Reconsider Baby
| "Reconsider Baby" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Lowell Fulson | ||||
| B-side | "I Believe I'll Give It Up" | |||
| Released | 1954 | |||
| Recorded | Dallas, Texas, September 27, 1954 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 3:08 | |||
| Label | Checker (no. 804) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lowell Fulson | |||
| Producer(s) | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess | |||
| Lowell Fulson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Reconsider Baby" is a blues song written and recorded by Lowell Fulson in 1954. Performed in the West Coast blues style, it was Fulson's first record chart hit for Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records. With memorable lyrics and a driving rhythm, "Reconsider Baby" became a blues standard and has been recognized by the Blues Foundation and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame.
Original song[edit]
Blues historian Jim O'Neal describes "Reconsider Baby" as "Lowell Fulson's wistful goodbye and plea to a departing lover, with a lyrical message so strong (and memorable music to match) that it became a standard in the modern-day blues repertoire."[1]
So long, oh, I hate to see you go (2×)
And the way that I will miss you
I guess you will never know
Music critics have noted the song's strong rhythmic element – Bill Dahl describes it as a "relentless mid-tempo blues"[2] and Don Snowden comments on its "utterly assured, swingtime groove".[3]
"Reconsider Baby" has a twelve-bar structure with prominent guitar soloing by Fulson. It was recorded September 27, 1954, in Dallas, Texas, under the supervision of Leonard Chess associate and Jewel Records owner Stan Lewis.[1] Backing Fulson on vocal and guitar are Paul Drake on piano, Bobby Nicholson on bass, and Chick Booth on drums, plus a horn section with Phillip Gilbeaux on trumpet, Phatz Morris on trombone, Julian Beasley on alto and baritone saxophones, and Choker Campbell on tenor sax.[3] The song became a hit, spending 15 weeks during 1954 and 1955 on Billboard's Rhythm & Blues Records chart where it reached number three.[4] The song has been included on several Fulson compilation albums, including 1970's Hung Down Head (Chess 9325).[3]
Recognition and influence[edit]
"Reconsider Baby" is a blues standard and Fulson's most recognized song.[1] In 1993, the Blues Foundation inducted it into its Blues Hall of Fame in the "Classics of Blues Recordings" category.[1] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it on its list of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".[5] Among the many artists to record the song are Chicken Shack, Elvis Presley, T-Bone Walker, Bobby Bland, Ike & Tina Turner, Freddie King, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Clapton, and Gregg Allman.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e O'Neal, Jim (November 10, 2016). "1993 Hall of Fame Inductees: Reconsider Baby – Lowell Fulson (Checker, 1954)". The Blues Foundation. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ Dahl, Bill (1996). "Lowell Fulson". In Erlewine, Michael (ed.). All Music Guide to the Blues: The Experts' Guide to the Best Blues Recordings. All Music Guide to the Blues. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. p. 90. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
- ^ a b c Snowden, Don (1991). Hung Down Head (Reissue album notes). Lowell Fulson. Universal City, California: MCA Records/Chess Records. pp. 2, 4. CHD-9325.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 161. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Exhibit Highlights. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1995. Archived from the original on 2007-05-02. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
