Album: Baby, Now That I've Found You (1967)

Charted: 1 11

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Songfacts®:

• When this was first released there appeared to be little enthusiasm for the single until BBC's newly founded Radio 1 began to play it. The song got onto the station's playlist mainly because they wanted to avoid any records being played by the pirate radio broadcasters, so they looked back at recent releases that the pirates had missed. The song's co-writer Tony Macaulay recalls in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh: "I woke up that morning with a stinking headache and when I got to the studio and heard The Foundations, I thought they were pretty terrible. I decided my hangover was to blame, and so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. The only song I could think of was something John McLeod and I had had for some time, 'Baby Now That I've Found You.' I didn't have a lot of faith in the song but they recorded it with a lot of energy and I learned a lot from making that record." It went on to become an international hit.
• Clem Curtis, the lead vocalist of The Foundations recalls in the same book "Tony Macaulay gave us 2 songs. One was 'Let The Heartaches Begin' and the other was 'Baby Now That I've Found You' and we chose 'Baby Now That I've Found You.' Long John Baldry recorded the other one and that knocked us off the top."
• This was used in the 2001 film Shallow Hal. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England, for all above
• This was the first song by a multiracial band to top the UK singles chart.
• A cover version by Alison Krauss was featured in the 1997 Australian comedy, The Castle.

Comments: 3

• Barry from Sauquoit, NyPer: http://www.oldiesmusic.com/news.htm
  It's been learned that Clem Curtis, lead singer with the Foundations on their 1969 hit, "Baby Now That I Found You*" (#11 in 1968), has died from lung cancer. He was 76...
  Born in Trinidad, Clem came to England when he was 15 and became a professional boxer. He joined a local group, The Ramong Sound as a backup singer but, after many changes he emerged as the lead singer and the group was now called the Foundations. Clem also sang lead on "Back On My Feet Again" (#59 in 1968), but left the group before their 1969 hit, "Build Me Up Buttercup"(where Colin Young sang lead; it peaked at #3)...
  After a solo career, he went on to perform in musicals in London's West End...
  May he R.I.P.
  * Besides the above three records the group had two more Top 100 songs; "n The Bad, Bad Old Days" {#51} and "My Little Chickadee" {#99}, both in 1969.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn December 17th 1967, "Baby, Now That I've Found You" by the Foundations entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #81; and eight weeks later on February 11th, 1968 it peaked at #11 {for 3 weeks} and spent 13 weeks on the Top 100...
  And on November 8th, 1967 it reached #1 {for 2 weeks} on the United Kingdom's Singles chart...
  Between 1967 and 1969 the British group had five records on the Top 100; one made the Top 10, so of course it was their biggest hit, "Build Me Up Buttercup" peaked at #3 {for 3 weeks} on February 16th, 1969.
• Camille from Toronto, OhWow, this song is simply a classic. I was only 9 years old when it was popular, but I remember loving it then, and still love it today! Never knew the singer was a black man, I thought this group "The Foundations" were similar to "The Lettermen". Love this music, takes me back to the innocent, carefree times of my younger days.

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