‘Baby Come Back’ is a song by the British-American rock band Player. It was released in late 1977 as the lead single from their 1977 self-titled debut album, and was the breakthrough single for the band, gaining them mainstream success, hitting #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the three consecutive weeks of January 14, 21 and 28, 1978 and #10 on the R&B charts in 1978. Their biggest hit single, the song was written and performed by Peter Beckett and J.C. Crowley, the founders of Player.
As reported on the American Top 40 replay broadcast of November 5, 1977, the apotheosis of "I made a terrible mistake and now I want you back" songs, ‘Baby Come Back’ was rooted in real heartbreak. It was written by Player founders Peter Beckett and J. C. Crowley. Beckett is from Liverpool, England (home of The Beatles), but moved to Los Angeles to join a band called Skyband, which broke up after one album. By the time he formed Player with Crowley, his wife had left him and returned to England. Crowley was also going through a breakup, so channeled their feeling into the song. Beckett sang lead on the track.
‘Baby Come Back’ earned Player a record deal. After Peter Beckett and J. C. Crowley, who were both singer-guitarists, wrote the song, they added bass player Ronn Moss and pitched it to producers. The production team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter heard its hit potential straight away and took it to RSO Records, which signed the band. Adding drummer John Friesen to the lineup, they recorded their debut album before they ever played live together. ‘Baby Come Back,’ released as the first single, was a huge hit, going to #1 in January 1978 and staying for three weeks.
Player bassist Ronn Moss became a very popular star on the CBS Soap Opera The Bold And The Beautiful, playing the character Ridge Forrester from 1987–2012. Crowley left Player after their second album and went on to write songs recorded by Smokey Robinson, Johnny Cash, The Little River Band and many others. He released a solo album in 1988 entitled Beneath The Texas Moon; the title track appeared in Clint Eastwood's move Pink Cadillac.
Labels – RSO (UK & Nor. Am.), Philips (intl.)
Songwriters – Peter Beckett, J.C. Crowley
Producers – Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Spending all my nights, all my money going out on the town
Doing anything just to get you off of my mind
But when the morning comes, I'm right back where I started again
And tryin' to forget you is just a waste of time
[Chorus]
Baby come back, any kind of fool could see
There was something in everything about you
Baby come back, you can blame it all on me
I was wrong and I just can't live without you
[Verse 2]
All day long, I'm wearing a mask of false bravado
Trying to keep up a smile that hides a tear
But as the sun goes down, I get that empty feeling again
How I wish to God that you were here
[Chorus]
Baby come back, oh baby, any kind of fool could see
There was something in everything about you
Baby come back, you can blame it all on me
I was wrong and I just can't live without you, oh
[Bridge]
Now that I put it all together, oh oh
Give me the chance to make you see
Have you used up all the love in your heart?
Nothing left for me? Ain't there nothing left for me?
[Chorus]
Baby come back, oh darling, any kind of fool could see
There was something in everything about you
Baby come back, listen baby, you can blame it all on me
I was wrong and I just can't live without you
I was wrong and I just can't live