"Apple of My Eye" is a song recorded by the rock/pop band Badfinger for inclusion on their 1973 album, Ass. The song was written and sung by Pete Ham, produced by Chris Thomas and Badfinger, and released on Apple Records.
| "Apple of My Eye" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Badfinger | ||||
| from the album Ass | ||||
| B-side | "Blind Owl" | |||
| Released | December 1973 | |||
| Genre | Power pop | |||
| Length | 3:03 | |||
| Label | Apple | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Pete Ham | |||
| Producer(s) | Chris Thomas, Badfinger | |||
| Badfinger UK singles chronology | ||||
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| Badfinger US singles chronology | ||||
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Writing
editHam wrote the song about his mixed feelings upon the band's leaving Apple Records (which was the "apple of my eye" to Ham) to pursue a larger contract by moving to Warner Bros. Records.[1][2] The same concern is reflected on the Ass album cover, which shows a donkey following a carrot into the distance. Coincidentally, disregarding those performed by an ex-Beatle, it was the last single (Apple 49) released by Apple before its collapse.
Problems and release
editDue to Apple's financial chaos and its problems with the group, no new picture sleeve was created for the single, although some countries (such as the Netherlands, shown here) used a variant of the "Day After Day" sleeve.[3] It would become the original group's last single to chart in the US, although it missed making the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 102 on the "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles" chart.[1] It reached number 11 in South Africa.[4]
In most countries, Tom Evans' "Blind Owl" was released as the B-side. However, in Japan, "Apple of My Eye" was backed with Mike Gibbins' song "Cowboy", and in the Philippines, Evans' "When I Say" was the B-side.[1]
Reception
editClassic Rock History critic Janey Roberts also rated it as Badfinger's 5th best song, calling it "a beautiful song that signified the end of an era for Badfinger and their relationship with the Beatles Apple Records."[5] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it as Badfinger's 6th best song.[2] Classic Rock critic Rob Hughes rated it as Badfinger's 10th best song, calling it "a poignant farewell."[6]
Personnel
edit- Pete Ham – vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards
- Tom Evans – bass guitar
- Joey Molland – electric guitar
- Mike Gibbins – drums, percussion
References
edit- ^ a b c Matovina, Dan. Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger. Archived 2007-04-05 at the Wayback Machine ISBN 0-9657122-2-2.
- ^ a b Gallucci, Michael (April 26, 2013). "Top 10 Badfinger Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Scraping the Barrel: Apple 49 Archived 2007-10-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4-30-2008.
- ^ "SA Charts 1965 - 1989, Songs A-B". Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ^ Roberts, Janey (6 September 2019). "Top 10 Badfinger songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
- ^ Hughes, Rob (26 June 2016). "The top 10 best Badfinger songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
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