Hang On in There Baby

For the poster and catchphrase, see Hang in there, Baby.

"Hang on in There Baby"
Single by Johnny Bristol
from the album Hang On in There Baby
B-side	"Take Care of You for Me"
Released	June 1974
Recorded	1974
Genre	Soul [1]
Length	3:23
Label	MGM
Songwriter(s)	Johnny Bristol
Producer(s)	Johnny Bristol
Music video
"Hang On In There Baby": TopPop on YouTube

"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 Hang on in There Baby ^[2] . It was released as his debut solo single in 1974, reaching No. 8 on the U.S. Hot 100 ^[3] and No. 2 on the U.S. R&B chart. ^[4] In the UK, it reached No. 3. ^[5]

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1974) Peak position Canada RPM Top Singles [6] 3 Ireland (IRMA) [7] 20 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [8] 10 UK Singles (OCC) [5] 3 US Billboard Hot 100 [9] 8 US Billboard Hot Soul Singles [10] 2 US Cash Box Top 100 [11] 8

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Rank Canada [12] 56 UK Singles [13] 35 US Billboard Hot 100 [14] 61 US Cash Box [15] 35

Curiosity version

"Hang On in There Baby"
Vinyl cover
Single by Curiosity
from the album Back to Front
B-side	"Meaning of Dreaming"
Released	1992 (1992)
Length	3:08
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	Johnny Bristol
Producer(s)	Mark Taylor, Terry Adams
Curiosity singles chronology
"First Place" (1989) "Hang On in There Baby" (1992) "I Need Your Lovin'" (1992)

A cover version was released in 1992 by English band Curiosity Killed the Cat, whose name was shortened to Curiosity starting from this release. The lead single from their third album Back to Front (1994) under RCA Records, the song is the band's joint biggest hit alongside "Down to Earth", peaking at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. ^[16]

Track listings

7-inch and cassette

1. "Hang On in There Baby" – 3:08
2. "Meaning of Dreaming" – 4:20

12-inch

1. "Hang On in There Baby" (Extended Club Mix) – 4:52
2. Hang On in There Baby (After Hours Mix) – 3:52
3. Hang On in There Baby (Dub Mix) – 3:52
4. "Meaning of Dreaming" – 4:20

CD single

1. Hang On in There Baby (7" Version) – 3:08
2. "Hang On in There Baby" (Extended Club Mix) – 4:52
3. "Meaning of Dreaming" – 4:20

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1992) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [17] 127 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [18] 38 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [19] 38 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [20] 8 Germany (GfK) [21] 42 Ireland (IRMA) [22] 10 Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [23] 23 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [24] 32 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [25] 31 UK Singles (OCC) [16] 3

Year-end charts Chart (1992) Position UK Singles (OCC) [26] 65

Other versions

• In 1979, American singer Bette Midler, for her fifth album Thighs and Whispers .
• In 1980, American disco girl group Alton McClain and Destiny, for their second album More of You. This features the vocals of Johnny Bristol.
• In 1993, American hip hop musician K7, for his debut album Swing Batta Swing .
• In 1997, British singer Gary Barlow, for his debut solo album Open Road . ^[27]
• In 2000, British boy band Worlds Apart, in their CD single I Will Part 2.
• In 2005, X Factor winner Steve Brookstein, for his debut album Heart and Soul .
• In 2015, English boy band Blue, for their fifth album Colours .

References

1. Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (October 15, 1999). "Shafts: Macho Soul". Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 98. ISBN   031214704X.
2. Hang on in There Baby - Johnny Bristol | Album | AllMusic , retrieved July 20, 2025
3. Ron Wynn. "Johnny Bristol | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 79.
5. "Johnny Bristol - Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
6. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. October 5, 1974. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hang on in There Baby". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
8. "Johnny Bristol - Hang on in There Baby".
9. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
10. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 79.
11. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 28, 1974 ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
12. Canada, Library and Archives (January 16, 2018). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada .
13. "Top Selling Singles for 1974". Music Week . London, England: Spotlight Publications: 20. January 4, 1975.
14. Musicoutfitters.com
15. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1974". Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
16. "Curiosity Killed the Cat: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
17. "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 8 June 1992". Bubbling Down Under. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
18. "Curiosity – Hang on in There Baby" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
19. "Curiosity – Hang on in There Baby" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
20. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 9, no. 22. May 30, 1992. p. 31. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
21. "Curiosity – Hang on in There Baby" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
22. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hang on in There Baby". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
23. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Curiosity".
24. "Curiosity – Hang on in There Baby". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
25. "Curiosity – Hang on in There Baby". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
26. "Year End Charts: Top Singles". Music Week . January 16, 1993. p. 8.
27. "Open Road (Gary Barlow album)", Wikipedia, December 24, 2024, retrieved July 20, 2025

External links

• Listen to "Hang On in There Baby" on YouTube