Oh Baby I...

For other uses, see Oh Baby.

"Oh Baby I..."
Single by Eternal
from the album Always & Forever
B-side
  • "Sweet Funky Thing"
  • "Decisions"
Released24 October 1994 (1994-10-24)[1]
StudioMad Fly Productions (New York City)
Genre
Length4:32
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Tommy Faragher
  • Lotti Golden
Eternal singles chronology
"So Good"
(1994) 		"Oh Baby I..."
(1994) 		"Crazy"
(1994)

"Oh Baby I..." is a song by English girl group Eternal, written by Lotti Golden and Tommy Faragher. It was the fifth single released from their debut album, Always & Forever (1993), in October 1994 by EMI and 1st Avenue. The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number seven on October 30th, climbing to its peak of number four a week later. The single spent 10 weeks in the top 40, which up to this point was their longest chart run, and was certified Silver by the BPI on 1 January 1995 for shipments over 200,000. The song also reached the top 10 in the Netherlands and narrowly missed the top 10 in Ireland and New Zealand, charting at number 11 in both countries. The music video for "Oh Baby I..." was directed by British director and editor Tim Royes.[2]

Critical reception

Jon O'Brien from AllMusic viewed the song as an example of "perfect R&B-infused pop".[3] Annette M. Lai from the Gavin Report described it as "touching".[4] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "Now with their fifth single they move away from the dancefloor and into ballad territory".[5] Alan Jones from Music Week rated "Oh Baby I..." four out of five and named it Pick of the Week, declaring it as "a sophisticated and pretty ballad that proves they have the vocal ability to hold their own against Jade and SWV. A nicely restrained production that should have no trouble in maintaining their hot streak, while luring new fans to the Always & Forever album."[6] Jordan Paramor from Smash Hits also gave it four out of five, writing, "'Oh Baby I...' is very much in the Eternal style, laid-back and souly. It's got the harmonies, it's got style and it's got the potential to be a big hit."[7] Another Smash Hits editor, Mark Frith, complimented it as a "lush ballad".[8]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the Always & Forever album booklet.[13]

Studios

  • Recorded at Mad Fly Productions (New York City)
  • Mixed at Platinum Island (New York City)

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[1] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b "British single certifications – Eternal – Oh Baby I/Sweet Funky Thing". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Eternal: Oh Baby I..." IMDb. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  3. ^ O'Brien, Jon. "Louise – Changing Faces: Best of Louise". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  4. ^ Lai, Annette M. (18 February 1994). "Gavin Picks – Albums" (PDF). Gavin Report. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  5. ^ Masterton, James (30 October 1994). "Week Ending November 5th 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  6. ^ Jones, Alan (22 October 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream – Singles – Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 18. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  7. ^ Paramor, Jordan (26 October 1994). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 53. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  8. ^ Frith, Mark. "New Albums". Smash Hits. p. 52. 24 November 1993.
  9. ^ Oh Baby I... (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Eternal. EMI United Kingdom, 1st Avenue Records. 1994. EM 353, 7243 8 81788 7 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Oh Baby I... (UK cassette single sleeve). Eternal. EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1994. TC-EM 353, 7243 8 81788 4 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Oh Baby I... (UK & Australian CD single liner notes). Eternal. EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1994. CDEM 353, 7243 8 81788 2 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Oh Baby I... (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Eternal. EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1994. 7243 8 81909 2 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Always & Forever (UK CD album booklet). Eternal. EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1993. CDEMD 1053, 7243 8 28212 2 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "Eternal chart history, received from ARIA on 20 October 2023". Imgur.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column indicates the release's peak on the national chart. Always & Forever is erroneously listed as charting as a single for one week in May 1994.
  15. ^ "Eternal – Oh Baby I..." (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  16. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 47. 19 November 1994. p. 24. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  17. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (4.2 '95 – 10.2 '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 February 1995. p. 20. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  18. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Oh Baby, I...". Irish Singles Chart.
  19. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 8, 1995" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Eternal – Oh Baby I..." (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  21. ^ "Eternal – Oh Baby I...". Top 40 Singles.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. ^ "Eternal: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  24. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  25. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1994". Music Week. 14 January 1995. p. 9.