{{Infobox song | name = Star Baby | image = Star baby by the guess who US single side-A (pressing A).png | alt = | caption = Side A of the US single | type = single | artist = The Guess Who | album = Road Food | B-side = Musicioné | released = February 1974 | recorded = 1973 | studio = | venue = | genre = Rock, power pop | length = {{Duration|m=2|s=42}} | label = RCA Victor | writer = Burton Cummings | producer = Jack Richardson | prev_title = Glamour Boy | prev_year = 1973 | next_title = Clap for the Wolfman | next_year = 1974 | misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|AfFyjozb9uM|"Star Baby" (1973 Live TV )}}}} }}
"'''Star Baby'''" is a 1974 hit song by The Guess Who. It was written by Burton Cummings who also provided the lead vocals. It is classified in the genre of Power pop and was included on the group's LP entitled, ''Road Food'' as well as ''The Guess Who – Greatest Hits'' in 1999 and ''Anthology'' in 2003. The band performed the song on the ''Midnight Special'' television program on December 14, 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-guess-who/1973/the-midnight-special-burbank-ca-5bcc5764.html |title=The Guess Who Concert Setlist at The Midnight Special, Burbank on December 14, 1973 |website=Setlist.fm |date= |accessdate=2016-10-10}}</ref>
"Star Baby" reached number 39 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>[http://musicvf.com/song.php?title=Star+Baby+by+The+Guess+Who&id=43113 The Guess Who, "Star Baby" US Chart Position] Retrieved March 7, 2015</ref> and number 30 on ''Cash Box''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19740608.html |title=CASH BOX Top 100 Singles, June 8, 1974 |access-date=January 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102171808/http://www.tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19740608.html |archive-date=January 2, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Canada, the song spent three weeks at number 9.<ref>[http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5033a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=98q6tcgku7546lsrfi3gr83pp7 The Guess Who, "Star Baby" Canadian Chart Position] Retrieved March 7, 2015</ref> The song was ranked as the 92nd biggest Canadian hit of 1974.<ref>[http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?file_num=nlc008388.3893a&brws_s=&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=fg2n0fik1pb99sb34uaa508846 The Top 200 Singles of 1974 from the RPM 100 Charts] Retrieved March 7, 2015</ref> Although The Guess Who had a dozen higher-charting songs in the US, "Star Baby" remained on the chart longer than any of their other hits - 19 weeks, which was four weeks longer than their number-one hit "American Woman".<ref> {{cite book | first1=Joel | last1=Whitman | title=Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 | publisher=Record Research | year=2003 | isbn=0-89820-155-1 | page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/294 294] | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/294 }}</ref>
The song was a major hit in Chicago, peaking at number three and receiving significant airplay on radio superstation WLS<ref>[http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls060174.htm WLS Musicradio Survey, June 1, 1974 Vol. 14, No. 34]</ref><ref>[http://www.wlshistory.com/big89/1974.htm The WLS Big 89 Countdown!: 1974] Retrieved March 7, 2015</ref> as well as on its competing station, WCFL.<ref>[http://www.oldiesloon.com/ilc/wcfl740608.htm WCFL-AM, Chicago, Ill. Super CFL Survey June 8, 1974]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oldiesloon.com/ilc/wcfl750104.htm|title = Wcfl750104}}</ref>
==Background== Cummings said of the song: "One of our roadies was having an affair with Bonnie Bramlett (from the rock group Delaney & Bonnie), who was opening for us way back in the '70s. When I wrote it I was trying to see Bonnie through our roadie’s eyes and what he might say to her. It was finished really quickly. I wrote that in about 20 minutes."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Burton Cummings Stands Tall|url=http://www.popentertainment.com/cummings.htm|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>
==Television performance== The Guess Who performed "Star Baby" on ''The Midnight Special'' television program (season 2, episode 14) on December 14, 1973. Loggins and Messina hosted the show that week.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-guess-who/1973/the-midnight-special-burbank-ca-5bcc5764.html|title = The Guess Who Setlist at the Midnight Special, Burbank| website=setlist.fm }}</ref> They performed it again on February 22, 1974 (season 2, episode 24) with Gordon Lightfoot hosting <ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-guess-who/1974/the-midnight-special-burbank-ca-53cc573d.html|title = The Guess Who Setlist at the Midnight Special, Burbank| website=setlist.fm }}</ref> and later on March 9, 1974 (season 2, episode 29) when they hosted the show themselves.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-guess-who/1974/the-midnight-special-burbank-ca-4bcc5736.html| title = The Guess Who Setlist at the Midnight Special, Burbank| website=setlist.fm }}</ref>
==Chart performance== {{col-begin|width=75%}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Chart (1974) ! Peak<br />position |- |Australia (Kent Music Report) | style="text-align:center;"|95 |- |Canada ''RPM'' Top Singles<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5033a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=98q6tcgku7546lsrfi3gr83pp7 |title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date= |accessdate=2016-10-10}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|9 |- |New Zealand (''Listener'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=1240#n_view_location |title=flavour of new zealand - search listener |website=Flavourofnz.co.nz |date= |accessdate=2016-10-10}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|20 |- |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 | style="text-align:center;"|39 |- |US ''Cash Box'' Top 100<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19740608.html |title=CASH BOX Top 100 Singles, June 8, 1974 |access-date=January 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102171808/http://www.tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19740608.html |archive-date=January 2, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |align="center"|30 |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable" |- !align="left"|Chart (1974) ! style="text-align:center;"|Rank |- |Canada<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.3893a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=0fad54otv4cfnjo8gahusf0il4 |title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date= |accessdate=2016-10-10}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|92 |- |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bullfrogspond.com/whitburn/1974wye.htm |title=1974 Year End |website=Bullfrogspond.com |date= |accessdate=2016-10-10}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|238 |} {{col-end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.elyrics.net/read/g/guess-who-lyrics/star-baby-lyrics.html Lyrics of this song] * {{YouTube|I8sRNMjDCaU|The Guess Who - Star Baby}}
{{The Guess Who}}
Category:1974 songs Category:1974 singles Category:Songs written by Burton Cummings Category:The Guess Who songs Category:Song recordings produced by Jack Richardson (record producer) Category:RCA Victor singles