For Your Babies
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"For Your Babies" is a song by British
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
and pop band
Simply Red Simply Red are an English soul music, soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. Band leader, singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall was the only original member left by the time Simply Red initially disbanded in 2010. They have released thir ...
. Written by
Mick Hucknall Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year caree ...
, it was released in January 1992 as the third single from the band's forth album, ''
Stars A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed points of ...
'' (1991). The song reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart in February same year. It also reached the top 20 in Ireland and the top 30 in Austria and Belgium. The track was included on the band's compilation albums, ''
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
'' in 1996, '' Simply Red 25: The Greatest Hits'' in 2008 and '' Songs of Love'' in 2010. It was also featured on the band's acoustic album '' Simplified'' in a new version.


Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...
from ''
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'' felt that here,
Mick Hucknall Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year caree ...
"offers an unusually restrained and completely effective performance on this delicately arranged R&B gem." Clark and DeVaney from '' Cashbox'' noted that the song "is set at a mellow, easy-listening pace. Following in the footsteps of their previous material, they have perfectly matched the above-average production with the soft-tone vocals." Rufer and Fell from the ''
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'' called it "the ultimate
Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in Mar ...
record delivered with loving sentimentality by Mr. Hucknall." Adam Sweeting from ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' named it the singer's "exquisite tear-jerking showpiece". Pan-European magazine ''
Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...
'' described it as a "very gentle, vulnerable
pop ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Ballads ...
, thoughtfully arranged and featuring some fine Spanish acoustic guitar licks." A reviewer from ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' stated that "an uncluttered and pretty ballad with no hiding place, it certainly draws a fine performance from Hucknall, full of nuances and pure, clear phrasing. A smash." '' Newcastle Journal'' deemed it as a "honest ballad". ''
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'' remarked that Hucknall's singing "is still the hook in
Simply Red Simply Red are an English soul music, soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. Band leader, singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall was the only original member left by the time Simply Red initially disbanded in 2010. They have released thir ...
's music, sliding gently in a pillow-soft upper register." Karla Peterson from '' The Press-Courier'' viewed it as "a tender tribute to parenthood in times of trouble". Johnny Dee from ''
Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...
'' called it a "soulful, smoochy track", giving it four out of five.


Retrospective response

Writing for CultureSonar in 2018, Ellen Fagan felt that Hucknall "was never more appealing than in this
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
of a proud dad serenading his little child with loving hopes for his future during the sleepless days of early parenthood. Hucknall had his first baby decades after this was written, so his ability to conjure up such a scenario is deliciously prescient."
musicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...
declared it as a "perfect romantic ballad". In a 2015 retrospective review, Pop Rescue complimented it as "a wonderfully gentle track, laden with piano, bass, and acoustic guitar", where the singer "takes a leisurely stroll through the lyrics."


Music video

A
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was produced to promote the single, directed by British commercial, film and music video director Andrew Morahan.


Track listings


Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the ''
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'' album booklet. Studios * Recorded at Condulmer Recording Studio (
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, Italy) * Mixed at Conway Studios (Los Angeles) * Mastered at
Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...
Mastering (Los Angeles) Simply Red *
Mick Hucknall Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year caree ...
– words, music, vocals, backing vocals, co-production * Fritz McIntyre – additional vocals, keyboards * Tim Kellett – keyboards *
Heitor Pereira Heitor Teixeira Pereira () (born November 29, 1960), or Heitor TP, is a Brazilian composer. In his career, Pereira has recorded with the band Simply Red and several famous musicians, such as Elton John, Rod Stewart, k.d. lang, Milton Nascimento, a ...
– guitars * Ian Kirkham – saxophone * Gota Yashiki – drums, percussion, programs * Shaun Ward – bass guitar Other personnel * Stewart Levine – production * Daren Klein – mixing, engineering * Sandro Franchin – assistant engineering * Marnie Riley – assistant mix engineering * Bernie Grundman – mastering


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 1990s ballads 1991 songs 1992 singles Black-and-white music videos East West Records singles Music videos directed by Andy Morahan Pop ballads Simply Red songs Songs about children Songs about fathers Song recordings produced by Stewart Levine Songs written by Mick Hucknall