Love Struck Baby
Encyclopedia
"Love Struck Baby" is a blues rock song performed by Stevie Ray Vaughan
and Double Trouble
. Vaughan wrote the song about the night that he moved in with his then-wife, Lenny. The track was produced by Vaughan for the band's debut album Texas Flood
, recorded in Los Angeles
. "Love Struck Baby" was the first single from Texas Flood, released by Epic Records
in the United States
and United Kingdom
. In the song's accompanying music video, bassist
Tommy Shannon
and drummer
Chris Layton are shown relaxing at a bar
before Vaughan enters and starts performing the song for a crowd. "Love Struck Baby" was a concert favorite for fans of the band; Vaughan would frequently play the guitar behind his head for part of the solo.
in July 1982, which caught the attention of musician Jackson Browne
. He offered the band free use of his personal recording studio
in Downtown Los Angeles
. During Thanksgiving weekend, they accepted Browne's offer and recorded a demo
. It was heard by John H. Hammond
, a talent scout who had discovered artists such as Aretha Franklin
, Bob Dylan
, and Bruce Springsteen
among many others. He presented the demo to Greg Geller, head of A&R at Epic Records
, and arranged a recording contract
. As a result, the demo was mixed and Epic released Texas Flood in June 1983. "Love Struck Baby" was recorded on November 24, 1982. The song was engineered and co-produced by Richard Mullen. In early 1983, Vaughan's vocals were recorded at Riverside Sound in Austin, Texas
.
"Love Struck Baby" is 2 minutes 19 seconds long and cited as a blues rock song on the sheet music published on Musicnotes.com
by Alfred Music Publishing, composed in the key of A♭. It consists of a twelve-bar blues chord progression
which is repeated for the first verse and guitar solos; the second, third, and fourth verses are played with a D♭–A♭–D♭–E♭ progression, while the choruses are played with a A♭–D♭–A♭–E♭ progression. The lyrics were written about the night that Vaughan and his then-wife, Lenny, moved in together. The song was performed in common time
, with a moderately fast tempo
of 170 beats per minute. A train-style drum beat played by Chris Layton carries through the track, over which Vaughan plays a driving rhythm guitar figure similar to Chuck Berry
. He combines the influences of Berry and T-Bone Walker
in the guitar solos.
music video compilation DVD
released in 2007.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
and Double Trouble
Double Trouble (band)
Double Trouble was the backing rhythm section for Texas blues rock guitarist and lead vocalist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Originally consisting of drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon, Reese Wynans would later join the outfit on keyboards.-History:...
. Vaughan wrote the song about the night that he moved in with his then-wife, Lenny. The track was produced by Vaughan for the band's debut album Texas Flood
Texas Flood
Texas Flood was released on June 13, 1983, with two singles released from the album—"Pride and Joy" and "Love Struck Baby". "Pride and Joy" peaked at #20 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Texas Flood" was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Performance and "Rude Mood" was nominated for Best...
, recorded 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...
. "Love Struck Baby" was the first single from Texas Flood, released by Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 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...
. In the song's accompanying music video, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Tommy Shannon
Tommy Shannon
Tommy Shannon is an American bass guitarist best known as a member of the blues-rock group Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble and as an early bass player in Johnny Winter's band.-Biography:...
and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Chris Layton are shown relaxing at a bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
before Vaughan enters and starts performing the song for a crowd. "Love Struck Baby" was a concert favorite for fans of the band; Vaughan would frequently play the guitar behind his head for part of the solo.
Background, recording, and composition
Vaughan and Double Trouble had performed at the Montreux Jazz FestivalMontreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
in July 1982, which caught the attention of musician Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
. He offered the band free use of his personal recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
. During Thanksgiving weekend, they accepted Browne's offer and recorded a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
. It was heard by John H. Hammond
John H. Hammond
John Henry Hammond II was an American record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s...
, a talent scout who had discovered artists such as Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, 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...
, and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
among many others. He presented the demo to Greg Geller, head of A&R at Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, and arranged a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
. As a result, the demo was mixed and Epic released Texas Flood in June 1983. "Love Struck Baby" was recorded on November 24, 1982. The song was engineered and co-produced by Richard Mullen. In early 1983, Vaughan's vocals were recorded at Riverside Sound in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
"Love Struck Baby" is 2 minutes 19 seconds long and cited as a blues rock song on the sheet music published on Musicnotes.com
MusicWriter
MusicWriter was founded in 1989 by music industry veterans Jon Monday and Larry Heller to develop and market NoteStation, a kiosk-based retail "point-of-sale manufacturing" system for the distribution and printing of sheet music...
by Alfred Music Publishing, composed in the key of A♭. It consists of a twelve-bar blues chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
which is repeated for the first verse and guitar solos; the second, third, and fourth verses are played with a D♭–A♭–D♭–E♭ progression, while the choruses are played with a A♭–D♭–A♭–E♭ progression. The lyrics were written about the night that Vaughan and his then-wife, Lenny, moved in together. The song was performed in common time
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....
, with a moderately fast 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:...
of 170 beats per minute. A train-style drum beat played by Chris Layton carries through the track, over which Vaughan plays a driving rhythm guitar figure similar to Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
. He combines the influences of Berry and T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
in the guitar solos.
Music video
The music video for "Love Struck Baby" was directed by Dale Ward. In the video, a man is shown playing a game of pool in a bar, while other people are casually seated and relaxed. Shannon and Layton sit at the bar before Vaughan enters, giving them a head cue to follow him to the stage. The band starts playing the song, with various crowd members beginning to dance. The video ends with the audience applauding to the performance. The video is included on the Pride and JoyPride and Joy (Stevie Ray Vaughan video)
Pride and Joy is a music video/live compilation by Stevie Ray Vaughan. It was the original video collection, spanning all of the music videos made from 1983-1989, plus a live track from MTV's Mardi Gras celebration in February 1987...
music video compilation 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....
released in 2007.