Foley was born in Blue Lick, Kentucky. He began playing the guitar and the harmonica as a young boy and at age seventeen he won first prize in a statewide talent show. Ultimately he signed with Decca Records in 1941. His hit songs include Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy, Old Shep, Sugarfoot Rag, and Tennessee Saturday Night. Peace in the Valley, backed up by The Sunshine Boys, in 1951 became the first gospel record to sell a million copies, and One By One, a duet with Kitty Wells, became a chart topper in 1954.
For more than two decades, Foley was a major star of country music, selling in excess of twenty-five million records. During 1962-63, Foley was a regular cast member along with Fess Parker in the television series, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Red Foley was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967. For his contribution to the music industry, Red Foley also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6225 Hollywood Blvd.
He died unexpectedly in 1968 in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the age of fifty-eight from a heart attack. He is interred in the Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.
His daughter from his second marriage to Judy Martin (nee: Eva Alaine Overstake) is Shirley Lee Foley who is married to singer Pat Boone. His granddaughter is singer Debby Boone.
I Gotta Have My Baby Back
Red Foley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It hurts me baby I just gotta I gotta have my baby back
Can't sleep can't eat because I miss my sweet baby sweet
I gotta I just gotta I gotta have my baby back
Alone in a tavern people all around laughing and dancing paintin' the town
Jukebox is playing songs about you songs with memories making me blue
Baby come on home without you baby I just can't go on
Alone in a tavern people all around...
I gotta have my baby back
The lyrics of Red Foley's song, "I Gotta Have My Baby Back," express the overwhelming pain and longing that a person feels after a breakup. The singer is clearly in a state of despair, unable to eat or sleep because they miss their former lover so much. The phrase "I gotta have my baby back" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the desperate need to have this person back in their life.
The setting of the song also adds to the melancholy tone, with the singer being alone in a tavern surrounded by people who seem to be having a good time. The jukebox playing songs about the lost love only adds to the sadness as the singer reminisces about their past memories together. Despite the upbeat and lively atmosphere around them, the singer is consumed by their sadness and loneliness, unable to move on without their baby.
The repetition of the phrase "I gotta have my baby back" reinforces the heartbreak and desperation of the singer. The song is a vivid portrayal of how a breakup can affect a person's entire being, leaving them unable to function without their lost love. The lyrics, combined with Foley's emotive voice, make for a powerful and impactful expression of heartbreak and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby baby I miss you so very much
I am experiencing an intense feeling of longing and sadness for my significant other.
It hurts me baby I just gotta I gotta have my baby back
The pain of being apart from my significant other is unbearable, and I feel a strong urge to be reunited with them.
Can't sleep can't eat because I miss my sweet baby sweet
The separation is affecting my basic needs and functions as a human being, and my mind and body are consumed with thoughts of my significant other.
I gotta I just gotta I gotta have my baby back
My longing for my significant other is so strong that I feel a desperate need to be reunited with them, no matter what.
Alone in a tavern people all around laughing and dancing paintin' the town
I am surrounded by people who are enjoying the night life, but I feel empty and alone without my significant other by my side.
Jukebox is playing songs about you songs with memories making me blue
The songs being played remind me of my significant other, and the memories associated with them only intensify my feelings of sadness and longing.
Baby come on home without you baby I just can't go on
My significant other is an integral part of my life, and the thought of continuing without them seems impossible.
I just gotta I just gotta I gotta have my baby back
My desire to be reunited with my significant other is so powerful that I cannot imagine existing without them.
Alone in a tavern people all around...
Despite being in a crowded place, I still feel isolated and alone without my significant other by my side.
I gotta have my baby back
My main focus and priority is being reunited with my significant other, as nothing else can fill the void they have left in my life.
Contributed by Nolan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ted Hobbs
I remember this , and other songs from the Great Red Foley , from the early '50s