"Baker Street" | ||||
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Single by Gerry Rafferty | ||||
from the album City to City | ||||
B-side | "Big Change in the Weather" | |||
Released | 3 February 1978 | |||
Recorded | 1977 | |||
Studio | Chipping Norton Recording Studios, Oxfordshire, UK | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 6:06 (album version) 4:10 (single version) 5:56 (US 12-inch promo single version) 6:29 (1989 “Right Down The Line” compilation remix version) | |||
Label | United Artists | |||
Songwriter(s) | Gerry Rafferty | |||
Producer(s) | Hugh Murphy, Gerry Rafferty | |||
Gerry Rafferty singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Baker Street" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Baker Street" is a song written by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty and issued as a single by him in February 1978. It won the 1979 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically [2] and reached the top three in the UK,US and elsewhere. The arrangement is known for its saxophone riff. [3]
Named after Baker Street in London,the song was included on Rafferty's second solo album, City to City (1978),which was his first release after the resolution of legal problems surrounding the break-up of his old band,Stealers Wheel,in 1975. In the intervening three years,Rafferty had been unable to release any material because of disputes about the band's remaining contractual recording obligations. [4]
Rafferty wrote the song during a period when he was trying to extricate himself from his Stealers Wheel contracts. He was regularly travelling between his Scottish family home in Paisley and London,where he recalled often staying at a friend's flat on Baker Street:
"Everybody was suing each other, so I spent a lot of time on the overnight train from Glasgow to London for meetings with lawyers. I knew a guy who lived in a little flat off Baker Street. We'd sit and chat or play guitar there through the night." [5]
The resolution of Rafferty's legal and financial frustrations may have accounted for the exhilaration of the song's final verse: [6]
When you wake up it's a new morning
The sun is shining, it's a new morning
You're going, you're going home.
Rafferty's daughter Martha suggested in 2012 that he could also have taken inspiration from a book he was reading while he was travelling between the two cities, Colin Wilson's The Outsider (1956), which explored ideas of alienation and creativity and a longing to be connected. [7]
"Baker Street" was recorded in 1977 at Mike and Richard Vernon's Chipping Norton Studios, Oxfordshire, during the sessions for City to City. [8] The album City to City (1978), including "Baker Street", was co-produced by Rafferty and Hugh Murphy. [9]
In addition to a guitar solo, played by Hugh Burns, "Baker Street" featured a prominent eight-bar saxophone riff by session musician Raphael Ravenscroft, played as a break between verses, the origins of which are disputed. [3] [10] Ravenscroft said that he was presented with a song that contained "several gaps". "In fact, most of what I played was an old blues riff," Ravenscroft said. "If you're asking me: 'Did Gerry hand me a piece of music to play?' then no, he didn't." [11]
In his interview with Colin Irwin, Rafferty disputed this and said that Ravenscroft had been his second choice to play the saxophone solo, after Pete Zorn, who was unavailable: "The only confusion at the time that I didn't enjoy too much was the fact that a lot of people believed that the line was written by Raphael Ravenscroft, the sax player, but it was my line. I sang it to him." [12] When a remastered version of City to City was released in 2011, it included the original, electric guitar 'demo' version of the song as a bonus track, confirming Rafferty's authorship of the riff (which appears in the demo note-for-note, as an electric guitar solo). In the liner notes to the album, Rafferty's long-time friend and collaborator Rab Noakes commented:
"Let's hope [the Baker Street demo] will, at last, silence all who keep on asserting that the saxophone player came up with the melody line. He didn't. He just blew what he was told by the person who did write it, Gerry Rafferty." [13]
Michael Gray, Rafferty's former manager, agreed:
"The audible proof is there from the demos that Rafferty himself created the riff and placed it within the song's structure exactly where it ended up." [14]
Ravenscroft came to the studio to record a soprano saxophone part on the finished track, and suggested that he use instead his alto saxophone. [6] The distinctive wailing, bluesy sound of the sax riff on "Baker Street" was a result of the alto being tuned slightly flat, and Ravenscroft later considered this to have been a mistake. He said, in an interview in 2011, that listening to the song irritated him because he was out of tune. [15] His contribution to "Baker Street" was termed by one writer as "the most recognizable sax riff in pop music history", [16] and it was said to have been responsible for a resurgence in the sales of saxophones and their use in mainstream pop music and television advertising. [10]
The 2011 reissue of City to City included the demo of "Baker Street" with the saxophone part played on electric guitar by Rafferty. A very similar sax line was originally played by saxophonist Steve Marcus for a song called "Half a Heart", credited to vibraphonist Gary Burton, [17] that appeared on Marcus's 1968 album Tomorrow Never Knows. [18]
According to one story, Ravenscroft received no payment for a song that earned Rafferty an income of £80,000 per annum. A session fee cheque for £27 given to Ravenscroft was said to have bounced, and been framed and hung on his solicitor's wall. [11] The bouncing cheque story was denied by Ravenscroft during an interview on BBC Radio 2's Simon Mayo Drivetime show on 9 February 2012. [19]
The saxophone riff was also the subject of another urban legend in the UK, created in the 1980s by British writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie. [3] As one of the spoof facts invented for the regular "Would You Believe It?" section in the NME , Maconie falsely claimed that British radio and television presenter Bob Holness had played the saxophone part on the recording, [3] and this claim was widely repeated. [20] [21]
Released as a single in 1978, "Baker Street" reached No. 3 in the UK [24] and No. 2 for six consecutive weeks in the US. It reached number one in Cash Box and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 [25] where it held its Billboard position for six weeks, kept out of the number one spot by Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing" (although this was later disputed). The song spent four weeks at number one in Canada, [26] reached number one in Australia, [27] and made it into the top 10 in seven European countries in addition to the UK. In October 2010, "Baker Street" was recognised by BMI for surpassing five million performances worldwide. [28]
Another urban myth has claimed that "Baker Street" did overtake "Shadow Dancing" on the Billboard Hot 100 during one of its seven weeks on top in the summer of 1978, with Casey Kasem recording his American Top 40 countdown placing it at #1. However, at a dinner with Gibb's managers, then-Billboard chart director Bill Wardlow was allegedly told that if "Shadow Dancing" did not remain at #1, Gibb would be pulled from the lineup of an upcoming Billboard-organized concert. Wardlow then supposedly asked the magazine to leave the song at the top, and Kasem was told to re-record his countdown. [29]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [56] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [57] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The song was cited by guitarist Slash in 1987 as an influence on his guitar solo in "Sweet Child o' Mine". [58]
Canadian rock musician A.C. Newman cited the song as an inspiration for his album Shut Down the Streets (2012). [59]
The song is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto V , as part of Los Santos Rock Radio. [60]
It is also heard in the Happy Endings episode "Cocktails and Dreams", (S02E16) in which Penny's dream involves a fingerpicked-guitar version of the saxophone riff.[ citation needed ], as well as in the closing scene of "Lisa's Sax" (S09E04), an episode of The Simpsons in which Lisa Simpson performs a brief rendition of the hook on a saxophone before the music segues into Rafferty's recording. [61]
The song also features prominently in episodes of Rick and Morty and A.P. Bio .[ citation needed ]
Beginning in the 2023-24 Scottish Premiership season, St. Mirren F.C. (based in Rafferty's hometown of Paisley) play the song pre-game.
"Baker Street" | ||||
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Single by Undercover | ||||
from the album Check Out the Groove | ||||
Released | 3 August 1992 | |||
Genre | Rave | |||
Length | 4:04 | |||
Label | PWL | |||
Songwriter(s) | Gerry Rafferty | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Mac | |||
Undercover singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Baker Street" on YouTube |
British dance group Undercover covered the song on their 1992 album Check Out the Groove . This version was released in August 1992 by PWL and produced by Steve Mac. It reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-three hit in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. A music video was produced to promote the single, shot in black-and-white. [62]
A writer for Lennox Herald named the song a "stand out" from the Undercover album. [63] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Gerry Rafferty's rainy days anthem is now transferred from the comfortable living room to the heat of clubland. The typical saxophone hook is on acid as well." [64] Mark Frith from Smash Hits commented, "This one's quite good actually. Transformed from a hoary old late '70s epic into a PWL rave anthem for the '90s, "Baker Street" has tootling sax, great vocals and is probably the most unusual record turned into a rave tune ever." [65]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Germany (BVMI) [88] | Gold | 250,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Baker Street" | |
---|---|
Song by Foo Fighters | |
Released | 19 January 1998 |
Recorded | 1997 |
Length | 5:39 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) | Gerry Rafferty |
Producer(s) | Simon Askew |
Country musician Waylon Jennings covered the song to open his 1987 album Hangin' Tough .
American rock band Foo Fighters covered the song on their 1998 "My Hero" UK CD single release, on the Australian tour pack (grey cover) release, on the limited-edition European bonus EP and as one of several bonus tracks added to the remastered tenth anniversary release of their second studio album, The Colour and the Shape , reissued in 2007. [89] The Foo Fighters cover does not include the saxophone riff, which is played instead on electric guitar. [90]
Stealers Wheel were a Scottish folk rock/rock band formed in 1972 in Paisley, Scotland, by former school friends Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty. Their best-known hit is "Stuck in the Middle with You". The band broke up in 1975 and re-formed briefly in 2008.
"Stuck in the Middle with You" is a song written by Scottish musicians Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan and performed by their band Stealers Wheel.
Gerald Rafferty was a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was a founding member of Stealers Wheel, whose biggest hit was "Stuck in the Middle with You" in 1973. His solo hits in the late 1970s included "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", and "Night Owl".
"Careless Whisper" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter George Michael. Released as the second single from Wham!'s second studio album Make It Big (1984), it was written by Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, with Michael producing the song. Although the song was released as part of Make It Big, the single release is credited to either Wham! featuring George Michael or solely to George Michael.
"Miss You" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on Rolling Stones Records in May 1978. It was released as the first single one month in advance of their album Some Girls. "Miss You" was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
"The Morning Papers" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation from their 1992 album Love Symbol. It was released as the fourth worldwide single from the album in March 1993 by Paisley Park and Warner Bros.; the B-side is "Live 4 Love", a track from Prince's previous album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991). The UK CD single included "Love 2 the 9's" as well, also from Love Symbol. "The Morning Papers" peaked at numbers 44 and 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
Raphael Ravenscroft was a British musician, composer and author. He is best known for playing the saxophone riff on Gerry Rafferty's song "Baker Street".
City to City is the second solo studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, released on 20 January 1978 by United Artists Records. It was Rafferty's first solo release in six years—and first release of any kind since 1975—due to his tenure in the band Stealers Wheel and subsequent legal proceedings which prevented Rafferty from releasing any new solo recordings for the next three years. The album was well received, peaking at No. 1 in the US and going Platinum, as well as reaching No. 6 in the UK Albums Chart and achieving Gold status. "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line" and "Home and Dry" were successfully released as singles.
"I Love Your Smile" is a song by American singer-songwriter Shanice, released in October 1991 by Motown as the lead single from her second studio album, Inner Child (1991). The song was produced by Narada Michael Walden, and the radio version removes the rap bridge from the album version. It features a saxophone solo by Branford Marsalis as well as laughter from Janet Jackson and René Elizondo Jr. near the end of the song. To date, "I Love Your Smile" is Shanice's best known and most successful hit.
"Urgent" is a song by the British-American rock band Foreigner, and the first single from their album 4 in 1981.
"Shadow Dancing" is a disco song performed by English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb. The song was released in April 1978 as the lead single from his second studio album of the same name. The song reached number one for seven consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. Albhy Galuten arranged the song with Barry Gibb. While Andy Gibb would have three more Top 10 hits in the U.S., this would be his final chart-topping hit in the United States. The song became a platinum record.
Night Owl is the third studio album by Scottish musician Gerry Rafferty. It was released a year after Rafferty's Platinum-selling album City to City. While not quite performing as well as its predecessor, Night Owl still managed enough sales to achieve platinum status in Canada, gold in the United Kingdom, and gold status in the U.S. The title song reached No. 5 on the UK charts. The album made the UK Top 10.
Ride a Rock Horse is the second solo studio album by English singer Roger Daltrey, released on 4 July 1975 by Track in the UK and MCA in the US. Ride a Rock Horse was recorded during Daltrey's filming commitments for Ken Russell's film Lisztomania. The album's cover, which is photographed and designed by Daltrey's cousin Graham Hughes, depicts the singer as a rampant centaur.
"Night Owl" is a song by Gerry Rafferty. It is the second track on his 1979 album of the same name. It features a Lyricon solo played by "Baker Street" saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft. An edited version, omitting one verse, made the top five in the UK Singles Chart, and along with "Baker Street" is one of two solo efforts by Gerry Rafferty to accomplish this feat.
"Right Down the Line" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. Released as a single in July 1978, it reached #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on Cash Box. It was the third release from Rafferty's City to City LP as the follow-up to his first major hit as a solo artist, "Baker Street".
"You Belong to Me" is a song written by American singer-songwriters Carly Simon and Michael McDonald. Originally recorded by McDonald's rock group The Doobie Brothers for their seventh studio album, Livin' on the Fault Line (1977), the song was made famous by Simon when she recorded it for her seventh studio album, Boys in the Trees (1978). A live version of the song from The Doobie Brothers' 1983 album Farewell Tour would later chart on the Pop Singles chart at No. 79 in August 1983.
Undercover is an English dance music group which was formed in 1991 and had three UK top-30 hits, two of them top-five, in 1992. The group's vocalist, John Matthews, continues to perform solo as Undercover across the UK, Europe and South America. The keyboard player, Steve Mac, went on to become a successful songwriter and music producer for many other artists. Bass guitarist Jon Jules went on to success in the UK soul music scene as a DJ, radio presenter and event organiser. He achieved many accolades, including best radio programme and is a seasoned presenter on the DAB soul internet radio station, Mi-Soul Radio.
"The Heat Is On" is a song written by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey, and recorded by Glenn Frey for the American film Beverly Hills Cop (1984). The song was published as a single and as the sixth track of the album Beverly Hills Cop: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1984).
Hugh Burns is a London-based Scottish guitarist and prolific recording artist. His guitar playing can be heard on many famous recordings, including Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" (1978) and "Careless Whisper" (1984) by George Michael/Wham!.
Check Out the Groove is the debut album by British dance group Undercover, released in 1992 on PWL International.