Rock Your Baby

"Rock Your Baby"
"Rock Your Baby"
Single by George McCrae
from the album Rock Your Baby
B-side	"Rock Your Baby (Part 2)"
Released	May 1974
Recorded	1973
Genre	Disco;
Length	3:14 (7" version); 6:24 (album version);
Label	TK; Jay Boy (UK);
Songwriter(s)	Harry Wayne Casey; Richard Finch;
Producer(s)	Harry Wayne Casey; Richard Finch;
George McCrae singles chronology
Music video
	"Rock Your Baby" (TopPop) on YouTube

"Rock Your Baby" is the debut single by American singer George McCrae. Written and produced by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band, "Rock Your Baby" was one of the landmark recordings of early disco music. A massive international hit, the song reached number one on the Hot 100 in the United States, spending two weeks there in July 1974; number one on the R&B chart;^[5] and number one on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks at the top in July 1974.^[6]^[7] Having sold 11 million copies, it is one of fewer than 40 all-time singles to have sold 10 million physical copies worldwide.^[8]^[9]

The backing track was recorded in 45 minutes as a demo and featured guitarist Jerome Smith of KC and the Sunshine Band, with Casey on keyboards and Finch on bass and drums.^[10] It was also one of the first records to use a drum machine,^[11] an early Roland rhythm machine.^[12] The track was not originally intended for McCrae but he happened to be in the studio and added a vocal; the resulting combination of infectious rhythm and falsetto vocals made it a hit. Music critic Robert Christgau has described the song as "irresistibly Memphis-cum-disco-with-a-hook."^[13]

The chord progression of John Lennon's number-one single "Whatever Gets You thru the Night", released a few months later, bears a great resemblance to the one found in "Rock Your Baby".^{[citation needed]} Lennon later admitted to using the song as an inspiration, and said of it in a 1975 interview: "I'd give my eyetooth to have written that."^[14]^[15] ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus have also cited the song as an inspiration for the backing track of their 1976 smash hit "Dancing Queen". It was covered by indie rock band the House of Love for the 1992 compilation album Ruby Trax.^[16] In the same year, British dance group KWS's cover of "Rock Your Baby" reached number eight in the UK.

^ Morsch, Mike (April 16, 2024). The Vinyl Dialogues: Stories Behind Memorable Albums of the 1970s as Told by the Artists. The Educational Publisher / Biblio. ISBN 978-1-62249-207-7.
^ Bronson, Fred (April 16, 2024). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-8230-7677-2.
^ Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "George McCrae - "Rock Your Baby". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. pp. 103–104.
^ "Rock Your Baby". 45cat.com. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 389.
^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 303. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ "George McCrae - UK Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2, illustrated ed.). Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 0-214-20480-4. Biggest selling singles discs.
^ Moore-Gilbert, Bart (March 11, 2002). The Arts in the 1970s: Cultural Closure. Routledge. ISBN 9780415099066. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
^ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 10, 1974. p. 20 – via Google Books.
^ Martin Russ (2012), Sound Synthesis and Sampling, page 83, CRC Press
^ Mike Collins (2014), In the Box Music Production: Advanced Tools and Techniques for Pro Tools, page 320, CRC Press
^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via Robertchristgau.com.
^ Blaney, John (June 2005). John Lennon: Listen to This Book - John Blaney - Google Books. John Blaney. p. 138. ISBN 9780954452810. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
^ Schoenberger, Francis (October 9, 2019). "He Said, She Said: An Interview With John Lennon". Spin.
^ Carlson, Dean. "Ruby Trax: The NME's Roaring 40". AllMusic. Retrieved March 11, 2016.

[1] Morsch, Mike (April 16, 2024). The Vinyl Dialogues: Stories Behind Memorable Albums of the 1970s as Told by the Artists. The Educational Publisher / Biblio. ISBN 978-1-62249-207-7.

[2] Bronson, Fred (April 16, 2024). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-8230-7677-2.

[Number_Ones_2022-3] Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "George McCrae - "Rock Your Baby". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. pp. 103–104.

[4] "Rock Your Baby". 45cat.com. Retrieved September 29, 2012.

[5] Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 389.

[British_Hit_Singles_&_Albums-6] Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 303. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

[George_McCrae_-_UK_Chart-7] "George McCrae - UK Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 8, 2015.

[8] Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2, illustrated ed.). Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 0-214-20480-4. Biggest selling singles discs.

[9] Moore-Gilbert, Bart (March 11, 2002). The Arts in the 1970s: Cultural Closure. Routledge. ISBN 9780415099066. Retrieved May 30, 2012.

[10] "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 10, 1974. p. 20 – via Google Books.

[11] Martin Russ (2012), Sound Synthesis and Sampling, page 83, CRC Press

[12] Mike Collins (2014), In the Box Music Production: Advanced Tools and Techniques for Pro Tools, page 320, CRC Press

[CG-13] Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via Robertchristgau.com.

[14] Blaney, John (June 2005). John Lennon: Listen to This Book - John Blaney - Google Books. John Blaney. p. 138. ISBN 9780954452810. Retrieved March 27, 2014.

[15] Schoenberger, Francis (October 9, 2019). "He Said, She Said: An Interview With John Lennon". Spin.

[16] Carlson, Dean. "Ruby Trax: The NME's Roaring 40". AllMusic. Retrieved March 11, 2016.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]