"Don't Make My Baby Blue" is a song by Frankie Laine, released as a single in March 1963. It peaked at number 51 on Billboard Hot 100.[1] It was later covered by the Shadows, who had a hit with it in the UK. Laine also recorded the song in Spanish, Italian and German.
Release and reception
"Don't Make My Baby Blue" was recorded by Laine at the beginning of March 1963 at CBS Columbia Square Studios in Sunset Boulevard. It was produced by Terry Melcher and features an orchestra arranged and conducted by Jack Nitzsche. It was released as a single at the end of March with the B-side "The Moment of Truth", a song written by Laine, Nell Western and Fred Katz that appeared on his 1963 album Wanderlust.[2]
Reviewed in Billboard, it was described as Laine's "best record in a long, long time" with "a multi-tracked contemporary sound that's bound to rocket the vet singer to hitland".[3] In Cash Box, it was described as being Laine's "strongest bid for teen-market acceptance" and has "over-dubbed against a first-rate Nashville-styled ork-chorus backdrop".[4]
Reviewed in Record Mirror, it was described as having "a solid, heavy sound", "with some atmospheric old rock style guitar work backing things up. Ultra-commercial, usual pop format, but well produced and presented. A lot better than most vocal group discs".[7] For New Musical Express, Derek Johnson described the song as "a melodic rockaballad, with a hummable, easy-to-remember tune, it has a thumping beat, some resonant Marvin guitar work, and added piano. Extremely good of its kind, and quite unlike anything the Shads have done before".[11]
^van Slooten, Johan (2005). Top 40 Hitdossier 1965-2005 (inclusief alle 'prehistorische' hits van 1956 to 1965)" (in Dutch) (9th ed.). Haarlem: J.H. Gottmer / H.J.W. Becht BV. ISBN90-230-1144-9.
