Bassist Alan Longmuir, his younger brother Derek Longmuir, a drummer, along with school mate, lead singer Gordon "Nobby" Clark founded the group in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1967, as The Saxons. Shortly afterwards, seeking a less English-sounding moniker, they chose a new name allegedly by throwing a dart at a map of the United States. The dart landed on the map in the state of Arkansas, but since "Arkansas Rollers" did not sound quite right, and might also lead to problems with pronunciation, they tried again and this time the dart landed near the community of Bay City, Michigan.
The Bay City Rollers were managed from early on by the imposing and controversial Tam Paton, himself a former big band leader. Paton was notorious for his rigid control over all aspects of the band's career, including the shuffling in and out of group members at a very high rate. Short term members from this period include David Paton (member 1969-1970) and Billy Lyall (member 1969-1971), who went on to be founding members of another successful Edinburgh band, Pilot.
The Bay City Rollers received their first break when prominent record executive Dick Leahy caught their act by chance in an Edinburgh club. After signing with Leahy's Bell Records, the band's first hit was "Keep on Dancing" (UK #9, 1971), a cover of a 1965 Gentrys hit, recorded at the suggestion of pop impresario and producer Jonathan King. (Singer Nobby Clark was backed on vocals on "Keep on Dancing" by King himself.) Upon this release's success, they made guest appearances on BBC-TV's Top of the Pops. The group then won a Radio Luxembourg-sponsored song contest with the tune "Mañana", which was later popular in parts of Europe and in Israel.
Several non-charting singles were released over the following two years. This period did see the addition of long term members Eric Faulkner and Stuart "Woody" Wood.
In late 1973 they narrowly missed the UK chart with "Saturday Night", one of many singles written and produced for the band by the highly successful songwriting duo of Scotsman Bill Martin and Irishman Phil Coulter.
By the end of 1973, Nobby Clark had become disillusioned by the band's lack of success and decided to move on. He was replaced as lead singer by Leslie McKeown.
The five members at the very end of 1973 - the Longmuir brothers, Faulkner, Wood and McKeown - are generally referred to as the "classic line-up". In early 1974 McKeown hastily re-recorded lead vocals of the group's forthcoming single, "Remember (Sha La La La)", which became a sizable hit and a lead in to a series of UK chart hits.
Beginning with "Remember" (UK #6), the Rollers' popularity exploded, and they released a string of very successful hits on the British charts. Following in succession were "Shang-a-Lang" (UK #2), "Summerlove Sensation" (UK #3), and "All of Me Loves All of You" (UK #4).
By early 1975, they were one of the highest-selling acts in Britain. That year saw a successful UK tour (which prompted newspaper headlines about "Rollermania"), and a 20-week UK television series, Shang-a-Lang.
A cover of the Four Seasons' "Bye, Bye, Baby", stayed at #1 in the UK for six weeks in the spring of 1975, selling nearly a million copies to become the biggest seller of the year, and the subsequent single "Give a Little Love" topped the charts that summer, their second #1 hit. At the peak of their popularity in the UK, comparisons were even made to The Beatles.
By this time, BCR fans had a completely distinctive style of dress, the main elements of which were ankle length tartan trousers and tartan scarves which they had copied from another Tam Paton Band "Bilbo Baggins".
As the group's popularity swelled to superstardom in the UK, a concerted effort was made by Arista Records (the record company that evolved from Bell) to launch the Rollers in America. New Arista head Clive Davis was instrumental in grooming and overseeing the project. His work paid off as in early '76, the Rollers reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with "Saturday Night", the song which had missed the UK chart completely two years earlier. A second US hit came with "Money Honey" which hit #9, and finally reaching a lackluster 62 with a cover version of Dusty's love power. Prior to that, they made their American TV debut on Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell singing Saturday Night.
The dark side of the band's unending schedule of tours and appearances was the great amount of stress the band members felt. By early '76, the strain of success (and the discomfort of a mature man in a teen band) had taken its toll on bassist Alan Longmuir, who decided to leave the group. He was replaced for 7 months by 17 year old Ian Mitchell - the first band member born outside of Edinburgh, Scotland (he was from Northern Ireland). With Mitchell, the group released an album titled Dedication, and hit the charts with a cover version of the Dusty Springfield song "I Only Want To Be With You", which reached US #12, as well as "Yesterday's Hero" and "Dedication".
As the Rollers' popularity waned, the shuffling of personnel continued: Mitchell quit the band, replaced by Pat McGlynn. The group's commercial success began to decline towards the end of the 1970s. In 1977, they covered an unsuccessful 1973 single by String Driven Thing, "It's a Game" to give them their final UK Top 20 hit (#16 in the spring), but "You Made Me Believe in Magic" could only make #34 in the summer. It managed to just crack the top ten in the United States, but this would be their final major success there too. Summer of 1977 saw the group release the It's a Game album and world tour as a four-piece group - McKeown, Wood, Faulkner and Derek Longmuir.
In 1978, Alan Longmuir reunited with the band for the recording of Strangers in the Wind. The release of this LP was timed to coincide with the debut of the Rollers' US television show "The Krofft Superstar Hour" later renamed "The Bay City Rollers Show" on the NBC network. The show was a poor match for the band. Their time in the teen-idol spotlight was slipping away and their music had matured and become more sophisticated compared to the bubblegum hits they had released in '75-'76. The show and album were each dismal failures.
Les McKeown left to pursue a solo career after an on-stage fight with Faulkner in Japan.The Rollers fired Tam Paton in 1979. South African-born Duncan Faure was hired to replace McKeown as lead vocalist and the band shortened its name to The Rollers. Three albums were issued under this name, including Voxx (1980) and 1981's Ricochet, before the group disbanded.
During the 1980s and 1990s, there were various short-lived revivals featuring some of the original members, including a New Year's Eve 1999 concert. Interest was rekindled in Britain by television documentaries about the group and a television-advertised compilation of greatest hits, which entered the UK charts on release in 2004 at its #11 peak.
Currently, there is one touring version using the group's name: Les McKeown's Legendary Bay City Rollers.
Alan Longmuir died on 2 July 2018 in an Edinburgh hospital after contracting an illness while on holiday in Mexico. He was 70.
There Goes My Baby
Bay City Rollers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when I see her it makes me crying.
There goes my baby which someall a gone.
Was she with her I'm after crying crying.
Plase working byside when I just to be.
And that she call I'm after crying crying.
[Chorus]
My baby and when she call.
My baby, my baby
My baby I maybe kiss.
My baby, my baby
My baby's gone and I feel through.
Sha la la la sha la la la la
Sha la la la sha la la la la
This time she passage by
Makes me feel so bad.
How can you see I'm after crying crying.
And I is holding her
The way I just to do.
And I just cry
I can crying crying.
[Chorus]
You know to see my baby goodbye.
It makes me break don't cry.
You know my baby ever comes home.
I've be waiting here on a mile -
Please come home.
[Chorus]
The Bay City Rollers's song "There Goes My Baby" is an emotionally charged song about a man who has been left heartbroken following the departure of his lover. The song is filled with feelings of sadness, regret, and longing, as the singer reminisces on the times spent with his lost love. The lyrics convey the singer's feelings of utter despair as he sees his former lover pass by, leaving him to weep in her absence. He is overwhelmed with emotion and cannot control his tears.
The chorus, which repeats the phrase "My baby," emphasizes the singer's intense feelings of loss and longing. He remembers the moments they shared together, with lines such as "And I is holding her/The way I just to do" painting a vivid picture of their past love. Even though he knows that his lover is no longer with him, he can't help but hope that she will return someday. The final line, "Please come home," is a poignant plea to the lost love, emphasizing the singer's desperation to see her again.
Overall, "There Goes My Baby" is a powerful portrayal of the depth of love and the pain of loss. It captures the feelings of heartbreak and longing in a poignant and moving way, making it a classic among fans of 70s pop music.
Line by Line Meaning
There goes my baby which someall a gone.
My beloved has left me and I am left with nothing.
And when I see her it makes me crying.
Whenever I catch a glimpse of my ex-lover, it brings tears to my eyes.
Was she with her I'm after crying crying.
When I imagine my ex-lover being with someone else, it makes me cry uncontrollably.
Plase working byside when I just to be.
I used to work alongside her and now that she's gone, it's difficult for me to carry on.
And that she call I'm after crying crying.
Even a phone call from her can make me burst into tears.
My baby, my baby
She was everything to me.
My baby and when she call.
Just the sound of her voice was enough to make me feel alive.
My baby I maybe kiss.
I longed to be close to her and give her a kiss.
My baby's gone and I feel through.
Now that she's gone, I am completely lost and don't know what to do.
Sha la la la sha la la la la
These words express my sadness and heartbreak.
This time she passage by
When she passes by my life, my emotions are stirred up.
Makes me feel so bad.
It pains me to see her now that she's gone.
How can you see I'm after crying crying.
It's obvious to others that I am devastated by our breakup.
And I is holding her
I remember holding her tightly.
The way I just to do.
I long to hold her again like I used to.
And I just cry
But now, all I can do is cry uncontrollably.
You know to see my baby goodbye.
Saying goodbye to her was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.
It makes me break don't cry.
It almost feels like my heart is breaking apart, but I try not to cry in front of others.
You know my baby ever comes home.
If my beloved ever returns, I'll be waiting for her with open arms.
I've be waiting here on a mile -
I'll be waiting for what seems like an eternity if I have to.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ERIC FAULKNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Linda Fiaschi
What a great band to this day. Still reckon the were given the credit these guys deserve . Rest in peace to the guys we have lost in this wonderful band Alan , Les and Ian thanks for my childhood with you I lost my best friend Peta memories of time we had together with your music ❤️❤️😍😍👍👍
Sian Harrison
Crazybutittruesianonlywantedtobewiththem
Joanne Greenwood
This is a very 'tuneful' song written by Eric and probably from their early days (?) Well worth playing: they were such a versatile band and had many great performance songs before they got the "shoo bi doo wahs" written for them. Whatever the music they performed, they did it with great enthusiasm and expertise. Tks Janny, Regards, Jo.
anna Nardo
No doubt about it. The BAY CITY ROLLERS were a great band. Still love them, really fine musicians, each one played multiple instruments & THAT takes tremendous TALENT.
Beatrix Kallweit-Schulz
Oh I so love the voices of Les and Derek
Carolyn Green
RIP Les..You will be forever missed xx
Deborah Lawrie
Takes me right back to being 15/16....loved these guys and still do...goosebumps and everything. xxxxx...My fav was and still is Eric Faulkner
david fretwell
Deborah Lawrie I loved Eric too the most talented member
janet Dixon
Best band ever saw me through my teens and more ❤
winterweib
"My baby's gone and I feel blue"
Sleep softly, Alan my dear.
You took my heart with you.