Babe (Styx song)

1979 single by Styx

"Babe"

Single by Styx
from the album  Cornerstone
B-side| "I'm O.K."
Released| September 14, 1979
Recorded| 1979
Genre| Soft rock[1]
Length| 4:01 (single version)
4:25 (album version)
Label| A&M
Songwriter(s)| Dennis DeYoung
Producer(s)|

* Dennis DeYoung
* John Panozzo
* Chuck Panozzo

Styx singles chronology
| "Renegade"
(1979)  | "Babe"
(1979)  | "Why Me"
(1980)

|
|

Music video
"Babe" by Styx on YouTube

"Babe" is a song by the American rock band Styx. It was the lead single from the band's 1979 triple-platinum album Cornerstone. The song was Styx's first, and only, US number-one single, spending two weeks at No. 1 in December 1979, serving as the penultimate number-one single of the 1970s (the ultimate number-one single of the 70's was Escape (The Piña Colada Song), by Rupert Holmes).[2] "Babe" also went to No. 9 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[3] It additionally held the number-one spot for six weeks on the Canadian RPM national singles chart, charting in December 1979 and becoming the opening chart-topper of the 1980s. It was also the band's only UK Top 40 hit, peaking at No. 6. It also reached No. 1 in South Africa.[4]

## Background and content

[edit]

The song was written by member Dennis DeYoung as a birthday present for his wife Suzanne. The theme of the song is "the separation of two people."[5] DeYoung stated of it that "If they've figured out what's more important than a relationship between two people, I don't know what it is.[5] The finished track was recorded as a demo with just DeYoung and Styx members John Panozzo and Chuck Panozzo playing on the track, with DeYoung singing all of the harmonies himself.

The song was not originally intended to be a Styx track, but Styx members James "J.Y." Young and Tommy Shaw convinced DeYoung to put the song on Cornerstone. As a result, DeYoung's demo was placed on Cornerstone with Shaw overdubbing a guitar solo in the song's middle section.

## Reception

[edit]

Cash Box said it has "crystalline singing and airy electric piano leads" but that the "high harmonies are the highlight."[6] Billboard called it a "melodic pop number" that should break the band into adult contemporary playlists.[7] Record World highlighted the "playful keyboards", "youthful lead vocal", "full harmony chorus and ascending lead guitar runs."[8]

Eric Hegedus of The Morning Call considered it one of the best examples of Styx's "newfound mastery of the techniques needed to perform slow love songs" and highlighted the "deceptively simple lyrics."[9] Rolling Stone critic David Fricke described it as a lush ballad.[10]

The track became a major hit, reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was their only major UK hit single, reaching No. 6. The song also won a People's Choice Award as the best song in 1980.[11][12][13]

## In popular culture

[edit]

In 1999, "Babe" was included in the soundtrack to the film Big Daddy, starring Adam Sandler, whose character is a huge fan of Styx.[citation needed]

## Personnel

[edit]

* Dennis DeYoung – lead and backing vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, synthesizer
* Tommy Shaw – lead guitar
* Chuck Panozzo – bass
* John Panozzo – drums

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (1979–1980)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Singles (Kent Music Report)[14] | 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] | 18
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] | 1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[17] | 1
Ireland (IRMA)[18] | 4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] | 11
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] | 3
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[4] | 1
UK Singles (OCC)[21] | 6
US Billboard Hot 100[22] | 1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[23] | 9
US Cash Box Top 100  | 1
Zimbabwe (ZIMA)[24] | 2

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1979)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Singles (Kent Music Report)[25] | 95
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[26] | 41
US Cash Box[27] | 30
Chart (1980)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Singles (Kent Music Report)[28] | 48
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[29] | 39
South Africa (Springbok)[30] | 18
US Billboard Hot 100[31] | 20

### All-time charts

[edit]

Chart (1958–2018)  | Peak
position

|

US Billboard Hot 100[32] | 408

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Canada (Music Canada)[33] | Gold  | 75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] | Silver  | 250,000^
United States (RIAA)[35] | Gold  | 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## Caught in the Act version

[edit]

"Babe"

Single by Caught in the Act
from the album  Vibe
Released| July 28, 1997
Recorded| 1997
Genre| Pop
Length| 4:28 (single version)
4:27 (album version)
Label| ZYX
Songwriter(s)| Dennis DeYoung
Producer(s)| Phil Harding, Ian Curnow
Caught in the Act singles chronology
| "Do It For Love"
(1997)  | "Babe"
(1997)  | "Baby Come Back"
(1998)

|
|

In 1997 Dutch boy band Caught in the Act covered "Babe" on their album Vibe. The song's success was modest.

### Music video

[edit]

In the music video, the band members play soldiers and perform the song both in a barracks and on patrol. They take a look at a waitress.[36]

### Track listing

[edit]

CD maxi

1. "Babe" (Radio Mix) – 4:28
2. "Babe" (Cloud 9 Mix) – 4:25
3. "Babe" (Gee Extended Mix) – 6:42
4. "Don't Just Leave Me Now" (Radio Version) – 4:46

### Charts

[edit]

Chart (1997)  | Peak
position

|

Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[37] | 26
Germany (GfK)[38] | 35
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[39] | 95

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs". Stereogum. May 31, 2007. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
2. ^ "Hot 100 55th Anniversary: Every No. 1 Song (1958-2013)". Billboard. August 2, 2013. Archived from the original on September 29, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2024. No. 1 hits during the 1970s
3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 236.
4. ^ a b "Springbok SA Top 20". Archived from the original on November 8, 2003. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
5. ^ a b Miller, Patrick (June 27, 1981). "Styx". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 5\. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-06-13 - via newspapers.com.
6. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 29, 1979. p. 18\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
7. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. September 29, 1979. p. 71. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
8. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 29, 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
9. ^ Hegedus, Eric (November 24, 1979). "Styx: Cornerstone". The Morning Call. p. 51\. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-06-13 - via newspapers.com.
10. ^ Fricke, David (December 13, 1979). "Cornerstone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
11. ^ Panozzo, Chuck; Skettino, Michelle (2007). The Grand Illusion: Love, Lies, and My Life with Styx. AMACOM. p. 104\. ISBN 9780814400807.
12. ^ Cain, Scott (January 25, 1981). "Styx is bringing lavish trappings for Omni concert". Atlanta Constitution. p. 5E. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-06-13 - via newspapers.com.
13. ^ Bishop, Pete (February 5, 1980). "Rousing Styx Concert Shows Why Band is 'People's Choice'". The Pittsburgh Press. p. A-8. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-06-14 - via newspapers.com.
14. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 299\. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
15. ^ "Styx – Babe" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
16. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6912a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
17. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6893." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
18. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Babe". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved =May 31, 2024.
19. ^ "Styx – Babe" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved =May 31, 2024.
20. ^ "Styx – Babe". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved =May 31, 2024.
21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved =May 31, 2024.
22. ^ "Styx Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved =May 31, 2024.
23. ^ "Styx Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved =May 31, 2024.
24. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
25. ^ "Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979". Kent Music Report. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023 - via Imgur.com.
26. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6855a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
27. ^ http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1979YESP.html Archived July 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1980
28. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1980". Kent Music Report. January 5, 1981. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2022 - via Imgur.
29. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0272." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
30. ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1980". Archived from the original on January 16, 2004. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
31. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 19__/Top 100 Songs of 1980". musicoutfitters.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
32. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
33. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Styx – Babe". Music Canada.
34. ^ "British single certifications – Styx – Babe". British Phonographic Industry.
35. ^ "American single certifications – Styx – Babe". Recording Industry Association of America.
36. ^ "Music video on Youtube.de". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2016-04-11. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
37. ^ "Caught in the Act – Babe" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
38. ^ "Caught in the Act – Babe" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
39. ^ "Caught in the Act – Babe" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 31, 2020.

* v
* t
* e

Styx

* Chuck Panozzo
* James "J.Y." Young
* Tommy Shaw
* Todd Sucherman
* Lawrence Gowan
* Will Evankovich
* Terry Gowan

* John "J.C." Curulewski
* Dennis DeYoung
* John Panozzo
* Glen Burtnik
* Ricky Phillips

Studio albums|

* Styx
* Styx II
* The Serpent Is Rising
* Man of Miracles
* Equinox
* Crystal Ball
* The Grand Illusion
* Pieces of Eight
* Cornerstone
* Paradise Theatre
* Kilroy Was Here
* Edge of the Century
* Brave New World
* Cyclorama
* Big Bang Theory
* The Mission
* Crash of the Crown

Extended plays|

* Regeneration: Volume I
* Regeneration: Volume II

Live albums|

* Caught in the Act
* Return to Paradise
* Arch Allies: Live at Riverport
* Styx World: Live 2001
* At the River's Edge: Live in St. Louis
* 21st Century Live
* One with Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra

Compilations|

* Best of Styx
* Lady
* Styx - Classics, Volume 15
* Styx Greatest Hits
* Greatest Hits Part 2
* Extended Versions
* Styx Yesterday & Today
* Rockers
* Come Sail Away - The Styx Anthology
* The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings

Songs|

* "Best Thing"
* "Lies"
* "Lady"
* "You Need Love"
* "Lorelei"
* "Mademoiselle"
* "Crystal Ball"
* "The Grand Illusion"
* "Come Sail Away"
* "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)"
* "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"
* "Sing for the Day"
* "Renegade"
* "Babe"
* "Why Me"
* "Boat on the River"
* "Borrowed Time"
* "The Best of Times"
* "Too Much Time on My Hands"
* "Nothing Ever Goes as Planned"
* "Rockin' the Paradise"
* "Snowblind"
* "Mr. Roboto"
* "Don't Let It End"
* "High Time"
* "Music Time" / "Heavy Metal Poisoning"
* "Love Is the Ritual"
* "Show Me the Way"
* "Love at First Sight"
* "Paradise"
* "I Am the Walrus"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Kilroy Was Here

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

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