim is an album by UB40, released in 1985. Most of the tracks are reworkings of previous UB40 recordings that originally appeared on Labour of Love and Geffery Morgan, here showcasing guest singers and "toasters" on vocals...
(also appearing on The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
' 1987 album The Singles
The Singles (Pretenders album)
The Singles is The Pretenders' 1987 compilation album and features all the band's UK single hits to that date, as well as including "I Got You Babe" which Chrissie Hynde had performed with UB40 in 1985. The album reached #69 in the US album chart and #6 in the UK. -Track listing:1. "Stop Your...
). It reached #1 on the UK charts in August 1985 (#28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100), for its 20th anniversary.
Track listing
7”-single- I Got You Babe 3:08
- UB40 - Theme From Labour Of Love 3:05
12”-single
- I Got You Babe 3:09
- UB40 - Red Red WineRed Red Wine"Red Red Wine" is a song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond. It has been covered by Tony Tribe, Jimmy James & the Vagabonds, and more famously by British reggae group UB40, whose version topped the U.S. and UK singles charts...
5:21
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 28 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 4 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Singles Chart | 15 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 14 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 15 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 2 |
| French Singles Chart | 29 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 17 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
Cover versions and samples
The song has been frequently coveredCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
and featured in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, including Sonny and Cher's own The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. "I Got You Babe" made a bit of a comeback when it was heavily featured as Phil Connor's alarm clock wake up music in the 1993 movie Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day (film)
Groundhog Day is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. It was written by Ramis and Danny Rubin, based on a story by Rubin....
. Upon re-release, the single re-charted in the UK, reaching #66. The song was later covered by Cher in a music video that featured Beavis and Butthead as a rapt audience to Cher's performance. In the video, the idiot pair refer to her former husband Bono as a dork and a wuss, to which Cher agrees.
Released covers
- 1967 Manfred MannManfred MannManfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
on the album
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
on the album
Tell Mama
Tell Mama is the seventh studio album by American Blues artist, Etta James. The album was released August 21, 1968 on Cadet Records and was produced by Rick Hall. Tell Mama was James's first album since 1963 to enter the Billboard 200 albums chart and contained her first Top 10 and 20 hits since 1964...
Tiny Tim (musician)
Tiny Tim , , born in Manhattan, was an American singer and ukulele player. He was most famous for his rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" sung in a distinctive high falsetto/vibrato voice.-Rise to fame:Born to Lebanese parents in 1932, Khaury displayed musical talent at a very young age...
on the album
God Bless Tiny Tim
God Bless Tiny Tim was the first album by Tiny Tim. Released in 1968 on the Reprise label, it included "Tip-Toe Thru' The Tulips With Me" , a version of "I Got You Babe", and a collection of more obscure songs. Many of the songs have humorous lyrics, are sung for humorous effect, or have an...
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
with Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
on
The Midnight Special (TV series)
The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981...
, released on the bootleg Dollars In Drag: The 1980 Floor Show
The Dictators
The Dictators are an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth." The Dictators are represented in the "Punk Wing" of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio...
on their album
The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!
Go Girl Crazy! was the 1975 debut album of the New York City-based punk rock band The Dictators. Trouser Press lauded the band's first release as a "wickedly funny, brilliantly played and hopelessly naïve masterpiece of self-indulgent smartass rock'n'roll"...
Holly and the Italians
Holly and the Italians were a short-lived American pop punk band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1978 by Chicago born singer and guitarist Holly Beth Vincent, bassist Mark Sidgwick, and drummer Steve Young...
' Holly Beth Vincent performed the duet.
The Cynics
The Cynics are an influential Garage rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band, consisting of guitarist Gregg Kostelich, drummer Bill Von Hagen, vocalist Michael Kastelic, bass player Steve Magee, and keyboardist and later founder of New York City's Bellwether gallery Becky Smith, debuted...
' cover from their tribute to Bono,
Get Hip Records
Get Hip Records is an independent Pittsburgh based music label and distributor formed by Gregg Kostelich in 1986. Kostelich used the label to release music by his own band, The Cynics, as well as other local, indie and retro garage rock bands.-Releases:...
single, backed with "Bang Bang
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
"Bang Bang " is the second single by singer-actress Cher from her second studio album The Sonny Side of Chér. The song was written by Sonny Bono and released in 1966. The song reached number three in the UK Singles Chart and number two on the Billboard Hot 100...
"; a music video includes photos of Sonny and Cher.
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
(with Beavis & Butt-Head) on the album
Merril Bainbridge
Merril Bainbridge is an Australian pop music singer and songwriter. Her debut was in 1994 with the single, "Mouth", which peaked at number-one for six consecutive weeks in Australia and became a top five hit in the United States.- Early career :Bainbridge started performing when she was at the...
feat. Shaggy
Shaggy (musician)
Orville Richard Burrell , better known by his stage name Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and rapper. He is perhaps best known for his 1995 single "Boombastic" and 2000 single "It Wasn't Me"...
for the soundtrack album to the Johnathon Schaech
Johnathon Schaech
Johnathon Schaech is an American actor, writer, and director.-Early life:Schaech was born in Edgewood, Maryland to Joseph, a Baltimore City law enforcement officer, and Joanne Schaech, a human resources executive. He is of German and Italian descent, and was raised Roman Catholic...
film
Welcome to Woop Woop
Welcome to Woop Woop is a 1997 Australian-British comedy film, directed by Stephan Elliott starring Johnathon Schaech and Rod Taylor. The film was based on the novel The Dead Heart by Douglas Kennedy...
and the Bainbridge album Between the Days
Between the Days
Between the Days is the second album by Australian singer Merril Bainbridge, released in Australia on 5 October 1998 by Gotham Records. Bainbridge co-wrote most of the album with Owen Bolwell, who also produced the album with Siew and Sam Melamed...
Patsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...
and Davina McCall
Davina McCall
Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :...
, released a Christmas single which reached number 5 in the UK charts.
Capitol Steps
The Capitol Steps are an American political satire group. It has been performing since 1981, and has released approximately thirty albums consisting primarily of song parodies. Originally consisting exclusively of Congressional staffers performing around Washington, D.C., the troupe now primarily...
' parody "Sunni and Cher", on the album
Bradley Joseph
Bradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
, an instrumental arrangement on the album
Piano Love Songs
Piano Love Songs is the 13th studio album released by Bradley Joseph on the Robbins Island Music label ."Soft Classic Love Songs Performed on the Piano".-Track listing:...
Movies and Television
- In a fifth season episode of the CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom Good TimesGood TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
, Michael EvansMichael Evans (Good Times)Michael Evans is an American supporting character from the 1970s American sitcom Good Times. The character was apparently named after Good Times co-creator Michael Evans. He was portrayed by Ralph Carter....
(Ralph CarterRalph CarterRalph Carter is an American actor, and singerCarter is best known for his work as a child and teenager, both in the Broadway musical Raisin and as the character Michael Evans, the youngest member of the Evans family, on the 1970s sitcom Good Times...
) and Penny Gordon (Janet JacksonJanet JacksonJanet 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...
) perform the song, mimicking a performance from The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. - In The Golden GirlsThe Golden GirlsThe Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...
fifth-season episode "An Illegitimate Concern", SophiaSophia PetrilloSophia Petrillo is a fictional character from the TV series The Golden Girls, and its spin-offs The Golden Palace and Empty Nest. She was portrayed by Estelle Getty for 10 years and 258 episodes and was arguably the breakout character of the show...
(Estelle GettyEstelle GettyEstelle Scher-Gettleman , better known by her stage name Estelle Getty, was an American actress, who appeared in film, television, and theatre...
) and DorothyDorothy ZbornakDorothy Hollingsworth , is a fictional character from the TV series The Golden Girls, portrayed by Bea Arthur for 7 years and 183 episodes. Dorothy was the strong, sarcastic, sometimes intimidating, and arguably most grounded of the four women in the house...
(Bea Arthur) dress up as Sonny and Cher, respectively, to rehearse for a mother-daughter talent show, singing "I Got You Babe" while RoseRose NylundRose Nylund was born May 1930 in St. Olaf, Minnesota. She is a fictional character featured on the popular 1980s situation comedy The Golden Girls, and its spin-off The Golden Palace. She was portrayed by Betty White for 8 years and 208 episodes.Rose was comically portrayed as naïve and simple,...
(Betty WhiteBetty WhiteBetty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
) accompanies them on the piano. The episode aired February 12, 1990. Bea Arthur would often later say in interviews that this was her favorite moment from the series run. - In a Full HouseFull HouseFull House is an American sitcom television series. Set in San Francisco, the show chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner, who, after the death of his wife, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and...
episode, Uncle Jesse (John StamosJohn StamosJohn Phillip Stamos is an American actor, singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the cancellation of that show in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. From 2006...
) has Michelle (one or both of The Olsen Twins) sing "I Got You Babe" as they strum on their respective guitars. - In the Sabrina The Teenage Witch episode "What's News", Sabrina and cat Salem SaberhagenSalem SaberhagenSalem Saberhagen is a character from the American comic Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, who also appeared in all other adaptations of the original, including the 1969 animated version by Filmation in which Salem is an American Shorthair breed, and has no other name except "Salem". In addition, unlike...
dress as Sonny and Cher to sing "I Got You Babe" in an effort to get her boss and his wife to stop fighting. - In Harold RamisHarold RamisHarold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote...
's film Groundhog DayGroundhog Day (film)Groundhog Day is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. It was written by Ramis and Danny Rubin, based on a story by Rubin....
, starring Bill MurrayBill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
and Andie MacDowellAndie MacDowellRosalie Anderson "Andie" MacDowell is an American model and actress. She has received the Golden Camera and an Honorary César.-Early life:...
, it is this song to which the main character awakes each repetitive morning on the clock radio. - Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
appeared on British comedian Frank SkinnerFrank SkinnerFrank Skinner is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.-Youth and early career...
's show and performed the duet with the host. - In Quest for CamelotQuest for CamelotQuest for Camelot is a 1998 animated feature film from Warner Bros. Animation, based on the novel The King's Damosel by Vera Chapman, starring the voices of Jessalyn Gilsig, Cary Elwes, Gary Oldman, Eric Idle, Don Rickles, Jane Seymour, Pierce Brosnan, Bronson Pinchot, Jaleel White, Gabriel Byrne,...
, Devon and Cornwall sang the last part of "If I Didn't Have You" and Cornwall sang "I got you, babe". - Another episode of The Frank Skinner ShowThe Frank Skinner ShowThe Frank Skinner Show was a television chat show hosted by comedian Frank Skinner which lasted nine series on British television between 1995 and 2005.It was screened on BBC One from its first episode on 10 September 1995 until 3 June 1999....
featured the incongruous pairing of Ron JeremyRon JeremyRonald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
and Mo MowlamMo MowlamMarjorie "Mo" Mowlam was a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament for Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.Mowlam's time as Northern...
. - Then-married Nick LacheyNick LacheyNicholas Scott "Nick" Lachey is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and television personality. Lachey rose to fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. He later starred in the reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson. He has released...
and Jessica SimpsonJessica SimpsonJessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
close The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour special, already very much in the style of Sonny and Cher, singing the duet. - The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
don costumes and lip sync to the original version of the song. - New York City-based television show Duets with Deni (also carried on the internet) which regularly features local songwriters and musicians, Deni Bonet and Robyn HitchcockRobyn HitchcockRobyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
sing the song from Deni's apartment. - In the Eli StoneEli StoneEli Stone is an American TV series, and also the name of the title character.San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone begins to see things, which leads him to discover a brain aneurysm...
episode "I Want Your Sex", in a vision of the title character, Taylor Wethersby (Natasha HenstridgeNatasha HenstridgeNatasha T. Henstridge is a Canadian fashion model turned actress. Her most notable on-screen roles include Species, The Whole Nine Yards, It Had To Be You, Ghosts of Mars, She Spies, the TV series Eli Stone, and the Canadian TV mini-series Would Be Kings, for which she won the Gemini Award for...
) and Matt Dowd (Sam JaegerSam JaegerSamuel Heath Jaeger is an American actor and screenwriter.Jaeger graduated from Perrysburg High School in 1995 and in 1999, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at Otterbein College...
) sing it. It is later revealed that Matt's cat was named Sonny Bono. - In Delta FarceDelta FarceDelta Farce is a 2007 comedy released by Lions Gate Entertainment on May 11, 2007. It is directed by C. B. Harding and stars Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy, DJ Qualls and Danny Trejo...
(2008), Sgt. Kilgore (Keith DavidKeith DavidKeith David Williams , better known as Keith David, is an American film, television, voice actor, and singer. He is perhaps most known for his live-action roles in such films as Crash, There's Something About Mary, Barbershop and Men at Work...
) is forced to sing "I Got You Babe" with villain Carlos SantanaCarlos SantanaCarlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
's gayHomosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
nephew, Ruben (Joe NunezJoe NunezJoe Nunez is the former drummer for heavy metal bands Soulfly and current drummer for Stripping the Pistol. He joined Soulfly in 2001, only to leave again in 2003 to join the Chicago based Stripping the Pistol but re-joined them in 2005. He has played on four Soulfly records all released by...
). - In the Boy Meets WorldBoy Meets WorldBoy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the...
(1999) episode "Cutting The Cord", Shawn (Rider StrongRider StrongRider King Strong is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Shawn Hunter on the 1990s sitcom Boy Meets World.-Early life:...
) sings the song with his new girlfriend in a karaoke contest. - In an episode of BlossomBlossom (TV series)Blossom is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC from January 3, 1991 to May 22, 1995. The series stars Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers. It was created by Don Reo.- Synopsis :...
, Blossom dreams that she and Anthony are homeless on the street and playing the song for passers-by when Sonny Bono, in a cameo appearance, angry that they stole his song, takes away the money people tossed into their cup. - In The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-DoodilyHome Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily"Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily" is the third episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 1, 1995. In the episode, the Simpson children are put in the custody of Ned and Maude Flanders after a series of misadventures. Homer and...
", after Ned FlandersNed FlandersNedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
and wife Maude adopt the Simpson children, they sing a lyrically altered version to MaggieMaggie SimpsonMargaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James...
. - In the Histeria!Histeria!Histeria! is a 1998 American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, Histeria! stood out as the most explicit edutainment program in order to meet FCC requirements for...
episode "Tribute to Tyrants", a cartoon version of Cher sings a similar song with Atilla the Hun, called "Me Got You Hun". - In the Ugly BettyUgly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
episode "In or Out", Betty SuarezBetty SuarezBeatriz "Betty" U. Suarez is a central fictional character and heroine of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by America Ferrera, who won a 2007 Golden Globe and 2007 SAG award for her portrayal of the character, as well as the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy award for the role...
and Daniel MeadeDaniel MeadeDaniel Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. He is played by Eric Mabius.-Background:Daniel is the second son of magazine publisher Bradford Meade and Claire Meade in 1974...
sing a karaoke version. - In Better Off TedBetter Off TedBetter Off Ted is an American satirical situation comedy series, created and written by Victor Fresco , who also serves as the show's Executive Producer...
episode "Change We Can't Believe In", Ted and Veronica sing the song over the newly installed PA system. - In the Mad MenMad MenMad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
season 4 finale, set in October 1965, the original recording played over the final scene of Don Draper lying awake in bed in his Greenwich Village apartment with his new fiancee Megan asleep at his side and continued to play during the closing credits. - Appears in the film Me Without YouMe Without You (film)Me Without You is a 2001 British film, starring Anna Friel, Michelle Williams and Oliver Milburn, and written and directed by Sandra Goldbacher.- Plot :...
(2001). - In the Man from U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
episode "The Hot Number Affair", the song plays under the scene where Sonny and Cher appear on screen together for the first time. - In the episode "Chicago Hope" of Home Improvement, Tim and Jill sing "I got you Babe" on a karaoke machine in Chicago
Games
- It is featured on the video game Karaoke Revolution Volume 3.
- Is sung in the video game Destroy All Humans! Path of the FuronDestroy All Humans! Path of the FuronDestroy All Humans! Path of the Furon is a third-person shooter video game published by THQ. The game is set in 1979 and is the fourth Destroy All Humans! game to be released, and is the third game in the Destroy All Humans! trilogy, released December 1, 2008 in North America for the Xbox 360...
by "Sammy and Faire", a parody of Sonny and Cher.
Other Covers
- MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and Sandra BernhardSandra BernhardSandra Bernhard is an American comedian, singer, actress and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy in which she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of...
performed the song at a benefit for saving rain-forests in June 1989.