# Star Baby

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{{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](/source/The_Guess_Who)
| album      = [Road Food](/source/Road_Food)
| B-side     = Musicioné
| released   = February 1974
| recorded   = 1973
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [Rock](/source/Rock_music), [power pop](/source/power_pop)
| length     = {{Duration|m=2|s=42}}
| label      = [RCA Victor](/source/RCA_Records)
| writer     = [Burton Cummings](/source/Burton_Cummings)
| producer   = [Jack Richardson](/source/Jack_Richardson_(record_producer))
| prev_title = [Glamour Boy](/source/Glamour_Boy)
| prev_year  = 1973
| next_title = [Clap for the Wolfman](/source/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](/source/The_Guess_Who). It was written by [Burton Cummings](/source/Burton_Cummings) who also provided the lead vocals. It is classified in the genre of [Power pop](/source/Power_pop) and was included on the group's LP entitled, ''[Road Food](/source/Road_Food)'' as well as ''The Guess Who – Greatest Hits'' in 1999 and ''[Anthology](/source/Anthology_(The_Guess_Who_album))'' in 2003. The band performed the song on the ''[Midnight Special](/source/The_Midnight_Special_(TV_series))'' 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](/source/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](/source/RPM_(magazine)), 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](/source/American_Woman_(song))".<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](/source/WLS_(AM))<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](/source/WCFL_(AM)).<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](/source/Bonnie_Bramlett) (from the rock group [Delaney & Bonnie](/source/Delaney_%26_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](/source/The_Midnight_Special_(TV_series))'' television program (season 2, episode 14) on December 14, 1973. [Loggins and Messina](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Billboard_(magazine))'' [Hot 100](/source/Billboard_Hot_100) 
| style="text-align:center;"|39
|-
|US [''Cash Box''](/source/Cashbox_(magazine)) 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

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Star Baby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Baby) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Baby?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.