Just how many songs do you think there are with “baby” in the title? And we aren’t talking about our tiny friends. For almost as long as music has been written, the term has been used to describe a loved one or a partner.
So, I decided to search out the best songs with baby in the title. And I am going to look at as many genres as possible, starting with…
97 Best Songs with Baby in the Title
1 Baby Now That I’ve Found You by The Foundations
The Foundations were a band from West and North London to whom success arrived very quickly. They hadn’t been together long, and while they were playing local gigs, they still hadn’t formulated a final lineup.
This song that has baby in the title changed all of that. It was written by renowned British composers Tony Macauley and John McLeod in the same bar in Soho in London where Kark Marx wrote “Das Kapital.”
At the time…
There was a rise in the UK, and especially in London, of “Pseudo Soul/Motown” look-alike bands. Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band had an enormous following with albums like this and some wild performances.
There was a similar sound, but a little more reserved from a “cooler” band, you might say. Nevertheless, there was also a huge following for Jimmy James and The Vagabonds. Another West London band doing the same thing was Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers.
They were a little different in that they were an all-white group, whereas the other two had both black and white musicians.
There was already a market then for this sort of band…
And the Foundations got lucky with “Baby Now That I Found You.” In Clem Curtis, they had a great singer who pushed an already good song along, and it was given a big production.
Success was instantaneous but still surprising. Released in 1967, it went to #1 in the UK and rose to #11 in America. They were fortunate again in that the newly formed Radio One was looking for new talent, and this was played non-stop. And it is still played today.
2 Baby, Please Don’t Go by Them
This is a song with a huge history. The first version of it was recorded way back in 1935 by Big Joe Williams, a Delta Blues man.
The song changed over the years, and Them took their version from the style that Muddy Waters had used for it. Them’s version, with 19-year-old Van Morrison on vocals, was released in 1964.
It went into the Top 10 in the UK with what became a more important song for some, “Gloria” on the B-side.
Who Did What?
There are arguments about who played what on the track. The guitar riff was one of the stand-out parts of the recording and, in many ways, its backbone. The band and the engineer on the day claimed it was Billy Harrison, guitarist with Them, who played it.
Led Zepplin’s Jimmy Page, a young session musician at the time, has insinuated it was him. But others claim he was just playing rhythm guitar in the session.
Whoever or whatever, it was a great song with the word baby in it and one that the UK music scene needed badly at the time.
3 Baby, You’re A Rich Man by The Beatles
A song that is often overlooked because it was the B-side of John’s hippie anthem of 1967, “All You Need Is Love.” It was a song that John Lennon wrote and was left lying around for a while.
When it was reviewed a while later, Paul added the chorus from something he had written down and never used. It takes a bit of a potshot at the rich and “beautiful people” they had created. John was already pursuing a line of the importance of non-material wealth.
Early Sound Innovations
Always the innovators, it was the first recorded song to make use of the clavioline. This was a form of monophonic keyboard, the predecessor to the later and more sophisticated synthesizers. It gave the song an “Indian” feel.
It was also the first song they recorded in their EMI days away from EMI, or Abbey Road, as it is better known. “Baby You’re A Rich Man” was recorded and mixed at Olympic Studios in London. And Mick Jagger sang backing vocals.
Use in Films
It has been used many times as a soundtrack to various “anti-capitalist” films. Perhaps the most effective was the poignant take-down of Zuckerberg and Facebook quite recently.
“Keep All Your Money in a Big Brown Bag.” An interesting reference that we all know about but are not allowed to discuss.
A much deeper song than may immediately be obvious. It was an example of The Beatles moving into a new era of subject and sound.
4 Baby Driver by Simon and Garfunkel
This is a track from Bridge Over Troubled Water, which was the last album that Simon and Garfunkel produced as a duo. It was released on the B-side of the single “The Boxer” in 1969, the same year the album came out.
Now, I do not know what it is about this song. I have always been a fan of Paul Simon and his songwriting across all his reincarnations. But, recognizing all the wonderful songs he has written, there is just something about “Baby Driver.”
It has an infectious rhythm…
One that takes you back to the 50s with an easy-to-join-in tune. However, it is slightly out of character with most of the songs on the album. Maybe that is what makes it stand out.
It seems to have this joy and swagger about it. Strange to say, but it is in a similar vein to George Harrison’s “Here Comes The Sun.”
George wrote that song realizing he would soon be free of the constraints that at least one member of the band was placing on him. That and the constant, petty bickering that was going on.
In a similar way…
This song with baby in the title has that same feeling of impending freedom, no constraints; I am going to do what I want, a feel-good factor.
5 Baby, I Need Your Loving by The Four Tops
For those old enough to remember, this is going to take you back a bit. This was released in 1964 and was the group’s first single release for Motown. It was written by Holland, Dozier, and Holland. Motown’s production line for hit singles.
It reached #11 in America and #4 in Canada and featured James Jamerson on bass guitar. A simple song with the word baby in it and very typical of the early Motown era. It was designed to showcase the label as much as The Four Tops, and in that, it was a big success.
6 I Can’t Quit You Baby by Led Zeppelin
Okay, let’s have a change of pace with this list of the best songs with baby in the title. Let’s go to an album that took the world by the shirt collar and gave it a good shake.
In 1969, an album came out that made us all sit up and pay attention…
It wasn’t as good as what came next though. In my view, Zeppelin did not produce another album like Led Zeppelin 2. But this track came from Led Zeppelin 1.
It was written by Bluesman Willie Dixon and was first released by Otis Rush in 1956. A slow, very bluesy straight 12-bar song, the Zeppelin version is very similar to the Otis Rush version. But, I suppose when the basic framework is laid down, there isn’t much you can do, or it ceases to be a Blues song.
Robert Plant gives the song plenty of vocal aerobics, and Page’s fills are in line with strict Blues tradition. Listen out for the Page mistake in the solo, though. It was left in because it was felt it lent a little realism to the performance. Probably right, even he made mistakes occasionally.
7 Sugar Baby Love by The Rubettes
Well, I said we would cover as many styles and genres as possible in our look at famous songs with baby in the title. After Led Zep is in full flow, we go to the other end of the musical scale. Here is a 70s song that is sugar-sweet and produced for one reason only – to be a Pop success.
It was what was referred to at the time as “bubblegum music.” Released in early 1974, it was written by Wayne Bickerton and Tony Waddington. They were both members of Pete Best’s band after Ringo had taken his place with The Beatles in the early 60s.
The song became a hit before there was even a band…
That was not uncommon in those days. Edison Lighthouse and Love Grows was a similar situation. As was My Baby Loves Lovin’ by White Plains.
The Rubettes were formed in a similar way utilizing a few session musicians who happened to be free at the time. Therefore, the stage lineup could change week by week. “Sugar Baby Love” reached #1 in the UK and Holland.
8 Rock Your Baby by George McCrae
I once said that if I ever heard this song again, I would scream. So, please excuse me for a minute…XXX. Okay, better now; I needed that.
This was a big record in the days of disco…
It didn’t offer much musically or lyrically, but it wasn’t for that. The song was for dancing, and the audiences at his concerts loved it. It was his first single, and it was written by members of KC and the Sunshine Band. Evidently, that is the way they liked it.
Number one in the UK and America and half a dozen other countries as well, you could say it did very well. The track used a drum machine, but in live performances, he used a human drummer. Much to his disgust, I think.
It was one of the very few records that sold over 10 million physical copies. At a time when many singers were, shall we say, awkward, he wasn’t. He was an all-around nice guy who even shared a dressing room with his band and bought them a beer occasionally.
9 Baby I’m-a Want You by Bread
This was a ballad from the Soft-Rock band Bread that was written by David Gates. It was released in 1972 and was also the name of the album released six months later. It was one of Bread’s best-selling singles, reaching #14 in the UK and #3 in America.
10 Be My Baby by The Ronettes
This takes us back to what some called “the age of innocence.” Of course, it wasn’t. But it wasn’t as wild as some things are today. At the time, the best girl group there was. Yes, better than Miss Ross.
They had good vocals, but the sound created by Phil Spector was sensational, his “wall of sound.” He used his house band, The Wrecking Crew, plus strings and other instruments to fill it out.
It was released in 1963 and reached #4 in the UK and #2 in America. Interestingly, Veronica Bennet is the only of the girls who sang on the track.
The Brian Wilson Connection
Wilson called it the greatest Pop song ever and was infatuated with it. His daughter, Carnie, born in 1968, remembers hearing it endless times every day as she was growing up.
Wilson stated to all that the musical and harmonic balance was pure genius and at a similar academic level as Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Not sure I would agree with him there.
He studied the song for hours and then delivered the Beach Boys’ answer to it, which we will look at next.
11 Don’t Worry Baby by The Beach Boys
As we have just seen, Wilson was absorbed by the construction and the sound of “Be My Baby.” The outcome was a track from the Beach Boys that was like a male version of The Ronettes’ song.
It was released in 1964…
As the B-side to the Beach Boys classic, “I Get Around.” It was also included on their album, Shut Down Volume 2, from 1964.
Wilson offered “Don’t Worry Baby” to The Ronettes before the Beach Boys recorded it. But Spector turned it down. Spector, along with a couple of buddies, wrote The Ronettes’ songs.
The song was very much a one-off in the Beach Boys catalog regarding its style of writing. Wilson went back to doing what he was best at after its release. Nonetheless, it remains one of the best songs with baby in the title.
12 Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Ella Fitzgerald
A quick trip back in time now to a song written for the film “Neptune’s Daughter” from 1949. It was written by Frank Loesser. It contains no mention at all of Christmas or a holiday, but it has always been seen as having that as its theme.
I have included the Ella Fitzgerald version here, which was a modest success on both sides of the Atlantic. All told, it’s one of the most well known songs with baby in the title.
13 Love To Love You Baby by Donna Summer
This song was taken from her second album of the same name. This was her first major recording success in America, where it reached #2. It also did well in the UK, peaking at #4 despite being banned by the BBC for being too suggestive.
If there is one way to guarantee sales, it is to ban a record. It was made for the growing disco market, where it had a huge impact. It also brought Donna Summer worldwide recognition.
14 Baby Love by The Supremes
I usually avoid including anything by The Supremes on these lists if I can. The behavior of “wonder woman” was appalling and so I don’t feel the need to give her any recognition whatsoever.
This is an exception. It was a good song and one of their early hits and included Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson.
I have included it as recognition for both girls’ input and in remembrance of Florence, the original lead singer of the group until egos took over. She chose the name “The Supremes” when they signed for Motown. It reached #1 in the UK and America.
15 Baby Come Back by The Equals
During the mid-60s, there was an increase in bands that had a mix of black and white musicians. We have already looked at The Foundations, Geno Washington and The RamJam Band, and Jimmy James and The Vagabonds.
In the future, another hugely popular similar lineup with Hot Chocolate was to come. But this was The Equals, another band with a mixed lineup led by the talented Eddy Grant. It was a mix that worked well and brought together different musical cultures and ideas.
They had a string of hits during the late 60s and in the 70s…
“Baby Come Back” was taken from their album, Unequalled Equals. Originally, it had been a B-side in 1966, but was released as a single in 1968 and became their most successful song. It reached #1 in the UK and #32 in America. It was a popular song at the time in dance halls for its driving beat.
16 Baby, I Love You by The Ronettes
Back to The Ronettes for one more with that Spector sound. It was released in 1963 and was taken from their album, Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes.
Not dissimilar in many ways to “Be My Baby.” They, with Spector, had found a winning formula and stuck with it for a while.
Besides Brian Wilson, Jimi Hendrix was also a big fan of The Ronettes. They had known him from the 60s in Manhattan. Estelle and Ronnie were invited to put backing vocals on the Hendrix track “Earth Blues,” for which they were credited. It was released after Hendrix’s death.
17 It’s All over Now, Baby Blue by Bob Dylan
Now for a song that uses the word baby in the title from the master storyteller Bob Dylan. This is a song from one of his early great albums, Bringing It All Back Home.
Many people at the time didn’t realize Dylan’s level of intelligence and learning. Some still don’t. This song was written in the style of French and Belgian poets of the late 1800s that became known as “Symbolist Poetry.”
Its style represented truth through the use of metaphorical symbols and images within the lyrics. All very deep, hard to understand, and even harder to create; Dylan used it in this song.
What is it about, and who is “Baby Blue”?
Some said it was about Joan Baez, who they thought had rejected him. But I had a conversation once about this album and Dylan’s change in approach. He was leaving Folk music behind and integrating it with and becoming more electric with his guitar style.
It was a song he may have been writing for his “folk-obsessed” audience. “Baby Blue” was not a person but his audience. “It’s all over now” is an indication of his change of direction to come, a cryptic message for them that things were changing.
A great song, and if you like early Dylan, probably one of your favorites.
18 Cry Baby Cry by The Beatles
Some might think it a strange way to finish this rundown of the best songs with baby in the title, but it’s not. It is taken from, in my view, the greatest album The Beatles recorded, The White Album, from 1968.
“Cry Baby Cry” is a great John Lennon song that he had written the year before. Lennon used elements of the nursery rhyme “Sing a Song Of Sixpence” in the writing.
To many, it is an unremarkable song…
But there is something about it that cries out. That something, probably John’s vocals, may have been affected by Geoff Emerick.
Emerick, a long-term friend of John, had been the recording engineer on so many of their singles and albums. He just had enough of the bickering. So, one day and in the middle of the recording of this song, he quit and walked out. He cited certain elements within the band he could no longer work with.
However, he would work with John a bit later on the “The Ballad Of John And Yoko.”
19Baby One More Time by Britney Spears,
20Always Be My Baby by Mariah Carey,
21Baby, I’m In the Mood for You by Bob Dylan,
22Baby I’m Yours by Barbara Lewis,
23Baby, You’re a Big Girl Now by Bob Dylan,
24Baby Don’t You Do It by The Band,
25Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On by Mel McDaniel,
26You Baby by The Turtles,
27Baby Don’t Go by Sonny and Cher,
28Baby, Baby Don’t Cry by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles,
29Baby, Don’t You Do It by Marvin Gaye,
30Baby, Baby All the Time by Ella Fitzgerald,
31Baby, I’m Gonna Leave You by Led Zeppelin,
32Baby, You’ve Got What It Takes by Brook Benton and Dinah Washington,
33Sweet Baby James by James Taylor,
34Rock-A-Bye Baby by The Jackson 5,
35Baby I’m-a Want You by The Lemonheads,
36Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor) by Pitbull ft. T-Pain,
37Baby, You’re A Haunted House by Gerard Way,
38Baby, Let Me Follow You Down by Bob Dylan,
39Baby, I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton,
40Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand by The Beatles,
41Be My Baby Tonight by John Michael Montgomery,
42Baby I Need You by Kim Taylor,
43Baby, I Love You by Aretha Franklin,
44Baby, Baby, Don’t Cry by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles,
45Baby It’s You by The Beatles,
46Baby, I’m Hooked by Con Funk Shun,
47(You’re My) Soul And Inspiration by The Righteous Brothers,
48Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu by Johnny Rivers,
49Baby I’m in Love with You by Mark Wills,
50Baby’s In Black by The Beatles,
More 47 Songs with Baby in the Title
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- Hit Me Baby One More Time by The Offspring,
- Baby Blue by Badfinger,
- My Baby Just Cares for Me by Nina Simone,
- Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot,
- Baby Hold On by Eddie Money,
- Baby, I’m Yours by The Arctic Monkeys,
- Baby I’m Burnin’ by Dolly Parton,
- Baby, Please Set a Date by Otis Rush,
- Baby, I’ve Been Missing You by The Independents,
- Baby, I’m In Love by Thalia,
- Baby Shark by Pinkfong,
- I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight by Bob Dylan,
- Baby, You’ve Got A Friend by James Taylor,
- Ooo Baby Baby by The Miracles,
- Baby, It’s Me by Diana Ross,
- Baby, Come To Me by Patti Austin and James Ingram,
- Baby, Please by Billie Holiday,
- Baby What a Big Surprise by Chicago,
- Baby Let’s Play House by Elvis Presley,
- My Baby Left Me by Elvis Presley,
- Baby Doll by Mariah Carey,
- Baby Fratelli by The Fratellis,
- Baby You’re a Haunted House by Gerard Way,
- Stay Baby Stay by Dion,
- Oh Baby Don’t You Loose Your Lip on Me by Louis Armstrong,
- Baby, It’s You by The Shirelles
- Baby Please by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
- Baby’s In Black by The Beatles
- Baby’s Got Sauce by G. Love & Special Sauce
- Baby I’m Yours by Barbara Lewis
- My Baby by The Temptations
- Baby, I’m In the Mood For You by Bob Dylan
- Baby, Stop Crying by Bob Dylan
- Baby Don’t Cry by INXS
- Baby’s Breath by Billy Idol
- Baby You’re A Haunted House by Gerard Way
- Baby by Ariel Pink
- Cry Baby by Janis Joplin
- Baby You’re A Trip by Jill Jones
- Baby Grand by Billy Joel (ft. Ray Charles)
- Baby I Need You Loving by Johnny Rivers
- Baby Workout by Jackie Wilson
- Baby Boy by Beyoncé featuring Sean Paul
- Baby’s Coming Back by Jellyfish
- Baby’s in Love by CeeLo Green featuring Little Dicky
- Baby Don’t Change Your Mind by Gladys Knight & the Pips
- Baby I’m a Star by Prince.
Looking for More Great Songs About Relationships?
Well, take a look at our detailed articles on the Best Songs About Brothers, the Best Songs About Daughters, the Best Songs About Sons, the Best Songs About Having A Baby, and the Best Songs About Friendship for more great song selections.
Best Songs with Baby in the Title – Final Thoughts
Quite a selection of styles and genres. Some songs with meanings, others just for fun. The word “baby” has been used possibly more than any other word in lyrical terms.
You might think it is a corny word to use. But take a look at some of the great songs with the word baby. It has inspired everyone from the “bubblegum writers” to John Lennon and Bob Dylan.
As a word, we should be thankful for it and that it has inspired songwriters across generations. And that inspiration has given us some great music.
Until next time, happy listening.
