Bruce Channel (born as Bruce McMeans, on November 28, 1940, in Jacksonville… Read Full Bio ↴Bruce Channel (born as Bruce McMeans, on November 28, 1940, in Jacksonville, Texas) was a musician best known as a 'one-hit-wonder' known for his 1962 number one song "Hey! Baby" (also known as "Hey Baby") while also being a songwriter for other artists.

Channel originally performed on the Louisiana Hayride radio show, and then joined up with harmonica-player Delbert McClinton singing country music. Bruce wrote "Hey! Baby" in 1959, together with Margaret Cobb, and had been performing it for two years before recording it for Fort Worth record producer Bill Smith. It was originally released on Bill Smith's label, but as it started to sell well, it was distributed by Smash. Besides topping the U.S. pop charts, it became No. 2 in the UK in 1962 as well.

Channel toured Europe and was supported at one gig by The Beatles, who were then still unknown. John Lennon, who had "Hey! Baby" on his jukebox, was fascinated by McClinton's harmonica and asked McClinton to teach him to play. The harmonica break in "Hey! Baby" not only inspired Lennon's harmonica playing on The Beatles' 1962 first single "Love Me Do" and later records, but the harmonica break on Frank Ifield's "I Remember You" in 1962.

The key to the appeal of "Hey! Baby" is the sustained first note, with a rhythmic shuffle in the background. This had previously occurred on a recent hit "Sherry" (1962) by The Four Seasons, and was later to recur on a Beatles song, "I Should Have Known Better" (on A Hard Day's Night - 1964).

Delbert McClinton went on to write songs that were recorded by Waylon Jennings and Emmylou Harris.

Bruce Channel's only other Top 40 recording in the UK singles chart was 1968's "Keep On".

"Hey! Baby" was channelled (no pun intended) at the end of Bruce Springsteen's biggest hit single, 1984's "Dancing in the Dark".

"Hey! Baby" appeared on the soundtrack to "Dirty Dancing."

"Hey! Baby" is a staple of several college pep bands, including the Penn State Blue Band, Marching Mizzou and the Georgetown University Pep Band. The bands generally play the song at home football and basketball games, while the student section sings along. They know the chorus well, but rarely the verses.

A 2001 cover version by DJ Otzi reached both number 1 in the UK singles chart, as well as topping the equivalent listing in the USA.

Come On Baby
Bruce Channel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come on, baby
Try my love one more time
Come on, baby
Try my love one more time

Cause you said you loved me, baby
'Bout to drive me out of my mind

Come on, baby
Please come back where you belong
Come on, baby
Please come back where you belong

Cause you said you loved me, baby
Now you left me all alone

Come on, baby
Try my love once again
Come on, baby
Try my love once again

Cause when you get up and leave me
Makes me think this is the end

Come on, baby
Please come back where you belong

Come on, baby
Please come back where you belong

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bruce Channel's "Come On Baby" can be interpreted as a plea from the singer to his lover to give him a second chance. The singer refers to his love as something that the lover has already experienced and appreciated, asking her to try it one more time. He seems to be expressing his frustration with the constant back-and-forth in their relationship, as she had previously expressed love for him and now seems to be distancing herself from him. The singer is feeling caught up in his emotions and is afraid of losing the love of his life. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes his desperation and longing for his lover to come back to him.

The chorus also suggests that the singer feels a sense of abandonment after the lover left him. He is pleading for her to come back where she belongs, implying that being with him is the best place for her. He acknowledges that she might have been overwhelmed or changed her mind, and is willing to make himself vulnerable again in spite of the pain she has caused him. The repeated use of the phrase "Come on, baby" suggests that the singer wants to reignite the passion and affection that the couple had shared earlier.

Line by Line Meaning

Come on, baby
Encouraging the recipient to act or behave in the way that the singer desires.

Try my love one more time
Give the singer another chance to prove his love.

Cause you said you loved me, baby
Stating that the singer is saying these things because the recipient had previously professed their love.

'Bout to drive me out of my mind
The artist is going insane because the recipient's actions do not match with their previously stated love.

Please come back where you belong
Requesting the recipient to return and be where they were before.

Now you left me all alone
The singer is currently alone because the recipient has left them.

Try my love once again
Requesting the recipient to give the singer another chance to prove their love.

Cause when you get up and leave me
The recipient's actions of leaving are the cause of the artist's negative feelings.

Makes me think this is the end
The artist is worried that the recipient leaving is a sign of the end of their relationship.

Contributed by Molly J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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