Give It A Spin

That's Entertainment : The Babys / John Waite / Bad English

Do you ever get those moments where you figure out something and you think to yourself ‘how the hell did I ever not know that?!?’ It happens to me all the time, but then again, I am clueless.

So with Valentine’s Day, I was listening to WSFM (not much of a crime, I admit) and they played The Babys Isn’t It Time. It’s one of those late seventies easy listening ballad rock n roll numbers that seems to get tacked on to ALL THE HITS OF THE SEVENTIES 3 CD boxsets or on to late night RAGE when they’re feeling cheesy - and for good reason, it was #1 here in Australia. It’s got a bit of a disco vibe to it; a bit of a stomper…great for singing along to. Of course, I never knew the band were The Babys or that they had another hit with Every Time I Think of You and a minor hit with Back On My Feet Again (which, personally, I like the best). So dot 1 to dot 2 - I figured out The Babys.

Then…I discover John Waite is the singer. Who? Well John Waite had a US #1, Australian #5 hit with Missing You in 1984. Check out the video. Surely, you recognise the tune? It’s straight out of Richard Mercer's Love Song Dedication.

Caller : Well, my boyfriend…his name is Killer, he is locked up in Silverwater…so I thought you could play me a song while I cry myself to sleep.

Richard Mercer (deep voice) : John Waite’s Missing You?

Caller [sobbing] : Yeah. That’d be grouse. I miss him so much.

Richard Mercer : No conjugal visits?

Caller : No [sobs]. He’s a softy…really. He just likes shotties and ….

Richard Mercer [sympathetic]: Let’s play that song.

See that kind of ballad. The one that flies across the universe, bridging souls and make hearts beat as one. The kind I listen to in the privacy of my home AND would never admit to it.

So John Waite, there’s dot 3.

Right. Now, in early 1990, there was a band about called Bad English. They were kind of lumped in with the hair metal rock of the late 1980s - and why not, they sounded and looked like a hair metal clone. They had a #4 hit with When I See You Smile and a couple of other very, very minor hits.

It’s another one of those ballad staples rolled out for Love Song Dedication. The sort of thing I like to screech along to with the windows down, wind in my hair and sun shining down. Go on, sink your teeth in to these lyrics - preferably with the music clip blaring and you singing out at the top of your voice:

When I see you smile, I can face the world
Oh, oh
You know I can do anything
When I see you smile, I see a ray of light
Oh, oh
I see it shining right through the rain
When I see you smile
Baby when I see you smile at me
Oh, yeah

And the point is? Well Bad English’s singer was John Waite (actually, Bad English were 3/5 of The Babys). So dot to dot to dot and whammy!

Sometimes I even astound myself.

So listen, sing and enjoy.