Baby Come Back by Player

Album: Player (1978)

Charted: 32 1

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Songfacts®:

The apotheosis of "I made a terrible mistake and now I want you back" songs, "Baby Come Back" was rooted in real heartbreak. It was written by Player founders Peter Beckett and J. C. Crowley. Beckett is from Liverpool, England (home of The Beatles), but moved to Los Angeles to join a band called Skyband, which broke up after one album. By the time he formed Player with Crowley, his wife had left him and returned to England. Crowley was also going through a breakup, so channeled their feeling into the song. Beckett sang lead on the track.
"Baby Come Back" earned Player a record deal. After Peter Beckett and J. C. Crowley, who were both singer-guitarists, wrote the song, they added bass player Ronn Moss and pitched it to producers. The production team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter heard its hit potential straight away and took it to RSO Records, which signed the band. Adding drummer John Friesen to the lineup, they recorded their debut album before they ever played live together. "Baby Come Back," released as the first single, was a huge hit, going to #1 in January 1978 and staying for three weeks.
Player is almost exclusively known for this song, but their follow-up single, "This Time I'm in It for Love," made a respectable showing, going to #10 in America. The group had a few more minor hits before breaking up in 1982. After the demise of Player, Beckett joined Australia's Little River Band, who included "Baby Got Back" on a live album. Beckett also wrote "Twist Of Fate" for Olivia Newton-John and "After All This Time" for Kenny Rogers.

Player bassist Ronn Moss became a very popular star on the CBS Soap Opera The Bold And The Beautiful, playing the character Ridge Forrester from 1987–2012.

Crowley left Player after their second album and went on to write songs recorded by Smokey Robinson, Johnny Cash, The Little River Band and many others. He released a solo album in 1988 entitled Beneath The Texas Moon; the title track appeared in Clint Eastwood's move Pink Cadillac.
A staple of soft rock radio, "Baby Come Back" exemplifies what would later be known as "Yacht Rock": mellow, sophisticated (and often maligned) music. Nicholas Niespodziani of the Yacht Rock Revue told Songfacts this one is a crowd-pleaser. "'Baby Come Back' is such a great tune melodically, and the emotion of it really connects with people," he said. "I noticed that when we do it, there's something undeniably sexy about it, and it still works for those dudes all these years later."
Peter Beckett explained in The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the '70s and '80s: "I guess this one hit home, lyrically, and touched people. Basically, it was both of us having broken up with somebody. So it was a genuine song, a genuine lyric. And I think that comes across in the song - that's why it was so popular."
In 2008, this song made a most improbable comeback when it was used to pitch the Swiffer WetJet, a mop which sprays floor cleaner. The song is used humorously, as the old mops try to win back the housewives who have tossed them out. >>
Suggestion credit:
Mike - Santa Barbara, CA
When Homer rings the lost baby hotline to report that Maggie has gone missing during the 1992 "Homer Alone" episode of The Simpsons, this tune is played as the on hold music. The song also appears in these movies:

Transformers (2007)
Date Movie (2006)
Roll Bounce (2005)
Safe Men (1998)
FM (1978)

Comments: 33

Jimmie JoeOne of the finest pieces of modern song writing and musicianship ever recorded. I put it right up there with some of Carole King's greatest stuff. About the only other musical piece I like better is Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni, even though they have nothing to do with each other, musically, that's the order I put them in.
Patricia from CanadaBack in 1978 my first love told me, "This song makes me think of you". He'd broken up with me in 1976. Today, when I hear this song along with, "Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg, I feel just as I did back then. I am 61 now. I loved him like no other!!
Bob from Liverpool. (now In Wigan)Baby come back by player. Brilliant in every way. Great band. Glad they all carried on to success of sorts after player split. Didn't know Becket was from Liverpool. Very interesting stuff from Songfacts. Thanks
Bill from UsMost definitely a Yacht rock classic, (top5?), but was also a "crossover" hit, the cool independent album FM station played it too!
Karen from Panama City Just saw on an old GH rerun.. They did this song at the 2014 Nurses Ball..
Seventhmist from 7th HeavenThe Simpsons made great use of this song in an episode where Marge is at "Rancho Relaxo" and Homer allows baby Maggie to wander off in the middle of the night. He calls the "missing child hotline" after he is put on hold, he hears "Baby come back; you can blame it all on me."
Tony from San DiegoRandy stop being a bitch. Just kidding dude. We all get that way sometime.
Markantney from BiloxeMy son (12 at the time) loved this song a few years ago. Along with: "You'll Never Find"/Lou Rawls, "Inside Out"/Bee Gees, "Vehicle"/Ides of March, and "LowDown"/Boz Scaggs. I play practically all Oldies.
Randy from Battle Creek, MiThis song reminds me of my ex, Sherlin. I cried for two months when we broke up. I just heard it in a CVS the other day and started getting choked up in the haircare aisle.
Steve from Wakefield, United KingdomInteresting that Baby Come Back by Player was No 1 on Billboard and No 32 in the UK and Baby Come Back by The Equals was No 1 in the UK and No 32 on Billboard!
Gary from Pageland, ScJorge ... "What You Gonna Do?" was by Pablo Cruise.
Jorge from Bronx, NyDidn't this band had another song tittled 'What you gonna do',,These songs are in all my playlists,great sounding band
Wendell from Milton, PeThey do sound like Hall and Oates. This song was by far the best they had.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyIn 1968 the band The Equals released a completely different song titled "Baby, Come Back"; it peaked at No. 32 {NOTE: The Equals had a comma after the word 'Baby' were Player did not}
Esskayess from Dallas, TxWhen I was young, I thought the words were "I was robbed..."
Marc from Prior Lake, MnMost people hear this and say "This is the best Hall & Oates song!"
Joe from Petersburg, VaI'm using the title of this song for a sermon I'm preaching from Jeremiah 3:1 The only difference is that God will always take us back...NO MATTER WHAT!
Samantha from Boston, FlRonn Moss may overact a bit but is still gorgeous. I was living in Cali when the sone player came out and I loved it. Still is a great song.
Joann from Portsmouth, VaWhile at work the radio plays all day long & when I hear one I have not heard in a long time (and this is one) I write it down & look it up on songfacts & listen to it again so thank you songfacts. This is truly a good song
Karen from Manchester, NhI loved this song when it first came out (when I was about 14). Now, thanks to Swiffer, my 2 daughters (ages 6 and 4) love it, too! I played the whole "real" song for them, and they each have the song on their own personal music players, alongside songs from Lazy Town, the Wiggles and "Jack's Big Music Show". (For the record, they DO have other "grown up" songs as well, but we're not talking about them.)
Dougee from San Bernardino, CaI can still remember the moment when the DJ on 59-KFXM in San Bernardino announced "a brand new song from a band called Player." I must have been about 11. I've always enjoyed this song and their other top 40 hit "This Time I'm In It for Love." They sure don't make songs like this anymore.
Susan from Durham, Ncthis song was out when i had just broken up with my first REAL love. man, i used to listen to it alllll the time! (actually, he should have sent it to me because he was the jerk, but anyway....)
i loved it then and i still think it's one of the best love songs ever!
and i hate that now it's a freakin' swiffer commercial!
i did think it was cute on the simpsons, though!
Mark from Old Bridge, NjThis song was release in late 77 then rose on the charts to number 1 in 78
Mark from Springfield, MaThis is one of those great songs that pretty much exemplify the 70's for me. I think I was 15 when Baby Come Back was climbing the charts. I loved it then, and I still do...great pop song!
Bob from Southfield, MiThis song was once used on "The Simpsons" in a hilarious moment. Baby Maggie was missing and Homer called the "Lost Baby" division of the Springfield Police Department to get some help. When he was put on hold, this song was playing over the phone.
Liquid Len from Ottawa, CanadaThis song kind of sounds like BeeGees "Fanny Be Tender With My Love" in the chorus.
Mike from Hueytown , AlAwesome song ..one of my all time favorite
Patti from South Jersey, NjPeter Beckett wrote "After All This Time " for Kenny Rogers, recorded it himself under the band name "Think Out Loud", and then Ronn Moss sang it on the 1997 Player cd "Lost In Reality". I, and Peter, run his website. Thanks! Patti
www.peterbeckett-player.com
PS Yes that was Peter singing with Little River Band in the 90's. He was with them 8 years.And Peter has a very distinct autograph. Very readable. He makes a long loop at the bottom.
Darren from Seattle, WaThe stuff in the song facts about Peter Beckett being in Little River Band makes sense; I saw LRB in Seattle, WA at a small night club called Parker's in the 90's on what I call the 'post-burnout tour'. I'm pretty sure Peter Beckett was there that night, and was the one who sang Baby Come Back when they played it around the middle of the set. All of the LRB band members were kind enough to sign autographs after the show, and since I sat in the front row during the show, I got to singer Glenn Shorrack first, who used my 'sharpie' to sign for everybody else as well. One of the unidentified autographs certainly looks like it could belong to Peter Beckett! - dewtrain
Baki from Perth, AustraliaYeah Ronn Moss was in this band. He's a legend! He's the funniest person in real life, he's always coming to Australia. He thinks his soapie chracter of Ridge is a, quote, "punce", hehe.
Pete from Nowra, Australiadid i mention that Ronn Moss is a character on the Bold n the Beautiful????? he plays Ridge...i think he overacts a smidge
Rob from Santa Monica, CaThis seemed like an inconsequential song from an uninspired band back when it was released. Still is.
Josef from Corpus Christi, TxThis is a great song to make love to... Very intimate and romantic...

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