“The Teddy Bear Song“
Barbara Fairchild
Written by Don Earl and Nick Nixon
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
March 17 – March 24, 1973
Barbara Fairchild ended up being typecast by her sole No. 1 hit, with kid-themed records becoming her bread and butter after “Teddy Bear Song“ made her a star.
So it’s surprising how besides the point the Teddy Bear is to the song’s central message. It could’ve been any inanimate object that the song is centered around, and it would still work, because the whole point is wishing that you didn’t have feelings that could be hurt and a heart that could be broken.
The same basic conceit was executed spectacularly by Tami Neilson this year on “Neon Cowgirl,” and has been done poorly about the Tin Man by genre superstars Kenny Chesney and Miranda Lambert.
This one splits the difference in quality. It isn’t cheesy at all, which is no small feat given the song’s central metaphor. But it’s not terribly interesting either. Fairchild deliver this song with a weariness that sets the mood well but never moves beyond that one emotional beat.
Tanya Tucker covered it for her What’s Your Mama’s Name album and knocked it out of the park, if you want to hear the song reach its full potential.
“The Teddy Bear Song” gets a B.
Every No. 1 Single of the Seventies
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