Don't Make My Baby Blue Explained

Don't Make My Baby Blue
Cover:Frankie Laine Don't Make My Baby Blue.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Frankie Laine
B-Side:The Moment of Truth
Recorded:4 March 1963
Studio:CBS Columbia Square, Sunset Boulevard, California
Genre:Pop
Length:2:09
Label:Columbia
Producer:Terry Melcher
Prev Title:A Wedded Man
Prev Year:1962
Next Title:I'm Gonna Be Strong
Next Year:1963

"Don't Make My Baby Blue" is a song by Frankie Laine, released as a single in March 1963. It peaked at number 51 on Billboard Hot 100. It was later covered by the Shadows, who had a hit with it in the UK. Laine also recorded the song in Spanish, Italian and German.

Release and reception

"Don't Make My Baby Blue" was recorded by Laine at the beginning of March 1963 at CBS Columbia Square Studios in Sunset Boulevard. It was produced by Terry Melcher and features an orchestra arranged and conducted by Jack Nitzsche. It was released as a single at the end of March with the B-side "The Moment of Truth", a song written by Laine, Nell Western and Fred Katz that appeared on his 1963 album Wanderlust.[1]

Reviewed in Billboard, it was described as Laine's "best record in a long, long time" with "a multi-tracked contemporary sound that's bound to rocket the vet singer to hitland".[2] In Cash Box, it was described as being Laine's "strongest bid for teen-market acceptance" and has "over-dubbed against a first-rate Nashville-styled ork-chorus backdrop".[3]

Track listing

7": Columbia / 4-42767

  1. "Don't Make My Baby Blue" – 2:09
  2. "The Moment of Truth" – 2:40

The Shadows version

Don't Make My Baby Blue
Cover:The Shadows Don't Make My Baby Blue.jpg
Caption:Cover of the single released in Germany
Type:single
Artist:The Shadows
B-Side:My Grandfather's Clock
Recorded:1965[5]
Studio:
Genre:Pop
Length:2:13
Label:Columbia
Producer:Norrie Paramor
Prev Title:Stingray
Prev Year:1965
Next Title:The War Lord
Next Year:1965

In July 1965, British group the Shadows released a cover of the song as a single. It peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming their last top-ten hit until "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" in 1978.

Release and reception

The basic track was recorded in May 1965 at the Estúdios Valentim de Carvalho in Lisbon; however, the vocal overdubs were recorded at EMI Studios in London, though the precise date is unknown.[5] It was released with the B-side "My Grandfather's Clock", a standard written in the late 1800s.[6]

Reviewed in Record Mirror, it was described as having "a solid, heavy sound", "with some atmospheric old rock style guitar work backing things up. Ultra-commercial, usual pop format, but well produced and presented. A lot better than most vocal group discs".[7] For New Musical Express, Derek Johnson described the song as "a melodic rockaballad, with a hummable, easy-to-remember tune, it has a thumping beat, some resonant Marvin guitar work, and added piano. Extremely good of its kind, and quite unlike anything the Shads have done before".[8]

Track listing

7": Columbia / DB 7650

  1. "Don't Make My Baby Blue" – 2:13
  2. "My Grandfather's Clock" – 2:41

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1965–66)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 39
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 34
New Zealand (Listener)[11] 12

Other versions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Frankie Laine – Don't Make My Baby Blue / The Moment Of Truth (1963, Bridgeport Pressing, Vinyl). Discogs. 1963 . en. 2021-12-01.
  2. 13 April 1963. Singles Reviews. Billboard. 34. 1 December 2021.
  3. 13 April 1963. Record Reviews. Cash Box. 10. 1 December 2021.
  4. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. . 2005. 0-646-44439-5. Kent Music Report.
  5. Web site: Koers. Ivo. Instrumentation On Shadows Recordings II: The Primary Singles. live. 1 December 2021. malcolmcampbell.me.uk. 24. https://web.archive.org/web/20210830221022/http://www.malcolmcampbell.me.uk/instrumentation-update2/instrumentation-update2-file02.pdf . 2021-08-30 .
  6. Web site: The Shadows - Don't Make My Baby Blue. 45cat. 2021-12-01.
  7. 24 July 1965. Record Mirror. Record Mirror. 5, 9. 1 December 2021.
  8. 23 July 1965. Singles. New Musical Express. 4. 1 December 2021.
  9. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. . 2005. 0-646-44439-5. Kent Music Report.
  10. Book: van Slooten, Johan . Top 40 Hitdossier 1965-2005 (inclusief alle 'prehistorische' hits van 1956 to 1965)". 9th . 2005 . J.H. Gottmer / H.J.W. Becht BV . Haarlem . Dutch . 90-230-1144-9 .
  11. Web site: flavour of new zealand – search listener. live. 1 December 2021. flavourofnz.co.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20210902110824/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=12 . 2021-09-02 .
  12. Web site: Lonnie Mack - Don't Make My Baby Blue. Discogs. 2021-12-01.
  13. Web site: Teddy Robin & The Playboys – Memories (1968, Vinyl). Discogs. 1968 . en. 2021-12-01.
  14. Web site: The Move – Shazam (1970, Vinyl). Discogs. March 1970 . en. 2021-12-01.
  15. Web site: Keld Heick – Time Machine (2010, CD). Discogs. en. 2021-12-01.