Real Life - "Babies"

[Yachtingtype]

How many are familiar with this song? It's an absolute favorite of mine and it ranks up there not only as a song choice by Real Life but a top 100 song in my opinion too. Obviously Real Life had a string of great songs but there is something very unique about "Babies" that always keeps me amused. It's one of those songs that didn't get enough recognition partly to do with promotion but the other side being that most artists who had a strong career in the early 80's were slowly fading.

I have been in touch with all original members of the band in hopes for some clarification of the song's history and if an alternate music video does really exist. From the information I have gathered the song was originally supposed to be on a horror movie soundtrack that was released the same year. There is no clarification on whether or not the song was used or what movie it was in.

If anyone has additional information on this track I would greatly appreciate it. Luckily someone has posted the first music video on youtube and that may be the only one that is in existence. The band rarely plays the song alive due to lack of interest but to me it's a brilliant piece of work and not to mention written by a very talented performer and writer; Holly Knight (Who doesn't acknowledge the song whatsoever.)

[budaniel]

I don't remember babies ever being in a movie. I know Send me an Angel was in teen Wolf Too, Face to Face was in Once Bitten, and Exploding Bullets was in Savage Streets.

I sure wish Flame and Down Comes the Hammer would get CD releases.

[Spudboy]

[:(]I had Flame on CD back in the 90's. It was the German Curb release and it was one of my most prized possessions....

my apartment was robbed one night and half my collection vanished (including my CD of "Happily Ever After" by the Cure and "Very Relentless" by the Pet Shop Boys).

[:(][:(][:(][:(][:(][:(][:(]

Still looking for my girl with auburn hair and tawny eyes...

[Jeffrey]

Real Life's "Babies" has always been one of my favorite songs from the group. I still --- TO THIS DAY --- do not know why the song never went anywhere. It has me so perplexed. The 12-inch mix was awesome and it should definitely end up on the "Retro: Active" series.

And who knows, maybe the track might be rediscovered via a soundtrack or some DJ playing it on the radio. It could have a "second" life even this late in the game. Hey, "Send Me An Angel" got to be a bigger hit with its remix in '88 and still gets remixed to this day. Pet Shop Boy's "West End Girls" didn't take off until a few years after its intial release. And, who can forget "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers. Originally coming out in the 1980's, the song reaped it's rewards in the 1990's due to it's inclusion in the "Benny and June" soundtrack. Stranger things have happened when it comes to music.

Thanks for reminding me of such a wonderful track. I've gotta dig up the record when I get home.


Jeffrey

[SomebodySomewhere]

Mike Chapman, Michael Des Barres and Holly Knight wrote this in 1983 (as "Bleeding Babies" -- the title Real Life's version eventually reverted to) but no one touched it until '86. Probably because it's nowhere near as good as "Obsession," "Love Touch," "Love Is a Battlefield," "Better Be Good to Me," etc. It would have benefited from a lyrical rewrite, as the lyrics were a total mess.

Knight (never one to mince words) did some interview where she was talking about how disappointing it was when one of her tracks ended up cut by someone who couldn't sing. She may have not acknowledged him by name, but I knew full well she was talking about Sterry. (Well, who do you think she was talking about? Rod Stewart? Tina Turner? Pat Benatar?)

And considering how badly "Flame" bombed in the U.S. and how totally irrelevant Real Life became after that, I'm just amazed they even had a record contract by the time this came out, never mind that it wasn't a hit. I always assumed somebody was fucking someone at Curb to keep them there through all those pointless recycling packages.

[InvisibleMan]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SomebodySomewhere[/i]
<br>Mike Chapman, Michael Des Barres and Holly Knight wrote this in 1983 (as "Bleeding Babies" -- the title Real Life's version eventually reverted to)
[/quote]

Holly Knight rocks and so does Real Life [:D]
this song could have just as well been on a Device album

[Spectre General]

[quote][i]Originally posted by budaniel[/i]
<br>I don't remember babies ever being in a movie. I know Send me an Angel was in teen Wolf Too, Face to Face was in Once Bitten, and Exploding Bullets was in Savage Streets.

I sure wish Flame and Down Comes the Hammer would get CD releases.
[/quote]

Send Me An Angel was also in The Wizard and Rad.

I don't know anything else about Bleeding Babies other than it's cool.

[quote][i]Originally posted by SomebodySomewhere[/i]
<br>Rod Stewart[/quote]

That'd be my guess right there. Besides how could Holly Knight be complaining about people's singing? I mean I like her but let's be real, she's a much better songwriter.

-------------------------------------------------
What is love after all
but occasional steps
of a dance.........
.......In a trance?

[SomebodySomewhere]

Well, it's official then. David Sterry is a better singer than Rod Stewart. Who knew?

I forgot to mention Ann and Nancy Wilson, Meat Loaf, Paul Stanley, John Waite, Steven Tyler, Daryl Hall, Jon Bon Jovi, and Patty Smyth. Clearly, Sterry is better than them too.

Holly obviously isn't a great singer and she sang on her solo record like somebody had a gun to her head and was forcing her to make it, but at least she can sing on key. Sterry couldn't even do that.

Mind you, I never understood her beef with Paul Engemann. He had a great voice. She totally screwed the pooch there. Device were a big deal to Chrysalis. (Compare the promotion they got to the burial Shanghai got.) Columbia didn't give two shits about her.