I Got You Babe
| "I Got You Babe" | ||||||||||
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 French 7-inch single cover | ||||||||||
| Single by Sonny & Cher | ||||||||||
| from the album Look at Us | ||||||||||
| Released | July 9, 1965 | |||||||||
| Format | 7" single | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1965 | |||||||||
| Length | 3:11 | |||||||||
| Label | Atco | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Sonny Bono | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Sonny Bono | |||||||||
| Certification | Gold (US) | |||||||||
| Sonny & Cher singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"I Got You Babe" is a song written by Sonny Bono. It was the first single taken from the debut studio album Look at Us, of the American pop music duo Sonny & Cher. In August 1965, their single spent three weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States[1] where it sold more than 1 million copies and was certified Gold. It also reached number 1 in the United Kingdom and Canada. In 1985, a cover version of "I Got You Babe" by British reggae/pop band UB40 featuring American singer Chrissie Hynde, peaked at number one in the UK Singles Chart and reached number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. A 1993 version by Cher with Beavis and Butt-Head bubbled under the Hot 100 chart.
Sonny & Cher version
Background and composition
Sonny Bono, 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 played drums for the song with other members of The Wrecking Crew supplying instrumental support.[2] "I Got You Babe" became the duo's biggest single, their signature song, and a defining recording of the early hippie countercultural movement.
AllMusic critic William Ruhmann praised the song:
Recalling Dylan's bitter 1964 song "It Ain't Me Babe" (soon to be a folk-rock hit for the Turtles), Bono wrote his own opposite sentiment: "I Got You Babe." Where Dylan was lyrically complex, Bono was simple: His lyric began with the ominous youth-versus-grownups theme of "they" who set up barriers to romance, but soon gave way to a dialogue of teenage romantic platitudes. Where Dylan was musically simple, however, Bono, without fully rebuilding Spector's Wall of Sound, was more structurally ambitious, following the song's standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-verse-chorus form with an ascending coda that built to a climax, then started building again before the fadeout, all in only a little over three minutes. Set to waltz time, the tune retained a light feel despite the sometimes busy instrumentation, led by a prominent oboe. These effects are purposely part of the instrumental arrangement by African-American musician Harold Battiste.[3][4] The alternating vocals alternate between the two singers and if neither were interesting singers, their plodding, matter-of-fact performances gave the song a common-man appeal.[5]
Bruce Eder highlighted the song on their 1965 Look at Us album.[6]
In the United States, the song has sold more than 1 million copies in 1965 and was certified Gold by the RIAA. As of November 2011, Billboard reported the digital sales of "I Got You Babe" to be 372,000 in the US.[7]
In 2011, the song was named as one of the greatest duets of all times by both Billboard and Rolling Stone magazine.[8][9] It was also listed at #444 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004.
Live performances
Sonny and Cher last performed the song together during an impromptu reunion on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman on November 13, 1987.[10][11][12] Cher performed the song with R.E.M. on February 14, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.[13] It was her first performance of the song without Sonny.[14] During Cher's 2014 Dressed to Kill Tour using left behind vocals and a projection of videos of Sonny, Cher performed the song live with Sonny (dead) for the first time since 1987.
In popular culture
"I Got You Babe" has been frequently featured in film and television, including Sonny and Cher's own The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. The song made a bit of a comeback when it was used repeatedly as Phil Connors' alarm clock wake-up music in the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. On re-release, the single re-charted in the UK, reaching number 66. Other films have used the song including Good Times which stars Sonny & Cher, Buster, Look Who's Talking Too, Just Visiting, Me Without You, Riding in Cars with Boys, and Jack and Jill.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Chart successions
UB40 feat. Chrissie Hynde version
BackgroundTwenty years later, in 1985, British band UB40 with American singer Chrissie Hynde recorded a cover version of "I Got You Babe" for the group's studio album Baggariddim. The song also appeared on the Pretenders' 1987 compilation album The Singles. This version of "I Got You Babe" charted at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1985 and reached number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Track listings7"-single
12"-single
Chart performance
Chart successions
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Cher with Beavis and Butt-head version
| "I Got You Babe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Cher with Beavis and Butt-head | ||||
| from the album The Beavis and Butt-head Experience | ||||
| Released | December 1993 | |||
| Format | CD, Maxi single | |||
| Genre | Pop, rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 4:00 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Writer(s) | Sonny & Cher Bono | |||
| Cher singles chronology | ||||
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Background
In 1993, Cher recorded a cover version of "I Got You Babe" with the American animated characters Beavis and Butt-Head. The song was the first single from The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience, a compilation comedy album released in 1993 by the Geffen Records, which is one of the fastest-selling comedy albums, has officially sold 1,610,000 units and was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA in the United States.[47][48] AllMusic reviewed this song by calling it "most interesting" track on the album.[49] The single reached the top 40 in the UK, Belgium and Sweden, as well as the top ten in the Netherlands.
Music video
A funny and psychedelic video was produced, which got a lot of MTV airplay. It featured Cher and Beavis and Butt-Head in a virtual animated world. In the video, the animated pair refer to her former husband Bono as a dork and a wuss, to which Cher agrees. It was placed at number 5 on the "50 Greatest Funny Moments in Music" list made by VH1 channel in 2004.
Track listings
- Cher With Beavis And Butt-Head – I Got You Babe (4:00)
- Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe (3:12)
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Other versions
The song has been frequently covered, including versions by:
- 1967 Manfred Mann on the album The Soul of Mann
- 1968 Etta James on the album Tell Mama
- 1968 Tiny Tim[59] on the album God Bless Tiny Tim
- 1960s or 1970s, French singer and composer Claude François sung the French cover Je t'aime trop toi (Lit. "I love you too much, oh you").
- 1973 David Bowie with Marianne Faithfull on The Midnight Special, released on the bootleg Dollars In Drag: The 1980 Floor Show
- 1975 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.
- 1989 Madonna (musician)'and Sandra Bernhard'. On May 24 1989, Madonna participated in the Don’t Bungle The Jungle benefit concert to raise money and awareness for preserving the world’s rainforests. The event took place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY. Madonna performed a rendition of Sonny & Cher’s I Got You Babe with comedian and friend Sandra Bernhard.
- 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 Angel'in Heavy Syrup on the album Angel'in Heavy Syrup II.
- 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.
- 2013 Lucky Dube, reggae version, released on his posthumous album "Colours of Africa".[60]
- 2015, folk rock duo Blackmore's Night covered the song on their album All Our Yesterdays.
Movies and television
- In a fifth season episode of the CBS sitcom Good Times, Michael Evans (Ralph Carter) and Penny Gordon (Janet Jackson) perform the song, mimicking a performance from The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.[61]
- In The Golden Girls fifth-season episode "An Illegitimate Concern", Sophia (Estelle Getty) and Dorothy (Bea Arthur) dress up as Sonny and Cher, respectively, to rehearse for a mother-daughter talent show, singing "I Got You Babe" while Rose (Betty White) accompanies them on the piano. The episode aired February 12, 1990. Bea Arthur often said later in interviews that this was her favorite moment from the series run.
- In a Full House episode, Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) 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 Saberhagen 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 Ramis's film Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, it is this song to which the main character awakes each repetitive morning on the clock radio.[62]
- Britney Spears appeared on the British comedian Frank Skinner's show and performed the duet with the host.
- In Quest for Camelot, 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 Show featured the incongruous pairing of Ron Jeremy and Mo Mowlam.
- Then-married Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson close The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour special, already very much in the style of Sonny and Cher, singing the duet.[63]
- The Rolling Stones donned costumes and lip synched to the original version of the song in a 1965 special taped for Ready Steady Go! .[63]
- 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 Hitchcock sing the song from Deni's apartment.[63][64]
- In the Eli Stone episode "I Want Your Sex", in a vision of the title character, Taylor Wethersby (Natasha Henstridge) and Matt Dowd (Sam Jaeger) sing it. It is later revealed that Matt's cat was named Sonny Bono.
- In Delta Farce (2008), Sgt. Kilgore (Keith David) is forced to sing "I Got You Babe" with the villain Carlos Santana's gay nephew, Ruben (Joe Nunez).
- In the Boy Meets World (1999) episode "Cutting The Cord", Shawn (Rider Strong) sings the song with his new girlfriend in a karaoke contest.
- In an episode of Blossom, 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 Simpsons episode "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily", after Ned Flanders and wife Maude adopt the Simpson children, they sing a lyrically altered version to Maggie: "They say your folks can't pay the rent/ So we're watching you by act of government/ Well, I don't know if the allegations are true/ But you got us and baby we got you/ Babe, we got you babe."
- In the Histeria! 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 Betty episode "In or Out", Betty Suarez and Daniel Meade sing a karaoke version.
- In Better Off Ted episode "Change We Can't Believe In", Ted and Veronica sing the song over the newly installed PA system.
- In the Mad Men 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.
- In series 2, episode 4, of American Dad!, Roger wakes up via his alarm clock to "I Got You Babe". He proceeds to get drunk and destroy his television.
- Appears in the film Me Without You (2001).
- In the Man from U.N.C.L.E. 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.
- In the Misfits episode seven of season three, Seth's alarm clock plays "I Got You Babe".
- In the episode of House "We Need the Eggs," Park and her friend are singing the song together at the end.
- In the episode of Step by Step, "Locket Man," Rich sings "I Got You Babe" to reclaim Dana's affections in a restaurant. As the credits roll, the two are shown dressed as Sonny and Cher singing the duet.
- In the 2011 movie Jack & Jill, a shortened version plays over the opening credits.
- In the American remake of Les Visiteurs, Just Visiting; Andre and Angelique drive towards Las Vegas while the song ends and cuts to black, ending the movie.
- In the episode of The Big Bang Theory, "The Love Car Displacement," Bernadette and Howard begin to sing "I Got You Babe" as a duet.[65]
Games
- It is used in the video game Karaoke Revolution Volume 3.
- It is sung in the video game Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon by "Sammy and Faire", a parody of Sonny and Cher.
- It is used in the video game The Last of Us in the DLC "Left Behind." Ellie and her friend Riley play it on the stereo & dance to it. The Etta James version was used.
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 539.
- ↑ Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 261–263. ISBN 978-1-250-03046-7.
- ↑ "Harold Battiste Musician Mentor and Arranger Dies at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ Richard Niles (2007). "THE INVISIBLE ARTIST : Arrangers in popular music (1950 - 2000); Their contribution and techniques" (TXT). Bura.brunel.ac.uk. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "I Got You Babe - Sonny & Cher - Listen, Appearances, Song Review - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ↑ Eder, Bruce. "Look at Us - Sonny & Cher - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ↑ "Ask Billboard: Cher Information, Yes?". Billboard. 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- ↑ "Top 40 Biggest Duets of All Times". Billboard. 2011-02-14. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- ↑ "The 10 Greatest Duets of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2011-02-14. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- ↑ "Sonny & Cher Boost Ratings". The New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. November 29, 1987, p. 35, accessed through NewspaperARCHIVE.com on March 13, 2009.
- ↑ "Sonny and Cher Reunited on David Letterman Show." Aiken Standard. Aiken, South Carolina. November 15, 1987. p. 3. accessed through NewspaperARCHIVE.com on March 13, 2009.
- ↑ Video on YouTube
- ↑ "The R.E.M. Timeline". Members.iinet.net.au. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ↑ Entertainment Tonight, February 15, 2002
- ↑ "Billboard". google.it.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- 1 2 "Billboard". google.it.
- 1 2 "Billboard". google.it.
- ↑ "Musicline.de – Sonny & Cher Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
- ↑ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 2009-06-03.
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Sonny & Cher search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe". VG-lista.
- ↑ "Billboard". google.it.
- ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ↑ "Billboard". google.it.
- ↑ "Billboard". google.it.
- 1 2 "Official Charts Company". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-29.
- 1 2 "Allmusic: Sonny & Cher". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
- ↑ "Cash Box 100 Singles chart Archived December 31, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ German Singles Chart (1965). "German Singles Chart; End of year charts". Archived from the original on 18 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ↑ "UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 1965 - Year End". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1965". Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Sonny and Cher – I Got You Babe". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "American single certifications – Cher – Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "Ask Billboard: Cher Information, Yes?". Billboard. 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 316. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – UB40 featuring Chrissie Hynde – I Got You Babe" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ↑ "Radio2 top 30: 4 juli 2015". radio2.be.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – UB40 featuring Chrissie Hynde – I Got You Babe" (in French). Les classement single.
- ↑ "Musicline.de – UB40 featuring Chrissie Hynde Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – UB40 featuring Chrissie Hynde search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – UB40 featuring Chrissie Hynde – I Got You Babe". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – UB40 featuring Chrissie Hynde – I Got You Babe". Singles Top 100.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – UB40 featuring Chrissie Hynde – I Got You Babe". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ↑ "Weird Al Finally Gets First No. 1 Album with Mandatory Fun". pastemagazine.com.
- ↑ "Best Selling Comedy Albums - Billboard". Billboard.
- ↑ Review by AllMusic Retrieved 15 October 2013
- ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Cher with Beavis and Butt-head – I Got You Babe" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cher with Beavis and Butt-head – I Got You Babe" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Cher with Beavis and Butt-head – I Got You Babe". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Cher: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Cher – Chart history" Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 for Cher. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Single Top 100 Van 1994" (PDF) (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ Show 44 - Revolt of the Fat Angel: Some samples of the Los Angeles sound. [Part 4] : UNT Digital Library
- ↑
- ↑ Sid Dorfman (writer); Gerren Keith (director) (September 21, 1977). "The Evans Get Involved (Part 2)". Good Times. Season 5. Episode 2. CBS.
- ↑ Bill Murray - Best scenes from the "Groundhog Day" - 4 on YouTube
- 1 2 3 "WFMU's Beware of the Blog: I Got You Babe". Blog.wfmu.org. 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ↑ "Duets With Deni". Denibonet.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ↑ "The Big Bang Theory Review: "The Love Car Displacement"". TV Fanatic. 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
External links
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