I Got You Babe

Sonny Bono, a songwriter and record producer for Phil Spector, wrote the lyrics to and composed the music of the song for himself and his then-wife, Cher, late at night in their basement. When Cher was woken up to sing the lyrics, she hated the song and didn't think it would soon be a hit and immediately went back to bed.[2][3] Session drummer Hal Blaine played drums for the song with other members of The Wrecking Crew supplying instrumental support.[4] "I Got You Babe" became the duo's biggest single, their signature song, and a defining recording of the early hippie countercultural movement.

AllMusic critic William Ruhmann praised the song:

Recalling Dylan's bitter 1964 song "It Ain't Me Babe" (soon to be a folk-rock hit for the Turtles), Bono wrote his own opposite sentiment: "I Got You Babe." Where Dylan was lyrically complex, Bono was simple: His lyric began with the ominous youth-versus-grownups theme of "they" who set up barriers to romance, but soon gave way to a dialogue of teenage romantic platitudes. Where Dylan was musically simple, however, Bono, without fully rebuilding Spector's Wall of Sound, was more structurally ambitious, following the song's standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-verse-chorus form with an ascending coda that built to a climax, then started building again before the fadeout, all in only a little over three minutes. Set to waltz time, the tune retained a light feel despite the sometimes busy instrumentation, led by a prominent oboe accompanied by a bassoon and the alternating vocals between the two singers. If neither were interesting singers, their plodding, matter-of-fact performances gave the song a common-man appeal.[5]

African-American musician Harold Battiste provided the instrumental arrangement.[6] Richard Niles quotes Battiste as saying the prominent figure in the song is played on an oboe rather than an ocarina.[7]

In the United States, the song had sold more than 1 million copies in 1965 being certified Gold by the RIAA. As of November 2011, Billboard reported the digital sales of "I Got You Babe" to be 372,000 in the US.[8]

In 2011, the song was named as one of the greatest duets of all time by both Billboard and Rolling Stone magazines.[9][10] It was also listed at #444 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004. In early 2017 the song has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[11]

Sonny and Cher last performed the song together during an impromptu reunion on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman on November 13, 1987.[12][13][14] Cher performed the song with R.E.M. on February 14, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.[15] It was her first performance of the song without Sonny.[16] During Cher's 2014 Dressed to Kill Tour and 2017–2020 Las Vegas residency Classic Cher using left behind vocals and a projection of videos of Sonny, Cher performed the song live with the projection of Sonny. The song is performed the same way during Cher's 2018-2020 Here We Go Again Tour.

Cher sang a parody version of the song called I Got You Bae with James Corden on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2016. The parody explained finding love in the modern 2016 era of online dating, swiping, social media, Netflix and chill and internet pornography.[17][18][19]

"I Got You Babe" has been frequently featured in film and television, including Sonny and Cher's own The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. The song made a bit of a comeback when it was used repeatedly as Phil Connors' wake-up music in the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. On re-release, the single re-charted in the UK, reaching number 66. Other films have used the song including Good Times which stars Sonny & Cher, Buster, Look Who's Talking Too, Just Visiting, Me Without You, Riding in Cars with Boys, and Jack and Jill.

• Cher - co-lead vocals
• Sonny Bono - co-lead vocals
• Barney Kessel - guitar
• Lyle Ritz - bass guitar
• Steve Mann - guitar
• Hal Blaine - drums
• Harold Battiste - piano
• Gene Estes - percussion
• Michel Rubini - harpsichord

Twenty years later, in 1985, British band UB40 with American singer Chrissie Hynde recorded a cover version of "I Got You Babe" for the group's studio album Baggariddim. The song also appeared on the Pretenders' 1987 compilation album The Singles. This version of "I Got You Babe" charted at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1985 and reached number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

7"-single

1. I Got You Babe 3:08
2. UB40 - Theme From Labour Of Love 3:05

12"-single

1. I Got You Babe 3:09
2. UB40 - Red Red Wine 5:21

In 1993, Cher recorded a cover version of "I Got You Babe" with the American animated characters Beavis and Butt-Head. The song was the first single from The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience, a compilation comedy album released in 1993 by the Geffen Records, which is one of the fastest-selling comedy albums; it has officially sold 1,610,000 units and was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA in the United States.[68][69] The single reached the top 40 in the UK, Belgium and Sweden, as well as the top 10 in the Netherlands.

AllMusic said it is the "most interesting" track on the The Beavis and Butt-head Experience album.[70] Larry Flick from Billboard stated that Cher "delivers one of her strongest vocals to date."[71] Troy J. Augusto from Cashbox noted it as a "fun moment" from the album.[72] Rob Fiend from Gavin Report called it "a lovely duet". He added, "One can hardly keep the tears from flowing."[73] Music & Media described it as "a smashing rendition".[74] Mark Sutherland from Smash Hits said that the duet is "hilarious".[75]

A funny and psychedelic music video was produced for the song, which received heavy MTV airplay. It featured Cher and Beavis and Butt-Head in a virtual animated world. In the video, the animated pair refer to her former husband Bono as a dork and a wuss, to which a live-action Cher agrees. It was placed at number 5 on the "50 Greatest Funny Moments in Music" list made by VH1 channel in 2004.

1. Cher with Beavis and Butt-Head – "I Got You Babe" (4:00)
2. Sonny & Cher – "I Got You Babe" (3:12)