David Gates was depressed.
The year was 1971, and he had just written what he thought would be a "Great Song."
As the principal songwriter and lead singer of Bread, he had been on a roll--with hits like (in order):
"Make It with You," which we highlighted on 3/10/20:
"It Don't Matter to Me," which we highlighted on 5/12/21:
And "If," which we highlighted way back on 12/10/19:
But THIS time, with "Baby I'm-A Want You," David felt he somehow missed the boat. He had written it on piano, but when Bread recorded it, he thought the song had "no life."
It bothered him so much, he took a good long look at the song, rewrote it for guitar and changed the key.
When Bread recorded it again, it made all the difference in the world--and when it was released as a single, fans and radio listeners obviously agreed!
In 1971, crossing over into 1972, "Baby I'm-A Want You" hit the top of Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart and #3 on the Hot 100! It also reached #5 in Canada and #8 in Australia.
That pretty much cured David's depression. :-)
"Baby I'm-A Want You:" A "Great Song of the '70s!"
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