Angel Baby (Rosie and the Originals song)

Last updated
"Angel Baby"
Angel Baby 45.jpg
Original 7-inch
Single by Rosie and the Originals
B-side "Give Me Love"
Released 1960
Recorded1960
Genre Doo-wop
Length3:43
Label Highland Records
Songwriter(s) Rosie Hamlin (some prints credit David Ponci as the songwriter) [1]

"Angel Baby" is a 1960 single by Rosie and the Originals. The group recorded the song independently on a two-track machine, located in a facility in the small farming community of San Marcos, California. At the time, lead singer Rosie Hamlin was only 15 years old. She had written the lyrics for "Angel Baby" as a poem for "[her] very first boyfriend" when she was a 14-year-old student at Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California. [2]

Contents

Initially unable to find a label willing to distribute the song because of its unpolished sound, the group convinced a San Diego department store to pipe their master through the listening booths in the record department. The response from listeners prompted Highland Records to sign the band and promote the single. Since its release the song has become an oldies standard.

Rosie & the Originals

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1960 and remained on the charts for 13 weeks, reaching No. 5 on January 28, 1961. [3] On the R&B charts, "Angel Baby" also peaked at #5 and remained on that chart for eight weeks. [4] In 1961, "Angel Baby" was also released in Canada (#3) on the Zirkon label and in Australia and England on London Records. [5] The British release slightly edited the intro.

Rosie & the Originals later re-recorded "Angel Baby" in Spanglish, which appears on the UK compilations The Best of Rosie & the Originals (1999) and Angel Baby Revisited (2002). In 2018, this recording appeared in a El Pollo Loco commercial.

John Lennon

John Lennon recorded a version of the song in 1973, eventually released on the 1986 album Menlove Ave. and later, on the 1990 box set Lennon. A remixed version was released in 2004 as a bonus track on a reissue of Lennon's 1975 Rock 'n' Roll album. In the intro, Lennon calls it one of his favorite songs and says, "send my love to Rosie, wherever she may be." Rosie called it her favorite cover of the song. [6] Circulating tapes of Lennon's 1971 birthday party also include a busked version of the song. [7]

Other versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Only You (And You Alone)</span> Pop song composed by Buck Ram

"Only You (And You Alone)" (often shortened to "Only You") is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was originally recorded by The Platters with lead vocals by Tony Williams in 1955.

"You Always Hurt the One You Love" is a pop standard with lyrics by Allan Roberts and music by Doris Fisher. First recorded by the Mills Brothers, whose recording reached the top of the Billboard charts in 1944, it was also a hit for Sammy Kaye in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ooo Baby Baby</span> 1965 song by The Miracles

"Ooo Baby Baby" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore. It was a 1965 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label.

"All the Way" is a song published in 1957 by Maraville Music Corporation. The music was written by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Sammy Cahn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby It's You</span> 1961 single by the Shirelles

"Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon, and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles and was a hit for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby It's You" was by the band Smith, who took the track to No.5 on the US charts in 1969.

"Dedicated To The One I Love" is a song written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass that was a hit for the "5" Royales, the Shirelles, the Mamas & the Papas and Bitty McLean. Pauling was the guitarist of the "5" Royales, the group that recorded the original version of the song, produced by Bass, in 1957. Their version was re-released in 1961 and charted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mind Games (John Lennon song)</span> 1973 single by John Lennon

"Mind Games" is a song written and performed by John Lennon, released as a single in 1973 on Apple Records. It was the lead single for the album of the same name. The US single and album were released simultaneously on 29 October 1973. The UK single and album were issued simultaneously on 16 November 1973. In the US it peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 10 on the Cashbox Top 100. In the UK it peaked at No. 26.

"Ruby Baby" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by the Drifters. Their version was released as a single by Atlantic Records in 1956. It peaked at No. 10 on the US Hot R&B chart.

"Together Again" is a 1964 song by American country singer and guitarist Buck Owens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosie and the Originals</span> American pop band

Rosie and the Originals were an American 1960s musical group best known for their single "Angel Baby." Fronted by lead singer Rosie Hamlin, the group produced two singles for Highland Records and, like many other musicians of the era, ended up in protracted legal battles with their record label over royalties and credits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosie Hamlin</span> American singer (1945–2017)

Rosalie "Rosie" Hamlin was an American singer and songwriter who was the frontwoman of the group Rosie and the Originals, best known for the 1960 song "Angel Baby", which became a Top 40 hit in 1961 when Hamlin was only 15 years old. She married guitarist, Noah Tafolla, and they had two children before they divorced. Hamlin had a third child (John) several years later. Hamlin continued to perform including performing at several revival concerts until 2002, before retiring from live performances due to advanced fibromyalgia.

"Hallelujah I Love Her So" is a single by American musician Ray Charles. The rhythm and blues song was written and released by Charles in 1956 on the Atlantic label, and in 1957 it was included on his self-titled debut LP, also released on Atlantic. The song peaked at number five on the Billboard R&B chart. It is loosely based on 'Get It Over Baby' by Ike Turner (1953).

Angelica Garcia is a former Latin pop singer. Her uncle is Eusebio Garcia, director of Mariachi Toluca. She won the "Best New Artist" award at the Mexican national contest, Juguemos a Cantar, and spent two years acting on the variety program La Hora Feliz. The title track of her debut album, Angel Baby, was a hit in America, peaking on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991 at No. 29. She never had another US hit, but her 1997 Spanish-language single "Vaya" was a hit in Central and South America.

"(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" is a 1957 song recorded by Elvis Presley and performed in the MGM film Jailhouse Rock. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for the film. Presley plays electric bass on the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say Goodbye to Hollywood</span> Billy Joel song

"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" is a song written and performed by Billy Joel, first released in 1976 on his album Turnstiles as its opening track. It was originally released in the United States as the B-side to "I've Loved These Days" before being released as A-side in various countries like the UK, Germany and Australia in November 1976, with "Stop in Nevada" as the B-side. However, the song achieved greater recognition in 1981 when a live version from Songs in the Attic was released as a US single, with the live version of "Summer, Highland Falls" as a B-side. Joel wrote the song after moving back to New York City in 1975; he had previously relocated to Los Angeles in 1972 in an attempt to get out of an onerous record deal. The man who represents this song on the Turnstiles album is the man wearing sunglasses and holding a suitcase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)</span> 1961 single by Sue Thompson

"Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" is a 1961 pop song by the American singer Sue Thompson. The song was written by John D. Loudermilk and was released as Thompson's debut single, from her Hickory Records debut album Meet Sue Thompson. The song also spawned multiple successful cover versions.

"Last Date" is a 1960 instrumental written and performed by Floyd Cramer. It exemplifies the "slip note" style of piano playing that Cramer made popular. It peaked at number 11 on the country chart and at number two on the Hot 100 behind "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis Presley. Cramer's recording inspired a number of successful cover versions, including a vocal adaptation by Conway Twitty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hang On in There Baby</span> 1974 single by Johnny Bristol

"Hang On in There Baby" is a song written by American musician Johnny Bristol and arranged by H. B. Barnum as the title track from his first album. It was released as his debut solo single in 1974, reaching No. 8 on the U.S. Hot 100 and No. 2 on the U.S. R&B chart. In the UK, it reached No. 3.

"Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" is a 1957 song written by Margo Sylvia & Gilbert Lopez. "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" was originally performed by The Tune Weavers, who had their only hit with this song. Both Margo Sylvia and Gilbert Lopez were members of The Tune Weavers. The single went to number four on the R&B chart and went to number five on the Hot 100. The B-side of "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby, was The Tune Weavers version of "Ol' Man River".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea of Heartbreak</span>

"Sea of Heartbreak" is a song written by Paul Hampton and Hal David and recorded by Don Gibson in 1961. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

References

  1. "Angel Baby" at 45cat.com
  2. "Rosie and the Originals". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  3. Rosie & the Originals - Chart History - The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed September 14, 2016.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 501.
  5. "CHUM Hit Parade - January 30, 1961".
  6. Gary James' Interview With Rosie Hamlin. classicbands.com
  7. "The Beatles – Unbootlegged 8 (2004, CD)". Discogs . 2004.
  8. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 37.