Baker Street (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Baker Street" is a song by Gerry Rafferty written in 1978 during his break from the band Stealers Wheel. The song was featured on his second solo album City to City and released as the first of three singles, marketed primarily to Adult Contemporary radio. The saxophone hook on the original was played by Raphael Ravenscroft. The guitar solo was played by Hugh Burns.
The song was successfully covered in 1992 by Undercover (not to be confused with the Christian rock band of the same name), who reached #2 in the United Kingdom with their rendition. The Foo Fighters released the song as a B-side to their 1998 single "My Hero", scoring a minor hit on rock radio with their cover (which reimagined the saxophone solo as a guitar solo).
Other artists who have covered the song include:
- Country artist Waylon Jennings
- Rock artist Rick Springfield
- Folk artist Livingston Taylor
- Jars of Clay (in concert)
- Heavy metal band Carnival in Coal
- Leif Benjamin (dance version produced by Sandy Burnett)
- DJ Octopus (dance version)
- Jazz Trumpeter Maynard Ferguson
- Rock band The Foo Fighters
The song was featured in The Simpsons episode "Lisa's Sax", with Lisa Simpson playing the familiar saxophone solo at the end of the show. It was also featured in the pilot episode of the Comedy Central series Stella. Rafferty's original version (more precisely, the opening riff, before any lyrics are sung) is also used as the theme music of The Dave Ramsey Show, a well-known American personal finance talk radio show. Gerry Rafferty's version of the song is also featured on the soundtrack of the 1997 Gus Van Sant film Good Will Hunting.
It was also featured in the 2004 film, Kung Fu Hustle.
It is heard playing on the radio in a hardware store during an intense scene in the 2007 film, Zodiac.
Contents |
[edit] Chart positions
[edit] Gerry Rafferty version
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Billboard Adult Contemporary | #4 |
| 1978 | Billboard Pop Singles | #2 |
| 1978 | UK Singles Chart | #3 |
[edit] Undercover version
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | UK Singles Chart | #2 |
[edit] Foo Fighters version
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | #34 |
