"Baby" is a song by British electronic music group

Clean Bandit Clean Bandit are an English electronic music group, formed in Cambridge in 2008. They have had four number 1 hits and ten top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart. They direct and produce their own music videos, many of which have been nominated for ...

featuring Welsh singer

Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

and Puerto Rican singer

Luis Fonsi Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for multiple songs, one of them being "Despacito" featuring rapper Daddy Yankee. Fonsi received his first ...

, released as the fifth single from Clean Bandit's second album, '' What Is Love?'', on 2 November 2018. "Baby" is Marina's first single where she is not credited as Marina and the Diamonds, a stage name she had used on prior releases. It is included on her fourth studio album, ''

Love + Fear Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the lov ...

''. A version without Fonsi appears on the album's vinyl release.

Composition

Baby is composed in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : Cha ...

. Lyrically, the song deals with a love triangle, with the singer telling somebody that they are "already someone else's". The song has a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 117

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

, and has a

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

of common time. It also features a complete descending

circle of fifths In music theory, the circle of fifths is a way of organizing the 12 chromatic pitches as a sequence of perfect fifths. (This is strictly true in the standard 12-tone equal temperament system — using a different system requires one interval ...

, which propels the music forward throughout the circle of fifths and back to C minor.

Promotion

On 29 October 2018, the group announced the release on Twitter and shared its cover art. On 2 November 2018, the group performed on BBC Two's '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two''.

Critical reception

Mike Wass of

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

called the preview of the song a "sultry banger that already sounds like a hit", saying Marina "coos" the line "But I'm already someone else's baby" over Clean Bandit's "seductive, Latin-tinged

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

beats". ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' labelled "Baby" a "flamenco-infused track", opining that Fonsi's verse in Spanish provides it with a "distinctive Latin flare".

Music video

Clean Bandit also released the video on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on 2 November 2018. The video features

Fonsi The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law that promotes the enhancement of the environment and established the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The law was enacted on January 1, 1970.Un ...

Grace Chatto Grace Chatto (born 10 December 1985) is an English musician and singer who is the cellist, backing vocalist and occasional main vocalist, for the electronic music band Clean Bandit. Education Chatto attended Latymer School and Westminster S ...

, and Australian singer Starley. Chatto portrays an unnamed bride who marries Fonsi's character as it is revealed via flashbacks that she had a thwarted relationship with another woman — now a wedding guest — while attending

summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...

Track listing

*Digital download #"Baby" – 3:25 *Digital download – acoustic #"Baby" – 3:37 *Digital download – remixes #"Baby" – 3:02 #"Baby" – 3:28

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2018 singles 2018 songs Clean Bandit songs Luis Fonsi songs Marina Diamandis songs Number-one singles in Israel Songs written by Kamille (musician) Songs written by Jack Patterson (Clean Bandit) Songs written by Jason Evigan Songs written by Luis Fonsi Songs written by Marina Diamandis Song recordings produced by Mark Ralph (record producer)