(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer to the "Poor Little Fool" post.)
Bruce Channel - "Hey! Baby"
Hit Number 1: March 10, 1962
Stay at Number 1: 3 Weeks
It's pretty funny. I've been to many sporting events where there would be a school band playing their songs. They would always play this one song that I've known for as long as I can remember that went "Hey baby! I want to know if you'll be my girl." Lots of people around me knew it too, and we'd all be singing it, having tons of fun. But I could never tell you what the song was called or who sang it. Well, I know now that the song is unsurprisingly called "Hey! Baby", but it's by a guy who never even came close to hitting #1 ever again named Bruce Channel. A dude from Jacksonville, Texas who's face kind of looks like Brock Lesnar.
The song was released on LeCam Records, a local Fort Worth record company, and the song, somewhat to the surprise of Channel and co., became a pretty big hit in that area. It was then released on Smash Records to be spread nationally, and after co-producing the song with the owner of LeCam, it was released on Mercury Records' smash label. Famed harmonica player Delbert McClinton plays harmonica on the track, and his harmonica line would actually inspire another harmonica line from a future #1 song in 1964. It was also covered by Anne Murray (who is another artist who will appear in this blog) and her version made it to #7 on the Hot Country Songs Chart.
Anyway, "Hey! Baby" is about as simple as it gets. It's about love (of course), runs for just 2 minutes and 27 seconds, and has a catchy enough chorus that even school bands play this song all the time. It's kind of a revolving door of a song, that sort of repeats itself without being maddingly repetitive. It's also pretty lighthearted and it certainly is a pretty fun, and good song. If Channel was going to be a one-hit wonder, he certainly could have done much worse than "Hey! Baby".
GRADE: 7/10
JUST MISSED:
Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen were kept from the top spot on the charts by "Hey! Baby", with their song "Midnight In Moscow". It's a 5.
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