Arnold was born into a family of gospel singers, Arnold performed as a vocal soloist for the first time when she was four years old. Her family lived in the African-American Watts ghetto of Los Angeles.
Arnold married early and had two children, Kevin and Debbie. She worked two jobs, one in an office and the other in food manufacturing, until 1964, when Maxine Smith, an ex-girlfriend of her brother, contacted her with an offer. Maxine and her friend Gloria Scott had managed to arrange an audition for three girls to replace the original Ikettes, the dancer/singer troupe that provided vocal and dance accompaniment for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Smith contacted Arnold, whom she knew to be a singer. At the audition the three young women were offered the job on the spot, but Smith convinced Arnold to attend a concert in Fresno that night before making a final decision. When she arrived home at 6:00 the next morning, Arnold's furious husband struck her. Arnold left him immediately, and after placing her children in the care of her parents, joined the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.
Arnold quit the Turner band in 1966 to remain in London and establish a solo career with Mick Jagger's encouragement. She noted the difference between how she had been treated in America and how she was received in England, saying, "A young black woman on her own in America in a white environment would not have been treated as well as I was in England." She enjoyed several major British hits on Immediate, including songs written for her by Paul Korda, who wrote "The Time Has Come." She also recorded songs written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane from labelmates Small Faces, who also backed her on several recordings, and Arnold had a brief romantic liaison with Marriott in 1967. She toured with the Small Faces during 1967-68, made several TV appearances with them, and featured as backing vocalist on two of the group's biggest hits, "Itchycoo Park" and "Tin Soldier". Other credits in this period include her duet with Rod Stewart on the single "Come Home Baby" (produced by Mick Jagger), and Chris Farlowe's version of the Motown standard "Reach Out (I'll Be There)"
Her first backing band, the Blue Jays, had been inherited from American soul singer Ronnie Jones and included former Bluesbreakers guitarist Roger Dean. This was followed by the Nice, led by Keith Emerson on organ who had just quit from the VIPs — later to be known as Spooky Tooth — on organ and piano, David O'List on guitar, Lee Jackson on bass and Ian Hague on drums. During this period she scored several hits including a cover of the Cat Stevens song "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "Angel of the Morning", plus the Marriott-Lane song "(If You Think You're) Groovy".
After the collapse of Immediate in the late 1960s, Arnold signed a production contract with the Robert Stigwood Organisation and released two singles on the Polydor label, produced by Barry Gibb, but a planned album with Gibb was never completed. Between 1969 and 1970, she recorded eleven songs which were produced by Gibb himself but only two of the songs "Bury Me Down By the River" and "Give a Hand, Take a Hand" were released. In February 1970, she sang harmony vocals on the song "Born" which was included on Gibb's debut solo album The Kid's No Good.
In 1970 she moved to the musical stage, appearing alongside P.J. Proby in the rock musical Catch My Soul. She then formed a new backing band that included the future members of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke, plus Steve Howe, who would soon join Yes. During this period she renewed her association with Steve Marriott, recording and touring with his new band Humble Pie (Rock On (Humble Pie album)|Rock On), as well as contributing session musician backing vocals for many notable UK and US recordings including the original 1970 album recording of the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar, Nick Drake's "Poor Boy", and recordings by Dr John, Graham Nash, Gary Wright, Manassas, Nektar, Jimmy Witherspoon, Nils Lofgren and Eric Burdon. She toured with Eric Clapton, who also produced a number of unreleased sessions with her; during these sessions she met American bassist Fuzzy Samuels of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and they subsequently became involved romantically and had a son, Kodzo. In 1974 she sang on the Freddie King album Burglar and feeling out of place in the rapidly changing British music scene of the mid-1970s, Arnold and Samuels returned to her hometown of Los Angeles. While living there, Arnold's relationship with Samuels ended and just two weeks after the split, her daughter Debbie was killed in a car accident. After her daughter's death, Arnold withdrew from public life for some time, not re-emerging until 1978. At this time she was reunited with Barry Gibb, who wanted to complete the never-finished solo album for her. In 1981 she moved to Hollywood but returned to England the following year to raise her younger son there. She began working with leading British reggae band Steel Pulse and returned to the charts in both the UK and Australia on the hit 1983 cover version of the Staple Singers "Respect Yourself", recorded with British electropop group Kane Gang, which reached #21 in Britain and #19 in Australia.
In 1984, she returned to the stage in the cast of the musical Starlight Express as Belle the Sleeping Car, after which she worked with a number of noted British acts including Boy George as well as working on several film soundtracks. Weeks before beginning a tour with Billy Ocean, her legs were badly injured in a car accident. She went ahead with the Ocean tour, at first appearing on crutches, but her injuries eventually forced her to leave the tour after ten weeks. Without a record contract and unable to play live, Arnold survived by doing sessions for advertising jingles. In 1986 she returned to the rock scene, featuring prominently as a backing vocalist on Peter Gabriel's worldwide hit "Sledgehammer". This was followed by a successful collaboration with the Beatmasters on the retro-styled Acid House hit "Burn It Up", which reached #14 in Britain in October 1988, and became her third hit to spend 10 weeks or more on the UK Singles Chart. During the late 1980s and 1990s Arnold resumed an active career as a session vocalist, and her credits in this period included The KLF ("What Time Is Love?", "3 A.M Eternal"), Nina Hagen, Roger Waters (Amused To Death), Graham Parker. In 1989 she reunited with her old friend Steve Marriott to record his solo album "30 Seconds to Midnite", which sadly proved to be their final collaboration (Marriott died tragically in a house fire in 1991).
In 1994, she joined the cast of the award-winning musical Once on This Island as Erzulie, beautiful Goddess of Love. While the production was playing in Birmingham she met leading UK band Ocean Colour Scene, one of the new wave of latter-day mod groups who (like their mentor Paul Weller), idolised the Small Faces. In 1995 Arnold joined forces with Primal Scream to record a blistering cover version of the Small Faces' song "Understanding", the opening track of the various artists Small Faces tribute album, Long Agos and Worlds Apart.
Arnold joined forces with Chaz Jankel, former pianist with Ian Dury and the Blockheads. This was followed by an invitation to tour widely with Roger Waters. She was a backup vocalist on his 1999–2000 tour In the Flesh (also on the CD and DVD of the same name), as well as the 2006–2008 tour, Dark Side of the Moon Live. Her version of "The First Cut is the Deepest" was featured in the soundtrack of the 2012 movie Seven Psychopaths.
Please note that the artist's name is sometimes spelled as P.P. Arnold or P. P. Arnold. However, PP Arnold is the most commonly used and therefore preferred spelling here on Last.fm.
Baby Blue
PP Arnold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Six of the best words you could ever hear him say
A symphony fell from his lips
Compared to other tunes he’d knocked together quick
You hadn’t been any wider eyed
Or greener than the other girls you knew
Now you’re baby blue
You should be standing out
In peacock colours like you used to do, before
You were baby blue
Oooooooooooo
Nobody said, isn’t he sweet
I wish instead of meeting you that he’d met me
The girls say baby bound my dear
The boys say, well I never did
And I say come to tea on Tuesday
In peacock colours like you used to do before you were baby blue
The lyrics to PP Arnold's song "Baby Blue" explore the singer's feelings towards a man who they had a romantic relationship with. The beginning of the song sees the singer yearning for independence and freedom. They want to be seen as their own person and not held back by anyone. The line "don't hold me down, another day" emphasizes this desire for freedom. The singer then reflects on the man’s way with words, describing them as a symphony. However, the singer understands that this is not the first time the man has serenaded someone else because she compares it to "other tunes he'd knocked together quick."
As the song progresses, the singer describes how she was once a confident person who stood out in "peacock colors." However, since being with the man, she has become "baby blue," a color that is more subdued and lacks confidence. The use of color is metaphorical, highlighting how the singer used to be vibrant and bold, whereas now, she's become timid and unadventurous. The singer then describes how others perceive her relationship with the man. The girls are envious that she's found someone sweet while the boys are impressed by her man's charm. Interestingly, the singer invites him for tea without any indication of wanting to rekindle their relationship, suggesting that she may have moved on.
Line by Line Meaning
Don’t hold me down, another day
I don’t want to be tied down to this unfulfilling relationship for another day
Six of the best words you could ever hear him say
The pleasant words you heard from him provided temporary comfort
A symphony fell from his lips
His words painted a beautiful picture in your mind
Compared to other tunes he’d knocked together quick
His other lies seemed far less inventive than the latest ones you believed
You hadn’t been any wider eyed
You were naive and easily deceived
Or greener than the other girls you knew
You were less experienced and worldly than the other girls around you
Now you’re baby blue
You feel sad and lost in your current state of mind
You should be standing out
You should be embracing your unique qualities and be proud of who you are
In peacock colours like you used to do, before
You used to be confident and expressive, but now you've become dull and unremarkable
Nobody said, isn’t he sweet
You feel alone and bitter that nobody else seems to see through his facade
I wish instead of meeting you that he’d met me
I regret not being the one he fell for instead of you
The girls say baby bound my dear
The girls tease and pity you for being trapped in a hopeless relationship
The boys say, well I never did
The boys don't understand why you would stay in a relationship that is clearly not working
And I say come to tea on Tuesday
I'm trying to reach out to you and offer you comfort and support
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Sunflower0122Z
Vinyl lovers take note- this album must be in your collection. I just got my copy in the mail the other day and it is a incredible piece of work. This album has so much love and detail in it and the music is and sounds wonderful. The vinyl is dead silent and the pressing is top notch too. There are familiar inspired Motown and '60's pop influences-even Beatles like string arrangement's, but then you get to side four and it really takes you by surprises how much Ms. Arnold musical knowledge has and that she can take chances- which are quite enjoyable to the listener. She deserves so much more recognition and appreciation for this work--51 years in the making.
@markostrovsky7536
The comforting nostalgic feeling this beautiful song brings is most welcome, especially in these times. And Ms. Arnold sounds terrific.
@circlesky
this is a classic there ive said it!
@martinmoffitt4702
she's been around for a spell...always great!
@cleenlivin
I'm listening to the song now. I like it. Definitely has a throw back 60's sound and vibe. Always nice to hear something different and unique for the time.
@Iluvthe1960s
Absolutely brilliant! Probably the most underrated singer (in mainstream music) in the last 50 years, after so many false starts, rip offs etc surly the time has come now for a wider audience to appreciate her fantastic voice!
@ayobamidele
Absolutely agree a very special vocalist- I saw her live in Islington London last year - magical. I have tickets for the June 2020 show now postponed until Sept due to Covid 19 - looking forward to it!
@ayobamidele
Saw PP live in Islington last year superb have tickets for 2020, delayed until Sept due to Covid 19 looking forward to it. Big shout out to Steve Cradock of Ocean Colour Scene who produced the album, love the sound it has - Spot On!
@G_H_O_S_TG_I_R_L
Exquisite
@chrisblue4960
Legend!