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Run Baby Run (Sheryl Crow song)

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"Run Baby Run"
1993 U.K. 7-inch and CD single cover art
Single by Sheryl Crow
from the album Tuesday Night Music Club
B-side
Written1992
ReleasedSeptember 27, 1993 (1993-09-27)
StudioToad Hall (Pasadena, California)
GenreBlues[1]
Length
  • 4:53 (album version)
  • 4:27 (single version)
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bill Bottrell
Sheryl Crow singles chronology
"Run Baby Run"
(1993)
"What I Can Do for You"
(1994)
Music video
"Run Baby Run" on YouTube

"Run Baby Run" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow from her first album, Tuesday Night Music Club (1993), released by A&M Records in September 1993 as her debut single. It failed to chart in the United States but peaked at No. 86 in Canada, No. 83 in the United Kingdom, and No. 45 in the Netherlands. "Run Baby Run" was released for a third time in the UK after the success of "All I Wanna Do" and "Strong Enough", reaching a new peak of No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1995.

Background and composition

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According to Sheryl Crow, the song was written in 1992 after the results of the presidential election were announced, marking the transition "from conservative George H. W. Bush to young, unconventional, good-looking Bill Clinton."[2] The song describes a young woman born on November 22, 1963, "the day Aldous Huxley died" (whom Crow calls a "literary spokesperson of the 1960s").[3] She grew up in a conservative social structure (where people "talk of better days"), yet her parents are hippies: her mother experiments with drugs while her father is a political activist.[3] As a result, she feels caught between generations and has learned from her parents' example to run away from problems or from people getting too close to her. Crow has stated that, while the song is not autobiographical, she can relate to certain aspects of the character.[3]

Critical reception

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In his weekly UK chart commentary in Dotmusic, James Masterton described "Run Baby Run" as an "anthemic track".[4] David Hemingway from Melody Maker commented, "And you thought all she wanted to do was have some fun!"[5] Alan Jones from Music Week wrote, "An impressive debut for Ms Crow on a track that smacks of the Beatles' "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and "Old Brown Shoe" in parts. Crow, who is possessed of a throaty and distinctive voice, is more likely to become a successful album artist, but this deserves to be heard."[6]

Chart performance

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"Run Baby Run" was originally released in 1993 in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia. It did not chart in the United States,[7] but in Canada, it briefly appeared on the RPM 100 ranking, peaking at No. 86 on January 24, 1994.[8] In 1994, the song was re-released in Europe and debuted at No. 83 on the UK Singles Chart, but it dropped out of the top 100 the following week.[9] In late May 1994, it appeared on the Dutch Single Top 100, reaching No. 45 the week after its debut.[10] In Australia, it stalled at No. 156 on the ARIA Singles Chart in June 1994.[11] "Run Baby Run" was again re-issued in Europe in 1995, this time entering the UK top 30 and attaining its peak of No. 24 on July 23.[12] During this charting period, it topped off at No. 95 on the Eurochart Hot 100.[13] In January 1996, the track experienced a surge of popularity on Canadian adult contemporary radio, eventually peaking at No. 44 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart.[14]

Track listings

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1993 release

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1994 release

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  • UK CD single and European maxi-single (580 569-2)[19]
  1. "Run Baby Run"
  2. "Leaving Las Vegas" (acoustic version)
  3. "All by Myself"
  4. "Reach Around Jerk"

1995 release

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Charts

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Chart (1993–1996) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 156
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[14] 45
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 86
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 95
Italy (Musica e dischi)[23] 17
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[24] 4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 45
Scotland (OCC)[25] 16
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 24

Release history

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Region Version Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United Kingdom Original release September 27, 1993
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
A&M [26]
First re-release April 25, 1994 [27][28]
Second re-release July 17, 1995
  • 2× CD
  • cassette
[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Tuesday Night Music Club by Sheryl Crow". Classic Rock Review. April 28, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  2. ^ "Twec.com chat". The Sheryl Crow Post. December 7, 1999. Archived from the original on November 19, 2004. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Sheryl Crow – "Run Baby Run" acoustic piano (Italy, 12 Feb 1994). February 12, 1994. Event occurs at 1:46. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  4. ^ Masterton, James (July 23, 1995). "Week Ending July 29th 1995". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  5. ^ Hemingway, David (July 29, 1995). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 31. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  6. ^ Jones, Alan (October 2, 1993). "Market Preview > Mainstream – Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 16. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "Sheryl Crow Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2368." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  9. ^ "Sheryl Crow". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Sheryl Crow – Run, Baby, Run" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received November 14, 2016". Imgur. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 31. August 5, 1995. p. 9. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2859." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  15. ^ Run Baby Run (U.K. CD single liner notes). Sheryl Crow. A&M Records. 1993. 580 381-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Run Baby Run (U.K. & European CD single liner notes). Sheryl Crow. A&M Records. 1993. 580 568-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ Run Baby Run (U.K. 7-inch single sleeve). Sheryl Crow. A&M Records. 1993. 580 380-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Run Baby Run (Australian, Dutch & French CD single liner notes). Sheryl Crow. A&M Records, Polydor Records (Australia). 1993. 580 380-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ Run Baby Run (U.K. CD single & European maxi-single liner notes). Sheryl Crow. A&M Records. 1994. 580 569-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ Run Baby Run (U.K. CD1 liner notes). Sheryl Crow. A&M Records. 1995. 581 147-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ Run Baby Run (European cassette single sleeve). Sheryl Crow. A&M Records. 1995. 581 146-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ Run Baby Run (U.K. CD2 liner notes). Sheryl Crow. A&M Records. 1995. 581 149-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved June 6, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Sheryl Crow".
  24. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 21, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  26. ^ "Single Releases". Music Week. September 25, 1993. p. 25. Misprinted as the previous week, September 20, on source.
  27. ^ "Sheryl Crow: Run Baby Run". Music Week. April 16, 1994. p. 1. Out on April 25
  28. ^ "Single Releases". Music Week. April 23, 1994. p. 29.
  29. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. July 15, 1995. p. 31.