“The Baby”
Blake Shelton
Written by Harley Allen and Michael White
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
February 28, 2003
Billboard
#1 (3 weeks)
February 22 – March 8, 2003
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from 21 years of Country Universe, it’s that I might as well be straightforward about my listening experiences.
I used to strive for some sort of neutrality or objective distance, as if there’s any way to divorce personal taste from critical evaluation.
So these days, I just tell it like I hear it.
Friends, I’ve had root canals that were less excruciating than listening to this record.
I hate every second of it. The slow and plodding pace which forces apart lines that should be together in the verses. The “this is a serious country song” arrangement that has the solemness of a funeral. The manipulative songwriting that leaves so many seams exposed that you know the mother’s going to die before he’s finished the first chorus.
But my God, how it all pales in comparison to Shelton’s atrocious vocal performance. Have you ever stepped on the tail of a cat? They emote just like Shelton does here. And like the peak waves of a horrible migraine, it’s most torturous when he sings the title. You know it’s coming, and you’re powerless to stop it.
I think the mother let go before the baby got to her deathbed just so she didn’t have to hear his voice again.
“The Baby’” gets an F.
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I am not a Blake Shelton fan but will disagree with you on this review. It’s a very believable story as I have experienced this in my own life in ALMOST the exact same way this song describes. I was “the baby” of the family with 6 older siblings. Sure, it could have been sung by a better singer, but we could say that about dozens of songs. Country music has always been about stories of real life and this one does pretty damn good. Grade “A”.
I don’t remember this song but after reading the review, I was expecting something awful. This is a beautiful song.
I am the baby of the family. I was never treated any differently than my siblings. But I do remember being at my Mother’s bedside as she died. This song definitely brought back some sad memories.
There are sad tears and there are healing tears. I’m grateful I heard this song today.
I think you’re gonna be on an island with this one. At least I hope you are. This is a beautiful and maturely articulated story song that embodies the best of early Blake Shelton. They pack in a ton of story into four minutes here, a feat that was easy to do with fast-paced story songs from the 70s but much more challenging when the expansion-pack lyrical set is delivered at a slower tempo. The narrator is believable and highly relatable, the ne’er-do-well who got spoiled by his aging parents and is struggling to adjust to adulthood as he has to fend for himself. This is a theme I’ve seen play out personally with friends and relatives who were “the baby” and the narrative trajectory fits like a glove at every stage, helped along by the mother’s descriptions of the more conventionally successful and disciplined older siblings. And Shelton’s vocal performance conveying this dynamic was, for my taste, a homerun.
As for mom’s inevitable death scene at the end, this is a classic example of the journey being more enriching than the destination. Nearly every other song that ends with a parent or lover’s death follows a more predictable circle of life formula. Many of them are highly affecting, but “The Baby” takes a more challenging narrative path and gives us relatable, fully realized characters. We can imagine the older brothers’ general eye-rolling conceit about the irresponsible “baby” of the family given all the parental advantages while still imagining the sincerity of hoping their younger brother makes it home in time to say goodbye to the mother who favored him. One can also imagine the enduring trauma of the narrator who didn’t make it home in time.
I may not be an only child but this song haunts me more as I age and grapple with my parents’ mortality, and the fact that I live a few hours from them. As a result, it hits me quite a bit harder than it did in 2003…and I thought it worked very well then. It gets virtually no recurrent radio play but I’d like to see a critical revival, both to showcase the contrast with Shelton’s paint-by-numbers long-term trajectory and to see how well it holds up with listeners a generation after its original release.
Grade: A
Oops. I meant to say “I might not be the baby of the family”. I am in fact the only child.
I don’t “F” is a bit harsh. I would give this a “C” – I think the song itself is a bit better than Blake’s vocal performance and I agree that the tempo should be accelerated somewhat
Shelton has a strong voice he uses effectively at times (like his cover of Goodbye Time) but I do agree his vocal here is a little rough. However, my appreciation for sentimentality does lead me to liking the song itself.
I don’t know who hurt you, Kevin, but you might need a therapist. This is a great song with a great delivery from Blake. Easily one of the best in his catalog, although that’s not saying much.
I like this song pretty well. I don’t personally relate to it, but I know people who do, including my youngest sibling. I also think the last line is kind of clever. I haven’t noticed his vocals being bad on it, but I do think that the production is pretty bland.
I love that so many of you enjoy this song so much. Thanks for sharing!
First off, man are Blake’s eyes distracting in that video (I forget how blue they are because, well, I don’t listen or watch much of his stuff). This one isn’t bad to these ears; I don’t even think the vocal is bad on any real level. I’d take this over some of his more recent-ish stuff. Solid B+
Eh, could be worse.
Blake Shelton on this record does sound somewhat off yes, especially when you compare his vocal performance to the previous number one hit that you’ve covered. But I don’t think it’s as grating as you’re letting on with this review, though it is admittedly kind of humorous how he pronounces baby in this song as “Bay-bee,” particularly during the ending of the song.
Sure, the writing is predictable, but compared to the equally and deservedly graded “The Little Girl” back from 2000, it’s clear that this song’s heart is in a better spot compared to the trite message of “The little girl’s parent’s were abusive because they did not believe in Jesus.” Coincidentally “The Little Girl” was written by one of the same writers as this song.
Again, could be worse, especially when you compare it to the previous single, as well as a majority of Blake Shelton’s eventual catalogue down the line, but F is just a little too harsh. I can at least somewhat connect with the second verse of reminiscing over family photos, something that my family loves to do from time to time. And honestly, I’d take listening to this vocal performance over hearing the eventual monstrosity that is “Boys Round Here”. It’s mid at best. I’d give it a C-.
Gotta say though Kevin, I’m impressed how we’re only a few years in this decade and so far we’ve only had two F grade reviews, though I’m going to boldly assume we’re gonna have at least one more coming up after these next few singles.
I get it when there’s a song that just doesn’t work for you. I gave “Sideways” by Dierks Bentley an F and I’m sure more than one person has called me crazy for it.
I love this song. I have fond memories of singing it with my younger sister. I never had an issue with how he sounds on it or how slow the tempo is, because I feel the story is very well written and compelling. It easily passes the “could this have happened irl” test for me.
But it’s okay to not like it.
…an almost biblical story – does it get any more country than that? totally foreseeable, of course – totally moving, you bet.