Baby, Hold Me Close

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"Baby, Hold Me Close"
Baby, Hold Me Close Jerry Lee Lewis 45 Smash.jpg
1965 U.S. 45 single release on Smash Records.
Single by Jerry Lee Lewis
from the album The Return of Rock
B-side "I Believe in You"
ReleasedFebruary 1965 (1965-02)
Genre Rock
Label Smash
Songwriter(s) Jerry Lee Lewis
Bob Tubert
Jerry Lee Lewis singles chronology
"Carry Me Back to Old Virginia"
(1965)
"Baby, Hold Me Close"
(1965)
"Sticks and Stones"
(1966)

"Baby, Hold Me Close" is a song written by Jerry Lee Lewis and Bob Tubert and released as a single by Lewis in the U.S. in February 1965 on Smash Records. [1] [2] The song was also released in the UK in 1965 as a 45 single on Philips Records.

Contents

Background

"Baby, Hold Me Close" was recorded for Smash Records in the U.S. as S-1969 and was released as a 7" 45 single backed with "I Believe in You" in February, 1965. [3] The music and lyrics were credited to Jerry Lee Lewis and Bob Tubert. [4] Shelby Singleton, the producer of the recording with Jerry Kennedy, was credited as a co-writer on the Australian release by Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs. The song was published by Raleigh Music, Inc.

The appeal of the song is to dancing. In 1965, go go dancing and dance shows were popular. The opening line is: "Now listen here baby to what ol' Jerry Lee has to say / I want you to get out on this dance floor with me now." While on the floor, he exhorts his partner: "Now hold me close, baby / Squeeze ol' Jerry Lee all through the doggone night."

In Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found, Joe Bonomo characterizes the song as "a cool studio-concocted groove".

Jerry Lee Lewis performed the song live on the American music variety television series Shindig! in 1965.

The song was also released as a 45 single in the UK, Australia, Brazil, and the Netherlands. [5] In the UK, the song was released as a Philips 7" 45 single in April, 1965 as BF 1407.

The song was featured on the 1965 Smash LP album The Return of Rock . [6]

The single reached no. 129 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S. in June, 1965. [7]

1965 Australian sheet music for the Billy Thorpe recording. Baby Hold Me Close Billy Thorpe Sheet Music.jpg
1965 Australian sheet music for the Billy Thorpe recording.

Billy Thorpe released a cover version in Australia as a Parlophone Records 45 single as A8170 on EMI in September, 1965 as Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs. [8] Their recording was a hit on the Australian charts, reaching #4 in Sydney, #24 in Melbourne, #4 in Brisbane, #14 in Adelaide, and #19 in Perth. [9] The single peaked at #15 on Australia's (4BC) Top Singles Chart for the week of November 14, 1965. [10] The recording was also released on the 1965 Parlophone EP Twilight Time.

The song appeared on the 1971 compilation album The Best of Billy Thorpe on Parlophone.

Album appearances

"Baby, Hold Me Close" appeared on the following albums:

Sources

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References

  1. Smash Records. 7" Singles/EP collection.
  2. Jerry Lee Lewis - Baby, Hold Me Close. Discogs.com.
  3. Smash Records 45 Discography.
  4. Catalog of Copyright Entries. 1965.
  5. Jerry Lee Lewis - Discography. 45cat.com.
  6. Smash Album Discography.
  7. Billboard, February 27, 1965.
  8. Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs – Baby, Hold Me Close. Discogs.
  9. Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs. Baby, Hold Me Close. PopArchives.com.au.
  10. Australian (4BC) Top SIngles Chart.