"Star Baby" is a 1974 hit song by
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1965. The band originated in 1962 and achieved an international hit single with a cover of "Shakin' All Over" in 1965 under the name Chad Allan and the Expressions. After c ...
. It was written by
Burton Cummings
Burton Lorne Cummings (born December 31, 1947) is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for leading The Guess Who during that band's most successful period from 1965 to 1975, and for a lengthy solo career.
Cummings has ...
who also provided the lead vocals. It is classified in the genre of
Power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
and was included on the group's LP entitled, ''
Road Food
Road food is a cuisine concerning food prepared especially for hungry travelers who arrive by road. Most road food establishments are casual dining restaurants. American road food is associated with "comfort food" such as hamburgers, hot dogs, fri ...
'' as well as ''The Guess Who – Greatest Hits'' in 1999 and ''The Guess Who - Anthology in 2003''. The band performed the song on the ''
Midnight Special'' television program on December 14, 1973.
"Star Baby" reached number 39 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 30 on ''Cash Box''. In
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the song spent three weeks at number 9. The song was ranked as the 92nd biggest Canadian hit of 1974. Although The Guess Who had a dozen higher-charting songs in the US, "Star Baby" remained on the chart longer than any of their other hits - 19 weeks, which was four weeks longer than their number-one hit "
American Woman
"American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band the Guess Who, released January 1970, from the album of the same name. It was later released in March 1970 as a single backed with "No Sugar Tonight", and it reached number one for three weeks ...
".
The song was a major hit in Chicago, peaking at number three and receiving significant airplay on radio superstation
WLS as well as on its competing station,
WCFL.
Background
Cummings said of the song: "One of our roadies was having an affair with
Bonnie Bramlett
Bonnie Bramlett (born Bonnie Lynn O'Farrell, November 8, 1944) is an American singer and occasional actress known for performing with her husband, Delaney Bramlett, as Delaney & Bonnie. She continues to sing as a solo artist.
Life and career ...
(from the rock group
Delaney & Bonnie
Delaney & Bonnie were an American duo of singer-songwriters Delaney Bramlett and Bonnie Bramlett. In 1969 and 1970, they fronted a rock/soul ensemble, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, whose members at different times included Duane Allman, Gregg Al ...
), who was opening for us way back in the '70s. When I wrote it I was trying to see Bonnie through our roadie’s eyes and what he might say to her. It was finished really quickly. I wrote that in about 20 minutes."
Television performance
The Guess Who performed "Star Baby" on ''
The Midnight Special'' television program (season 2, episode 14) on December 14, 1973. Loggins and Messina hosted the show that week.They performed it again on February 22, 1974 (season 2, episode 24) with Gordon Lightfoot hosting and later on March 9, 1974 (season 2, episode 29) when they hosted the show themselves.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
External links
Lyrics of this song*
{{The Guess Who
1974 songs
1974 singles
Songs written by Burton Cummings
The Guess Who songs
Song recordings produced by Jack Richardson (record producer)
RCA Victor singles