"Baby Come Back" is a song by the British-American rock band Player. It was released in late 1977 as the lead single from their 1977 self-titled debut album, and was the breakthrough single for the band, gaining them mainstream success, hitting #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the three consecutive weeks of January 14, 21 and 28, 1978 and #10 on the R&B charts in 1978. Their biggest hit single, the song was written and performed by Peter Beckett and J.C. Crowley, the founders of Player. As reported on the American Top 40 replay broadcast of November 5, 1977, "Baby Come Back" was written after two of the band members had broken up with their girlfriends.

Personnel

Cover versions

In 2018, Australian band Ocean Alley included it as part of the Like a Version segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. The cover reached No. 16 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2018 and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The song was also covered by Andy Gibb with the Beegees. The song was also covered by Lisa Stansfield

Uses in other media

In 2008, the song was used in a commercial for a cleaning product called the Swiffer WetJet. In 2011, it was the source of a parody by Chicago artist Magic 1 entitled "Cutty Come Back", which alludes to the Chicago Bears' woes without quarterback Jay Cutler. The song is also used in the Michael Bay blockbuster Transformers, when the Autobot Bumblebee communicates with its new owner Sam Witwicky through songs on the radio. In this case, after an incident with the girl he is attracted to, Mikaela, gets out of the car and Sam tries to persuade her to "come back". The lyrics of the song are expected to accomplish this desire, as laid out by the filmmakers, though it is unlikely given the context that she would actually come back anyway. Actress/singer Vanessa Hudgens sampled the song for her 2006 debut single "Come Back to Me", from her debut album V. In The Simpsons episode "Homer Alone", when Homer calls the "Department of Missing Babies" after losing Maggie, the hold music is a newly recorded version of the song, by Peter Beckett and J.C. Crowley. This song was sung by Hank Hill and Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt in the Point After Lounge in the "Church Hopping" episode of King of the Hill. The song was sung by Steve Smith (Scott Grimes) in the American Dad! episode "The Unbrave One". In a May 2014 episode of General Hospital, precocious Spencer Cassadine attempted to woo back Emma Scorpio-Drake by hiring Player to perform the song at the Nurses Ball. Spencer's great-grandmother Lesley Webber was supposedly a groupie of the band in the 1970s. In 2016, Peter Beckett performed a parody "Brady Come Back" on The Herd with Colin Cowherd about the return of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady from suspension. In 2018, rapper Yung Gravy sampled the song in his single "Cheryl". In 2022, this song is played in the movie Black Adam. In 2024, rapper and singer the Kid Laroi sampled "Baby Come Back" for the song "Baby I'm Back", which appears on the deluxe version of his debut album The First Time.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications