"Don't Call Me Baby" is a song by English-American alternative pop rock band Voice of the Beehive. The song was written by lead singer Tracey Bryn with guitarist and keyboardist Mike Jones and was released as the fourth single from the band's debut album, Let It Bee (1988), on May 2, 1988. Backed with "Jump This Way" outside the US, it became a hit, peaking at No. 15 in the United Kingdom, No. 48 in Australia, and No. 25 in New Zealand. The song was included on the band's compilation albums A Portrait and The Best of Voice of the Beehive.
| "Don't Call Me Baby" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Voice of the Beehive | ||||
| from the album Let It Bee | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | May 2, 1988[1] | |||
| Studio | Puk (Kærby, Denmark) | |||
| Length | 3:05 | |||
| Label | London | |||
| Composer(s) | Mike Jones | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Tracey Bryn | |||
| Producer(s) | Pete Collins | |||
| Voice of the Beehive singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editIn a 2022 interview with British newspaper The Guardian, Voice of the Beehive member Tracey Bryn explained that she was living with her boyfriend in London, England, when she came up with the song. Her boyfriend attempted to start a recording career of his own by playing a cassette tape of his music for Food Records. However, the record company accidentally played the wrong side of the cassette, on which Bryn had recorded one of her tracks. They ultimately decided to work with Bryn instead of her boyfriend, which quickly led to them splitting up.[2]
Bryn soon decided to write a song that sounded like a teenage anthem. She explained:
I had heard Robert Smith from the Cure saying one of their songs was a crack at a teenage anthem. I wanted to try that too, but didn't want us to sing: "Baby, why don't you love me?" I always hated it when guys called me "baby". I remembered a movie where Ann-Margret says "Don't call me baby" to Elvis Presley. I had liked the line so much I'd written it down in my journal, so when I was looking for ideas, I thought: "Ah-ha!"[2]
In the same interview, Bryn's bandmate Melissa Belland stated that when she found out Bryn had moved to London, she immediately followed her. Once they joined Food Records, the label hired the duo's rhythm section by asking two members from English ska band Madness—Dan "Woody" Woodgate and Mark "Bedders" Bedford—to assist them. However, Bedders soon left, with Martin Brett replacing him on bass guitar. According to Belland, "...he challenged Woody musically and they sort of made each other even better".[2] The group recorded the track at Puk Studios in Kærby, Denmark.[2]
Lyrical content
editBryn co-wrote "Don't Call Me Baby" with Mike Jones, who composed the music while Bryn wrote the lyrics. As she did, she thought back to one of her ex-boyfriends in the United States who used to call her "baby" and was unfaithful to her. The ex-boyfriend claimed that he had been borrowing Bryn's car to run errands, but in reality, he was taking another girl out on dates. One of the song's lyrics, "meeting at midnight while avoiding all the neighbours", refers to how the ex-boyfriend would hide both of his girlfriends from the neighbors so they would not notice his infidelity. Belland sings the first verse, but Food Records initially did not want her to.[2]
Track listings
edit|
US 7-inch single[3]
International 7-inch single[4][5]
UK and Australasian 12-inch single[6]
|
UK and European CD single[7]
UK and European CD Video single[8]
|
Personnel
editPersonnel are taken from the UK CD single liner and disc notes.[7]
- Tracey Bryn – words
- Mike Jones – music
- Pete Collins – production
- Nigel Green – mixing
- Vivid I.D. – art direction and design
- Mike Owen – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[9] | 48 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] | 50 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] | 25 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[12] | 15 |
References
edit- ^ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. April 30, 1988. p. 26. Retrieved July 10, 2021. Misprinted as May 3.
- ^ a b c d e Bryn, Tracey; Belland, Melissa (28 November 2022). "'I Wrote It About an Ex Who Borrowed My Car to Take Out Another Girl': Voice of the Beehive on Don't Call Me Baby". The Guardian (Interview). Interviewed by Dave Simpson. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Don't Call Me Baby (US 7-inch single sleeve). Voice of the Beehive. London Records. 1988. 886 500-7.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Don't Call Me Baby (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Voice of the Beehive. London Records. 1988. LON 175, 886 280-7.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Don't Call Me Baby (Australasian 7-inch single sleeve). Voice of the Beehive. London Records. 1988. 886 280-7.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Don't Call Me Baby (UK & Australasian 12-inch single sleeve). Voice of the Beehive. London Records. 1988. LONX 175, 886 280-1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b Don't Call Me Baby (UK & European CD single liner and disc notes). Voice of the Beehive. London Records. 1988. LONCD 175, 886 280-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Don't Call Me Baby (UK & European CDV single liner notes). Voice of the Beehive. London Records. 1988. 080 484-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Voice of the Beehive – Don't Call Me Baby". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 26. June 25, 1988. p. 18. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ "Voice of the Beehive – Don't Call Me Baby". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 20, 2019.