Baby Baby (Amy Grant song)

"Baby Baby" is a 1991 pop song by American recording artist Amy Grant and it was issued as the first single from her eighth studio album Heart in Motion. The song was written by Keith Thomas and Grant. It was released on January 18, 1991 through A&M Records and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two consecutive weeks in April 1991, becoming the first in a string of hits from Heart in Motion. At the 34th Annual Grammy Awards in 1992, the song received two Grammy Award nominations, including Song of the Year.

"Baby Baby"
Artwork for US CD single
Single by Amy Grant
from the album Heart in Motion
ReleasedJanuary 18, 1991 (1991-01-18)
Format7-inch, cassette, CD
Recorded1989–1990
StudioThe Bennet House, Franklin, Tennessee
Quad Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
GenrePop
Length3:57
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Keith Thomas, Amy Grant
Producer(s)Keith Thomas
Amy Grant singles chronology
"'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus"
(1989)		 "Baby Baby"
(1991)		 "Hope Set High"
(1991)
Music video
"Baby Baby" on YouTube

Background

The music was written by Keith Thomas. Grant always knew the song would be a smash hit, and was begging Thomas to sing the song.[1] He agreed with the only condition that the song's title must be "Baby Baby". Grant had a hard time writing the lyrics, because her early attempts to write a romantic-sounding lyric to a song with such title came off sounding like "some overgrown football jock with no vocabulary trying desperately to be romantic".[2] But one day, after having seen her six-week-old daughter Millie, she said to herself: "Oh, baby baby". As a result, the lyrics were written in about ten minutes in her kitchen. In the Heart in Motion booklet are the words: This song is dedicated to Millie, whose six-week-old face was my inspiration. Millie would also appear on stage during Grant's performance at the 34th Grammy Awards.

Composition

The song is almost four minutes in length and is composed in the key of F-sharp major, set in the time signature of 4
4 common time with a moderate tempo of 98 beats per minute. In the middle of the song, the key is changed to A-flat major, then for a short amount of time goes back to F♯ major and finally ends with A♭ major. Grant's vocal range spans from F3 to D♯5.[3][4]

The song consists of three verses that are interrupted by a bridge, "'Stop for a minute, baby I'm so glad you're mine". Lyrically, the song praises that special someone and expresses love that started since the day her heart was "put in motion". The chorus is the source of the album's title: "And ever since the day you put my heart in motion, baby I realized that there's just no gettin' over you". It fades out with the lyrics:
Don't stop givin' love
 Don't stop, no
 (Baby I'm so glad)
 Glad that you're mine
 Baby I'm glad

Chart performance

"Baby Baby" was Amy Grant's biggest hit since her 1986 duet with Peter Cetera, "The Next Time I Fall". In the United States, "Baby Baby" became Grant's second number-one hit on the pop charts and her first as a solo artist, topping the Billboard Hot 100 (replacing Wilson Phillips' "You're in Love" from the top spot) and Adult Contemporary charts for two and three weeks, respectively. It also made Grant the first Christian pop singer to have a number-one single in the United States.[5] The single reached the Top Ten in ten countries, in addition to reaching No. 11 in Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, "Baby Baby" was the singer's first (and only) Top Five hit in that country, reaching No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart. "Baby Baby" went on to become Grant's biggest hit single and one of the most successful singles of 1991.

Music video

Development and release
Grant singing and dancing along with her on-screen love interest, played by Jme Stein.[6]

A music video was directed by D.J. Webster.[7] and edited by Scott C. Wilson. According to Webster, the video's main idea was to create a picture of the relationship that everybody wants.[7] Grant added, "I think when you get film where there is a good sense of humor and mutual respect and people are just having a good time, everybody wants a piece of that".[7] Its beginning features Grant receiving attention from other men, and her staying loyal to her lover, portrayed by model Jme Stein (who also appeared in her other video from that album "Good for Me"). At some point Stein is seen singing along with Grant and at the end lip-syncing to the words "Baby I'm so glad". The rest of the video is all about the couple having fun together.

Release and reception

The video first aired in March 1991, although MTV didn't air it until it had become too popular not to.[8] A music critic J.D. Considine praised the video, writing that "the Baby Baby clip defines the way most of us imagine her. It was hardly typical video fare, with no special effects or distant locales; all it offered was Grant and a good-looking guy cavorting and acting pretty as she lip-synced to the song. Yet there was something genuinely appealing about the image it conveyed, something that made viewers want to see the thing again".[7] It received a nomination for Best Female Video at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do".

It's available on the 1992 music video tape The Heart in Motion Video Collection and 2004 music video DVD Greatest Videos 1986-2004. A live performance is available on the 2006 DVD Time Again… Amy Grant Live.

Track listings

Official versions
  • Album version – 3:57
  • 7-inch "Heart in Motion Mix"* – 3:50
  • 12-inch "Heart in Motion Mix"* – 6:02
  • 7-inch "No Getting Over You Mix"* – 4:01
  • 12-inch "No Getting Over You Mix"* – 5:57
  • "Dave Audé Extended Mix" – 5:23
  • "Dave Audé Radio Edit" – 3:59
  • "Dave Audé Dub" – 4:55
  • "Eric Kupper's Director's Cut FK Is Always with Me Club Mix" – 7:22
  • "Eric Kupper's Director's Cut FK Is Always with Me Dub" – 7:22
  • "Eric Kupper's Director's Cut FK Is Always with Me Mixshow" – 5:19
  • "Eric Kupper's Director's Cut FK Is Always with Me Radio Edit" – 3:46
  • "Mike Cruz Retro Club Remix" – 7:53
  • "Mike Cruz Retro Dub Remix" – 7:23
  • "Mike Cruz Retro Mixshow" – 7:08
  • "Mike Cruz Instrumental Remix" – 7:53
  • "KoKo Remix" – 4:18

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Heart in Motion booklet.[9]

Charts and certifications

Legacy

The song received three Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Song of the Year, but lost in both categories to Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About" and Natalie Cole's "Unforgettable", respectively.

Grant appeared on Monday Night Football in a promotional music video for "Baby Baby" that featured new lyrics custom-made for the night's game. "Baby Baby" was covered by The Swirling Eddies on the 1996 album Sacred Cows.[44] It was covered by Alana D on the Mr. & Mrs. Smith soundtrack. It is also featured in the 2004 film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. It was also briefly referenced in the 30 Rock episode "Queen of Jordan" where it was derided as "white nonsense". The song is referenced in Grant's 1997 Got Milk? ad. The song is heard in the Only Fools and Horses episode "Miami Twice" when Del Boy and Rodney arrive in the night club they go to in Miami.

Grant recorded an updated version of the song with pop artist Tori Kelly. Released on April 29, 2016, it commemorates the song's 25th anniversary.[45]

References
  1. "Life is the same for Amy Grant". The Mount Airy News. Nashville, Tennessee: Heartland Publications, LLC. Associated Press. May 14, 1991. p. 11. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  2. Bronson, Fred (1997). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. p. 785. ISBN 978-0-8230-7641-3.
  3. Amy, Grant; Keith, Thomas; Amy, Grant; Tori, Kelly (July 24, 2006). "Baby Baby". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  4. "Key & BPM for Baby, Baby by Amy Grant | Tunebat". tunebat.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  5. Nager, Larry (August 1, 1991). "Modern gospel crawls up charts". The Vindicator. The Vindicator Printing Co. p. D3. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  6. "Amy Grant, Tori Kelly Give "Baby Baby" a Makeover: The Ram Report". Rolling Stone. April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  7. Considine, J. D. (September 4, 1994). "A matter of perception". The Spokesman-Review. Cowles Publishing Company. p. 6. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  8. Morse, Steve (May 17, 1991). "Amy Grant crosses over". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. ISSN 0743-1791. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  9. Heart in Motion (Liner Notes [CD, Album]). Amy Grant. EMI Records. 1991. 0946 3 96796 2 1.CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. "Australian-charts.com – Amy Grant – Baby Baby". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  11. "Austriancharts.at – Amy Grant – Baby Baby" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  12. "Ultratop.be – Amy Grant – Baby Baby" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1528." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  14. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1523." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  15. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 1529." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  16. Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000). Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada
  17. "Top 10 Denmark" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Amy Grant – Baby Baby". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  19. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Baby Baby". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  20. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Amy Grant – Baby Baby" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. "Charts.nz – Amy Grant – Baby Baby". Top 40 Singles.
  23. "Norwegiancharts.com – Amy Grant – Baby Baby". VG-lista.
  24. "Notowanie nr491" (in Polish). LP3. July 19, 1991. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – Amy Grant – Baby Baby". Singles Top 100.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – Amy Grant – Baby Baby". Swiss Singles Chart.
  27. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  28. "Amy Grant Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  29. "Amy Grant Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  30. "Amy Grant Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  31. "Amy Grant Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard.
  32. "Amy Grant Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard.
  33. "1991 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  34. "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  35. "RPM 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  36. "RPM Dance Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  37. "Top 100 Singles - Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  38. "End of Year Charts 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  39. "1991 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. January 11, 1992. p. 20.
  40. "Billboard Top 100 - 1991". Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  41. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  42. "New Zealand single certifications – Amy Grant – Baby Baby". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  43. "British single certifications – Amy Grant – Baby Baby". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 12, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Baby Baby in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  44. Mark Allender. "Sacred Cows". AllMusic. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  45. "Amy Grant Releasing Updated Version of "Baby Baby" With Tori Kelly"". Vintage Vinyl News. April 18, 2016.
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