Bop Bop Baby Explained

Bop Bop Baby
Cover:	Westlife Bop Bop Baby.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Westlife
Album:	World of Our Own
Studio:	Rokstone (London, England)
Length:	4:22 (LP version) 4:30 (single remix)
Label:	BMG, RCA, S
Producer:	Steve Mac
Prev Title:	World of Our Own
Prev Year:	2002
Next Title:	Unbreakable
Next Year:	2002

"Bop Bop Baby" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife and it was released on 20 May 2002 as the third and final single from their third studio album, World of Our Own (2001). The single peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart; during an interview, the band claimed this was due to the obscure choice of single, as they would have much preferred to release "Why Do I Love You", for which they had recorded a video. It is the band's 18th-best-selling single in paid-for sales and in combined sales in the United Kingdom as of January 2019.^[1] Billboard named the single one of the "Top 15 Underrated Boy Band Jams" in 2015.^[2]

Background

The song was written by band members Brian McFadden and Shane Filan alongside Graham Murphy and Chris O'Brien. This is their first song co-written by the band members that was released as a single. McFadden said that he got inspired to write the lyrics after watching a Beach Boys documentary. It was composed in the traditional verse–chorus form in D major, with McFadden, Filan, and Mark Feehily's vocals ranging from the chords of G₃ to A₅.^[3]

Music video

The video for "Bop Bop Baby" was initially to be directed by Vaughn Arnell and was to feature the band in front of the Irish skyline. Instead, the video was directed by Max & Dania.^[4] The video was supposed to have Naomi Campbell as the leading lady, but she cancelled her participation at the last minute, and Leah Wood took over. The video was filmed at the University of Hertfordshire and took 32 hours to film. There were 25 extras on set, seven stuntmen, two horses, and Janty Yates (the costume designer for Russell Crowe's box office smash Gladiator).

The video is set during the Medieval times. At the start of the video, it is said that a beautiful maiden wishes to marry for love, but her father wants her to marry Duke Vincent (Vinnie Jones), the vilest man in the kingdom for money. The band members serve as Musketeers who are imprisoned in a dungeon by the Duke. McFadden attempts to approach a nearby prisoner but is scared off. The five members then break free, riding on horses, they arrive at the wedding and battle the Duke's men. At one point, Kian Egan and Feehily nearly slash each other, screaming in the process before they got attacked by the Duke. The band members then attack the Duke before fleeing the church with the maiden with the Duke in pursuit. Billboard called the video "unintentionally hilarious" as well as a "riotous masterpiece".^[2]

Track listings

UK CD1^[5]

1. "Bop Bop Baby" (single remix)
2. "You Don't Know"
3. "Imaginary Diva" (Orphans remix)
4. "Bop Bop Baby" (CD ROM video)

UK CD2^[6]

1. "Bop Bop Baby" (single remix)
2. "Bop Bop Baby" (Almighty radio edit)
3. Band interviews (CD ROM)

UK cassette single^[7]

1. "Bop Bop Baby" (single remix)
2. "You Don't Know"
3. "Imaginary Diva" (Orphans remix)

European CD single^[8]

1. "Bop Bop Baby"
2. "You Don't Know"

Australian CD single^[9]

1. "Bop Bop Baby" (single remix)
2. "Bop Bop Baby" (Almighty radio edit)
3. "Bad Girls"
4. Video excerpts and band interviews

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the Unbreakable – The Greatest Hits Volume 1 album booklet.^[10]

Studios

• Engineered at Rokstone Studios (London, England), Windmill Lane (Dublin, Ireland), and Olympic Studios (London, England)
• Mastered at Transfermation (London, England)

Personnel

• Brian McFadden – writing
• Shane Filan – writing
• Graham Murphy – writing
• Chris O'Brien – writing
• Paul Gendler – guitars
• Steve Pearce – bass
• Dave Arch – Hammond organ
• Steve Mac – keyboards, production, arrangement, mixing
• Chris Laws – drums, engineering, Pro Tools engineering
• Matt Howe – mix engineering
• Daniel Pursey – assistant engineering
• Quentin Guiné – assistant engineering
• Lee McCutcheon – Pro Tools engineering
• Richard Dowling – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2002)	Peak position
Czech Republic (IFPI)^[11]	30
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[12]	12
Romania (Romanian Top 100)^[13]	13

Year-end charts

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
Sweden	20 May 2002	CD		^[15] ^[16]
United Kingdom				^[17]
Australia	15 July 2002	CD		^[18]
New Zealand	5 August 2002			^[19]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Westlife's Top 20 biggest songs on the Official Charts. Copsey. Rob. 12 January 2019. Official Charts Company. 12 January 2019.
2. Top 15 Underrated Boy Band Jams. Lipshutz. Jason. Billboard. 14 July 2015. 16 June 2022.
3. Web site: Bop Bop Baby BY WESTLIFE - DIGITAL SHEET MUSIC. Musicnotes .
4. Web site: The Making Of Bop Bop Baby ~ Westlife. dee exx. YouTube. 25 November 2010. live. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/XSp272jR3xI. 15 December 2021. 20 April 2018.
5. Bop Bop Baby. Westlife. 2002. UK CD1 liner notes. BMG UK & Ireland, RCA Records, S Records. 74321 940452.
6. Bop Bop Baby. Westlife. 2002. UK CD2 liner notes. BMG UK & Ireland, RCA Records, S Records. 74321 940472.
7. Bop Bop Baby. Westlife. 2002. UK cassette single sleeve. BMG UK & Ireland, RCA Records, S Records. 74321 340454.
8. Bop Bop Baby. Westlife. 2002. European CD single liner notes. BMG, RCA Records, S Records. 74321 939002.
9. Bop Bop Baby. Westlife. 2002. Australian CD single liner notes. BMG, RCA Records, S Records. 74321938992.
10. Unbreakable – The Greatest Hits Volume 1. Unbreakable – The Greatest Hits Volume 1. Westlife. 2002. UK CD album booklet. BMG UK & Ireland, RCA Records, S Records. 74321 970672.
11. Web site: Oficiální česká hitparáda - 22/2002. IFPI CR. cs. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20020601185717/http://www.ifpicr.cz/radio.htm. 1 June 2002. 9 February 2021.
12. Book: Billboard – Google Books. Google Books. 8 June 2002. 20 February 2014.
13. Web site: Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 26, saptamina 1.07–7.07, 2002. Romanian Top 100. ro. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20050216025000/http://www.rt100.ro/editie-top-100_x10027.html. 16 February 2005. 10 May 2020.
14. Web site: Top 100 Songs of 2002. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2002. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20040602113021/http://www.rte.ie/2fm/charts/top100_2002.html. 2 June 2004. 16 March 2022.
15. Web site: Westlife: Bop Bop Baby. click2music.se. sv. https://web.archive.org/web/20050222182313/http://click2music.se/product.asp?prd=1484&art=32. 22 February 2005. 30 November 2023.
16. Web site: Westlife: Bob Bob Baby (Video + Poster). click2music.se. sv. https://web.archive.org/web/20050222181629/http://click2music.se/product.asp?prd=1483&art=32. 22 February 2005. 30 November 2023.
17. New Releases – For Week Starting 20 May 2002: Singles. Music Week. 27. 18 May 2002. 26 August 2021.
18. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 15th July 2002. ARIA. 25. 15 July 2002. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20020806140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20020807-0000/Issue646.pdf. 6 August 2002. 30 April 2021.
19. Web site: New Releases. netcd.co.nz. 5 August 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020812155759/http://netcd.co.nz/NewReleases.html. 12 August 2002. 8 November 2023.