My Baby Just Cares for Me

"My Baby Just Cares for Me" is a jazz standard written by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by Gus Kahn. Written for the film version of the musical comedy Whoopee! (1930), the song became a signature tune for Eddie Cantor who sang it in the movie.[1][2] A stylized version of the song by Nina Simone,[2] recorded in 1958, was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom after it was used in a 1987 perfume commercial and resulted in a renaissance for Simone.[3]

Recordings

Nina Simone recording

"My Baby Just Cares for Me"

Cover of Nina Simone's 1987 single release
Single by Nina Simone
from the album Little Girl Blue
Released 1958 (1958)
Recorded 1958 (1958)
Genre Jazz
Length 3:20
Writer(s) Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn

Simone recorded the song in 1958 for her debut album, Little Girl Blue. The track remained relatively obscure until 1987, when it was used in a UK television commercial for Chanel No. 5 perfume. To follow up this exposure, the track was released as a single by Charly Records,[4] entering the UK Singles Chart on October 31, 1987 and becoming, after a peak at number 5,[5] one of Simone's biggest hits almost 29 years after her previous chart entry. This single also made the top 10 in several European single charts and peaked at number one in the Dutch Top 40.[6]

The Simone version of the song was featured on the soundtrack for the 1994 film Shallow Grave.[7]

Music video

In 1987 a claymation music video was produced by Aardman Animations[8] and directed by Peter Lord.
The video prominently features live action footage showing details of a piano, brushes on a snare drum, and a double bass as they play the song. The two focal characters are represented by a singing cat in a club, and the cat who is in love with her.

Chart performance

Chart (1958) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[9] 82
Chart (1987/1988) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart[10] 8
Dutch Top 40[6] 1
French SNEP Singles Chart[11] 9
Swiss Singles Chart[12] 5
UK Singles Chart[5] 5
Preceded by
"Faith" by George Michael[13]		 Dutch Top 40 number-one single [6]
December 26, 1987 (1987-12-26) – January 8, 1988 (1988-01-08) (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"China in Your Hand" by T'Pau[14]

References

  1. ↑ Jasen, David A. (2003). Tin Pan Alley: An Encyclopedia of the Golden Age of American Song. Routledge. p. 111. ISBN 0415938775.
  2. 1 2 Friedwald, Will (2010). A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers. Pantheon. p. 414. ISBN 9780375421495.
  3. ↑ Taleveski, Nick (2006). Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 594. ISBN 9781846090912.
  4. ↑ Nina Simone catalogue at Charly Records
  5. 1 2 "Chart Stats - Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me (1987)". Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 "De Nederlandse Top 40 - week 52, 1987" (in Dutch). Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Shallow Grave". AllMusic.
  8. ↑ "Episode 8: Music Videos", aardman.com. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  9. ↑ "Chart Stats - Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me". Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me - austriancharts.at" (in German). Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  11. ↑ "lescharts.com - Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me" (in French). Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me - hitparade.ch" (in German). Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  13. ↑ "De Nederlandse Top 40 - week 51, 1987" (in Dutch). Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  14. ↑ "De Nederlandse Top 40 - week 2, 1988" (in Dutch). Retrieved November 12, 2009.
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