"Oh Baby Mine (I Get So Lonely)" is a popular song written and published by

Pat Ballard Pat Ballard, born Francis Drake Ballard (June 19, 1899 – October 26, 1960), was an American songwriter, producer, music editor and author. Life He was born in Troy, Pennsylvania, to Frank Ballard, a jeweller-optician, and Lucille, a soprano. ...

in 1953.

Original recording

The biggest hit version was done by

The Four Knights The Four Knights were an American vocal group from Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Their 1954 hit, "I Get So Lonely When I Dream About You (Oh Baby Mine)", sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. Career The group was ...

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

in 1953. The song reached No. 3 on Billboard's Best Sellers chart, and No. 2 on Cash Box in 1954.

Cover versions

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

recorded the song on January 29, 1954, accompanied by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians in Los Angeles. * Anne Shelton with

Ken Mackintosh Kenneth Victor Mackintosh (4 August 1919 – 22 November 2005) was an English saxophonist, composer and bandleader. He accompanied singers such as Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and Matt Monro. Early life Mackintosh was born in Liversedge, Yorksh ...

and his orchestra recorded it in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on March 3, 1954. The song was released by

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

on the

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

label as catalog number B 10680. *In 1954, Johnnie & Jack had a number 1 country hit with their recording. In April 1954, it peaked at No. 1 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' country and western chart. It was also ranked No. 25 on ''Billboard''s 1954 year-end country and western retail sales chart. *

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group from Staunton, Virginia. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening a ...

, whose version was a number 2 country hit in 1983. The Statlers' version was their first song to feature vocals by

Jimmy Fortune Jimmy Fortune (born March 11, 1955) is an American country music singer from Nelson County, Virginia. Fortune sang tenor for The Statler Brothers for 21 years, and wrote the song " Elizabeth" for the group. When the Statler Brothers disbanded, h ...

, who had replaced

Lew DeWitt Lewis Calvin DeWitt Jr. (March 12, 1938 – August 15, 1990) was an American country music singer, guitarist, and composer. He was a founding member of The Statler Brothers and the group's original tenor. Biography For most of his career, DeWitt ...

, who had retired due to health problems. *Also in 1983, Dutch singer/comedian Andre van Duin released it (with new lyrics) as "De Heidezangers"; in the accompanying video he portrayed a three-piece amateur-band of piano, guitar and bass. He famously turned "Oh Baby Mine" into the speech-impedimental "Ik ssspeel de basss" ("I play the bass").

Media culture

*The song was sung by The Sportsmen Quartet and

Eddie "Rochester" Anderson Edmund Lincoln Anderson (September 18, 1905 – February 28, 1977) was an American actor and comedian. To a generation of early radio and television comedy audiences, he was known as "Rochester". Anderson entered show business as a teenager on ...

in the season 5 episode of ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 and 19 ...

'', "How Jack Found Mary". *The song was also sung in the season 2 episode of ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American television sitcom produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psychol ...

'', "My Wife Belongs to Daddy".

References

1953 songs 1954 singles 1983 singles Bobby G. Rice songs Johnnie & Jack songs The Statler Brothers songs Songs written by Pat Ballard Capitol Records singles Mercury Records singles Songs about loneliness {{1950s-country-song-stub