Baby I'm-a Want You (song)

"Baby I'm-a Want You"
"Baby I'm-a Want You"
Single by Bread
from the album Baby I'm-a Want You
B-side	"Truckin'"
Released	23 October 1971
Genre	Soft rock; easy listening;
Length	2:25
Label	Elektra
Songwriter(s)	David Gates
Producer(s)	David Gates
Bread singles chronology

"Baby I'm-a Want You" is a song by American soft rock band Bread. The single was released in October 1971 and became the title track for the album of the same name, released in January 1972.

It was one of Bread's highest-charting singles in both the U.S. and UK. In the U.S., it reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1971, the third of Bread's four top-five hits ("Make It with You", No. 1 in 1970; "If", No. 4 earlier in 1971; and "Everything I Own", from the same album, No. 5 in 1972). "Baby I'm-a Want You" reached the top of the Easy Listening chart and rose to No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1972.

Composed in the key of Ab major, the song employs the often used I-ii-IV-V chord progression.

Billboard called it a "powerful ballad performance."^[4] Cash Box called it a "soft ballad [that] returns Bread to their original sound."^[5] Record World said that with this song "Bread returns to its original hit sound" and "the guys should back to the upper chart regions."^[6]

It was certified as a gold record by the RIAA. As with virtually all of the band's well-known recordings, the song was both written and produced by the band's lead vocalist, David Gates.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1971–72)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	8
Canada RPM Top Singles	5
UK Singles Chart	14
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[7]	3
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	1
U.S. Cash Box Top 100	3

Year-end charts

Chart (1971)	Rank
U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)^[8]	37

Chart (1972)	Rank
Australia ^[9]	57

References

^ Eder, Bruce. "Baby I'm-A Want You - Bread : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
^ "VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs". Stereogum. SpinMedia. May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ Considine, J.D.; Coleman, Mark; Evans, Paul; McGee, David (1992). "Bread". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Random House. p. 48.
^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. October 9, 1971. p. 56. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
^ "Cashbox Singles Review" (PDF). Cash Box. October 9, 1971. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
^ "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. October 9, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)

External links

This 1970s pop song–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Eder, Bruce. "Baby I'm-A Want You - Bread : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-01-10.

[2] "VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs". Stereogum. SpinMedia. May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.

[RSguide-3] Considine, J.D.; Coleman, Mark; Evans, Paul; McGee, David (1992). "Bread". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Random House. p. 48.

[4] "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. October 9, 1971. p. 56. Retrieved 2023-04-11.

[5] "Cashbox Singles Review" (PDF). Cash Box. October 9, 1971. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-04-11.

[6] "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. October 9, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-04-11.

[7] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

[8] Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.

[9] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]