"Apple of My Eye" is a song recorded by the

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 ...

/ pop band

Badfinger Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in Swansea, who were active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (vocals, guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recog ...

for inclusion on their

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

album, '' Ass.'' The song was written and sung by

Pete Ham Peter William Ham (27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist best known as a lead vocalist of and composer for the 1970s rock band Badfinger, whose hit songs include " No Matter What", " Day After Day" and "B ...

, produced by Chris Thomas and Badfinger, and released on

Apple Records Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mar ...

Writing

Ham wrote the song about his mixed feelings upon the band's leaving Apple Records (which was the "

apple of my eye The phrase "apple of my eye" refers in English to something or someone that one cherishes above all others. Originally, the phrase was simply an idiom referring to the pupil of the eye.

" to Ham) to pursue a larger contract by moving to

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

.Matovina, Dan
''Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger.''
. The same concern is reflected on the ''Ass'' album cover, which shows a donkey following a carrot into the distance. Coincidentally, disregarding those performed by an ex-Beatle, it was the last single (Apple 49) released by Apple before its collapse.

Problems and release

Due to Apple's financial chaos and its problems with the group, no new picture sleeve was created for the single, although some countries (such as the Netherlands, shown here) used a variant of the " Day After Day" sleeve. It would become the original group's last single to chart in the US, although it missed making the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 102 on the "

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

" chart. It reached number 11 in South Africa. In most countries, Tom Evans' "Blind Owl" was released as the B-side. However, in Japan, "Apple of My Eye" was backed with Mike Gibbins' song "Cowboy", and in the Philippines, Evans' "When I Say" was the B-side.

Personnel

*Pete Ham – vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards *Tom Evans – bass guitar *Joey Molland – electric guitar *Mike Gibbins – drums, percussion

References

Apple Records singles Badfinger songs 1973 singles Songs written by Pete Ham Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) Song recordings produced by Pete Ham {{1970s-single-stub