"B-A-B-Y" is a 1966 song written by
Isaac Hayes and
David Porter. The song was first recorded in 1966 by
Carla Thomas
Carla Venita Thomas (born December 21, 1942) is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. Thomas is best known for her 1960s recordings for Atlantic and Stax including the hits "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1 ...
. Her version was released as the opening track of her album ''Carla'', and as a single by
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records.
Stax was ...
.
Chart performance
In the US, the single reached no. 14 on the US
pop chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...
and no. 3 on the
R&B chart
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
.
Cover versions
*The song was recorded in the UK in 1967 by
The Ferris Wheel, featuring singer Diane Ferraz.
*The song was recorded in 1969 by the chilean band Aguaturbia on their debut album.
*It was also recorded in 1977 by American singer
Rachel Sweet
Rachel Sweet (born July 28, 1962)
accessed May 2, 2014.
, whose version on the
Stiff label reached no. 35 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 ...
.
Popular culture
The song was featured in the 2017 film ''
Baby Driver''.
References
1966 songs
Songs written by David Porter (musician)
Songs written by Isaac Hayes
Stax Records singles
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