"Baby Don't You Do It" is a 1964 single by American singer

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

. Released on the

Tamla Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''motor'' ...

label, this song discusses a man who is at a standstill with his girlfriend, who he feels is neglecting his love stating "Don't break my heart/...I've tried to do my best". Featured on the

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland, often abbreviated as H-D-H, was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the ...

-written and produced track, for the first time on a Marvin Gaye record, were Motown's top session girl group,

the Andantes The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by M ...

. The song was originally written and intended for

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

, but eventually reassigned to Marvin Gaye to record. In October 1964 Gaye's single peaked at number 27 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the Top 100 singles chart in '' Cashbox'', with ''Cashbox'' affording the single a number 14 peak on its R&B chart (''Billboard'' was not maintaining an R&B chart at this time). ''

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 advertis ...

'' stated that "it's that powerhouse beat that can't be beat." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as "an electrifying pleader that rocks along in sensational vocal and instrumental fashion."

Personnel

*Lead vocals by

*Background vocals by

: Marlene Barrow, Jackie Hicks and Louvain Demps *Instrumentation by

the Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

**Baritone saxophone by Mike Terry

The Band versions

The Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...

recorded the song numerous times under the title "Don't Do It". The lead singer was

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...

, with backing vocals by Rick Danko and

Richard Manuel Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as a pianist and one of three lead singers in the Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of F ...

. Different versions, both studio and live, appear on several of their albums and box sets, including the 1972 live release '' Rock of Ages''. "Don't Do It" was the encore performed by The Band in

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

's 1976 concert film ''

The Last Waltz ''The Last Waltz'' was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group the Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. ''The Last Waltz'' was advertised as the Band's "farewell concert a ...

'', though it was featured first in the film. Although it was not included on the 1978 soundtrack album, the track was included in the 2002 box set edition of ''The Last Waltz'' soundtrack. The version of "Don't Do It" from ''Rock of Ages'' was issued as a single, reaching #34 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the autumn of 1972; the track was the second - following " Up on Cripple Creek" - and final

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

single for the Band. ''

'' called this version a "dynamite dance treatment." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called it "a funky rocker that fits The Band to a tee."

The Who versions

The Who recorded several versions of "Baby Don't You Do It". The first version released was recorded live in San Francisco and released as the b-side to "Join Together" in June 1972. The group had previously played the song in their live performances circa 1964–65, and a studio recording from that time was later released on the 1998 remastered CD of ''

Odds & Sods ''Odds & Sods'' is an album of studio outtakes by British rock band the Who. It was released by Track Records in the UK on September 28, 1974, and by Track/ MCA in the US on October 12, 1974. Ten of the recordings on the original eleven-song ...

''. The Who also recorded a studio version of the song on March 16, 1971 at The Record Plant in New York. This version became first available on the 1995 Reissue of ''

Who's Next ''Who's Next'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 2 August 1971, by Track Records in the United Kingdom and by Decca Records in the United States. It developed from the aborted '' Lifehouse'' project, a m ...

'' and featured Leslie West on lead guitar, but was edited to 5:13.''Who's Next'' 1995 Reissue Liner Notes Page 20 The full version (8:21) of the song became available on the ''Who's Next'' Deluxe Edition. During the sixth season of ''

That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from 197 ...

'' when the show's episodes were all named after recordings by

The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

, the March 3, 2004 broadcast was entitled "Baby Don't You Do It".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baby Don't You Do It 1964 songs 1964 singles 1972 singles Marvin Gaye songs The Band songs The Who songs MCA Records singles Songs written by Holland–Dozier–Holland Song recordings produced by Lamont Dozier Song recordings produced by Brian Holland Song recordings produced by Glyn Johns Tamla Records singles Track Records singles