"Anybody Seen My Baby?" is a song by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

, released as the first single from their 21st British and 23rd American studio album, ''

Bridges to Babylon ''Bridges to Babylon'' is the 21st British and 23rd American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released by Virgin Records on 29 September 1997. Released as a double album on vinyl and as a single CD, it was supported by t ...

'' (1997). It was written by band vocalist

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and guitarist

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

, and writing credits were added for

k.d. lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop (music), pop and country music, country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical perfor ...

and

Ben Mink Benjamin Mink (born January 22, 1951) is a Canadian songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer best known as a longtime collaborator of Canadian singer k.d. lang. He plays several string instruments, notably the guitar, violin, and the m ...

due to the similarities the chorus possesses with lang's 1992 hit "

Constant Craving "Constant Craving" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter k.d. lang and Ben Mink, performed by lang and included on her second solo album, ''Ingénue'' (1992). The song was released in the United Kingdom in April 1992 and won lang a Gram ...

". The song peaked at number 22 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

to become the band's 38th top-40 hit in their home country. It was more successful abroad, topping the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Top Singles chart in Canada and reaching the top 20 in several European countries, including Hungary and Spain. In the United States it peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock chart.

Background and composition

Written by

and

, the song also carries writing credits for

and

. The song is known for its chorus, which sounds strikingly similar to lang's 1992 hit song "

". Jagger and Richards claimed to have never heard the song before, only having discovered the similarity prior to the Stones' release. As Richards reported in his autobiography ''Life'', "My daughter Angela and a friend were at Redlands and I was playing the record and they start singing this totally different song over it. They were listening to k.d. lang's 'Constant Craving.' It was Angela and her friend that recognized it." The two gave Lang credit, along with her co-writer Mink. Lang said she was "completely honored and flattered" by receiving the songwriting credit. Coincidentally, "Anybody Seen My Baby?" is reported to have been the title of a song written and recorded by

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

after leaving the Rolling Stones. "Anybody Seen My Baby?" would go on to be the only track from ''Bridges to Babylon'' to appear on the Stones' 2002 career retrospective ''

Forty Licks ''Forty Licks'' is a double compilation album by the Rolling Stones. A 40-year career-spanning retrospective, ''Forty Licks'' is notable for being the first retrospective to combine their formative Decca/London era of the 1960s, now licensed b ...

''. "Anybody Seen My Baby?" features wide-ranging inspirations, including sampling of hip-hop artist

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...

, making it the only song by The Rolling Stones to include sampling. Bass and keyboards on the song are performed by

Jamie Muhoberac Benjamin Edward "Jamie" Muhoberac is an American session keyboardist with numerous credits. He is best known for his work with Seal and Was (Not Was). Biography Muhoberac has worked with acts including The All-American Rejects, Fleetwood Mac, Bob ...

Waddy Wachtel Robert "Waddy" Wachtel (born May 24, 1947) is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Kim Carnes, Randy N ...

plays acoustic guitar and Jagger, Richards, and Wachtel play electric guitars. The song has a distinctive R&B feel, driven by Muhoberac's bass.

Release

The song was a worldwide hit in 1997, reaching the top 20 in several Europe countries, number one on Canada's Top Singles and Alternative 30 charts, and number three on ''Billboard''s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the United States.

Critical reception

British magazine ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' rated the song four out of five, stating that "this is top-form Stones co-written, co-produced and part-played by non-Stones."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Anybody Seen My Baby?" features American actress

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...

. She appears as a

stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. M ...

who leaves mid-performance to wander New York City. Two versions of the video exist, with minor differences between them.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1997 singles 1997 songs Music videos directed by Samuel Bayer The Rolling Stones songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Songs written by Ben Mink Songs written by Jagger–Richards Songs written by k.d. lang Song recordings produced by Don Was Song recordings produced by Dust Brothers Song recordings produced by Jagger–Richards Virgin Records singles